Tag Archives: HS80

Corsair HS80 gaming headset

RRP $ 149.00

"The Corsair HS80 hits the nail on the head with less is more approach and offers great comfort, great sound and effortless control."

advantages

• Intuitive controls

• Great sound quality

• Oh so comfortable

• Wireless connection with PC and Playstation

• RGB

With so much choice on the market, buying a new gaming headset isn't easy. If you suffer from decision-making paralysis, it's easy to go for something top-notch, like Corsair's Virtuoso RGB Wireless XT, that is not only good-looking but also packed with features. The problem? It comes at a high price and it's still not perfect. This is where something like Corsair's new HS80 RGB Wireless comes into play.

At first I wasn't very enthusiastic about the HS80. It's not top notch, it's just mid-range, so it isn't full of features and doesn't offer the most luxurious of materials. But in some ways that's its best quality, which may make it one of my new favorite gaming headsets.

Design and functions

Niels Broekhuijsen / Digital Trends

With the HS80, Corsair didn't focus on making the most beautiful headset. Rather, the focus here is on comfort. It uses a headband-like fit on the top that molds perfectly to your skull, making it one of the more comfortable headsets I've tested. The ear cups have fabric on top of the foam, which in turn is not the most luxurious of materials.

But it offers plenty of depth for wider ears, and the headset has an asymmetrical design to accommodate your earlobe. As a result, the HS80 doesn't feel like an expensive headset, but it is sleek and smooth in fit. This is a headset that you could wear for hours and this headband makes it more comfortable than a classic design headset like the Razer Blackshark V2 Pro.

Then there are the controls of the HS80, or rather the lack of them. On the left ear cup, you'll find a power button and volume control, and that's it. The right earpiece is completely free of controls. What is clearly missing is a microphone mute button, but it's fine: just flip the microphone up to mute it and down to unmute it. It also has a bell that lets you know what it's doing, and the light on the end turns red in the up position, although that doesn't help that much with a microphone like this as it's out of sight. This means fewer buttons than most headsets, and simply flipping the microphone up is much more intuitive than fumbling for the mute button like you do with the SteelSeries Arctis 7 or Logitech G Pro X wireless headsets.

The simplicity of the controls on the HS80 makes it one of the most intuitive gaming headsets out there.

It charges through a standard USB-C port with up to 20 hours of battery life, which is roughly industry standard – expect to charge the HS80 once or twice a week. Connectivity is via a USB dongle, which is connected to PCs and laptops together with PlayStation 4 and PS5 units.

Niels Broekhuijsen / Digital Trends

But this simplicity is what makes the HS80 so great – many multi-function headsets have too many controls, and fiddling around to find the right ones can be a hassle. This is one that you just turn on, change the volume, and flip the microphone up and down to mute it – it's that simple.

Sound quality and games

Typically, wireless gaming headsets don't have the best sound quality due to limitations in the wireless protocol – the dongle prioritized the audio stream based on latency rather than quality, causing some compression loss along the way. The HS80 is no exception, but all in all, its sound profile is actually very pleasing.

Niels Broekhuijsen / Digital Trends

Let me explain: if you listen to quiet music, you won't notice anything wrong. In fact, you'll enjoy the sound of the HS80 thanks to its superb 50mm drivers. But when the music is busy you will hear some compression loss. But it's a headset to play with, and in-game you're generally too busy to pay attention to those losses – and if not – it's likely a relaxed scene playing quieter sounds that don't suffer from those losses anyway.

Pleather ear cups may look better, but the HS80's foam ear cups improve its sound profile.

The HS80 comes with the same 50mm drivers as the much more expensive Virtuoso XT Wireless RGB, so they sound just as good in terms of frequency response and sound signature. In fact, they sound better – I prefer the sound of the HS80 over the more expensive headset.

I suspect this has something to do with the foam pads instead of synthetic leather and the shape of the ear cups – the softer materials lead to a warmer and fuller sound without sacrificing details at the top.

The HS80 also comes with Dolby Atmos support, which you can activate through Corsair's iCue software. While it paints a slightly better 3D picture of the sound around you, I'm generally not a huge fan of these sound-modifying algorithms – yes, they expand the soundstage and make sounds look like they're further away with more "position". “But the reduction in intimacy leaves a flatter sound that is subjectively less detailed. I just leave it out – sound engines in games today are pretty good anyway, especially a game like Insurgency Sandstorm.

Our opinion

After a solid week with the Corsair HS80, I can confidently say that it is one of the best gaming headsets available today. It might not be the fanciest, but it's super comfortable, has a great sound, and is intuitive to use – isn't that all you expect from a headset? There is no reason to pay more for features that interfere with the primary purpose of hearing.

Are there alternatives?

At $ 149, there's quite a bit of competition for the HS80. The main competitors are the Razer Blackshark V2 Pro and the SteelSeries Arctis 7, both of which are available at the same, if not slightly higher, prices.

But they don't offer more features, making the HS80 a compelling mid-tier option.

How long it will take?

It is reasonable to expect the HS80 to last about three years under most circumstances, or slightly longer with mild use.

Should I buy it?

Yes, the Corsair HS80 is a brilliant gaming headset that meets all the right criteria and not much more. The HS80 offers a simple, straightforward, effective and comfortable design and is an easy recommendation.

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