Corsair Virtuoso MAX Wireless Gaming Headset – Dolby Atmos, Active Noise Cancelling, Sonarworks SoundID, Simultaneous 2.4GHz Wireless & Bluetooth, 50mm Graphene Drivers, PC, Mac, PS5/PS4 – Carbon Video Games

4.0 out of 5 stars

Great sound quality

The sound quality of this Virtuoso gaming headset is great. I love the heavy bass and clear sound of this headset. I didn’t notice any latency in the connection and the active noise cancelling works great for FPS games. The headset is a bit heavy and can get uncomfortable for long gaming sessions.

4.0 out of 5 stars

Sounds great, but can get uncomfortable over time.

Pros:Build quality is fantasticComes with a protective caseMic quality is superbBass is nice and deepCons:The earcups get uncomfortable pretty quicklyThe USB dongle is still Type A. My HyperX’s came with a Type C connector and a C to A adapter which is far more flexible.

5.0 out of 5 stars

A heavy headset with heavy bass that should cover all your gaming needs and maybe more

Sound quality – 9/10: Not sure these quite get to the level of “audiophile” quality, but pretty close. Audio “enthusiast,” perhaps. They are capable of pretty deep bass, which is great for music, and which you might or might not want for gaming. You can fiddle with equalizer settings, at least. I like to run them with Dolby Atmos spatial sound enabled in Windows.Mic quality – 8/10: Tried it for chatting and initially my friends on Discord said I sounded a little tinny compared to my other main headset (Corsair HS80), but I tweaked some settings and I think it’s better now. It’s definitely a decent quality mic, but at time of writing I’m not sure it’s as good as my HS80 (a headset in the $130 price range). It’s also nice that this mic is detachable. The button for mute is easy to use, and the red button is a clear indicator that it’s off. I was able to disable the default white light that indicates it’s on using Corsair’s iCUE software.Comfort – 7/10: The cups are quite large. It’s also a good amount heavier than many other headsets. I don’t think it’d be comfortable for everyone, particularly if you have a smaller head. The foam on top of the headband feels okay to me, and I hope it won’t wear out too quickly. The headset kind of grips to your head. Took a little getting used to, but I find them comfortable enough even for long gaming sessions now.Appearance – 10/10: This headset looks great in silver, and the side lights are kind of elegant. Not overly “gamer” looking, which is fine. You can put a fancy RGB animation on them if you want, but a static color looks good to me. Not that you’ll see it while you’re wearing them, of course.Controls – 8/10: The big dials for volume work just fine, but not sure everyone would like them. The joystick style control for music is okay too, but slightly fiddly; pushing it in you could accidentally flip to next/previous track instead, for example. I like the mute button, though I sort of miss just being able to flip the mic up to mute it. The power switch has 3 modes: off, 2.4GHz, Bluetooth. Since I don’t expect to use Bluetooth as much, it’s mildly inconvenient I always have to set it to the middle position to use, but that’s not a very big deal.Construction Quality – 9/10: Seems pretty solid. A lot of metal, which adds to the weight, with some plastic here and there. The soft parts that make contact with your head are all some sort of foam covered in fabric, which I much prefer over the PU leather stuff some headsets have. I hope any parts that wear out can be replaced easily.Other thoughts:This is becoming my daily PC headset for games, music, watching stuff, etc. I was mostly using Corsair’s HS80 headset before, and was very happy with it (apart from a piece on the headband breaking slightly) so I’m already a fan of their headsets. The sound is a little deeper on the Virtuoso MAX, and I’m still not sure which mic is better. Everything else is good, just done differently. Now, I don’t know if this one is worth the higher price tag, but it is a really good headset and I’m happy using it.

6 people found this helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars

Would recommend

Corsair has always been on top of the line, and seeing that T-Pain usually carries these on his live stream (although I think he’s sponsored by Corsair?), I decided to grab these.And I see why he actively uses these, the ear cups are so comfortable and the sound is incredible.Build Quality+ The ear cups are exceptionally comfortable and designed with durability in mind.+ The entire frame feels sturdy and built to last, adding to its overall premium quality.Sound Performance+ The audio quality is impressive, with clear and rich sound output.+ Although the 32-ohm impedance delivers great sound, it may not blow sound engineers away (although I thought it was amazing)!+ The SoundID setup in the Corsair app has tons of audio customization, enabling users to fine-tune the sound to their preferences.+ Regarding noise canceling feature, I don’t know if you have to activate this but I could still hear some background noise such as a running dryer.While the price is a bit high, the features and overall quality justify it. I can get away from my on desk microphone considering the input quality.

5.0 out of 5 stars

Great for direct computer audio, but DAC users caution.

I am a Corsair fan and have always loved their customer service and their products.This headset, I was happy to see how comfortable and sound-isolating these are, and it works well with the included dongle and seems to be needed with the IQUE app to get the full experience.I have a Rode Caster Duo DAC and was really wanting to be able to connect the headset to these and still be able to experience all the features. However, it seems in order to be able to use the custom buttons and get all the features you need to install the included USB dongle and use the ICUE app.If you are using this directly into your computer, you are getting a really solid headset with great features that will blow you away. If you have an unquiet setup, these headsets might not work as well because you are using a DAC and controlling your audio through this, which seems to make the audio really low and not as great.I still use these for my other computer that doesnt have audio setup like my main work/play computer.The range of the Wireless is impressive I can move through our house and not have much interruption. The computer is at one end of the house, and I can move to the other side and still hear audio. Around 1600sqft.The style of the headset and RGB lights are very aesthetically pleasing to look at. I really love these, and the headset storage case is a great included item to keep the headset protected when not using.

