At first we would like to thank CORSAIR for offering us their HS80 RGB WIRELESS Premium Gaming Headset with Spatial Audio for testing and reviewing.

 

About CORSAIR:

"Founded in 1994, Corsair has grown from pioneering the high-performance DRAM market to one of the world’s leading providers of enthusiast-grade PC components and peripherals. Our groundbreaking technology and innovation can be found in our high-performance memory, ultra-efficient power supplies, PC cases, PC and CPU cooling solutions, and solid-state storage devices. Under the Corsair Gaming brand, launched in 2014, we provide gaming keyboards, mice, headsets and mouse mats to eSports professionals and anybody who is passionate about competitive PC gaming.

 

Corsair hardware is regularly featured in showcase “dream systems,” and we have earned the adulation and respect of the press, professional gamers and overclockers, high-end system integrators, and PC enthusiasts worldwide by delivering leading-edge technology backed by renowned service and support.

 

Corsair has developed a global operations infrastructure with extensive marketing and distribution channel relationships, and our products are available through leading distributors and retailers in over sixty countries worldwide."

CATCH EVERY SOUND

From a faint whisper to a resonating blast, a pair of custom-tuned 50mm high-density neodymium audio drivers catch every sound in exquisite detail with an expanded frequency range of 20Hz-30,000Hz.

ABSOLUTE COMFORT

Designed with plush memory foam earpads with breathable cloth fabric and a stress-free floating headband design.

Immersive Dolby Atmos®

Places the sounds of the game all around you with three-dimensional precision, so you can react faster and more accurately.

ROBUST WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY

Connect with hyper-fast SLIPSTREAM WIRELESS for extremely low-latency, high-quality audio, so you hear every shot, step, and shout as it happens.

Broadcast-Grade Omni-Directional Microphone

Captures your voice with terrific clarity with a flip-up mute function and built-in LED mute indicator.

On-Ear Volume and Mute Controls

Enable on-the-fly adjustments to your audio without pulling you out of the game.

3 IN 1 DEVICE SUPPORT

Connect up to three SLIPSTREAM wireless devices with a single USB receiver, making a full wireless setup hassle-free.

Dynamic RGB Lighting

Customize your color, turn on an audio visualizer lighting effect, or anything in between.

PS5/PS4 Wireless Compatibility

Connect to your PS5/PS4 with the included wireless USB receiver.

HS80 RGB WIRELESS AND iCUE

CORSAIR iCUE software enables precise control over your headset, with pre-tuned audio profiles, custom equalizer settings, sidetone control, and customizable RGB lighting.

Unite your setup

CORSAIR iCUE software brings your entire setup together, creating a fully immersive ecosystem with intuitive control.

 

Audio CUE Software: Supported in iCUE

Surround Sound: Yes

Detachable Microphone: No

Rechargeable Battery: Yes

Headset Frequency Response: 20Hz - 40 kHz

Headset Battery Life: Up to 20 hours

Headphone Sensitivity: 116dB (+/-3dB)

Headset Wireless Range: 60ft

Impedance: 32 Ohms @ 1 kHz

Headset Type: Wireless

Headset Drivers: 50mm

Color: BLACK

Audio: Dolby Atmos

Lighting: RGB

Microphone Impedance: 2.2k Ohms

Microphone Type: Omnidirectional

Microphone Frequency Response: 100Hz to 10kHz

Microphone Sensitivity: -40 dB (± 3 dB)

 

CORSAIR has recently released another headset from their HS (mainstream) series, the HS80 RGB Wireless, with a radically changed design. Their mainstream to high-end models embrace the VOID name, while the high-end segment is populated by the VIRTUOSO models. The HS80 RGB Wireless borrows nice features from the high-end headsets and offers optimal comfort, making a difficult decision in deciding which exact segment it was made for.

 

The HS80 RGB Wireless headset is shipped inside a medium-sized cardboard enclosure, which shows a side of the product design:

 

 

 

CORSAIR is also mentioning here the list of compatible hardware and the fact that it is a Dolby Atmos certified product:

 

 

 

On the side, the manufacturer has placed a representation of some audio waves:

 

 

 

The box contents and product code name, serial number are also available nearby:

 

 

 

The back side of the box comes with the list of product features in multiple languages, but also the technical specifications:

 

 

 

After removing the top packaging layer, we will end up with an all-black box and a central, subtle logo printed on the top cover:

 

 

 

The upper layer does contain the main product, which sits securely inside a transparent plastic mold:

 

 

 

In the lower area we do have a separate, smaller cardboard box with the accessories:

 

 

 

The hardware bundle, as well as the documentation are packaged in individual plastic bags:

 

 

 

The largest bag comes with a leaflet regarding Dolby Atmos technology, a Safety information document, a leaflet regarding Warranty but also the Installation Guidebook:

 

 

 

The leaflet related to Dolby Atmos does explain on the back the steps we need to take to take advantage of this technology, implemented within Windows 10:

 

 

 

Several details are also noted in the manual, regarding the interfaces and iCUE software:

 

 

 

The headset USB cable is fully braided, USB-A type on the side which connects to the PC and USB-C for the HS80 RGB Wireless headset. This is not used only for charging purposes, but for performing firmware updates and for using the headset in Hi-Res Audio mode (24-bit 96kHz). The wireless mode will run at 24-bit 48kHz due to bandwidth constraints:

 

 

 

 

The USB dongle does support CORSAIR’s SLIPSTREAM WIRELESS technology for achieving low-latency audio, while the range does highly depend on the placement; we noted that with an USB extender cable for getting the dongle as far away from the computer, the range has increased quite a bit and the small interruptions were gone when we were testing three rooms away!

