Fit, Sound Quality, and Conclusion
Fit and Comfort
At a little under 12 oz the HS70 is a lightweight headset, and it is also a very comfortable one. Clamping force was right on the money for me – just a moderate amount of pressure against the sides of the head so they didn’t feel too tight, yet stayed in place well – and the memory foam cushioning is soft enough to allow for long sessions.
There is sufficient movement to the ear cup to allow for a variety of head shapes, but it's worth noting that these do not fold flat like some other options out there.
Headband adjustments click securely and hold well, and the overall fit of the HS70 is very good.
The microphone is one of the better designs I've encountered, holding position once adjusted better than any of the boom style mics in recent memory.
I'll quickly cover microphone sound quality here as well: good clarity with moderate background noise reduction, little bass (sounds like a headset mic).
Listening Impressions
The first thing I'll point out is that these performed differently on a low battery, so don't judge them straight out of the box. As a wireless-only headset all of the work in powering the 50 mm drivers falls on the internal amplifier, and this certainly works better with a full charge, as I discovered. Even though on a low battery the headset technically works, the difference with a fully charged battery was startling. Immediately I noticed that the bass was well controlled, and dynamics (shifts from quiet to loud sounds) improved greatly and were properly dramatic. The HS70 really has impressive bass response, getting deep enough to simulate a small subwoofer without affecting the neutral balance of the overall sound. Aside from an impressively "uncolored" sound these have a tremendous amout of clarity in both the all-important midrange and in the upper frequencies.
Another positive is the channel separation, which is excellent and provides a wide stereo field (also called the "soundstage"). This brings us to directional effects with the simulated 7.1-channel surround option, controllable via software. The more distinct the left and right channels sound in regular stereo mixes, the more effective surround effects will be when you only have two drivers to work with. I’ve certainly heard headsets with a more “narrow” sound, and far less convincing surround effects as a result. The HS70 avails itself admirably here, and surround is quite impressive.
The condensed version: the HS70 provides deep bass, loads of midrange detail, and great high frequency response. They are full and detailed, providing equally great sound for gaming, movies, and music. If you’re used to the “scooped” sound of headsets that put emphasis on bass and have less midrange detail you are in for a treat as these put most of the gaming headsets on the market to shame with their remarkably clear sound.
Conclusion
Corsair’s HS70 offers exceptional clarity with impressively deep bass, providing dramatic, lifelike sound from games and music alike. Add their light weight and comfortable fit and these are a fantastic wireless option for any sort of PC audio, and one of the best headsets I’ve heard at any price.
I didn’t see battery life
I didn’t see battery life covered in this review.
I forgot to add that, sorry.
I forgot to add that, sorry. Battery life is rated at up to 16 hours, and for my part I listened for two days on a single charge. It really depends on how loud you listen, and I was much higher than the 50% volume level most manufacturers use for battery life estimates, but I still found this to have excellent battery life. As mentioned in the review these do need a good charge to sound their best, as low battery seemed to affect sound as well. I think 10+ hours at 60 – 70% volume is good, and it could certainly be pushed closer to the 16 hour mark with lower volume.
If Corsair has purchased
If Corsair has purchased advertising at PC Perspective during the past twelve months (as is stated), then that means that Corsair has influence over this review, by virtue of the fact that if PCper were to give an unfavorable review, Corsair could refuse to pay for advertising in the future. Given this clear conflict of interest, how are readers supposed to trust this review?
We choose to be transparent
We choose to be transparent about advertising, which is highly unusual in the industry, and it's easy to read the disclaimer and pick on it – even though other sites and especially YouTube reviewers don't disclose their relationships and/or any money they may demand for reviews. Bottom line for this review, as I was the only member of the staff involved with the review (all listening impressions, photography, and editorial is my own): I had zero input from anyone, and handled it in my own way at my house. The only person who had any influence on this was me.
Audio quality is a hobby of mine, and I have heard a lot of gaming headsets and various types of headphones, and conduct my own evaluations using different models on hand. I don't have the expensive test equipment of someone like Tyll Hertsens (who recently retired, though InnerFidelity lives on), so I have to rely on careful and analytical listening of familiar passages to compare and assess performance.
Oddly enough, looking around today at the early reviews of this HS70 headset, it seems I wasn't alone in liking the sound quality. I don't need the validation, but it might be interesting to look around for a consensus opinion before deciding that a particular review is "biased", which you certainly would not accuse me of if you knew me personally. I'm about as objective (read: highly pessimistic, harshly critical) about this industry as anyone, and I feel it's my job to write my opinion and nothing else when it comes to reviews. That's it.
of course they release this.
of course they release this. i just bought a void wireless!
No microphone performance?
No microphone performance?
Page 2:
“I’ll quickly cover
Page 2:
"I'll quickly cover microphone sound quality here as well: good clarity with moderate background noise reduction, little bass (sounds like a headset mic)."
As I said in the review, it sounds like a headset mic – nothing to make someone give up a dedicated mic for podcasting, etc., but still sounds clear and just fine for chat.
How are these for heat
How are these for heat retention/sweat? Vinyl earcups don’t strike me as a good idea for that.
Better than you might expect
Better than you might expect for heat, partly due to the lighter clamping force. Still, if you sweat a lot then the vinyl is never optimal – though they are easy to wipe dry.
So if we were to find out who
So if we were to find out who made these for Corsair then we could most likely buy them directly from the company for half the price of coarse they wouldn’t have the Corsair branding on them…lol
I’m debating between these
I’m debating between these and the HyperX cloud flight. Do you have experience with the cloud flight? If so do you think the cloud flights are worth the price difference of $60? That 30hr battery life sounds incredible, but 16hrs is still more than my G930s had which I never complained about. Also how does audio compare? Also heard a review that there was audio buzzing when starting a app with the HS70, did you experience that?
I do have experience with the
I do have experience with the Cloud Flight – in fact, it was my previous headset review! The HyperX sound is a little "scooped", as in less midrange. When comparing the two head-to-head the difference becomes very obvious, with the Cloud Flight sounding warmer, with a bass emphasis and less upper midrange detail. The HS70 is remarkably clear sounding, and if anything has a slight midrange emphasis like a Grado headphone – though the HS70 offers excellent bass that is a little "tighter" sounding than the Cloud Flight, probably due to the greater midrange detail.
Didn't experience any buzzing myself, so I wonder if that was interference from something affecting that reviewer's USB adapter.
I’m turn between these or the
I’m turn between these or the new logitech pro gaming headset. I know i am comparing wireless vs wired. Considering they are the same price, which would you say performs the best in terms of sound (for FPS games) & mic performance,?
Just wondering, hows the
Just wondering, hows the performance gaming wise. Does it have a slight latency compared to other higher priced wireless gaming headsets?
Hi, I just got these and find
Hi, I just got these and find the clamping force a little high – I–have to readjust every 5-10min.
Do you think the clamping force on something like HyperX Cloud Alpha is the same, less or more? The two headsets cost the same where I live (Vietnam) and I’m thinking about switching although I’d prefer not to give up the convenience of wireless…