5.0 out of 5 stars

One of the best

The Virtuoso by Corsair are premium a headphone. Period. The build quality is great. The design is very attractive. The head phones have a mesh pad instead of leather or more often pleather. They breathe well. They are comfortable. The rgb is reserved which is nice. I have no issues in build quality. For the money it is very good. Functionality, the microphone is optional. The set up is easy enough. Though there is no sound setting button. The tones are all great. It stacks up well VS my similarly priced Heymakers or Bose. They are warmer, but the Corsair is really ment for everything. It does that well. It does sound fantastic, however. There is hard competition for your money. That said at this price range this is among the very best. But… Razer has the Kraken Pro and if sound is your thing it is clearly the best. Though it is $70 more and has a tuner buy no carrying case. So if you are planning this for your Steam Deck or need the case this is a better option. But, if $70 doesn’t matter the Kraken is better in just pure function. However, I own a bit of Razer and Corsair products. I have never had an issue with Corsair. I have had a Razer product due on me, though just one and long after the warranty. Still, I have found Corsair very reliable. If this Corsair is the top of your proce range you will not be disappointed. It is great. I highly recommend them for the price.

One person found this helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars

High quality gaming headset with a few gripes and issues

I’ve used this headset pretty heavily over the course of a couple of weeks to truly get a feel for what it’s like. I would say that for the most part the pros outweigh the cons, however at the price point of this headset it definitely isn’t perfect. I imagine that with firmware updates in the future these headphones will improve, however there’s no guarantee that they will. I would suggest reading and watching multiple reviews on this headset before making any decisions.Build Quality 5/5The headphones come in a high quality (albeit large) hard-sided case. The case will definitely protect the headphones from getting crushed in a backpack, and the headphones fit very snugly in the case which should prevent them from rattling around too much while on the go. Even though I wish the case was a little smaller, I appreciate that they included such a protective case for the headphones.The headphones themselves also look and feel great. While the chassis is made of plastic and the ear pads use a mesh-like fabric instead of fake leather, the headphones still feel very premium when handling them or wearing them. The controls are satisfying to use especially the knobs on the sides, and the headphones also seem durable and can flex and twist without cracking. With proper care I strongly believe these headphones could last a really long time. I like that the ear pads can come off so they can be easily replaced with after market ones. The lights on the ears of the headphones can also be customized or turned off. So far in my short time with these headphones I have zero complaints with their construction.Comfort 3/5I feel like comfort is subjective when it comes to headphones because everyone has different head shapes and tolerances to weight, but for me these headphones aren’t very comfortable to wear over extended (multiple hours) amounts of time. The horizontal clamp pressure of the ear pads does not bother me at all, but the weight of the headphones pressing down on the top of my head definitely starts to become noticeable the longer I wear them. I found myself adjusting the head band around during long sessions to try to find a more comfortable spot. I believe this issue is caused by the weight of these headphones because despite the plastic build, they are still pretty heavy.Microphone 4/5The microphone on this headset is honestly very good for a wireless headset, and the best wireless headset microphone that I’ve used. That said it still has nothing on the quality of a wired microphone so keep that in mind. The other issue I noticed right away that other users have also reported is that sidetone (hearing your own voice through your headphones as you speak through the microphone) is extremely buggy at the moment and I get some really weird feedback when it is enabled and turned up all the way. While I gave the microphone a 4/5, sidetone not working is definitely something that Corsair needs to fix in a firmware update because it’s pretty unacceptable in its current state.Audio 5/5The audio on these headphones is phenomenal, better than my high end Sony headphones, but with a bit of a caveat. The base headphone tuning without any EQ software is kind of mediocre considering the price, I’m not entirely sure why they tuned the headphones as they are but they just don’t sound that balanced through the mids and highs. If you use an EQ software though such as Sonarworks or better yet Dolby Access (Dolby access is supported for free with these headphones), the sound is incredible. Whether it’s footsteps in games, surround sound in movies, or listening to music, these headphones sound incredibly good. The sound stage is so good I’ve literally taken these headphones off and looked behind me to see if my speakers were on because it felt like the sound was coming from beyond what the headphones possibly could produce. All of that said, if you’re planning to use these primarily (or only) with a console like PS5, you might want to look at other options because the base sound isn’t as good of an experience as hooking these to a PC with EQ software.Other Features 4/5These headphones do most of what you would expect from something at their price point. You can wirelessly connect to your PC and phone at the same time (via Bluetooth and the included dongle), and even control the volume of each using the knob on each ear. The range you get, especially with the dongle will allow you to walk out of the room without disconnecting or cutting out. The noise cancelling is quite good, definitely is on par with other high end headphones, although with the aforementioned sidetone issues I’ve been mainly using these headphones with noise cancelling turned off. I think these headphones would work perfectly fine for travel on airplanes and such and they don’t look so “gamer-y” that you would get weird looks if the lights on the ears are turned off. I like that there is a physical joystick to control playback so I don’t have to do weird tapping to try to get songs to change, and I also like that there is a customizable button on the headphones you can use to do all sorts of actions. So far battery life has been quite good although generally I just plug them in after I finish my gaming/work session.There are a few places where the headphones lack though. There is no auxiliary jack, which would have been nice as a third connection option. The only documentation I’ve found so far for these is the quick start guide which doesn’t really go over all of the capabilities of these headphones. You can’t store EQ profiles on the headphones themselves. The iCUE software that allows customizing these headphones throws an error when I try to check for firmware updates. I had one time where the headphones sounded a bit funny until I turned them off and back on again, not sure the cause of that issue. I imagine some of these issues will be fixed in software and firmware updates in the future but some of the bugginess of the headphones isn’t really excusable for a product that is this expensive.ConclusionIf sound is important to you, you primarily use PC, and you care more about aesthetics, then these headphones are for you. If you are a console gamer, heavily use sidetone, or are sensitive to heavy headsets then I probably would look at other options. I also think it’s worth noting that headsets at this price point definitely have diminishing returns, so if cost is a big factor for you then I might consider a cheaper headset like a Logitech which will give you the majority of the features and quality at a much lower price. Overall though, I think these headphones are definitely a decent option for the right gamer.

