Sony’s new Pulse Elevate speakers are aiming to bring “lifelike desktop audio” to your gaming sessions and beyond, and I travelled over to PlayStation’s UK headquarters in London to try them for myself.
I got to experience their in-game audio capabilities, music streaming skills, and even talk to PlayStation’s Vice President of Product Development, Edwin Foo, about the speakers’ creation process.
But just how good are the Pulse Elevate? And what exactly sets them apart from the swathe of competing desktop stereo speakers? Here’s what I think after my time with the upcoming product.
Sony’s new speakers: an overview
The moment that Edwin and I sat down with the Pulse Elevate, he responded to a question that he already knew I’d ask: “Why would we [Sony] need to make [desktop] speakers?” The answer came in two parts.
First of all, he said, since the release of the PS5 in 2020, Sony has identified a significant and growing portion of the user base that is not playing “in front of a TV on a couch,” but instead, while sitting at a monitor. “We realize that this trend is growing and we really need to acknowledge it,” Foo told me.
And the second part of the answer, he revealed, was that Sony felt that the display side of the desktop gaming equation was already well-served. “There are just lots of options out there for monitors,” Foo said. “But we realized that the audio portion of that experience could use some help”.
For many, relying on monitors for audio won’t be an option — many aren’t equipped with speakers in the first place, and when they are, they’re often pretty poor.
But Foo was also keen to highlight how headphones or headsets might not be a great alternative for some gamers, citing issues such as discomfort, ears overheating, and isolation from the rest of the household.
Headphone-like immersion on your desktop
Instead, Sony felt that speakers were the way to go — but it wanted to ensure that players could almost recreate the immersive experience of using headphones. Foo’s team was responsible for the Pulse Elite headset, released in 2024. And a lot of key tech from that model has been placed within the new Pulse Elevate.
When I said that we hope people view these speakers as a way to enjoy sound from headphones without wearing headphones, we meant it
Edwin Foo, VP, Product Development – PlayStation
The first example is PlayStation Link, Sony’s proprietary ultra-low-latency tech, which is ideal for gaming — and an important inclusion given that these speakers cannot be used wired; they either sit on charging docks or can run off the dock for 12 hours, according to Foo.
The second technology carried over is the Planar magnetic drivers, and this is the exciting stuff. These studio-inspired drivers offer tremendous accuracy and directionality, which makes them ideal for gaming, where you want a precise sense of where specific sounds are emanating from.
It’s worth mentioning that both speaker units also have a built-in woofer, which provides punchy, almost cinematic bass. Sony says that with the woofers and planar magnetic drivers combined, users can enjoy “a varied soundscape that’s perfect for desktop gaming”.
Sound check
After getting the lowdown on the Pulse Elevate’s inception, it was time for me to give them a go. I sat down at a desk, placed the speakers into their raised position, and entered a demo of Ghost of Yōtei.
This demo contained a story overview from 2025’s State of Play deep dive, and was very dialogue-focused. A narration running throughout the demo came through with exceptional clarity, never getting drowned out by music stirring in the backdrop or impactful bass. But it was in my second demo where I got a real taste of the Pulse Elevate’s full capabilities.
Yes, I got the chance to play the opening segment of Saros using the Pulse Elevate, and this is where the speakers impressed me most. When running through the environment, I was blown away by the directionality of ambient effects beside me, as well as enemies flying up and overhead. In addition, gunshots sounded agile and concise, rather than muddy or shrill, while dialogue remained well-balanced in the mix.
The planar magnetic drivers go a long way in providing precise stereo imaging, but there’s also Tempest 3D AudioTech on board, which endeavours to conjure up immersive surround sound for games that support it.
As well as gaming, I got to try listening to some music, which you can stream via Bluetooth on the Pulse Elevate for ultimate convenience. We tuned into Stay by The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber, and I was impressed with the bass output of the speakers as well as the energetic percussion.
We’ll need more time to test the speakers to determine just how good they are — especially for music, but they certainly made a good first impression. However, I’ve not even mentioned one of the best parts about these speakers yet: their noise-rejecting microphone.
With music turned up to the max, Foo spoke a few words, which were recorded at a Teams meeting. When we listened back, the music was totally inaudible, and Foo’s voice came through with spectacular clarity. This really blew me away, as I tested a lot of audio tech with AI algorithms for ‘crystal clear calls’ and they can often be underwhelming. But this works incredibly well, and means you can enjoy in-game audio while talking to your pals without any compromise in terms of speech clarity.
Talk about a first impression
I have to say, I was pretty impressed by the Sony Pulse Elevate during my time with them. They offered an impressive sense of space while retaining clarity across the frequency range, and their noise-reducing mic feels very well equipped for online gaming.
There are some slight compromises; for example, Foo told me that the speakers don’t support LDAC, and with no wired alternative, that means that true hi-res audio is off the table. Still, the AAC codec is supported, and with a good quality signal, that can often be enough to deliver outstanding audio.
The planar magnetic drivers are also a fantastic inclusion, and I felt that they captured the feeling of headphones for desktop gaming to great effect. Again, though, we’ll need to test them for an extended period to get the full picture.
One more thing I’ll say is that I like the design of these. They can stand flat or raised, depending on your preference, and they easily slot on or off their charging docks. Their sloped appearance is also pretty eye-catching, and they look classy in both of their color variants: Midnight Black or White.
Some details remain unknown, such as the speakers’ price — which Foo was unable to tell me just yet — as well as their release date. However, Sony previously touted them for a 2026 launch, so hopefully we can get our hands on them sooner rather than later.
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harry.padoan@futurenet.com (Harry Padoan)
