Corsair Virtuoso RGB Wireless Gaming Headset with 7.1 Surround Sound - Broadcast Quality Mic, Memory Foam Earcups, 20H Battery - Compatible with PC, PS5, PS4 (White) - Perfect for Competitive Gaming & Streaming

I have owned the Corsair Virtuoso headset for over 6 months. Previously, I owned a G935 and made a G935 review after having many issues with it. However, I was left feeling like I wanted more, and I decided to double down on my efforts for finding a headset that suits me. Anything the G935 did, it just feels like the Corsair Virtuoso did better. And I've owned many wireless headsets, including, but not limited to: Steelseries Arctis 7, G935, Stealth 520, Sony Gold, Elite 800, and some other wired headsets. Before I officially start this review, I want to say this headset beats all of them. For now, I will be comparing the Virtuoso to more relevant competition like the Arctis 7 and the G935.First of all, I want to target what I do NOT like about the headset, as I find that is usually more useful to most people than hearing about how good it is. This headset deserves the 5 star review I gave it, despite the problems I've had.Software and the iCue service: iCue is the software Corsair uses for all of their products, and it's... better than most softwares, I suppose. Certainly better than G-Hub. I find that in very specific cases the software does not meet my needs and almost always the answer to fixing the problem is to restart my PC. I'm sure you can understand how frustrating that can be.A full list of problems I've encountered:If the headset runs out of charge, the software will not recognize the headset's wireless feature again until you restart the PC. Sorry, there is no fix for this, however it is not a consistent problem.Discord doesn't play nice with this headset, despite being a Discord verified headset. Ironic, however I have found that the discord app noises (ex, joining a call, or muting yourself through discord) all have a distinct delay to the sound ques they make. Also, when reconnecting the device, Discord also doesn't recognize the device and switch to it, you must do that manually. (this is an ongoing issue)If you go out of range, there is no guarantee the headset will reconnect unless you reset the headset.Sometimes, while charging the headset and using the wireless function, the device will randomly tell you it is charging, sometimes twice in a row. I do not disconnect the charging cable and it isn't loose.The mute button sometimes does not work. And sometimes I have muted myself, the light on the microphone turned red, and people could still hear me.Now onto good things.Sound: The sound on this headset is, without a doubt, among the best. And I get the clearest and fullest sounds from my games. I'd say this more neutral sounding than the G935 (G935 is more bass heavy) and on par with how good the Arctis 7 sounds. The surround sound is full, and is what I use day to day as I have become accustomed to how surround sound sounds from other headsets. The presets of sound profiles make a difference, and I appreciate them, however I do not use them and keep the default sound on, as it sounds the most natural.Battery: I do not use the RGB on the headset, so the battery easily lasts over 20 hours. The charge times are quick, too, using a USB-C cable you also don't have to worry about which way the USB is plugging in and you can easily plug in the headset while it's on your head. I do find the charge port to be in a bit of a peculiar position, as it is more facing your left shoulder than straight down. Unsure if that was an oversight or there wasn't enough room on the headset to accommodate the charging port to be there. Either way, a very minor issue.Comfort: This is the biggest indicator for myself of whether or not I like a headset, as I do not find this to be the absolute best comfort headphones, those would have to go for the G935, I do have to say they are quite comfortable, and seemingly can fit a lot of head sizes with the adjustable earmuffs. The leatherette feels good, and has yet to see any sign of deterioration yet. I do have to say, on occasion I do have to adjust them on my head as it can get a bit awkward on the same place of my ears, but I do not find it annoying by any means. I would suggest these over the older models of the Arctis 7.Microphone: Easily one of the best sounding headset microphones. I have had people ask me if I was using something like a Blue Yeti or another type of high end microphone. For the price point, I would expect a good microphone, and the Virtuoso delivers. The microphone sidetone is handled well, for those who like to hear themselves when they talk. It can be adjusted and turned off and on. Also, the microphone is removable, and as a non gaming headset, this headset looks like it would fit the bill. The microphone is also very good at removing any unwanted sound while also consistently delivering what you want it to communicate. Very impressive, I've yet to see it done this well by any other headset.Durability: