Corsair HS65 Surround: Two minute review
The Corsair HS65 Surround Gaming Headset is the company's new powerful and cost-effective gaming headset that delivers exceptional 7.1 surround sound performance for PC gamers.
50mm neodymium audio drivers deliver exceptionally clear stereo sound and virtualized 7.1 surround sound, and with the sound of top PC games getting more sophisticated, this headset will let you hear the carnage on the battlefield exactly right. as the developers intended.
The headset's microphone delivers incredibly clear response with an omnidirectional polar pickup pattern. Anyone familiar with microphone polar patterns may be concerned that the omnidirectional pattern (as opposed to a cardioid pattern) will pick up too much ambient noise while using the microphone. Fortunately, this hasn't been an issue during Counter Strike: Global Offensive sessions or Zoom chats.
The surround sound capability of the headset requires you to download Corsair's iCue software from the company's website. Once installed, simply connect your headset to the USB to 3,5mm adapter and plug it into a USB port on your PC or Mac.
There are sure to be more 7.1 surround sound gaming headsets on the market in the coming months, but keep the Corsair HS65 Surround Gaming Headset at the top of your wish list. This is a fantastic and versatile headset that will appeal to any serious gamer on a budget and is easily one of the best 7.1 surround sound PC gaming headsets around.
Corsair HS65 Surround: price and availability
- What are the prices for the premium plan? MSRP is €79/€79/AU$119
- When can you get it? The Corsair HS65 Surround is now available
- Where can you buy it? You can get it in the US, UK, and Australia.
The Corsair HS65 Surround Gaming Headset is $79 / £79 / AU$119 and is available worldwide. That's a bit cheaper than some competing gaming headsets like the Razer Kracken V3, which is around 20% more expensive and offers the same audio quality.
Entourage Corsair HS65: Design
- exceptional comfort
- Adjustable microphone
The Corsair HS65 Surround is exceptionally built, with an adjustable headband that comfortably fits any gamer's head.
The ear cushions and head cushion feature soft, comfortable memory foam under a breathable leatherette material. Even after wearing these headsets for ten hours of continuous gaming and then another three hours of intense FPS gaming after a break, the HS65 Surround remained comfortable throughout.
The headphones look great, stay comfortable, and the closed-back ear cups reject distracting noise. The frame is made of high quality aluminum and other materials to provide a strong and durable device that will last you for years. A volume control dial is positioned on the left ear cup for quick volume level adjustments as well.
The microphone boom is adjustable and can be bent to fit your face. It stays in place once you've adjusted it to your liking. A flick up on the boom arm mutes the mic and a flick down activates the mic, making muting and un-muting incredibly intuitive in the heat of battle.
Corsair HS65 Surround: Features
- Pretty intuitive iCue Equalizer presets
- SoundID is not worth it
- 7.1 Surround only available via USB
The iCue software itself has three features to play with: equalizer, SoundID customization, and device settings. The Equalizer feature allows you to choose from five equalizer presets and create your own. Unless you know what you're looking for, set the equalizer to "Pure Direct" because this preset is perfect for everything.
If you are curious about equalizer presets, the presets are self-explanatory and very intuitive to use. Presets like "Competition FPS" will sound great for your competitive shooters like Counter Strike: Global Offensive or Valorant, while "Clear Chat" will sound great in Zoom or Teams meetings.
Corsair HS65 Surround Key Features
Drivers: 50mm custom neodymium
Driver Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz
Pickup Polar Patterns: Omnidirectional
Microphone frequency response: 100Hz - 10kHz
Compatibility: Windows, Android, Mac OS, iOS, PS5, PS4, XBox X Series | Yeah, Nintendo Switch
Mass: 282 grams
rope length: About. 6 feet
Color: Black or White/Grey
The only real criticism here is that the SoundID feature doesn't work quite right. SoundID technology attempts to create custom equalization settings for the user based on how the user rates their enjoyment of certain audio clips. Once you've gone through the SoundID setup process, you should have a custom equalizer preset for your optimized listening preferences.
However, multiple attempts resulted in EQ presets that simply made the audio worse. It was a noble aspiration but a poor execution on Corsair's part. Game audio will generally be recorded and mixed by professional audio engineers anyway, so all volume and EQ levels should already be optimized for user experience.
Either way, the safest bet is to simply choose "Pure Direct" in the equalizer function of the iCue software and jump right into the action.
The last function of the iCue software would be device settings. This is where you can enable voice prompts, increase microphone response, and change the color of your headset housing in the iCue software. The only useful option here is "Mic Boost", which gives your microphone extra sensitivity. Otherwise, it completes the functionality of the iCue software.
Corsair HS65 Surround: Performance
- 7.1 surround sound is exceptional
- Excellent bass response
- Excellent microphone performance
These drivers in the Corsair HS65 Surround have no problem driving sound into the 20Hz to 20kHz audio range, while its low frequencies pack some real punch. The mids and highs of dialogue and various sound effects are incredibly clear.
The microphone in the headset captures frequencies from 100Hz to 10kHz, and while that seems like a limited frequency response range, it's specifically designed to capture the human voice very well.
7.1 surround sound capability can be accessed via Corsair's iCue software with Windows Spatial Sound enabled, which can be found in your output device's properties menu in Windows sound settings.
Any media recorded and mixed for 7.1 Surround will play exceptionally well in HS6 Surround. Fortunately, most games and programs these days record for 7.1 surround sound, but keep in mind that not all games or media have or have it. With these older games and media, the headset won't convert a game recorded in 5.1 surround sound to 7.1 surround sound, but the sound will still be impressive.
Since the iCue program itself is what creates the 7.1 surround sound virtualization for the headset, you can't access this feature on a PC or Mac without it.
The Corsair HS65 Surround holds up well against competitors like the Razer Kraken V3 Hypersense and the HyperX Cloud Alpha. Many competing headsets offer options you don't really need, like detachable mics or the haptic functionality of the Kraken V3 Hypersense. These options don't rank high on players' list of needs, so why pay more for options you don't need?
Older gaming devices, monitors, and consoles almost always have a 3,5mm input jack, but not all gaming headsets do. With HS Surround, you can plug in and at least get clear stereo sound, even if you have to skip surround sound. sound function
However, there are exceptions where you can get 7.1 surround sound with modern next-gen game consoles. The XBox Series X uses Dolby Atmos and Sony PS3's Tempest 5D audio virtualizes 7.1 surround sound audio through the game console itself, and the Corsair HS65 Surround easily supports the audio capabilities of both consoles, making it in a winner for PC gamers. and beyond.