Corsair Virtuoso Wireless RGB Gaming Headset Review: The Cheapest Flagship
By: Alex Rowe
Tags: Gaming, Gadgets, Headphones, Technology, Audio

This all makes me think that, when powered on, Corsair decided to apply some additional EQ to the headset. You can apply your own EQ settings in their iCUE software, and they also include some pre-set profiles to pick from…though I think they all sound worse than the default EQ. In fact, they’re essentially the same profiles Corsair’s been using since the original Void.

I enjoy listening to the much cheaper HS60 Pro more than the Virtuoso out of the box. That’s a sad false start for a headset that costs this much.

There is one saving grace to Corsair’s cheap flaghship: soundstage. Even without the virtual surround turned on, the stereo field is nice and wide. Perhaps that’s what they were going for with the non-standard tuning?

The wireless connection has some small digital artifacts present, so you’ll get the best audio quality either over USB-C or a standard wire. Just like on the HS60 Pro, turning on Corsair’s surround mode adds even more digital noise. Speaker positioning with surround on is good, and the headset is also compatible with the Windows Sonic spatial audio platform.

Again, this headset doesn’t sound bad. It’s just a little too cold and sharp in the midrange, and muffled in the bass, for my personal tastes, and for the price point. I was hoping for a signature closer to the DT770. That headphone has a big peak in the treble, yes, but the bass response and the midrange are both accurate and sumptuous. With a flatter bass response and a warmer midrange, the Virtuoso would have the sound quality to match the rest of its design.

I think you could still get used to these and enjoy them. But they don’t quite have the accurate sound of other audio products at this price. The AKG K361 has a similarly cold character to its mids for those who like that bite, and a more accurate everything else. It’s not wireless, and it doesn’t have its own DAC or microphone, but its $99 price point leaves you a hundred extra dollars to buy more goodies.

There’s not a ton of room inside this amply-padded cup. Photo taken by Alex Rowe.

COMFORT

Unlike the HS60 Pro, the Virtuoso uses ample amounts of memory foam padding on both its headband and its ear pads. It has a decently slow rebound and is thick enough to seal around my glasses.

The only issues here are the clamp and the lack of angled drivers. The insides of the round ear cups are flat, just like the above-mentioned Beyerdynamic DT770. Beyerdynamic gets around this by covering the inside of the cup with a soft foam, and ensuring that the pads are so thick your ears won’t really touch the back wall.

Corsair didn’t quite nail either of these things. The inside wall is unpadded hard plastic, and the cups aren’t quite thick enough to totally elevate these off my ears, so the back edge of my ear just contacts the hard wall.

The ear cups rotate laterally and vertically, which is great for comfort. Unfortunately, the lateral rotation is so stiff and robust that it basically locks into place. So instead of conforming easily to your head, you’ll have to twist them, check the fit, and repeat until you find the right angle.

Still, with some careful positioning and occasional readjustment, these are reasonably comfortable. The headband is much more cushy than on the HS60 Pro, though the weight of the aluminum used throughout the frame means I sometimes develop a hot spot and need to re-seat them after about an hour.

I can wear the headset on the 9th of its 11 clicks of adjustment, so it should have enough room for most heads.

If you want your headset to instantly fit well, or you’re sensitive to clamping force, these won’t be for you. The fitting process reminds me a little of the Sennheiser HD25. There’s a lot of fiddling you can do with the placement thanks to its adjustable frame and round cups, and once you get the sizing locked in, you’ll enjoy wearing them. But getting there is more of a process than on most other headsets.

Corsair went all-in on materials for the Virtuoso, and it’s wonderful. Photo taken by Alex Rowe.

BUILD/DESIGN

This is the category where the Virtuoso largely triumphs. It’s one of the best-built headsets on the market, at any price. In a week and a half of use, the all-metal frame and hinges haven’t uttered a single creak or squeak. There’s sometimes a bit of frame noise as parts brush past each other, particularly on the right ear cup’s vertical swivel, but that’s nothing a future revision couldn’t fix with some additional rubber damping material or lubrication.

The Virutoso is built like a figurative tank. It’s a solid, metal-infused thing that screams premium from every angle, even if you decide to opt for the cheaper plastic-cupped version. The design is similarly impressive, with a timeless pro headphone look that’s more stylish and modern than most of the competition. These look like they belong in a nice studio.

Instead of jamming huge RGB light rings into the cups, Corsair opted for a basic light-up logo in the center of each cup. On the SE version, the unique micro-perforations in the aluminum mean that the cutouts practically disappear when the lights are off.

This USB port location is fine…as long as you don’t want to listen to the headphones in USB mode. Photo taken by Alex Rowe.

The design has one single stupid flaw. The USB-C port is placed towards the back of the left ear cup. That’s fine for charging, but if you want to use the built-in DAC to listen to the headphones, the cable exits the cup then rams promptly into your neck and shoulder. Your body will constantly rub against the cable, causing microphonic sounds to enter the ear cup.

You could try routing the cable over the top of your shoulder, but that causes new challenges and still doesn’t eliminate the shoulder rubbing. The positioning of the port is baffling considering how thoughtful the rest of the design is. Hopefully a future revision will move this port either to the right cup, or to the front of the left cup somewhere closer to the mic port.

The volume wheel is smooth and the headphones can really put out volume. Photo taken by Alex Rowe.

MICROPHONE

The microphone here is fantastic. Corsair claims it’s “broadcast quality,” and while that has no actual specific meaning, I’ll allow it. It’s deep, resonant, and accurate even in the bass regions. Positioning is easy thanks to the included sidetone feature, and background noise isolation is good. The sensitivity is also high enough that you shouldn’t have trouble being heard.

Impressively, the mic sounds almost as good in wireless mode as it does wired. Here are some quick samples I recorded.

The mic has an LED to show you if it’s muted or live. Photo taken by Alex Rowe.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The Corsair Virtuoso SE is a solid attempt at a flagship-level headset for less money. The sound signature isn’t my first choice. The comfort takes a little getting used to. And the USB-C port is in a weird spot.

But, it packs in a big features list, a wonderful build, and a great microphone for about $100 less than the market norm.

The features list earns it a spot on my “keeper” shelf, but the second a better-sounding version two comes out, I’m selling it off. You might really enjoy the sound signature, and I think it’s still within the realm of “Acceptable.” It just falls short of the rest of the surprisingly solid package.