 

 

 

On the back we will note the product serial number:

 

 

 

The HS80 RGB Wireless comes with a premium build of machined aluminum for the hinges but also matte plastic for keeping weight low. The floating headband design, as we have seen with many SteelSeries models before, can be adjusted to fit our head size and is a major improvement versus the older HS iterations in terms of comfort:

 

 

 

The exterior of the ear cups are made from plastic of two different colors, in order to resemble the “Carbon” theme:

 

 

 

The exterior covers do come with a RGB-enabled CORSAIR logo:

 

 

 

One other aspect we do like is the inclusion of velour for the ear pads instead of leatherette, which feels considerably more comfortable:

 

 

 

The earcups also house large 50mm drivers, previously found only with the high-end VIRTUOSO line:

 

 

 

The machined aluminum hinge also has the wire visible, which travels from one cup to the other, through the headband:

 

 

 

The left cup comes with the On/Off button, the Volume wheel which works in small steps and can be also pressed inwards for cycling through the available EQs, but also the status LED:

 

 

 

The USB-C port can be spotted in the lower area:

 

 

 

This earcup is also equipped with the flip microphone, which stays muted when oriented upwards; a light ring between the flexible, rubberized area and the dark grey tip is also present for signaling the operating mode:

 

 

 

As soon as the microphone is flipped downwards, it becomes fully functional:

 

 

 

We were quite surprised how clear the microphone is when doing Discord conferences; it is as good as the one found with the VIRTUOSO line, but now it’s much lighter. The microphone has an omnidirectional pickup pattern and can output 24-bit/96kHz audio signal:

 

 

 

The leatherette headband can be adjusted the same way as on some SteelSeries headsets, only now the adjustment is done from underside the frame, much more subtle and looks great!

 

 

 

 

 

The top area comes with a rubberized layer and a white CORSAIR logo:

 

 

 

As soon as we have started charging the headset, it was usable in USB mode and the LED segments started lighting up:

 

 

 

 

 

The USB dongle comes with a LED-enabled CORSAIR logo as well:

 

 

 

Right after connecting the headset in wireless mode, iCUE recognized the new hardware, in order to access further configuration options:

 

 

 

The dedicated menu for the HS80 RGB Wireless headset comes with three different sections:

 

-Lighting Effects

-EQ

-Device Settings

 

 

 

The Lighting Effects area allows us to configure the LED lighting from the CORSAIR logos on the cups, plenty of effects being available:

 

Rainbow

Color Pulse

Color Shift

Watercolor Spectrum

 

Some more effect sections are available as well:

 

 

 

When we do have Dolby Atmos disabled, we can work with the EQ presets from CORSAIR:

 

Pure Direct

Movie Theater

FPS Competition

Clear Chat

Bass Boost

 

The Device Settings menu opens up a new window which shows the current battery level, we can adjust the LED brightness, configure the auto-shutoff timer for battery saving, enable the battery widget in the taskbar, voice prompts, disable the LED while the microphone is active but also check for firmware updates:

 

 

 

The Dolby Atmos application is available from Microsoft Store and has some demo content as well in the Home tab:

 

 

 

From the Products area we will choose Dolby Atmos for Headphones, since this is the peripheral we are using; a short Setup sequence will be then available:

 

Connect

Confirm Audio Device

Success

 

As soon as the setup procedure has been completed, the headset will be ready to use for Dolby Atmos:

 

 

 

The Settings menu comes with dedicated EQ settings for each multimedia content:

 

Game

Movie

Music

Voice

 

Custom settings can be configured as well!

 

Right after adjusting the headband of the HS80 RGB Wireless, the headset felt immediately more comfortable versus the previous HS iterations. The overall construction feels light, even if it also needs to house batteries for up to 20 hours of autonomy. The 50mm drivers deliver great low frequencies, as well as well represented mids and highs, making the HS80 great not only for gaming but for the rest of multimedia contents as well! Can we add to the mix the broadcast-quality microphone, which is light, easily accessible with the flip design to take calls for work and be easily understood?

 

Besides the SLIPSTREAM WIRELESS technology for low latency, the headset does also come with Hi-Res audio support, but only when using it via USB cable; the cable is long enough for usage with most audio sources and is braided for additional durability.

 

Dolby Atmos certification is another great feature and can be only used on PC via the Microsoft Store application; it is one of the best audio virtualization technology and profiles are ready to be used for various audio content; the only negative aspect is that it is not built directly into iCUE and we need to use the dedicated tool separately.

 

Here are the Pros and Cons:

 

Pros:

 

-premium construction and lightweight

-Dolby Atmos support

-high-quality 50mm drivers and support for Hi-Res audio via USB

-low latency audio via SLIPSTREAM WIRELESS

-broadcast-grade microphone with flip design

-good battery life (we recorded about 16 hours)

-floating adjustable headband

-iCUE integration

 

Cons:

 

-Dolby Atmos configuration is done from a separate app to iCUE

 

The HS80 RGB Wireless headset can be found online for about 149 Euros.

CORSAIR HS80 RGB WIRELESS Premium Gaming Headset with Spatial Audio is Recommended for:

 

 

We would like to thank again to CORSAIR for making this review possible!