One person found this helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars

Corsair still delivers

I had the Virtuoso for 3 years and I decided to try this Virtuoso Max. I can tell the sound and mic quality is much better. Feels premium and you have quick access to volume and track selection directly on the headset

3 people found this helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars

Solid sound, comfortable enough for closed back, good feature set

When I first got this headset for review, it had some serious issues – it disconnected pretty frequently even if I walked ten feet from my PC, and every time it would drop signal and reconnect it would reset the volume to what seemed like 100% (or was very loud, at any rate – the headphones can push a lot of air and I definitely do not listen to them at max volume.) After a couple of weeks, Corsair released a firmware update for both the 2.4GHz transmitter and the headset itself, and those problems seem to have vanished completely – I actively tried to make it disconnect by standing next to the microwave or putting my head in the refrigerator and it powered right through it (broke up a fair bit next to the microwave, but that’s entirely expected) instead of disconnecting entirely.This headset seems like a direct competitor to the Steelseries Nova Pro, which is my daily driver headset, but the Virtuoso MAX gives it a run for its money.Both headsets can do both bluetooth and 2.4GHz audio streams at the same time, a feature I didn’t know I needed until I had it (I can listen to podcasts or music on my phone while gaming, and the headset drowns out the world but the phone can alert me if I’ve got a call or text. The Virtuoso MAX has two separate dials on each speaker, with the default for those dials being the 2.4GHz volume and the Bluetooth volume, which can both be separately controlled – something my other headset doesn’t do (though I can adjust the volume on my phone to balance it).The Corsair is a bit heavier, so it’s a little more fatiguing to wear if you’ve got it on for hours, but I really do have to wear it for hours before my neck feels like it needs a break. I do prefer the Steelseries headband to the Corsair’s headband, which is well padded but feels like it presses more firmly instead of kind of “floating” on my head.Sound quality is great for both gaming and music (and at this price point, it had better be!) and the controls take a little getting used to but are pretty robust without needing to open the iCue software to do anything. You can use the iCue software to change all sorts of stuff with the headset and wireless dongle beyond what can be done with the buttons and dials on the headset itself.The earpads are pretty large and roomy compared to Steelseries’s flagship headset (which has a noise cancellation microphone protruding into your ear from the center of the headphone speakers that takes some getting used to). They don’t feel hot or get sweaty with prolonged use, which is often a concern with closed-back headphones like this.There’s one single thing that I wish this had: The Steelseries headset uses hot-swappable batteries that charge in a base station, so you never need to worry about plugging the headset in. You just swap the battery for the charged one, and plug the dead one into the base station. The Corsair headset is a more typical USB-C rechargeable headset, like every other wireless headset I’ve ever used. Hot-swap batteries are a super nice feature that I wish was more common, and if this headset had that I would definitely switch to using this one as my main pair, as my other headset is starting to show its age and needs new pads.I’m not a huge fan of the iCue software in general, but it works fine with these and is not necessary for the headset to function, only to update it and configure things like EQ and lighting preferences. I already had it installed for other peripherals anyway, so it wasn’t a heavy lift to get me to use it for this as well.At any rate, this is a high tier headset. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with it if the price point fits your budget.

4 people found this helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars

A literal game changer!

I was thinking about getting a new pair of headphones for my daily console gaming purposes and lo and behold found these. There are so many reasons why I love this headset. I’ve spent all day and night with them, putting them through their paces. Connecting was as simple as plugging in the included wireless connector to my PS5 and the headset connected instantly. The sound is phenomenal, with the active noise cancellation working extremely well and the passthrough technology allowing me to clearly hear those around me when so desired. The microphone is equally stellar, probably the best headset microphone I’ve ever heard so far in my life. It’s likely as close as you’re gonna get to a dedicated mic setup from a headset. The omni-directional capabilities of said microphone, as well as its being detachable, are spectacular features and allowed me to contour it exactly to my preferences, as well as of course remove it when no longer needed. If I have one critique on these at all, it’s that the volume via wifi does not get as loud as when connected via bluetooth. However it still gets plenty loud, not quiet at all, more than enough for any gaming or media consumption needs. That said, being able to connect it to both my phone AND my PS5, and hear audio from both simultaneously, is nothing short of miraculous in my eyes. I can listen to music, podcasts, tv, or whatever else while playing my games and maintaining clear audio of both.I was concerned about comfort levels, but I’ve found these to be very comfortable, even for several-hours-long play sessions. They are a little on the heavier side though, so do keep that in mind if the weight would bother you. The individual volume rings on each ear cup for either wifi or bluetooth connectivity are a really nice feature as well, allowing me to change the volume of what’s playing on my phone and what’s happening on my screen while gaming independently, at will. The sound quality is fantastic as I said, with wonderful clarity and details even without dolby atmos. Music, podcasts, tv, games, they all sound amazing with these. Not to mention they come with a very sturdy case to keep them safely tucked away when not in use.They just feel and perform at a very high quality level. I’m beyond impressed and would 1,000% recommend these to others, even at this value ask. These are a huge quality of life upgrade for my daily life, and I’m so thankful to have found them.Edited 11/03/2024: I’m here to report not only has my thorough enjoyment continued, but that as of a recent firmware update, the volume while gaming gets just as loud as anything else! So no more discrepancies between volume output potentials whatsoever. These are truly a top notch product.

