Verdict
The Corsair HS65 Surround is characterised by excessive construct quality, consolation, a beautiful and minimalist design, and most significantly, it additionally gives wonderful sound quality. The 7.1 encompass sound works nice and has a good total sound profile with respectable bass that does not drown out the mids and highs.
Corsair HS65 Surround detailed overview
The Corsair HS65 Surround is a new mid-range gaming headset from Corsair that’s a direct enchancment on its predecessor, the Corsair HS60 Professional Surround. The Corsair HS65 improves upon the HS60 in virtually each side, from construct quality to consolation and most significantly, sound quality. It additionally comes with a few further options, comparable to a customized SoundID that we’ll cowl within the overview.
Corsair HS65 Surround: a temporary overview of the options
Driver sort: 50 mm neodymium
Impedance: 32 ohms at 1 kHz
Frequency vary: 20 Hz – 20 kHz
Design model: Closed again
Microphone sort: omnidirectional growth
Connection: USB 2.0, 3.5 mm
Weight: 282 g
Wire size: 1.8 m
Software program: Corsair iCUE 4
Corsair HS65 Surround: building and design
The HS65 Surround has wonderful construct quality. It makes use of robust aluminum to mount the scarf and ear pads. The headset has matte white plastic ear cups with a metallic grille within the center that additionally options the Corsair emblem. There are two coloration choices for the HS65 Surround: white and black. We received the white and grey model. There’s additionally a Corsair emblem on the highest of the white matte headband. Total, the design seems to be fairly premium and trendy; it does not scream gamer, but it surely’s sufficient to let you recognize it is a gaming headset.
On the Corsair HS65 Surround, we’ve actually snug reminiscence foam ear pads with material on the ear pads, the components that contact your head and ears, and protein leather-based on the perimeters of the ear pads. This mixture of leather-based and material prevents warmth build-up throughout lengthy gaming classes (in comparison with full leather-based earpads) and gives higher insulation than material earpads. The identical thick reminiscence foam can be below the scarf, on the half that rests on the top. Usually, there are not any complaints within the consolation division.
The headphones weigh 282g, which isn’t too mild and heavy. The headphones sit fairly snugly in your head, with little or no price, due to the highly effective clamping drive of the aluminum headband. Typically even too highly effective, to the purpose that these headphones will be too tight for individuals with massive heads.
To manage the headphones, you may have a single quantity management behind the left ear cup. They ditched the mute button totally in favor of a swiveling microphone to mute. Completely. We have stated it earlier than, we’ll say it once more, the audio flip operate is one of the simplest ways to mute and unmute microphones.
The gadget comes with a USB-A dongle, which you may want to make use of the Dolby Surround Sound capabilities. There is not any headphone or dongle encompass switching although, the one method to do it’s by means of the iCUE software program or by means of Home windows in the event you’re utilizing Home windows Sonic or DTS.
Corsair HS65 Surround: Efficiency
By default, the Corsair HS65 Surround helps stereo sound. When used with the provided USB key, you even have entry to Dolby encompass sound. Additionally, with iCUE you’ll be able to modify the EQ, which is all the time a plus. Notice that every one these options are solely out there in the event you use a USB key. Nevertheless, the truth that it may be used by way of a 3.5mm plug opens up a lot of prospects; you can even use them along with your smartphones and different consoles, successfully turning them into a pair of cross-platform gaming headphones.
As for the audio quality, we discovered it to be fairly good total, particularly for this budget. By default, the EQ is about to Pure Direct; audio is extra even on this model. Nevertheless, adjusting the EQ could make all of the distinction. There are 5 EQ presets to select from, and for many, these can be greater than sufficient. Nevertheless, you’ll be able to modify the equalizer to your liking. The HS65 is provided with 50mm neodymium drivers that deal with low frequencies superbly with out shedding element within the mids and highs. As you play, you’ll benefit from the explosive carnage taking place round you with out sacrificing finer particulars like voices and extra importantly, footsteps.
Talking of footsteps, with 7.1 encompass sound turned on, we discovered that we had been capable of get good positional info throughout gameplay with little to no bother discerning the place footsteps or gunshots had been coming from. We even have a fairly huge soundstage on these cans.
Even in relation to music, though these headphones are first in gaming, they carry out nice. Even at excessive volumes. That being stated, the quantity will be fairly loud and there may be a little bit of distortion when the quantity is maxed out. Nevertheless, most individuals will not (and should not) take heed to something at that quantity stage.
The Discord-certified omnidirectional microphone on the Corsair HS65 can be wonderful. He has wonderful readability, his voice is obvious and with out distortion. It additionally does a nice job of canceling background noise. The hum of the air conditioner, the sounds of site visitors, building, and so on., nothing passes. We even clapped proper in entrance of the microphone, however he did not decide it up. Nevertheless, he picks up voices very effectively. Too good really. If different individuals are speaking to you in the identical room, the microphone will even decide up their voices. So it may be a bit annoying. Aside from that, we’ve no complaints in regards to the microphone on the Corsair HS65.
Corsair HS65 Surround: options
The Corsair HS65 Surround can be utilized out of the field as a easy plug and play gadget. Nevertheless, as you talked about, you may want the Corsair iCUE software program to make use of encompass sound, create your individual SoundID profiles, and modify the EQ. There is no such thing as a backlight on these headphones.
The 5 equalizer presets embody Pure Direct, Film Theater, FPS Competitors, Clear Chat and Bass Enhance. They’re fairly self-explanatory, and as we talked about, you’ll be able to modify the EQ to your liking. Nevertheless, you’ll be able to take it a step additional with the HS65’s new function, Sonarworks’ SoundID know-how. This was designed to can help you modify the audio to your private preferences. Go to SoundID in iCUE software program and you may be prompted for setup. Right here you may have a choice of seven musical types, from distortion guitars to digital beats and straight-up screamo metallic. As soon as you have chosen a model, SoundID applies varied filters to the monitor and asks you to decide on between A and B. After a sequence of those selections, iCUE will create a customized SoundID for you based mostly in your preferences.
The ultimate result’s subjective, however we discovered it fairly efficient. As an experiment, we tried to create a sound profile that emphasizes the excessive and mid frequencies and muffles the lows. The ensuing SoundID succeeded in doing so. Nevertheless, we don’t suggest utilizing SoundID whereas enjoying, because the setup course of doesn’t all the time produce the specified outcomes.
Corsair HS65 Surround: Verdict
The Corsair HS65 Surround is characterised by excessive construct quality, consolation, a beautiful and minimalist design, and most significantly, it additionally gives wonderful sound quality. The 7.1 encompass sound works nice and has a good total sound profile with respectable bass that does not drown out the mids and highs. Whereas the headset just isn’t but out there in India, assuming it’s going to price across the identical or barely extra (round Rs 7,000-7,500) than the Corsair HS60, we’ve a stable mid-range budget gaming headset with premium efficiency and options.
