Corsair HS70 SE review: The near-perfect wireless gaming headset for PC and PS4
The video game industry has emerged as one of the biggest money spinners in the past few years. In 2017 we had a whopping $137.9 billion spent on games alone. Yet, despite the high spending on games, a fraction of gamers ever invest in gaming-centric accessories that can enhance an individual's experience multifold.
But US-based gaming peripherals and hardware company, Corsair, is fast looking to change that.
For long Corsair has been a name synonymous with gaming. Especially for gamers on the PC platform, the company has been one of the more recognisable names with its long list of gaming accessories and PC components. From their popular Vengeance series DRAM kits to its RGB keyboards and low latency Void Pro series headsets. Corsair has it all.
But the problem is that these products are targeted at enthusiasts and serve little purpose for casual gamers who are looking for multipurpose products that do not bear the distinct over the top RGB laden look which we've come to associate with gaming accessories.
In a bid to reach out to these gamers, Corsair has launched the HS70 wireless headset – its latest in the HS line-up of headsets – which despite being built for gaming in mind, does not scream gaming from the rooftops with its looks.
HS70 SE Design
The HS70 brings with it an understated design that is built for comfort and durability. A far cry from the usual gaming headsets in the market, this particular headset from Corsair focuses on being the wireless headset of choice not only for gaming but also watching movies on your PC.
The headphones follow a clean and minimalist dual tone colour scheme. The unit we received sports black as the primary colour with only the padding on the headband being covered with patterned beige leather.
Apart from that, Corsair uses a mix of high-quality plastic and metal along with leather on the earcups as well as the upper side of the headband to give the HS70 SE a premium feel.
At 330g, the headset feels quite lightweight for its form factor and did not prove to be a burden when I put it to test during a three hour long Fifa 19 session. The HS70 SE also has a height adjustable headband which makes sure that its earcups always sit perfectly over the user’s head.
Though the headset’s power button is located on the right earcup, the rest of the controls, including the volume wheel, the microphone on/off switch, along with a MicroUSB charging and Mic port are all located on the left earcup.
Features and performance
Apart from the clean and simple design of the HS70 SE, what really impressed us was the performance of the headset and the feature set it comes with. The HS70 SE is powered by 50mm neodymium speaker drivers that during our review performed quite well as they provided deep bass, and pronounced treble.
Corsair lists the frequency response of the drivers between 20Hz – 20kHz and during our review we found this to be quite accurate as the HS70 SE displayed quite an impressive range pushing clear audio even at high notes while we watched movies or played games using them. As these headsets are tuned for gaming they aren’t too loud even at the maximum volume which helps them retain the quality of the audio.
However, for those who are still not impressed with the stock performance of the HS70 SE, Corsair has also developed a software – CUE – which can be used to switch between multiple presets and custom tune the audio output of the headset using the CUE utility's equaliser.
Apart from tweaking audio output, the CUE utility also adds the extra functionality of enabling virtual 7.1 channel surround audio on the stereo HS70 SE, along with notifying you when the headset is connected/disconnected from the computer, or when its running low on battery.
Though these voice-based notifications could end up being a little irritating at times, I found the virtual 7.1 channel audio feature quite impressive.
As I sat down to play Call of Duty: WWII, the existence of 7.1 channel audio ensured that I not only heard each and every gunshot in the distance – or every cry for help from under-fire SS officers – within the game but also estimate the direction they were coming from.
To be honest, I’m not really sure how accurate I was at the task, but this feature certainly did add a new dimension to the experience.
Even while playing Fifa 19, a game you may think would not greatly benefit from this feature, the headset’s 7.1 channel surround audio greatly enhanced the experience – as I could hear in detail each and every drum beat and chant inside a packed virtually recreated Allianz Arena.
Battery and wireless range
The HS70 SE also offers good battery life. Corsair promises 16 hours of use on a single charge with the headset and I found the claim to be true during our review of the headset.
I usually found myself using the headset the whole week before the headsets eventually running out of charge, and even then just charging them for hardly 45 minutes before being able to use the HS70 SE wirelessly again.
Speaking about the wireless performance of the headset, Corsair promises a range of 40 feet with the headset.
Is it true? Well, not exactly.
I tried streaming music through the headset as I roamed around my house and even before I could reach 35 feet I started to face disconnections. However, if you plan on using the headset for majorly gaming and watching movies from sitting in the same room as the headset’s 2.4Ghz wireless adapter, then connection drops wouldn’t be a problem for you.
Verdict
Despite all the promise, the Corsair HS70 SE is a bit of a mixed bag.
Its Rs 11,999 – currently available at 30-40 percent discount in at Corsair’s regional dealers – price tag makes it a little difficult to recommend it for all buyers. Further, the lack of Bluetooth connectivity and support only for PC and PlayStation 4 also ensures that the HS70 SE is not for everyone.
The latter for me is particularly a shame as the HS70 SE with its low latency could have been great for watching videos or playing games on smartphones too. This particular feature would have made the headset an all-round better buy – especially for Indian audiences which consume a lot of media on the go.
Yet, despite its flaws, the HS70 SE is great at what it’s meant to do and its design and performance absolutely shine every step of the way.
As such, if you’re in the market for a wireless headset to use with your PC – or for that matter PS4 – then the HS70 SE come highly recommended.