Metal, finally a headset that uses metal in places where the headset is most prone to fail. I'm not just talking metal in the bands, I'm talking metal where the bands meet the cups, too. The headset feels premium, like it's meant to last many, many years. And with this type of durability and a removable microphone in case your current microphone breaks, this headset definitely seems to have been built with some longevity in mind. If you want a headset just for durability alone, I cannot recommend this headset enough.Controls: There is a switch that isn't exactly like an on and off switch. It's a USB or Wireless switch. You can imagine how sometimes this might be annoying, but it works very well, surprisingly. There is a 3.5mm jack, for when you need that. USB-C charging port. Volume scroller that feels very secure. And a mute button on the removable microphone itself. The headset is also adjustable to fit your head.Conclusion: I do my research on headsets, and I can say the Corsair Virtuoso is among the best. In the upper echelon of gaming headsets, the competition gets fierce, and the prices get high. I want to call this headset no compromise, but the software would need to be better for it to be called that in my book. And maybe the battery could be longer. But this headset carries the torch for many other headsets to strive to be as good as it. If you're thinking about spending this much money on a headset, you already know you want a headset that is going to do everything, and this is there.I love the headset, but there are some important things to note.It is not comfortable out of the box, BUT it will break in. It does get more comfortable; it gave me a headache the first day I wore it, but now, it's very soft and easy to wear for long periods of time. However, I would still recommend buying a pad for the top to make it that much better. I don't regret that addition to the headset.Further, the sound quality out of the box is not great, but with Dolby Atmos, it's excellent. Seriously, it goes from subpar to a strong offering with the addition of Atmos/spacial sound. And the 3D Tempest audio on the PS5 also works well with the headset. So, a knock for that (honestly the biggest reason it's 4 stars instead of 5) since this is a gaming headset and the audio should be the focus. BUT, even then, iCue lets you set your own preset EQ, so Atmos isn't even a need, and it should work well with PS5 out of the box (although I absolutely recommend getting Atmos if on PC).Battery life is okay. I'd say it clears the minimum expectation, but I am not impressed. It works, and that's okay. I can do long gaming sessions (6-7 hours) uninterrupted easily. So, if you charge regularly, it shouldnt be an issue.Now, on to the best stuff:You can listen to simultaneous audio via 3.5mm connection at the same time as wired USB or Wireless. That means you can plug your switch in via 3.5mm and your PC or PS5 via USB or Wireless - and hear both sources at the same time. That's great considering Razer and other alternatives don't offer that on headset in a similar price range, like the Karia pro, which can connect to two sources but doesn't play them at the same time. This is a huge feature if you like to do Discord with PlayStation or Switch. And the mic will output via 3.5mm, so you can use Discord on your phone and listen to game audio via wireless or USB.Another great feature is it turns itself off if it doesn't move or have audio playing for a while. Then when you move it again, it turns itself back on. Not essential, but nice that it wont drain itself when you forget to turn it off. Makes the battery last a lot longer and makes the 20 hours on a full charge feel like more.And the mic is great!! Don't get the more expensive SE (worse mic, very similar feature set, more expensive). the base RGB has a killer mic. I have the El Gato Wave 3 desk mic, and although the stand alone mic is clearly better, this headset is much closer than I ever would have expected. Sure, it's not an SM7B, but it's the best wireless headset mic I've encountered.Build quality SEEMS good. I've only had it for a short time, but the headset is heavy (might be a negative for some), but feels solid, which I like.It's much more aesthetically pleasing in person too. I thought it looked OK in the pictures, but I was frustrated with the lack of quality from other headsets that came with issues out of the box, which I had to RMA, so I took a risk on the Virtoso RGB because of good reviews and feature set. But, I have to say I love the look of it now.Overall, if you can get it for the sale price of $140, it's a no-brainer over the WIRELESS competition. (Wired will certainly offer you better options for less money, but I personally wanted a wireless headset), and for the full price, I think it's decent compared to competitors.I think Steelseries could give this a run for its money, but their build quality is very poor and the audio drivers are worse (although maybe a little better right out of the box). So, I'd lean toward this, but I also understand