4 people found this helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars

Great Gaming Headset

I’m really impressed with this headset. The sound quality is fantastic, thanks to the 50mm drivers, and the noise cancellation works like a charm. It’s comfy for long gaming sessions, and I love the wireless options for extra convenience.

One person found this helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars

Phenomenal sound

Extremely comfortable, impressive sound, loving the Dolby Atmos effects. Also like that the mic can be detached for use other than gaming. Absolutely fantastic.

4.0 out of 5 stars

My first Corsair headset

Corsair is one of the premiere brands with it comes to peripherals. I’ve never used one of their headsets before so this was an interesting experiment.In their yellow and black packaging was a great case which contained the silver headset, a charging cable, a usb dongle, and the detachable microphone. In the box under the headset was warranty and safety information.I do like both the case and the headset’s design. It does feel premium. The headband adjustment is nice and snappy. Both ear cups have dials on them and feel quite nice to rotate. All buttons have a satisfying, tactile click to to them, including the mute button on the mic. It feels great, except for two issues. First the material covering the headband and the material covering ear cups is of the hard, mesh variety. I would have rather leather or a softer cloth material. Last, the memory foam material is not thick enough for my liking. On the headband, it is thin near the sides, but thick on the top. On the ear cups, it’s thinner than it looks. Only a short press on the memory foam is enough to feel the plastic underneath.I didn’t have much faith in the headset being comfortable so I decided to put that to test. First impressions upon wearing them and adjusting them was mixed. The headband is fine. I thought the padding was just enough. It didn’t hurt my head. The ear cups, on the other hand, have three issues for me – they aren’t big enough for my ears, they aren’t deep enough for my ears, and they don’t have enough padding. My ears had to be folded a bit to fit into the ear cups. They did touch the cloth inside in the cups once on. The padding not being thick enough did make them feel quite hard once on my head after a while. I guess they’ll work if your ears are on the smaller side, but for me they just don’t. It is easy to twist the ear cups off so hopefully replacement ear cups are on the way either by Corsair or by others.It was time to connect them to my PC. I’ve never touched iCUE before so it was time to make my way through that and get the headset prepared for use on my PC. Installation was simple enough and there’s nothing out of the ordinary if you’re used to setting up gaming headphones. The only thing that really stuck out to me was Sound ID since I’ve never seen that before. I’m not quite sure what Sound ID is, but it looked like some sort of equalizer tool that has you listen to tones then decrease the volume until you can no longer hear the tone. I avoided that at first and wanted to give them a shot in their default configuration.I thought they sounded fine out the box. They were neutral and a bit thin. Music sounds concert-like. Low end was there, but it wasn’t hitting particularly hard. They also get very loud, but I’ve noticed something extremely odd which I feel like I must mention. So, the dial on the left ear cup controls the volume in two steps, which isn’t a problem. The problem I’m having is that it sounds like the headset is not getting louder and quieter for each step – only on certain volume levels does it change. For example between volumes 32 – 45, I don’t notice a difference in volume. Only when I go to 46 does it become significantly louder. The pattern I’ve noticed is this: 0 and 1 is quiet, 2-9 is the same, 10-17 is the same, 18-23 is the same, 24-31 is the same, 32-45 is the same, 46-61 is the same, 62-84 is the same, 85-100 is the same. I have no clue what’s going on here and we’ll come back to this on later devices because it happens elsewhere, not just on my PC. I don’t know if this is a bug or is intended behavior.There’s an active noise canceling feature which has three settings – Off, On, and Transparency. By default, they can be cycled through by holding down one of the buttons on the right ear cup. I did not notice much of a difference between Off and Transparency. There’s a huge difference between off and on for audio quality. On seems to result in a more bass-heavy sound. In terms of ANC performance, it’s okay. It does a good job at filtering out certain sounds like the noises your computer’s fans would make, but it does not do a good job at filtering out voices. I noticed no difference there using my TV to test. I think ANC on is worth it if you’re right next to the computer or you want the headset more bass-heavy in general.With my initial assessment out of the way, I went through with Sound ID calibration. It was pretty simple. You listen to a test tone then move the volume up or down with the goal being to find the spot where you can just no longer hear the test tone. You are then given some sample songs to choose from for some A/B tests and then that’s