Corsair Gaming Audio Series HS1A Headset Review @ [H]

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FrgMstr

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Corsair Gaming Audio Series HS1A Headset Review - Corsair is back with a new HS1A analog headset sporting massive 50mm drivers, closed-back ear cups, and memory foam ear pads primarily designed for gaming. But Corsair tells us that these do not sacrifice "precision audio response (for) your favorite media." Let's see if these hold up in gaming as well as movies and music.
 
Hmmmm I need a new headset to replace my aging creative fatality ones. This is a good price, but do you think it’s a comparable product.
 
Nice review. Corsair is building an incredible reputation lately with the quality all of their new products. I just ordered the Corsair 2.1 speaker set based on the review here on the H.

Only gripe with their headphones is that they come with a hard wired cord.... I personally only buy Sennheiser for that reason. A huge number of their headphones come with a "plug in cord" at the ear piece. (I own 3 Senns)
 
Nice review! I have been reading up on these and was on the fence, but with my Plantronics headband having snapped (as with most people on the planet it seems) I'm looking for another gaming headset.

I've grown to respect the [H] Gold Award and it just pushed me over the fence to try these out.

Thanks [H] !
 
i like that you provided screenshots of your EQ settings, very nice addition to the review.
 
Thank you for the note on the EQ settings. This was not simply "MORE BASS!!!" It was only a subtle change. We wanted you to see just how subtle it was.

;)
 
great review, I think I might pick one of these up to get rid of a separate mic on my desk

Thanks.

one question, in terms of comfort and sound quality, how do these compare to the Audio Technicas you guys reviewed?
 
EarlKeim said:
Thank you for the note on the EQ settings. This was not simply "MORE BASS!!!" It was only a subtle change. We wanted you to see just how subtle it was.

;)
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yep, the screenshots get that point across nicely. if i owned these headphones the first thing i'd do when i got home from work tonight would be to test your EQ settings and see how they sound to my ears. subtle EQ adjustments can have a big effect.
 
Since it went to the nether, I'll just say that I couldn't be happier with these headphones, and thanks to Redbeard & crew for a great product (as he already knows from PM's).
 
The last bit of the article makes me pause.

I have been waiting on getting these pending a review (Was excellent as anticipated). However the mention of quality sound card makes me wonder a bit. My sound card is a few years old, one of those very rare parts that almost never get upgraded. However it is a Soundblaster x-fi Fatality edition, is that still considered good in todays market? Or would the USB production actually be better? (I honestly can't imagine the usb being better). That said, I figured I would be clear on what you guys meant by poorer sound card just to be sure.

I currently have a set of MedUSA 5,1's which I love, but 1 ear cup is now taped and the blasted mic has been replaced 4 times..little tired of replacing its mic and ready for a new headset in general.
 
Your Fatality should do just fine.

Some of those have "live drives" or I/O bays that came with them and those tend to pick up case noise at times. If yours does not emit such noise, you should be good with that card.

Our headphone listening with both the Auzentech and X-FI Titanium HD was excellent. The Auzentech and Titanium HD have similar front panel connections and we did not pick any noise in our test system. It is just difficult to cover the years' long range of sound card choices that may be used with this headset.
 
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I really like that you provided a full impression of the sound on a flat-EQ prior to making adjustments, and then documented exactly what adjustments you made with screenshots. It's always hard to put any faith in a review when the reviewer just changes the EQ out of the box around to suit whatever his tastes are, and immediately skews any accurate depiction of the core sound signature of the product.

The descriptions of specific situations and your auditory perceptions during them are great, I like that you make specific mention of gaming circumstances where a sound source is above or below you, and how accurately you were able to discern a sense of height for that sound source. Vertical depth is very often overlooked in reviews detailing surround effects!

One note; I was sad to see that you didn't use "Open your ears" this time around for music. Have you decided to drop it from your testing?

When you compare this review to your first reviews, it's obvious that they are consistently improving with each iteration; good work! :)
 
EarlKeim said:
Your Fatality should do just fine.

Some of those have "live drives" or I/O bays that came with them and those tend to pick up case noise at times. If yours does not emit such noise, you should be good with that card.

Our headphone listening with both the Auzentech and X-FI Titanium HD was excellent. The Auzentech and Titanium HD have similar front panel connections and we did not pick any noise in our test system. It is just difficult to cover the years' long range of sound card choices that may be used with this headset.
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Fantastic, thank you for the confirm. Yea I only use the rear ports and not the live drive. It didn't match my case. :p
 
I have had the USB version since Christmas, so I'll skip the audio details. These are some seriously comfy headsets. I've had some marathon gaming sessions (6 hours+) and the Corsairs never got bothersome. If you wear glasses like I do, having the earcups too far forward may cause some discomfort after a while but just slide 'em back & you'll be golden. Can't think of anything bad to say about these headsets.

2 thumbs up for Corsair.
 
Awesome review. I was debating between these and the Tactic3D Sigma, but I'll probably get these now, mostly due to the longer warranty, the fixed swivel microphone (not a fan of the bendy adjustable ones), and the comfort factor.
 
Nice review... I actually learned a few things about what to look for when trying out *phones.

My 20+ year old Sony MDR-V600 are getting a bit old looking ;)
 
Panduhh said:
If you wear glasses like I do, having the earcups too far forward may cause some discomfort after a while but just slide 'em back & you'll be golden.
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I have a beautiful pair of earcups. Wore them all the time. And then I had to get glasses for when I worked at a computer. Now I never wear them, stuck with earbuds because they're so uncomfortable with glasses.

