Premium Feel for the Smallest Head - HS80 Max
TLDRThe Corsair HS80 Max gaming headset offers premium sound quality and an aesthetically pleasing design with RGB lighting. It features 50mm neodymium drivers, a 2.4 GHz dongle for improved audio, and up to 65 hours of battery life on 2.4 GHz connection. However, despite its plush ear cups and advanced sound customization through Sound ID software, the headset's comfort is marred by significant temple pressure from its floating headband design, making it less desirable for extended use.
Takeaways
- 🎧 The Corsair HS80 Max is a premium gaming headset designed with comfort and quality in mind.
- 🎶 It offers great sound quality with plushy ear cups and 50mm neodymium drivers, providing a rich audio experience.
- 💡 The headset features both Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz connectivity, with improved battery life up to 65 hours on the 2.4 GHz connection.
- 🔇 The microphone is omnidirectional but lacks a cardio mic option, which could be preferred for clearer voice pickup in certain scenarios.
- 🔋 The battery life is significantly improved compared to its predecessor, the HS80, offering up to 130 hours on Bluetooth and 65 hours on 2.4 GHz with RGB off.
- 🌈 The RGB lighting is customizable, but the exposed wiring is a design concern for potential snagging and durability.
- 🎮 Sound ID software allows for personalized sound profiles, enhancing the listening experience when connected to a PC.
- 🕹️ The 3D audio feature is particularly beneficial for FPS gamers, improving the perception of locational sounds in games.
- 👎 Despite the comfort features advertised, the headset's headband design causes temple pressure, making it uncomfortable for extended use.
- 💻 The Sound ID profile does not work with consoles, which limits the headset's functionality for non-PC users.
- 🚫 Overall, the comfort issues outweigh the positive aspects, leading to a recommendation to consider other options in the same price range.
Q & A
What are the key design considerations for the HS80 Max headset?
-The HS80 Max headset has been designed to balance comfort, ergonomics, and cost, avoiding issues that could make it uncomfortable or expensive.
What are the aesthetic similarities between the HS80 Max and the original HS80?
-The HS80 Max and the original HS80 share a similar aesthetic design, including a floating headband, cloth fabric memory foam ear cups, flip-to-mute omnidirectional microphone, and steel gray or white color options.
What customization features does the HS80 Max offer?
-The HS80 Max offers the same customization as the HS80 RGB model, featuring glowing Corsair logos on both sides of the headset.
What are the technical specifications of the HS80 Max in terms of audio quality?
-The HS80 Max features 50mm neodymium drivers, a bit depth of 24, and a sample rate of 48 kHz, which increases to 96 kHz when connected to the 2.4 GHz dongle.
How does the HS80 Max's battery life compare to its predecessor, the HS80?
-The HS80 Max has an improved battery life, with Corsair claiming it can last up to 65 hours on a 2.4 GHz connection, which is a significant upgrade from the HS80's 20 hours on Bluetooth.
What is the functionality of the new 2.4 GHz dongle that comes with the HS80 Max?
-The new 2.4 GHz dongle allows the HS80 Max to connect wirelessly and also increases the audio sample rate to 96 kHz when connected.
How does the HS80 Max perform in terms of comfort according to the script?
-Despite the soft clothbound memory foam ear cups, the HS80 Max's floating headband design reportedly causes pressure on the temples, making it uncomfortable for extended use.
What is the purpose of the Sound ID software included with the HS80 Max?
-The Sound ID software is designed to improve sound quality by creating a personalized sound profile tailored to the user's hearing, allowing for adjustments beyond standard EQ presets.
How does the HS80 Max's microphone performance?
-The microphone on the HS80 Max is not the best, as it is omnidirectional and does not pick up a lot of background noise. However, voices come across clearly, and there is a suspicion that it may have onboard noise cancelling.
What is the battery life of the HS80 Max when the RGB lighting is on?
-When the RGB lighting is turned on, the battery life of the HS80 Max is reduced to about 24 hours.
What issue did the testers experience with the HS80 Max's headband design?
-The testers experienced significant pressure on their temples due to the headband design, which made the headset uncomfortable to wear for extended periods.
Outlines
🎧 Corsair HS80 Max Headset: Features and Sound Quality
This paragraph discusses the design and features of the Corsair HS80 Max gaming headset. It highlights the headset's premium build, comfortable memory foam ear cups, and high-quality sound with 50mm neodymium drivers. The headset offers both Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz connectivity, with a significant upgrade in battery life compared to its predecessor, the HS80. The audio quality is further enhanced by the inclusion of Sound ID software, which creates a personalized sound profile for the user. Despite the impressive sound engineering, the paragraph expresses disappointment with the headset's comfort due to pressure on the temples from the headband design.
😣 Comfort Concerns with the Corsair HS80 Max Headset
The second paragraph focuses on the comfort issues experienced with the Corsair HS80 Max headset. Despite Corsair's claims about the headset's comfortable design, the user feedback indicates significant pressure on the temples, making the headset uncomfortable to wear for extended periods. The elastic band, which is supposed to alleviate this pressure, does not seem to be effective. The discomfort is so pronounced that it overshadows the positive aspects of the headset, leading to a recommendation to consider other options in the market with similar pricing.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Headset
💡Comfort
💡Ergonomics
💡Sound Quality
💡Battery Life
💡Microphone
💡RGB Lighting
💡2.4 GHz Dongle
💡Sound ID Software
💡3D Audio
💡Headband Design
Highlights
The Corsair HS80 Max has been ingeniously designed to balance comfort and performance, avoiding common ergonomic and cost-related issues.
Despite its premium features, the HS80 Max has some drawbacks that make it difficult to recommend for use.
The HS80 Max builds upon the success of the HS80, sharing an aesthetically similar design with features like a floating headband and memory foam ear cups.
The headset offers customization options with RGB lighting and glowing Corsair logos on both sides.
Under the hood, the HS80 Max features 50mm neodymium drivers, a bit depth of 24, and a sample rate of 48 kHz, which increases to 96 kHz on Bluetooth.
The HS80 Max has a clean design, but the exposed wiring raises concerns about potential breakage from snagging.
Some users may prefer a detachable or retractable microphone, and the HS80 Max's omnidirectional mic could be improved for better noise pickup.
The HS80 Max boasts an impressive battery life of up to 65 hours on a 2.4 GHz connection, a significant upgrade from the HS80's 20-hour battery life.
The Bluetooth connection now lasts up to 130 hours on a single charge, a substantial improvement over previous models.
The 65-hour battery life is achieved with RGB turned off, and the headset offers about 24 hours with the lights on.
The HS80 Max introduces Sound ID software into Corsair's IQ software, allowing for personalized sound profiles tailored to the user's hearing.
The sound quality improves considerably with the Sound ID EQ settings, but the profile cannot be saved on the device for use with consoles.
3D audio works well on PC, enhancing music and games with accurate locational sound placement, but the experience may not be as good on consoles.
The floating headband design, which Corsair claims to be comfortable, actually causes significant pressure on the temples, making the headset difficult to wear for extended periods.
Despite the soft memory foam ear cups, the headset's pressure issues make it uncomfortable for long-term use, even causing headaches for some testers.
The HS80 Max's comfort issues are particularly surprising given Corsair's claims about the headset's design and the positive feedback from users of the HS80.
For those seeking a comfortable gaming headset in a similar price range, it is recommended to explore other options due to the HS80 Max's comfort shortcomings.