it. I was very skeptical of this making a difference or changing the headset for the better, but it did and I am shocked. This probably doesn’t compare to a real calibration, but they sound better to me after finishing Sound ID than they did before. In terms of gaming headsets, these are definitely above-average after the calibration. I’d imagine they sound even better with proper equalizer settings, but I lack the means to do that. I can see people preferring the default sound, but if you don’t, definitely give the Sound ID calibration a shot.This headset has a great mic when comparing it to other wireless gaming headsets I’ve used. I’ve received no complaints in discord and voice recordings sound pretty good. It has NVIDIA Broadcast support if you want to mess around with that, but it requires a 2GB download in iCUE before it can be used. There’s a button on the bottom where the headset connects to the left ear cup to mute the mic and you get audio feedback of that happening along with a light on the mic that becomes red if it’s muted.At this point, I’ve used the headset for quite a bit and can comment on comfort. The answer is not great. While it’s fine for the headband and I didn’t feel any discomfort there, the ear cups were where the issues lie. For starters, I wear glasses. Once the cups settle in and memory foam takes shape, I could feel my glasses digging into the back of my head. The material for the ear cups did began to irritate my skin a bit. The spot where the ear cups sat did hurt slightly. Initially, the headset was fine, but discomfort began to seep in after a few hours. I think these are just some better ear cups away from being comfortable, but for now, they don’t disappear on my head like my previous headset.Time to discuss what happens when the headset is used on other devices. Pairing the headset to my phone was easy enough. The power switch on the headset can be pushed down to switch between dongle mode and Bluetooth mode. Once in Bluetooth mode, it went to pairing mode to find something to pair to. My phone picked it up and that was that. In the developer options for my phone which is a Note 20 Ultra, it said that the headset only supported SBC and AAC in Bluetooth mode. The other codecs were grayed out. In terms of audio quality, it sounds like in its default state. I’m guessing that Sound ID and equalization settings do not save to the headset. Luckily, the default settings are quite good. They just lean neutral so I could see some people wanting more low end.On android, the volume control exhibited the same weird behavior that I experienced on Windows. The volume didn’t decrease or increase for every step. It only increased or decreased once a certain number was met. Also, the dial went wider this time compared to on windows. On my phone, I have sound assistant installed which is a Samsung app that gives more controls over certain things, including the volume popup. I configured it to show the number and show a 150 scale for volume instead of the usual 100. The volume nob on the right ear cup which is for bluetooth went up or down every ten steps.Next up was the PS5. I decided to use the dongle. The console detected it instantly and did switch to the headset for audio input and output. Once again, the headset is in its default state for audio quality. I listened to it on both PS5 default audio settings and running them through the 3D Audio Headphones calibration. I must say, these do a great job with directionality with 3D Audio on. I was able to pinpoint sounds more effectively. The mic worked. The volume control on the left ear cup worked, but it did not adjust the PS5’s volume. It adjusted the volume of the headset itself, so, remember to max out the volume slider within the PS5’s audio settings and then adjust with the knob on the headset. Last was the Nintendo Switch. I put the dongle in one of the usb ports on the back and it worked just like it did on the PS5. They work through Bluetooth as well if you want to go that route, The right ear cup controls the Switch’s volume in Bluetooth mode. I do not have an Apple device so I can’t test there.In conclusion, this headset does many things right and many things wrong. The bad things are that the headset isn’t as comfortable as I hoped with the ear cups being the main issue. The volume knobs control in different steps depending on the device. I’ve experienced weird behavior in both Windows and Android with the volume adjustments. The headset only seemed to respond to certain volume ranges which I outlined above. The good things are that they sound good out of the box, although they lean neutral and a bit thin. Sound ID does change the sound dramatically. Whether or not it’s an improvement will be up to you, but it sounds like an improvement to me. I think these can be killer with some equalization. The mic is pretty good. The battery life is as advertised if you turn off the RGB lights on the headset. It will drain significantly faster if you don’t. The overall build quality is excellent. They feel like they are built to last. It supports all the devices it claims to support with no issues. I’ve decided on a 4 out of 5. My actual score is a 3.5, but I guess I’m supposed to round up. I hope aftermarket ear cups are made quickly.

