PCs are a messy enterprise. Most of us have wires up the wazoo, and possibly not an insignificant variety of knots and snarled cables to go along with them. Problem is, not many people are keen to forgo the velocity and reassurance that comes from having a wired set of peripherals – besides, that’s, on the subject of our headsets. Life is so a lot better once you’re not getting throttled as you desperately try to untangle your self out of your wider pool of leads and flexes when you want to reply the doorbell or go downstairs for dinner, however good grief wi-fi headsets do value some huge cash, don’t they?
Fortunately, Corsair have taken observe, as their brand-new HS70 Wireless headset has lastly arrived for simply £100/$109. That’s a heck of much more interesting than the £140/$160 demanded by HyperX’s Cloud Flight and even the £130/$150 you’ll must spend on the wonderful Steelseries Arctis 7. Corsair hasn’t skimped on options, both, as you’re nonetheless getting digital 7.1 encompass sound and as much as 16 hours of uninterrupted play time. Can it break into our best gaming headset rankings? Let’s discover out.
Like most wi-fi gaming headsets, the HS70 Wireless delivers its audio over 2.4GHz. That may make a few of you groan with despair, however Corsair have no less than gone a way to assist pre-empt any potential points with their newly designed twin antennas.
Found inside each the headset and the USB transmitter, every antenna can hop between frequencies to assist make sure you get one of the best wi-fi sign attainable at a variety of as much as 40ft. I’ll admit issues began to get a bit patchy after I took a visit to the lavatory simply down the corridor, however given the variety of different wi-fi units I’ve received at residence all competing over the identical frequency, I definitely didn’t have any points with it after I was sat at my desk.
Another level within the HS70’s favour is its beautiful design. Weighing simply 330g, its sturdy, but soft-touch headband instantly feels extra upmarket than each the Cloud Flight and Arctis 7, and its metallic grills, accented stitching and smooth, memory-foam ear cups give it a wise, elegant look that belies its $90 worth.
What’s extra, it’s rattling comfy. I don’t usually get on with conventional headbands like this, as I discover they have a tendency to press down on my head after about 30 minutes and provides me a horrible headache. The HS70, nonetheless, looks like a comfortable quilt I may lounge in for hours – a agency, padded ring of quilt, you perceive, however a decidedly non-head-pinching ring of quilt all the identical.
My solely minor quibble is that, very like Corsair’s Void Pro RGB headset, the HS70 has a barely looser match than most different gaming headsets. This most likely gained’t be an issue in any respect if you happen to’ve received a normal-size head, however these with titchier noggins like myself might generally discover that its giant earcups press a bit too firmly in opposition to your jaw. It didn’t annoy me per se, however I used to be definitely extra conscious of it being there than different headsets I’ve used previously.
Still, the standard of 1’s tinkling music is the true measure of whether or not a gaming headset is any good or not, and the HS70 Wireless doesn’t disappoint. Doom‘s booming bass sounded nice and chunky on Corsair’s new headset, however the throaty screeches of its imps and possessed troopers nonetheless rattled via with good readability as I put them out of their distress. It saved tempo with every frantic digicam jolt as properly, serving to me pinpoint the situation of each final shotgun goal in huge battle scenes.
Gun blasts may have had a bit extra oomph, fact be instructed, however I appreciated the sense of steadiness it offered between the highs and lows. It was meaty and bombastic sufficient to let me absolutely descend into Doom’s gory hellscape, however not on the expense of the sport’s finer environmental particulars.
The HS70 works brilliantly in quieter eventualities as properly, precisely capturing every wayward whisper of Senua’s psychotic Furies in Hellblade with pinpoint precision. Whether they have been creeping up on the again of my neck or tittering away within the background, it felt just like the voices have been proper there inside my very own mind.
Really, it’s only a nice all-round headset, serving to to pile on the stress with Frostpunk‘s pressing strings and ominous horns as you grit your tooth via its huge end-game freeze whereas additionally letting you chill to the peaceable sound of chocobo warks as you drink within the sights of Final Fantasy XV‘s Eos.
I used to be barely much less enamoured with its 7.1 digital encompass sound, although. It was nice in some video games – Final Fantasy XV sounded a lot the identical because it did in stereo, for example – however in others, reminiscent of Doom, it made all of the necessary sounds – plasma hearth, Super Shotgun blasts and many others – sound empty and hole. The wider soundscape had a beautiful sense of presence, nevertheless it dulled the impression of the sport’s moment-to-moment motion.
It’s additionally a little bit of a faff to activate and off, as you don’t really get a bodily management for it on the headset itself. All you get is a quantity slider, a microphone mute button and an influence button. Instead, it’s important to obtain Corsair’s Utility Engine (or Cue) software program and switch it on there. You may also use Cue to alter the HS70 Wireless’ EQ presets (or create your personal), in addition to regulate the microphone’s quantity and sidetone settings, however I discovered the much less tampering I did, the higher the headset sounded.
Speaking of the HS70’s microphone, this slots into the left ear cup and may be swapped out for a extra discrete rubber seal everytime you like, reducing the probability of feeling like a idiot once you get them out on the prepare for a spot of labor music. Its flexible metallic arm may be twisted to no matter angle you want, too, making it simple to erase any undesirable pop results once you’re chatting along with your mates.
Indeed, I ended up having to maneuver the mic additional away to a distance of round 5cm after I recorded myself speaking in Audacity, as positioning it any nearer tended to lead to a number of blow-outs on my ‘b’s and ‘p’s. My voice additionally sounded a bit tinny for my liking, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a superbly serviceable microphone that ought to get you thru most multiplayer periods with out a lot fiddling.
The HS70 is an efficient companion for pumping bits of atypical music into your ear holes as properly. There was a slight heaviness to a few of the busier battle themes on my Final Fantasy XV soundtrack, however total the bass was saved in test in opposition to the nice and cozy and clear mids and highs.
It additionally acquitted itself properly after I converted to the bass-heavy opening theme of area mech anime Knights of Sidonia. Vocals got here via loud and powerful in opposition to the thumping backing music and at no level did any a part of the music really feel prefer it was being overwhelmed by one other. The similar goes for extra conventional pop and rock tracks, too.
Lighter orchestral tracks got here throughout good and tight as properly, with the percussion within the Ace Attorney live performance rendition of Furio Tigre ~ Swinging Zentoria sounding significantly taut and crisp in opposition to its staccato strings.
Overall, I’m impressed with the Corsair HS70 Wireless. It’s cozy, appears good and produces an awesome high quality sound, all whereas being considerably cheaper than its most important competitors. I’d nonetheless be tempted to shell out a bit extra for the Steelseries Arctis 7’s fancy chat combine slider that may filter out background music or multiplayer voice chat everytime you like (to not point out its even comfier ski-goggle headband design), however for these after one thing a bit easier, the HS70 Wireless ought to be a severe contender on your subsequent headset.