the appeal of simultaneous bluetooth and wireless on the 9+ and Pro Steelseries models. But again, at the sale price, if you can get it, the Virtoso RGB is the best option from my perspective.4 stars because of the audio out of the box, the headband could be more comfortable, and subpar battery for this price range. Everything else seems good. RGB is cool but not something I needed or care about, but could be a plus for others.Also the side tone is better than Razer and on-par with Steelseries (if not a little better bc of mic quality on Virtoso), but you'll need to set it up in iCue.Edit: The ear cups actually do move a little bit, which I didn't realize because it's very stiff (which is nice, it doesn't move around too much). This has helped a lot with the noise isolation! If I could give 4.5, I think that's accurate (as long as you're on PC with dolby atmos, I'd consider a 5/5)Créanme cuando les digo que pasé medio día viendo top 5 y reviews de MUCHOS audífonos gamer, pero no me ayudó a decidir bien cuál escoger, porque las opiniones estaban muy parejas y por muy pequeños detalles ganaban unos.De repente me encontré con una review de estos Audífonos, quedé impresionado (No soy fan de corsair, es mi primer producto de ellos). Tiene todo lo que los demás audífonos tenían y lo que les faltaba! aparte llegaron mucho antes de lo esperado. Aquí el resumen para que no tengan que perder tiempo viendo videos.-Sonido 7.1-Tienen esponja con memoria en los oídos-Tienen Luces RGB personalizable en el micro y en los costados (le añade algo en el estilo)-Su micrófono suena profesional (Mucho más con el modo alámbrico), claro y con tonos bien ajustados-Tiene modo inalámbrico y alámbrico (con cables) Y ES LO MEJOR, inalámbrico suena perfecto todo, pude ir al baño sin que se corte la señal, buena calidad de microfono, repito, muy buena (en comparación a microfonos de audifonos el mismo precio, o incluso más caros)-El modo alámbrico mejora el audio en más del doble (40000 hertz a 96000, aunque es poca la diferencia cuando lo escuchas), también mejora el microfono, tiene cable para celular también (aunque no tienen bluetooth)-MUY cómodos y estables (no se te caen)-Se puede quitar el micrófono-Botones útiles en los costados-Ecualizador (en el software iCue)-Batería de 20 horas (en lo que lo he usado no se me ha descargado usándolos, los dejo cargando en la noche)El sistema no es lo mejor, y tiene algunos bugs con windows y el software, pero eso se resuelve fácilmente (al menos yo si lo resolví)Valen mucho, pero sinceramente valen cada maldito centavo, es el mejor headset que puedes comprar al mismo o ligeramente mayor precio. Las únicas quejas que he visto son de software, fuera de eso, no te vas a quejar.Es una reseña personal pero basado en MUCHAS opiniones, así que yo creo que vale la pena comprarlosAudio and mic quality are really good but the headset suffers awfully for not being comfortable to wear over long period of time. Take my word for it. I wear a headset everyday for 12 to 14 hours and after only 3 hours on my head, the headset begins to be very irritating on the ears. After 8h it's almost unbearable and I have to take it off. I didn't have this issue with my Hyper X Cloud II and i wore it every single day for more than 12h per day.If I pay almost 300$ CAD for a headset I'm expecting some excellent quality. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case with this headset. Don't take your chances like I did and save your bucks for something else. You'll thank me later.Oh, and don't trust Youtube reviewers when they say this particular headset is comfortable to wear because they probably didn't use it that much or they've been paid to say otherwise. I made the mistake of listening to them and now I must return it.TLDR: Great sounding headset with poor battery life and comfort issues. I would cautiously recommend this to others. It can have issues if used close to an XBox 360 controller receiver.I bought this to replace my older Logitech G933 that had its head strap break. I needed something to replace this for both conference calls at work, gaming and Dungeons and Dragons via discord.Build Construction, Looks and Feel:===========================Very good, materials seem to be of a high quality and gives the headset a high quality feel. I really like how understated the looks are as it is used for work calls as well as calls (gaming and D&D) with friends.Overall use=========Very good button placement for mute, volume and power. I'm used to a mic that you flip up to mute, but the button is easy to access and the light on the tip of the microphone is "just" inside my peripheral vision so I can see if I'm muted without having to look too far down.Sound Quality (Headphones and Mic)=============================Very impressed with this. I really like how they sound with games and especially on a call. A definite step up in quality over my older Logitech G933 in my opinion. Only made a minor tweak to the EQ in the software, but its not really necessary to be honest.This is very