Ein stilvoller Allrounder für Gaming und Musik

Design und Verarbeitung: Ein stilvoller BegleiterDas Corsair Virtuoso Max setzt neue Maßstäbe, wenn es um das Design eines Gaming-Headsets geht. Anstelle des üblichen, oft klobigen Gamer-Stils überrascht es mit einem eleganten und durchdachten Look. Die Kombination aus gebürstetem Aluminium, hochwertigem Kunstleder und dezenten RGB-Akzenten strahlt Professionalität und Klasse aus. Es ist damit eines der wenigen Gaming-Headsets, die problemlos auch in der Öffentlichkeit – etwa in der U-Bahn – getragen werden können, ohne „zu viel“ zu wirken.Das beiliegende Etui unterstreicht den Premium-Anspruch des Headsets. Robust und passgenau schützt es das Headset zuverlässig auf Reisen oder im Alltag. Für mich ist das Design nicht nur eine Augenweide, sondern auch ein Statement, dass Gaming-Hardware elegant sein kann.Tragekomfort: Mit Potenzial zur VerbesserungDie Verarbeitung des Virtuoso Max ist tadellos, der Tragekomfort hingegen ein zweischneidiges Schwert. Die Ohrpolster sind zwar aus angenehm weichem Stoff gefertigt, jedoch für meinen Geschmack etwas zu dünn. Bei längeren Sessions entsteht ein leichter Druck auf den Ohren, der den Gesamteindruck schmälert. Besonders für Nutzer mit empfindlichen Ohren könnte dies problematisch sein.Durch den Austausch der Polster mit dickeren Alternativen von Drittanbietern lässt sich das Problem leicht beheben – eine einfache Modifikation, die den Komfort erheblich steigert.Ausstattung: Funktionen, die den Alltag erleichternDas Virtuoso Max bietet eine durchdachte Ausstattung, die sich sowohl für Gaming als auch den Alltag als äußerst praktisch erweist:Aktive Geräuschunterdrückung (ANC) und TransparenzmodusDie ANC-Funktion reduziert störende Hintergrundgeräusche zuverlässig. Im Vergleich mit anderen Modellen – wie etwa dem Arctis Nova Pro Wireless – war ich von der Effizienz der Geräuschunterdrückung überrascht. Der Transparenzmodus ist besonders praktisch: Er blendet Umgebungsgeräusche ein, sodass Gespräche möglich sind, ohne das Headset abnehmen zu müssen.Duale KonnektivitätEine der herausragendsten Funktionen ist die Möglichkeit, das Headset gleichzeitig über 2,4-GHz-Wireless und Bluetooth zu verbinden. Dadurch lassen sich während des Spielens problemlos Musik oder Gespräche über das Smartphone einbinden. Die getrennte Lautstärkeregelung beider Audioquellen über die Drehregler an den Ohrmuscheln ist besonders durchdacht und benutzerfreundlich.Klangqualität: Mit Anpassung ein GenussDer Klang des Headsets ist ab Werk für meinen Geschmack etwas basslastig, während die Mitten zurückhaltend wirken. Mit Hilfe der iCUE-Software kann der Klang jedoch individuell angepasst werden. Besonders die Sound-ID-Funktion sticht hervor, da sie auf Basis eines kurzen Hörtests ein persönliches Klangprofil erstellt, was überraschend gut funktioniert.Für unterschiedliche Anwendungen – ob Gaming, Musik oder Filme – lassen sich zudem spezifische Equalizer-Profile speichern und schnell wechseln. Nach dieser Anpassung bietet das Headset ein beeindruckendes Klangerlebnis, das in verschiedenen Situationen überzeugt.Mikrofon: Klare Kommunikation auf hohem NiveauDas abnehmbare Mikrofon liefert eine herausragende Sprachqualität, die mit Studio-Mikrofonen vergleichbar ist. Dank der Nvidia Broadcast-Integration und den Optimierungsmöglichkeiten in der iCUE-Software, wie Rauschunterdrückung und Echo-Reduktion, bleibt die Stimme selbst in lauten Umgebungen klar verständlich.Software: Umfangreich, aber noch nicht perfektDie iCUE-Software bietet umfangreiche Anpassungsmöglichkeiten, von der RGB-Beleuchtung bis hin zu Klang- und Mikrofoneinstellungen. Trotz der vielen Funktionen gibt es hin und wieder kleinere Fehler, wie Abstürze oder Verzögerungen. Allerdings zeigt sich, dass Corsair regelmäßig Updates bereitstellt, die diese Probleme nach und nach beheben.Fazit: Stilvolles Headset mit vielseitigen StärkenDas Corsair Virtuoso Max Wireless überzeugt mich durch sein edles Design, die hochwertigen Materialien und die vielseitigen Funktionen. Vor allem die aktive Geräuschunterdrückung, die flexible Konnektivität und die Möglichkeit, den Klang individuell anzupassen, machen es zu einem starken Begleiter für Gaming und Alltag.Schwächen wie die dünnen Ohrpolster oder die fehleranfällige Software fallen durch die vielen positiven Aspekte weniger ins Gewicht. Nach einer gewissen Anpassung bietet das Headset ein Klangerlebnis, das nicht nur Gamer, sondern auch Musikliebhaber begeistert.Es ist ein Headset, das zuverlässig sowohl bei Gaming-Sessions als auch unterwegs genutzt werden kann – ein Kauf, der sich für alle lohnt, die Wert auf Design legen und eigene Klang-Anpassungen nicht scheuen.

2 people found this helpful

excellent casque gamer

si vous voulez un casque gamer de qualité sans compromis, foncez !

No multipoint pairing for the price.

They sound good to me. The active noise cancellation is nice but has to be turned off to use the microphone sidetone. I’d think sidetone would be extra valuable when using noise cancellation. Also, for the price I expect it to support multipoint pairing just like the XT version has.

Great for gaming but heavy

The CORSAIR Virtuoso MAX wireless gaming headset are very high quality, heavy duty gaming headphones. The build quality on these is extremely good and come at a premium price.These headphones sound great. They are not audiophile headphones, music sounds good but they are definitely geared towards gaming. These work best using the 2.4GHz USB adapter and iCue but do not require iCue to work correctly (iCue is needed to update firmware, which I did have to do within the first 2 weeks of use). I am not going to go in depth on the iCue software but it has some neat features including a voice changer mod, but you need to subscribe to services to use some or all of them.Pros:- 50mm high-density neodymium drivers produce detailed audio that enhances the gaming experience.- Plush memory foam ear cups and an aluminum frame makes these very sturdy. The ear cups are large and fit over the ear without crushing the ear.- Detachable mic with great sensitivity. I especially like the dedicated and easy to reach mic mute button at the base of the mic stem.- Can connect using Bluetooth, the 2.4GHz USB adapter, USB wire, or 3.5mm wire.- Customizable RGB that can be controlled using the iCUE software.- Long battery life.- The volume controls are large rings on either ear and easy to reach in a hurry.- Multi-function button that can be assigned using iCue. by default this changes the EQ mode, you can add custom EQ modes in iCue.- includes a heavy duty case for storage.Cons:- Very expensive.- The premium materials make these very heavy. I found that they hurt the top of my head when wearing them for long periods of time.- No Active Noise Cancellation (ANC).- No aptX or other HD audio codecs over Bluetooth, AAC only.- Over Bluetooth the mic only works in calls, it did not work for voice recording or Webex calls, ymmv.- The button layout is odd, the power/connect button is very easy to hit accidentally.- The case does not include a spot to carry the mic or cables.Overall the CORSAIR Virtuoso MAX headset is a strong choice for gamers looking for high-quality audio and premium build quality, but its price and weight may make it less appealing for casual users.

