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Below average bass, treble, and mids for headsets in that price bracket. Tack on bulky and non-detachable or retractable mic. That’s a nope for many.
Gaming anything audio is a no no. People should get non gaming branded audio as it would almost always be better.
Notable exception being the HyperX Cloud2/Alphas and of course HP bought it and turned it to shit because we can’t have anything nice anymore
which are rebranded trakstars anyways :p
Headsets are one of the harder things to buy. All of the companies love to make theirs appear to be high quality but when you look into them you will find out they are all pretty terrible.
$180 jesus christ
This headset sucks ass if you have a head size larger than average (hat size somewhere in the low 7s is too big for this headset).
The dumb elastic band actually acts as a resistance and pushes the headset off your head. The frame also does not extend so the headset float on your head then falls off if you lean forward or anything
Genuine question - For any Headphones costing over $150 Why do people buy these over brands that are well known and provide way more better audio quality? Like Sennheiser, Audio Technica, Sony, Bose, JBL etc? I am not generalising… like not every product from these big brands is good but for $200 I am pretty sure you’ll find better audio products from these brands compared to “Gaming” brands like Corsair, Logitech, HyperX etc. So, every time I see an article like this I wonder what’s the thought process of people buying these gaming centric headphones? I have personally never bought gaming headsets but tried a few and tbh they weren’t expensive products (below $100) but even at that price they sounded really bad. Too heavy on bass, questionable mids and low end was a joke, again not generalising but that is my experience so far.
Different products / segments…? The Bose quiet comfort 45 has up to 22 hrs battery life.
That’s pretty shit for a gaming headset, in comparison the HS80 max packs 65hrs (2.4ghz) to 130hrs over bluetooth
Different markets. Basically because they don’t have a mic and headset sound can be good enough.
- Attaching a modmic is extra $, further increasing cost. AT has ‘gaming’ headsets with a mic attached, but it’s a mediocre mic and it’s $170 so at that point they’re direct competitors.
- The frequency response of many gaming headsets past $150 is fixable with EQ presets, bringing their sound much closer to the non-gaming brands.
- Multi-mode support can be very useful. Taking calls on your headset with bluetooth while on a wifi headset while also still being connected to your PC is not something an audiophile headset cares about.
- It’s easier to get a wifi gaming headset than the same listening headset.
If you don’t need a mic ofc this all goes out the window. Buy a ‘real’ headset and you’d be much happier.
This thread is filled with audiophiles who are trying to be snobby about a product that geniunely has fuckall to do with them lmao. It’s kinda funny.
“omg why dont you just buy a seperate $113 mic you can slap on your audiophile headset??” bro that sounds janky as shit and not at all a cost saving idea lmfao
Can’t speak for gaming headphones as every one I’ve used has sucked in one way or another, but I use studio headphones going into an interface that cost me about $150 and they are the best headphones I’ve ever used, I like them even more than my friends 3D audio gaming headphones, they just sound so good and I can wear them for many hours without my head getting uncomfortable.
beyers?
Sennheiser hd599 open back headphones, 10/10 would recommend if you have an audio interface
As someone who has the non premium hs80s, unless the physical shape has changed they aren’t comfortable for all head types.
My ears are large enough that the tops or bottoms chaff depending on band settings and imo the pads aren’t thick enough because my ears press against the drivers.
The headset has no hardware profile so you need icue if you want equalizer or for it to remember your settings. Icue itself for headset constantly reset my settings on restart until I reinstalled and registry wiped all traces of it, something that Corsair itself recommends. Their lights have… Issues remembering your settings when turned on.
You’ll definitely want equalizer since frequency response will need some changing.
The volume wheel sticks out and if I lean back into my headrest it will actuate.
My battery life isn’t 18 hrs. If you’re actively using it all day 13 is about right. I can totally believe it’s improved on the premium model though as this is a common complaint. You can use it while charging.
The best thing about the hs80s is the mic is almost as good as the virtuoso, which has the best mic I’ve ever used on a headset. It’s not broadcast quality but it’s honestly close.
I got my hs80s for $80 and for that price I’m done with it.
Hard to imagine paying $180 for these. Grabem on sale or if you can tolerate less comfort the virtuoso is better. If you want comfort steel series is what your after, their headband is noticeably better than the hs80s (more comfortable material).
Thanks big ears.
I got my HS80 max for 140$ which is a great deal imo. I really doubt it’ll go for 180$ in many places anymore. Amazon has it for 150$ right now
And the batterylife was the main reason why I opted for this model and that part has definitely delivered, it makes all my other wireless products look really bad in comparison and soundID is a huge deal actually.
For $140 I could see it. SoundID as well sounds interesting and would not only save someone the hassle of finding a good EQ preset but actually be better in theory.
I’d note there’s definitely other wireless headsets with comparable battery life and good reputations. Turtle beach is a good example and I tried the stealth 700 gen2 max for a few weeks.
It did everything better than the HS80s except the mic but it also cost $200, although I paid $140. Huh… makes me suspicious about all these MSRPs honestly.
The reviews I read said they don’t fit large heads at all.