Can anyone comment on the comfort of this headset with glasses? I've not found any that doesn't bother me, and compress my frame in weird ways.
 
I have worn glasses for 25 years.

These DO NOT affect my glasses in the least.

I have a large head. Small children throw fruit at it. These fit well for many hours.
 
This is the review I've been waiting for and I'm happy to hear this headset works well with those that wear glasses. Definitely picking this up now :D
 
Great review. We've had 'em on the shelf a few weeks, but after the read I'll be taking a pair home with me tonight to replace my older Turtle Beach EarForce Z2's.

*** Update after one week of nightly use - 23 April 2011 ***

These things really are amazing! ULTRA light, long use comfort is supreme (havn't tried the pleather yet), bass is explosive, mids are enveloping, highs are crystalline! Movies, music, games, these things really do rock at anything I've put through them.
 
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Has anyone used the Turtle beach Ear Force PX5? There is an article in this months Gameinformer about headphones and the Turtle Beach were their number 1.
I was wondering if anyone can give a comparative perspective.
 
I'd like to say that I purchased a pair of these and sent them back 2 days later (thanks newegg). I have a x-fi Titanium sound card and I had to turn the volume up all the way on every setting I could just to get these to sound OK. I also have a gaming headset by Sennheiser and besides the comfort of the HS1A the Sennheiser is hand's down better in every catagory. Excellent bass response, no need to tweak the EQ, very detailed sound reproduction. The only thing I liked about the HS1A was the ear cups and how comfortable they were. I was really hoping they were as awesome as other reviews have said they are. Just letting you know my personal experience. If I didn't feel strongly about this I wouldn't have bothered to post it.
 
From the front panel our test PC, we NEVER turned these up more than 2/3 of the way with either sound card. There was simply no need for it. We set the system volume at 50 %, and raised or lowered our inline volume control.

No problem whatsoever.
 
Great review. These might actually supplant my VModa Crossfade LP's. However, I really wish that the microphone was detachable so I can take them with me when I travel.
 
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These headphones are the best sounding headphones I have ever heard. I hear bullets drop that I never really heard before. I hear every footstep in the games. Its almost too much information. Just amazing. I think some people say they are having problems with volume levels using a sound card. I had the same problem until I turned up the gain on my new Asus Xonar Essence STX and used the 6.3 mm headphone out port. This new sound card has a built in amp and I'm amazed .... just amazed. I can't stop listening to music for the past 2 hours.....
 
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Now that the [H] review convinced me to get a pair...

I can't find any in stock in Canada ... sigh...
 
I just picked up a pair from canadacomputers, pitty I didn't order it 3 days ago it was $59.99, they also ship in Canada, and have stock, they also have the HS1 on sale for $79 today(same price as the HS1A)

Compared to the ATH-500s they sound a bit flat off the bat, however that could be because I have the onboard sound maxxed out until I get some DP cables to switch videocards around. But I do like the sound stage so far, and they are fairy comfortable :p

I found my onboard sound had less issues driving the AudioTechnica 500s, where as these maxxed out I find not loud enough :p when I put my soundcard back in I'll comment again.
 
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Elmy said:
These headphones are the best sounding headphones I have ever heard. I hear bullets drop that I never really heard before. I hear every footstep in the games. Its almost too much information. Just amazing. I think some people say they are having problems with volume levels using a sound card. I had the same problem until I turned up the gain on my new Asus Xonar Essence STX and used the 6.3 mm headphone out port. This new sound card has a built in amp and I'm amazed .... just amazed. I can't stop listening to music for the past 2 hours.....
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Going to get an Essence STX on my next build.
 
If it was hot in the room where we were playing, we definitely preferred the simulated leather pad to the microfiber ones.
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The pleather is actually cooler? Years ago I used some Sony headphones with the leather cups and long term wear in a warm room would be really uncomfortable. Since then I've always used cloth headphones. If this is true, I'd definitely want to give these a try.
 
I liked the pleather when our test room was warm, especially if I had a bit of stubble. It was nice to just grab the other set and swap.
 
they did not need one honestly. I was playing Unreal Tournament literally within seconds. Haven't played that game in awhile, really missed it!
 
So...

...who has a gaming setup of: X-Fi Ti Fatal1ty (pro, not champ version), HS1A (plugged via case front panel, this plugged to the soundcard), Vent, WoW

...and is getting a crackling sound in the background, only when you have WoW up ?

...and is not getting a crackling sound when you have the headset plug on the line-out on the back of the soundcard

...?
 
You should use Alchemy for World of Warcraft and then your X-FI will hardware accelerate the sound in the game. The buzzing should stop.
 
Well, Sound card is back in, the headset does sound better now than it did before, and I don't have to blast it @ full anymore. I find the bass lacking actually, compared to the ATH-AD500, comfort is relative, the AD500s are lighter, but this sits a bit more firmly on your head, you can bend your head down without it falling off
 
Did you try similar EQ settings to ours? raising the sliders on the left side of the EQ starting with the first, and raising it the most, should improve your playback. SAVE your presets when you find one you like.
 
EarlKeim said:
Did you try similar EQ settings to ours? raising the sliders on the left side of the EQ starting with the first, and raising it the most, should improve your playback. SAVE your presets when you find one you like.
Click to expand...

I have fiddled with the EQ, and tried your settings :). I've left the set playing music for the last 48 hours, it has improved, just not to the level of the AT :) I'm almost afraid this headset is harder to drive than the ATH-AD500s, and might require a separate amp.

I'm using an XFi prelude, no dedicated hp amp.
 
Would be interested to see how these stack up to my favorite pair of closed headphones, Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro-80.
 
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