subject though as everyone has a different opinion on this.Microphone quality appears to be the best of the headsets I've used. Pretty happy with this as well as its side tone feature which is very good.Connection Quality and Range========================Range is good enough compared to my previous headset (about 1 meter farther) but it does suffer from really bad audio dropouts and periodically mutes audio going to the headset. This seems to be related to interference caused by my XBox 360 controller so it seems that the unit is much more susceptible to interference than my previous headset.I was using the XBox360 controller with the PC dongle to when these issues were observed. The receiver puck was 2 feet away from the USB when the issues occurred. To fix this, I needed to ensure that the Virutoso dongle was plugged into a different USB port / hub than the controller receiver. Location of the receiver puck did not make any difference.Although I solved this by moving the usb dongle for the virtuoso 3 feet away from where the XBox 360 cable plugs in, others may have more of an issue with this. So if you are operating in an area with other wireless devices (like wireless gaming controllers) you may or may not have an issue. This does not occur with my previous headset which used the same USB port that I now plug the Virtuoso intoHeadset Comfort=============This is a pretty big mark against the headset. If this could be resolved I would be more inclined to recommend this headset to others.Clamping force is firm but not uncomfortable. The top strap however does get uncomfortable on top of my head where I need to move it around. I have yet to find a setup that is comfortable all day. The headphones are heavier than my previous ones and this may be related.My ears touch the inside of the ear cups, and although I know some people don't like this, for me they just touch and this is not a comfort issue for me.A typical day for me includes about 4-6 hours of conference calls at work normally followed up by playing music while I cook and on D&D nights, D&D so a more comfortable headset would be appreciated for this.Battery Life==========Doesn't last as long as I would like, but it can be used while plugged into USB power. I don't know if its actually charges when plugged in and being used, if it does it seems to take a really long time to charge when plugged in.Longer Term Update================Battery life is acceptable if you turn off all the LEDs. So I run it with the LED off.I solved my problems bad audio by repeatedly installing and uninstalling iCue until the audio was clear.Occasionally the mute button doesn't work with the software and can show the red mute button while still recording audio. Often mute issues can be resolved by unplugging and replugging the boo mic.You do eventually get used to the comfort (or lack thereof) of the headset. When its working audio quality is good.Yeah it does look cool. That’s it. The rest : It’s expensive, it sounds ass flat with jack, the charge last for about an hour and even plugged in usb-c with bass preset in the iCue software, it sounds flat. Oh, and i didnt mention that the headset is a bit heavy for a headset, so about 2-3 hours in, the weight gives you a headache, PLUS the cussion isn’t really soft, a bit crusty. BUT WAIT, THERE IS MORE : the cussion isnt really big, so my ear would touch inside, the mic was saturated when connected wireless, the headset sometime would randomly do weird sound artefacts while connected wirelessly, same with usb-c.But yeah bro, it does look coolBEFORE YOU ASK ME, yes im running the latest firmware for itSome downsides for me: * If you have glasses like me, this headset will definitely dig into your head after long periods of use. I just got the headset though, so I might get used to it over time, I'll update this if I remember in time. * I wish the cushion was larger, as my ear touches the inner cup, but this will vary from person to person. * The headband is okay, my head does definitely need a break after awhile of using it. * In my opinion, the mic hangs a bit high on your face, but you might get used to it. * Mic uses micro USB.Also, if you decide to get this, get iCUE, and make sure to enable Surround Sound, and I recommend setting your sound preset to Bass Boost as it makes the audio so much better, in my opinion.Besides that, this headset is amazing.Some pros: * Instant setup. Windows does it all. * Headset charges with USB-C * Mic is removable. * Can be used wired, wireless * Has optional RGB (can be configured/disable in iCUE) * Has optional adjustable sidetone (allows you to hear yourself, if you want) * Has surround sound * Very light * Earcups can fold. * Over-Ear headset. * Supposedly has 20 hours of battery life, haven't used it enough to know if that's true.Don't forget to update your drivers using iCUE as well (must be in USB mode, and plugged in)Also Corsair, if this headset didn't push my glasses into my brain, I would give this five stars. Please do work on that for your future headsets.