Corsair HS70

What is the Corsair HS70?

The Corsair HS70 is the perfect mainstream headset. It’s very well constructed, works brilliantly for gaming chatter, and performs better than everything in its class for music and games.

The HyperX Cloud Alpha may come out on top in terms of raw audio quality, but the HS70’s wireless nature and ease of use makes it Trusted Reviews’ new favourite gaming headset under £100.

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Corsair HS70 – Design, Build and Features

Completing Corsair’s ‘HS’ line of headsets, the HS70 looks very similar to its cheaper cousins. It’s driven by an internal DAC, like the HS60, but is wireless. This makes it ever so slightly heavier, but one that’s far more user friendly, and perfect for gaming.

The design won’t be to everyone’s tastes, as it is a little plain looking– there’s no RGB, sharp edges or colour clashes here. I’m a huge fan of this approach though. It means the headset’s something that could pass as a serious pair headphones; rather than something that’s simply designed to catch eyes during a live stream.

Each side of the headset is coated in a soft touch matte plastic, and is available in black or white colour variants. The center of each earcup is covered in a wired mesh, which gives the illusion of an airy open-back headset; but alas this is just for show.

Each earpad consists of a generous helping of memory foam, layered in a luxurious faux leather material that feels similar to the Razer Man O’ War‘s. The only design issue I’ve experienced is that the earpads are not easily removable and Corsair don’t provide spares in the box. If you wear out one of the pads, you’ll need to contact Corsair to order some more.

The top part of the headset is held together with a strong and sturdy metal frame, that’s not only lightweight, but very flexible and easy to plop on your head. I’m a big fan of the contrast stitching that coats the underside of the band. It’s reminiscent of Audi’s sport seats, elevating the appearance towards suave and sophisticated.

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More importantly though, it makes for a very comfortable headset, which is crucial for a product that’ll sit on your head for hours at a time. It’s not overly heavy, and I was able to play for very long periods without any issues. It’s also pretty good at controlling heat build up, as while the occasional ear vent will still be required, it’s easy to forget that you’re wearing the HS70.

Charging the headset is achieved with the included Micro USB cable, with the HS70 rated for 16 hours of battery life. The USB receiver is a fair bit larger some rivals, and provides plenty of wireless range – I was happily able to leave the room and still have signal.

There’s also a selection of controls located on the headset itself, which are located on the base of each earcup. You’ve got two buttons – one for power, another for toggling the mic; followed by an analogue scroll wheel for volume control. It’s a little odd that this doesn’t interface with your PC’s sound control directly, but it’s not really a concern.

Finally we have the microphone, which is a small and discrete unit that’s not only flexible, but removable too. I’m always really thankful for this feature on headset, as it makes the headset that little bit lighter when voice input is not required.

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Corsair HS70 – Audio Quality

The thing that really gets me raving about the headset is the strong and well balanced sound. I’ve been using the HS70 over the last week, and it’s been put through its paces in heated sessions of Player Unknowns Battlegrounds, and relaxed listening sessions on Tidal.

Gaming can be considered home for the HS70, with its powerful sound providing plenty of punch for gunfire, explosions and car crashes. It’s pretty standard to see an overly bassy sound signature on a gaming headset, yet the HS70 can take on the more tender moments too, providing justice to any emotional scene that comes your way – God Of War on the PS4 showcases this perfectly.

Outside of this, the headset handles music well, but not perfectly. I’ve thrown a large variety of albums through these cans, and I’ve very happy with the overall sound. It’s warm and rich, with controlled highs balanced out with a powerful bassline. Mid tones are handled well for the most part, with vocals in particular standing out from the instrumental backing. There have been a few noticeable breakups though, with a little muddiness entering busier parts of tracks. It’s improved over time as the headset has broken in, and by adjusting the EQ slightly in Corsair iCUE software.

The sound stage is plenty wide enough in stereo mode, but you can push this further by engaging the virtual surround sound mode in Corsair iCUE software. It does adds a little bit of distortion to the sound, but it can help in games where directionality is crucial. It’s only available on the PC though, so PS4 users are out of luck.

The microphone also surpassed my expectations, with a clear sound that may be a tad nasally, but works perfectly for VOIP clients, with each member of my Discord group praising the recording quality. It’s not quite as good as the Logitech G933, but it’s pretty perfect for any type of gamer.

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Why buy the Corsair HS70?

Corsair has delivered a standout headset with the HS70, and I’m very impressed with what’s on offer. Wireless headsets at this price point can be pretty cheap and nasty, yet this is anything but.

With great sound quality, comfortable fabric and a very attractive price point – what’s not to love?

Verdict

The perfect gaming headset under £100.

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