For anyone with large heads, some that fit well are:
- HyperX Cloud Alpha
- Razer Blackshark V2 (all versions)
I have a large head and these are just fine on me. I use them for hours at a time for conference calls every day.
What exactly constitutes having a large head?
Can confirm. Got an absolute pumpkin head, never had a hat that’s fitted in my life, and the HyperX Clouds fit like a dream. Battery lasts days as well.
Blackshark V2 mic is amazing as the HS80 and 100x more comfortable than Corsairs.
I wear the blackshark for work 8 hours a day due to WFH and it is insanely comfortable
I’d also recommend the Steelseries Arctis 7 line. I wear a 7 3/4 fitted hat and my Arctis 7+ fit great and have really decent sound.
My ears are not big all around but they are “long” meaning top edges never fit properly to regular headsets. I found razer barracuda x is very comfy to use for hours as well, only starts hurting like after 6 hours of straight usage.
Razer seems to make some comfy headsets, i wish other companies cared about comfort too already. Big heads, big ears… we exist! :(
Agreeing on the non universal comfort, my head snapped the main bracket in half because it needs to flex
I have a large head, and I returned mine the next day because it feels like the cans are clamping tight against my head. Ended up with a migraine after only 30 minutes of use. Went back to my HS70 Pro’s and ordered some new cushions.
As someone who has the non premium hs80s, unless the physical shape has changed they aren’t comfortable for all head types.
Thanks for that. I saw the picture and I instantly thought that would be uncomfortable as hell.
Makes me want to open a store that custom fits them for people or something.
They are okay but not great for people with large heads.
Personally I prefer the Logitech G Pro X series or the Steelseries Actis Nova 7. Both are comparably priced to the Corsair HS 80 and the Nova 7 can do Bluetooth along with wireless via USB 3.0 so you can game while taking calls.
Honestly, unless you basically don’t have a penny to your name and so just need something cheap and quick, I think you should just save up for an Audeze Maxwell. Damn thing performs like headphones thrice its pricetag. It completely obliterated the standard for gaming headsets.
300$ is the standard for gaming headsets now…?
In my opinion, the gaming headset market now consists of two segments: the sub-100 market, for those who just need a cheap headset because they’re broke and so is whatever they were using.
And then there’s the Maxwell. If you can afford to save up for a $100+ headset because you want something to last, then the Maxwell is the best value proposition on the market, and it’s not close.
Imagine buying this shit instead of solid well known headphone brands.
Phillips shp9500, vmoda boom mic, and the interface of your choice. Comfort affordability and good sound.
Honestly just buy regular audiophile headphones
Nothing super fancy, I prefer open backs for the soundstage but way nicer headphones can be had for half the price
This is for pc gamers who can have separate headsets and mics but still, don’t waste your money on shit like this if you can help it
If these are anything like the lesser model, I might have to inform you to stay clear. had mine 6months and the ear cup foam/padding fell off. I have mine now wrapped in tape so I can still use them. I could send em back since they are in warrenty but eh tape fix works fine and it beats the inconvenience of a week without headphones, which I need.
A replacement set of the foam cups is like 10 dollars tho.
Picked these up a month ago and I’ve been really really loving them. Not suitable for really big heads but I’m right on the edge so it’s still a comfy fit for me. Not great sound out of the box until you slap dolby Atmos and SoundID on them and then they sound fantastic. Incredible battery life and a fine microphone
TRUTHEAR HEXA are 80$, they are a wired, 3ba 1dd iem, comparable to blessing 2, a 4ba 1dd iem, which when released was 320$ shocking it wasn’t 1000$
from here, get ANY wireless module you want, personally I prefer qudelix 5k due to its built in equalizer which is a set once and every device it has the same sound.
THIS would be very premium and is can come in at the same price or lower, I think good bluetooth module strat at 50$, but you can get good ones that go as low as 15, bare bones as hell, but it will drive the iems and sound better than nearly any other solution.
Are the audezy maxwells still king for closed-ear gaming?
I own a pair, but honestly have hardly used them because I liked my Sundaras more.
Yeah, they are.
I haven’t tried those but I’m a Bayerdynamics MMX 300 fan boy. I’ve got 3 pairs
Sounds yes, gaming no. The Maxwells are amazing for overall sound. If you watch a lot of videos, music, and game, yes probably the best option. If you only throw your headset on to jump on discord to shoot the shit with friends and game, the sound imaging is more neutral, so they aren’t as good for pin point sound. Depending on the type of games you play, this could be big. For me I use bookshelf speakers unless I jump on discord to game, so I went with the steel series nova 7 over the Maxwell for this reason. The nova pro have good features, but anc, transparency mode, aren’t useful for gaming. The hot swappable battery is nice, but didn’t warrant the extra price. USB-C charging on the nova 7 can get you 6 hrs off a 15 min charge so didn’t think it was worth the extra for myself.
I’m tired of plastic molded headsets. Like clockwork, every plastic headset I’ve ever owned breaks, at the join just above the earpiece, 18-24 months after purchase. I would rather use the old steel framed headphones you could find in libraries back in the 90s than spend another dime on these engineered-to-fail-so-you-are-forced-to-buy-another-one pieces of junk.