After about 5 years of good use, my headphones finally packed in with the left ear cup snapping off. Probably because I dropped them too many times. After doing some research for a suitable replacement that sat somewhere in the middle – not budget, but not top-end either, I settled on the Corsair HS60’s.
Product: Corsair HS60 Surround Gaming Headset
Brand: Corsair
Price: £69.99
Colours: Carbon / White
REVIEW UPDATE
I’m adding an update to the review due to the fact that one of the ear cups leather has come unstuck and has started to pull away from the headset. I’m guessing it’s only a matter of time until it fully comes off. This is really disappointing to see after less than a year’s worth of use. The review score will be updated accordingly. Hopefully, this is just an anomaly and not a regular occurrence.
Overview
Boasting 7.1 surround sound the HS60’s sit on the more understated scale in with their sleek and simple design. Not typically something you tend to get from gaming headsets these days, but that’s what drew me to them. The HS60’s wouldn’t look too out of place if you were to wear them as everyday headphones given the design and size of them. They also come with a 3.5mm audio jack as standard so plugging them into other audio devices is made extremely easy. There is a USB adapter included so that connecting to your PC is also very easy.
I’ve been using them for around a couple of months now, this includes hundreds of hours gaming, listening to Spotify whilst working, watching videos, shows and films. All in all, my usage is easily over a few hundred hours and I’ve been very impressed with all aspects of the headset. The main reason I got the HS60’s was for playing games and the audio quality from the 7.1 surround sound is excellent. The directional audio works well and makes it easy to tell which direction sounds are coming from.
Key features
- 1.8m Cable
- 7.1 Surround sound
- Detachable microphone
- Wired 3.5mm analogue connector
- USB adapter
- 111db (+/-3db) Headphone sensitivity
- -40db (=/-3db) microphone sensitivity
- 50mm Headphone drivers
- Works with PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and Mobile devices
The cups
As someone who wears glasses finding a headset that fits comfortably without pushing your specs into the side of your head can be a bit of a challenge. Thankfully the HS60’s are very comfortable and don’t cause any issues with my glasses. I can easily wear the headset all day without it becoming uncomfortable. The earcups feature a thick layer of padding covered in faux leather. There’s also a similar band of padding running across the bridge between each cup. Faux leather can sometimes get a little hot and make your ears get sweaty. That being said, I’ve found them to keep my ears at a normal temperature for hours on end.
The headset doesn’t feature any noise cancelling from the outside world. Which means some sound will bleed in from around you. Personally, I don’t like noise-cancelling for my gaming headset as I end up shouting down the mic more because I can’t hear myself. But if its noise cancelling, you’re after then this headset won’t suit your needs.
The microphone
The HS60’s feature a detachable microphone which easily slots in on the underside of the left earcup. I use a standalone microphone for all my day to day chatting. As a result, I haven’t really made much use of the mic that’s included. Having said that, the detachable microphone gives good audio quality and does a decent job of cutting out background noise. If you have a loud keyboard then you’ll most likely transmit some of that key tapping sound, but it’s not overbearing. From what I’ve heard of other headset mics I’d say the HS60’s mic stands out as being one of the better ones. The quality is better than the cheaper standalone mics. However, it won’t rival the more top of the range dedicated microphones.
There is also a mute button located on the left earcup for quickly muting yourself as well as a volume control for your own audio in the same area.
Final thoughts
I love the Corsair HS60’s, they fit perfectly and offer brilliant sound not just when playing video games, but also for music and films. My only real negative is that the cable feels like it could easily get damaged, but so far so good. Additionally, I still feel like the microphones could do with a little more love in headsets to make them more viable. Especially when it comes to content creation. Creators want the best audio quality possible.
For a headset that isn’t going to blow your budget, it’s an excellent choice.
-Will