Excelentes auriculares, con problemas de madurez en el soft y el firmware

La primera impresión que se tiene con estos auriculares es de robustez, se notan muy sólidos y con un peso notable. Se ve un cambio respecto al diseño anterior de Corsair, se parece más al Virtuoso Pro con cable, un cambio que, personalmente me gusta. El ajuste en la cabeza es bueno, incluso para quienes tienen cabezas de considerables dimensiones, y los clics de ajuste suenan firmes y seguros. Los materiales, aunque parecen cuero, tiene una textura algo áspera, tanto en la diadema como en las almohadillas, no son incómodos al principio, pero después de un tiempo el peso, junto con la presión que ejercen, empieza a notarse, sobre todo en la parte superior de la cabeza. El diseño de las almohadillas, aunque aparentan ser mullidas, en realidad tienen poca amortiguación y, al menos en mi caso, las orejas tocan el interior.El control de volumen situado en los anillos exteriores de las copas es un gran acierto. Es suave y preciso, con un control para el inalámbrico 2.4 GHz y otro para Bluetooth y sería aún mejor si se pudiera configurar una función alternativa para el control de Bluetooth cuando no se está usando, como ajustar el tono lateral o la mezcla de chat, pero eso supongo que si lo hacen lo tendremos con una actualización de firmware. No me gusta que no haya de mezcla de chat de juego, algo que la competencia tiene y que se echa en falta en un producto de esta gama. De nuevo, espero que lo implementen en futuras actualizaciones de firmware.La cancelación activa de ruido funciona sorprendentemente bien, incluso mejor que en otros auriculares de gama alta. La función Sound ID, que personaliza el ecualizador según una prueba de audición, también resulta muy útil, ofreciendo un sonido más agradable que el ecualizador por defecto. En cuanto al micrófono, a pesar de que es pequeño, da una calidad notable, superior a la de otros auriculares inalámbricos de gama alta con un tono es natural y una buena ganancia. Recordemos que es un micrófono omnidireccional, no unidireccional, y es una buena decisión, aunque aumente el ruido de fondo.En cuanto al sonido en juegos, los drivers están bien emparejados en volumen, lo que facilita la detección de la dirección del sonido, sin embargo, el sonido por defecto tiene un exceso de graves, típico de los auriculares gaming, que puede resultar molesto en juegos FPS, ya que enmascara otros sonidos importantes. El ecualizador para FPS mejora la situación, pero aún así no llega al nivel de otros auriculares de la competencia. Para juegos de un solo jugador, películas o música, el sonido es mejor, pero sigue sin ser el mejor de su clase.En resumen, tienen un gran potencial, con una buena construcción, un ANC eficaz y un micrófono brutal. Sin embargo, los problemas de software, la ausencia de mezcla de chat y un sonido que requiere ajustes para sacar lo mejor de los auriculares, hacen que sea difícil recomendarlos por encima de la competencia en este rango de precio. Si se solucionan estos problemas con actualizaciones de firmware, podrían ser una opción muy interesante.

One person found this helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars

Terrific sound

At 80 I find I prefer headphones to listen to TV, making sounds more clear.Right now I still prefer my old Sony studio headphones to anything else.I’ve tried wireless headphones that were in the $20-40 price range, I’ve tried small ear hooks, ear canal buds….they just don’t hit my profile. Usually too thin sounding with muddy bass .As to these gaming phones, the sound is excellent. I find the microphone a good warm sound…but a little too “close-up” for my taste. Maybe the app can let me tweak this.I do like very much that an EQ is built into the app. the software apps I’ve tried on the computer were not as effective.It has a feature to run a personal profile on your hearing, each module asks to adjust the sound level until you cannot hear the tone. I found that I couldn’t hear half the tones during the test! Probably they are in the high range where my hearing is defective. I didn’t care for the custom profile it made for me, and went back to the EQ.As an old dude I’m not much of a gamer, but I’ve got a copy of the Elder Scrolls and will be testing that soon!My other main purpose is for sound quality while on the smartphone. I believe these are going to be my go-to favorites.

One person found this helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars

Beyond impressed

Disclaimer: if you like bass or accentuated bass, these cans may not be for you. If you like monitor style or open back audiophile type sound, these are impressive for a gaming headset.Build quality is exceptional with lots of metal accents, including a large teal dial on both sides. It does make the headset heavy (I’m sure the battery does too). I found these to be comfortable on the ears with a bit of fatigue on the headstrap. A few slight adjustments and I was good.As far as sound, very clear, neutral sound and a wide soundstage for closed back. Details in gaming were phenomenal and streamers on Twitch came across with excellent clarity.This is my new favorite headset and I absolutely prefer it over the new Razor and Turtlebeach 700. On par or a little better than Steelseries clarity. Five out of five stars!

