With gaming and audio alike, you normally get what you pay for – and whenever you’re not paying a lot, you then in all probability should not anticipate a lot. That is actually true with a $50 (£55, AU$89) gaming headset, however Corsair’s HS50 fortunately bucks that pattern with a surprisingly premium providing.
It is a simple stereo headset, constructed for pumping your ear holes filled with shotgun blasts and thumping tunes, in addition to protecting you in sync along with your squad by way of its unidirectional noise-cancelling microphone. In reality, it is fairly much like the marginally pricier Astro A10 headset, which we lately reviewed – however in practically each respect, the Corsair HS50 goes one notch higher.
True, the HS50 in all probability will not blow many minds and it might probably’t compete with a lot higher-end headset choices, however that is not the attract right here. What’s actually interesting is that you could get a gaming headset this degree of high quality and efficiency for lower than the value of an enormous new sport. And that is fairly wonderful.
Design
The Corsair HS50 would not feel and appear like a finances headset. Whereas the very stable Astro A10 got here off as a simplified, utilitarian devolution from the corporate’s pricier efforts, Corsair’s headset punches a pair notches above its weight class in each polish and construct high quality.
This massive headset has voluminous cans that ought to simply match round your complete ears, they usually’re loads cozy too. Fake leather-based encases the reminiscence foam cups, which gently squish towards your head with out making use of an excessive amount of strain, after which instantly shift again into their correct kind when eliminated. On the surface, the cans have the look of a speaker grate, curiously sufficient, with inexperienced or blue coloration accents out there if you wish to establish along with your Xbox One or PlayStation four. A regular black version can be out there.
You see extra of a premium contact with the big steel arches that join the cups to the scarf, whereas additionally permitting the flexibleness to suit on all kinds of heads. Moreover, the band has modern faux-leather with color-accent stitching on the plush inside and the Corsair emblem on the highest. At a look, I might peg this as a 100 buck headset – or pricier, even. It would not establish as entry-level or low-end in any respect, and the steel underpinnings make it really feel tremendous sturdy.
It is a wired, stereo headset, nevertheless, so it has a hard and fast three.5mm cable popping out of the left cup. However because the Corsair HS50 makes use of a typical audio jack, you possibly can plug in and use it with absolutely anything: sport consoles, smartphones, PC, Mac, and extra.
The HS50 additionally retains its inputs on that cup: it has a small quantity dial, together with a helpful on-off toggle button for muting the microphone. There is not any raise-to-mute choice like on Astro’s A10, however the button works simply as effectively. Higher but, you possibly can totally take away the microphone – additionally on the left cup – which makes the HS50 all of the extra perfect as an on-the-go headset. Simply maintain tabs on the mic: it is small and skinny, and could possibly be simply misplaced.
The headset appears to be like good, and fortunately it additionally feels fairly nice. It will keep in place in your head with out squeezing too tight, and the big cups comfortably match round my ears with out feeling awkward or overly heat over time. Frankly, I haven’t got any complaints right here.
Efficiency
That is additionally true with the sound high quality, which is surprisingly wonderful for a primary stereo headset. Corsair opted for 50mm drivers right here, that are a bit bigger than the 40mm drivers in each the Astro A10 and the pricier wi-fi Astro A20 ($149, £149, AU$249) and output sound that is only a smidge higher than both of these choices.
I spend most of my gaming time nowadays in Rocket League for PlayStation 4, and the HS50 did not disappoint. The pulsing digital tunes delivered each exact highs and stable – though not booming – bass tones, with good differentiation between them. Likewise, the heavy boing of a well-timed leap, the thump of the ball bouncing and the explosive defeat of being destroyed by one other automobile all rang true and clear.
Shifting over to Star Wars Battlefront II, the pew-pew of my TIE Fighter’s laser blasts resonated vividly round my ears amidst the thundering propulsion. The sound subject would not really feel immense, however it does come off as a bit broader than Astro’s choice. And the roaring engines of Forza Motorsport 7 on Xbox One impressed nearly as a lot as the sport’s dazzling graphics. Nearly.
Likewise, the HS50 can adeptly deal with music, films, and different media, whether or not you are streaming media in your console or laptop or utilizing the headset along with your smartphone. Corsair’s budget-priced headset would not have the frills of pricier headsets, akin to 7.1 encompass sound, however it nonetheless impresses at this worth vary.
The flexible, removable microphone may be very compact, however dimension doesn’t have an effect on its nice recording high quality. Teammates heard me loud and clear when taking part in on-line, and native recordings had been tremendous sharp. Corsair says it is Discord-certified to work completely with the favored gaming chat service, and based mostly on my testing, it must work effectively irrespective of the way you select to speak to friends.
Remaining verdict
There are clearly higher gaming headsets available on the market than the Corsair HS50. In fact there are! It is solely $50 (£55, AU$89). However you would be hard-pressed to discover a extra spectacular finances gaming headset than this one.
It shines in practically each respect, beginning with the sturdy, premium-feeling construct, which has a properly understated enchantment and comes off as a pricier gadget. And when you pop it in your dome and plug in, the HS50 retains outshining its price ticket because of full, immersive sound and robust microphone efficiency.
In case you’re prepared to spend extra on a headset, you then’ll discover loads of perks, together with Bluetooth wi-fi help, dazzling designs and encompass sound capabilities – and people could also be value spending for. However in case you do not need to splurge on a headset and simply want one thing that is succesful, versatile, and seemingly constructed to final, then the Corsair HS50 completely lives as much as the duty.