CORSAIR HS75 XB WIRELESS Gaming Headset for Xbox Series X and Xbox One – Dolby Atmos – Detchable Uni-Directional Microphone – Neodymium Drivers – PC, Mac, Xbox – Black

After months of lockdown meaning I'm spending a lot more time gaming and not spending as much cash on general life I decided to splurge on a top end gaming headset. I assumed the sound quality, build quality and comfort would be very high on everything at this price point so my main concerns were integration with the xbox series x (most seem to need a dongle or to be wired) and good directional sound (...due to a dehabilitating Warzone addiction). After wading through many, many reviews on amazon and independent review sites I decided on the Corsairs.Absolutely top drawer, but with two very, very annoying bugs that I hope can be removed with a firmware update. Would be a hands down 5 stars with the bugs but has to fall to a 3 due to them.Good points:- FANTASTIC SOUND! A more natural sound than the high end Sony headphone I use for day to day use or the Samsung buds Pro, genuinely immersive.- Very customisable sound. The headset has two volume sliders, one for overall volume and one for the game volume/chat vume mix. Very handy for fine tuning on the fly mid game as situations change. It also comes with a subscription all paid up for dolby atmos included. Through the dolby atmos app on xbox you can pick from a bunch of presets. Tinkering around with them they do seem to make a big difference. I usually use movie-flat as it seems to give the most accurate mix, closer to what the sound engineers of the game or movie intended, but the various other setting work well for listening to certain types of music or specific game types (I use the different mixes for listening to jazz than to drum and bass for instance and use the gaming-performance mode for warzone, it pumps up the directional sound so you can hear the direction on incoming footsteps incredibly well).- directional sound. As mentioned before, ridiculous good directional sound (ONCE THE CORRECT SETRINGS ARE CHOSEN! Without selecting the boost it is noticeable but not insanely so. The 360 directional sound is excellent, however there is no vertical differentiation so you can't tell if people are above or below you...I'm not even sure if that is something any headphones can do though).-Super comfy. Genuinely not noticeable on a long session. Have spent far to long sat staring at at a screen and this if a huge upgrade in comfort from my old logitech g series headset.BAD POINTS...very frustrating as without these it would be top.marks all round, no noticeable "normal" downsides, exceptional headset...-if the headset runs out of battery while connected to the xbox it disconnects.....along with EVERY OTHER DEVICE CONNECTED TO IT WIRLESSLY....AND DELETES THEIR PAIRING IN A WAY THAT MEANS THEY CANNOT RECONNECT (EVEN THROUGH A WIRED CONNECTION) UNTIL THE CONSOLE IS HARD RESET.....it's unbelievably frustrating to be mid game in a squad based game like warzone and suddenly dissappear and be unable to reconnect...equally so in a game mode like COD zombies which may take several hours and so to suddenly crash out to a software bug is very disappointing.-in game if the game is not transmitting audio sometime the headset seems to fill in the void with a low frequency buzz. Not ideal.Top headset, game breaking bugs...

I will preface this review by stating I initially had a minor issue with the headset, in that the LED (amber) light wouldn't turn off once it was fully charged. I looked online & others have experienced the same, so I went to the Corsair website to download the latest firmware. Not an issue since.I'm eager to discuss the best aspect of this headset, so I will keep build quality and comfort brief: outstanding! No really, the build is top notch, earcups spacious and comfortable, and the headband suitably padded. Despite not being the most lightweight headset, wearing them, the weight is distributed extremely well, with just the right amount of clamping force. It's most apparent a lot of thought has gone into the design.Before I get into the audio, it's almost embarrassing how many headsets I've tried over the years. It's been a constant search to look for the perfect headset. I've discovered no such headset exists, because if the audio is great, chances are the comfort or another aspect will prove a downside. I've had Astro A50s (gen 2,3,4), Arctis Pro Wireless, 7X,9X, LucidSound LS35X, LS40, LS50X, Razer Thresher, Kiara Pro, and most recently the Audeze Penrose X. There's more I could add to the list, but when I say the Corsair HS75 XB are the best I've tried to date, I state that without hesitation.Audiophiles would argue the 100mm planar magnetic drivers inside the Audeze Penrose X are superior, and in many ways they are. The audio from that particular headset is excellent, but I prefer a warmer sound. The bass produced from the Corsair's is simply more impactful, and soundstage much wider. I would describe the audio to be similar to an open-back headset. Once paired with Dolby Atmos (which is included) the sense of space and directional sound is simply breathtaking. I recommend the movie setting in the EQ settings, which is louder and for me produced the best results on either balanced or detailed settings.I could wax lyrical about the audio: it's crisp, has presence and provides a genuine sense of immersion. Utilised with a game that supports Dolby Atmos natively like a Gears 5 and the results are incredible.Features wise the headset is lacking, but I really don't care. There's no Bluetooth, 3.5mm jack or extra buttons for nonsense like Superhuman hearing. The headset connects directly to Xbox or PC (via a dongle) and that's pretty much it (buttons are kept to a minimum). Game/chat balance controls work well and typifies the simplicity of use.The only minor gripe I have is the mic monitoring is very low, so hopefully there is a means to adjust that setting in the future; either via Dolby Access, or better still Corsair put their own app on Xbox like Razer did with the Kiara Pro (they're a good headset also btw).I will finish by saying I've had no issues with connectivity via Xbox wireless, it's worked flawlessly. I do advise downloading the firmware though, in particular for that quirk with the charging indicator I experienced. Overall, there really isn't much to fault. It's one of those rarest of headsets that ticks all the boxes (versatility excluded) but still manages to excel in the most important areas: comfort & audio. Excellent build quality and a reasonable price are the cherries on top.I got rid of the Penrose X because I couldn't get on with the lack of comfort, but genuinely thought my next headset would be a step down in terms of audio. I was wrong, very wrong! And I'm still coming to terms with that fact, along with the knowledge I've spent less for a headset that looks better, sounds better and one I can wear for many hours without discomfort. Even the battery life lasts much longer (around 20 hours per charge). I can safely say I'll be sticking with Corsair from now on.9.5/10