One person found this helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars

Corsair Virtuoso Max

The quality of this headset is high, both in regards to the build and sound. The construction is the most impressive part and uses a wide variety of materials, all of which are premium quality.The main body is a very high grade plastic which is color matched almost perfectly to many of the other metal bits. Metal side caps cover most of the speaker body and feature a slight concave taper and are machined to have a nice light refracting quality (in contrast to the matte finish found on everything else).Around the edge of the drivers a large diameter metal knurled ring is provided for volume control. Both the dongle and bluetooth sources can be controlled separately with these rings, and you can choose which sides ring controls which in the software. I really like these volume rings.The speaker arms and headband caps feature color matched metal and feel very sturdy. A swivel function to rotate the speaker pods 90 degrees flat is present in the design. The top of the headband is wrapped in leather with Corsair stamped centrally. The bands inner padding is covered with breathable perforated mesh using the same material as the padding for the ear cups. The finish on all of it is top notch with every attention to detail paid. The attention to detail is truly amazing with even the stitching in the headband being perfect.The padded mesh cups provide a good seal around the ears with good clamping force from the headband. The mesh material provides good breathability and was soft enough to the touch. Comfort was good when used in shorter sessions, but after 4 hours or so the clamp force and weight started to feel apparent. The mesh ear cups are easily removable due to the large plastic base used in the padded cups. I prefer the feel of a more plush leather cup personally, so the easily removable pads are a big bonus, as they should make aftermarket pad swaps real easy.To get the sound profile properly set up the iCue software suite needs to be used. After installation we were able to utilize the many features included with this headset as well as maximize their sound performance.The stock sound profile isn’t great, but you can use the equalizer to tune it manually, or let the soundID make a profile for you. The soundID profile was actually quite good, but couldn’t be used in conjunction with dolby audio at the same time. When using the manual equalizer sound quality is improved by boosting the 400 hertz frequency and cutting the 6000 hertz range.To use dolby audio you must download the dolby app in addition to iCue. The spatial audio was quite good and only limited by the quality of content used. In the CoD gameplay test it was spot on. In songs with dolby mastering the quadraphonic effect was great.Other sound features include ANC (noise canceling) and transparency side tone (the opposite of sound canceling, pass through so you can hear your voice and more atmospheric sound). The ANC worked well, but the transparency mode sounded really dirty.The action button on the set can be programmed to change it’s function. It comes preset to toggle between transparency, ANC and regular modes. You can change it to control mute or toggle EQ settings. I like the EQ toggle, but when I tried to switch it back to ANC toggle I was unable to. They could improve the software by allowing this switch to change back to ANC or transparency after reassigning it. Allowing it to be used as a dolby or soundID switch would also be great. Also you can’t turn the dolby off in software anywhere either and must go into device properties to do it.Microphone performance was solid. I used an assistant in the same room to make a voice recording and then listened to it back to back with their normal speech. Voice quality sounds rather natural and clear. It’s not 24 bit studio sound quality, but it is more than good enough for phone calls or voice chat. The mute button is featured on the mic arm making it easy to find. The tip of the mic lights up white or turns red when muted, a nice feature to help prevent muting mistakes.The nVidia sound filter can also be downloaded as a plug in for mic processing to help remove ambient sound if you work in a loud environment. It’s best to leave it off if you can help it. The feature works well to remove noise, but produces negative effects on the sound quality. I guess it’s better to have diminished voice quality that you can hear clearly, rather than just a bunch of background noise constantly, but the quality with it off is much better, even in a quite room.RGB is featured on a ring about the edge of the reflective metal ear cup caps. Custom RGB colors and effects can be set in the iCue software. The light ring is actually useful as it turns white when powered on, red when switched off, does blue patterns when pairing via bluetooth, and shows battery level when charging.For use on a PS5 or android systems sound profiles can be saved to the headsets onboard memory so iCue is only needed on the PC.Connectivity with the dongle to the PC was very good allowing roaming through the whole house without disconnecting. Bluetooth range was limited to and dropped at around 15m. You can connect to both the dongle and bluetooth at the same time. This is great for switching between two sources or playing both simultaneously. The function switch allows one to accept calls, play/pause and change tracks when paired via bluetooth. The switch (when not paired to bluetooth) will control media on the PC as well.The Corsair Virtuoso Max are a high quality headset, but they are heavily dependent on the software used with them to determine their performance. The lack of a 1.5mm jack means this can’t be avoided. Luckily the included iCue software works pretty well with all the plugins enabled and should get better with updates.The headset includes a well made carry case, USB type A to C charging cable, and USB type A wireless dongle.Overall I really like the headset. The build quality is top tier and they have a high drip factor. The performance of the 50mm graphene drivers is almost studio quality and they sound great once balanced properly. The mic is good and performs about as well as a removable (non-condenser) mic this size really can be expected too. They aren’t perfect, but they are really good.

One person found this helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars

The new standard

This is a product that is simply elite in every way. It’s radically expensive of course, but I am factoring that price into this review. I’ve been using a ~$100 headset for the last couple of years, and was completely satisfied with the product. Satisfied with audio quality, satisfied with fit and comfort, satisfied with user options. I thought it was a great product. Now I know what a great product is, and I couldn’t go back to those. This is the top of line in gaming headsets, and you will not regret your purchase, even at the price which will make you do a spit take. I won’t lie and tell you it’s a bargain, I will tell you it’s a fair price for what you receive. Elite

5.0 out of 5 stars

The best sound I’ve experienced gaming, period.

The sound from these headphones is astounding. They provide the clearest and most accurate surround sound I’ve ever experienced when gaming. They are fantastic for any first person immersive game. With the noise cancellation, you feel like you are really there – like super VR for the ears. I like that the mic is removable, because they are equally as awesome for just listening to music. They are comfortable to wear and lightweight. You have to hear it to believe it – words can’t describe how good these are!

One person found this helpful