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- Verified Buyer
I decided I wanted to ditch my wired headset/mic combo and go wireless. There are a few well-reviewed wireless headsets in this price range, and since I like Corsair, I went with them. For reference, my wired setup were AKG Q701 headphones with an Antlion Modmic Uni.Let me get the bad stuff out of the way to help you decide if this is a good headset for you.Bad #1:The iCue software, which is needed to use the equalizer and 7.1, is not the best. I am used to it due to my K70 keyboard, but it is not great... For the headset, it works well and is pretty easy to use, but I doubt anyone will ever say they LIKE the software...Bad #2: The headset does not sound bad if you do not have an audiophile headset as a baseline, which I do. The sound is just nowhere near the quality of the Q701's, but that is to be expected. The bass is insufficient, the highs are insufficient, and the mid-range lacks range/presence. That being said, you can make the Virtuoso SE sound better using the iCue equalizer. It sounds okay once you do this.Bad #3: The hardware is a bit buggy. I can be playing for hours without any issues in wireless mode, then turn the headset off (by putting it in wired mode). I come back later, and there is a 10% chance that the device will not get recognized by Windows - it is like the plug and play driver is not finding it. The headset will pair just fine, but it is not discovered by Windows. I have to turn off the headset and try different USB slots until it decides to work. 95% of the time this works fine. 5% of the time only a reboot will fix this. This is really annoying. My hope is that new drivers will fix the issue.Bad #4: It is uncomfortable. The Q701's are notoriously uncomfortable due to odd ridges on the band - I had to make a small pillow out of memory foam to make them comfortable. The Virtuoso SE has a padded band that sits on your head, but it begins to hurt after just 30 minutes or so of use. I ended up using my memory foam pillow, which fixed that issue. The earcups are round, which is just stupid. If your ears fit in the cups, they feel fine. If you do not seat the cups properly and let them rest on your ear, or your ears are big enough that the cups rest on them, your ears will begin to ache in 30 minutes or so. As long as I pay attention and ensure my ears are inside the earcups, and wear my pillow, I can wear the Virtuoso SE comfortably for hours.Now for the things I like...You will see a lot of reviews stating that the non-SE version has the better mic. I cannot say this is definitely false, but I can say that several reviews liked the SE mic over the non-SE, and all I can compare the mic to is my Modmic Uni - the Virtuoso SE mic better in wireless and wired modes. Everyone liked my Modmic Uni (Discord, TeamSpeak, Google Hangouts, etc.), so I think this speaks well to the quality of the mic on the Virtuoso SE. I like it. - no complaints. The red (mic off) and green (mic on) indicators are very nice.The iCue software has a great mic feature called "Sidetone," which allows you to control how much ambient sound the mic picks up gets sent to the headset. This allows you to better hear what is going on around you, since the closed design does isolate you a bit. I leave Sidetone turned on at the lowest level (not off) and really like it.The audio is decent (see above). I have no desire to try the 7.1 sound, I want stereo. In 1st person and 3rd person games, I am easily able to locate enemy location based on sound, so it works well.It holds a charge for ~20 hours, as advertised. It charges quickly, and can be used as a wired headset if you run out of power in the midst of a game. A nice voice warns you when the power is low, when the mic is active, etc. If you switch from wireless to wired, you may again encounter the bug where Windows does not find the hardware... (see above).Overall, I am pleased with the headset. It does what I want it to do (be a wireless headset), it sounds decent, and the mic is very nice. It feels like a quality unit.Every once in a blue moon I have to unplug the USB receiver portion from my computer and plug it back in to re-sync the headset. Not a big deal but that’s the one thing I would complain about if I had two other than that I absolutely love it.The range could be a little bit better also I guess. But I found out I do have to mute myself when I go from my computer to the bathroom….I bought this headset as an accessory to my new gaming PC build and have had used them pretty heavily over the last couple of weeks. I've got nearly all Corsair accessories and liked the look of these, so I figured I these would integrate well with my other accessories and minimize the need to download yet more accessory-management software. If I had to summarize my feelings about this headset, they would echo what other people have said: there's a lot of good but, ultimately, I don't think it's worth the price. I will continue to use them and, on the whole, they're not terrible, but at this price point they definitely aren't worth it, and I would recommend looking elsewhere unless you're primarily looking for a really want a well-built Corsair headset.THE GOOD:- The build quality on these things is outstanding. The materials are premium, the aluminum cans are a nice touch, the RGB looks great, and overall this feels like a $200 headset.- The microphone quality is great and will certainly be an improvement for any built-in microphone, be it on a laptop or a webcam. It's not as good as my Yeti Snowball but I wouldn't expect it to be, and I'll trade the convenience of a headset for a stationary, but higher quality, microphone for everyday use. The on-mic mute button is also a nice convenience, and the mic can be unplugged altogether if you don't need it. Being able to see if the mic is muted or not via a LED light ring on the mic itself - which you can see just in your periphery - is also a nice touch (and these colors can be customized in iCUE, if you want).- I've got Corsair's RGB headset stand, so I use the included "Slipstream" USB dongle for my connection since the stand conveniently includes USB ports. The wireless range is solid - better than Bluetooth but not as good as RF headphones (which I was using before these). I've had no issues with an unstable connection while sitting at my desk, and I'm able to go to neighboring rooms without any connection issues. It doesn't seem like the sound quality (see more on that below) is meaningfully affected by using the USB dongle as far as I can tell.- Works well with the Corsair software. Having looked at reviews on several Corsair products it seems like people will occasionally have issues with iCUE (Corsair's lighting and accessory management suite), but I haven't had any issues. Changing equalizer settings is a bit wacky - as far as I can tell, you have to create a custom profile to actually change the equalizer settings rather than using any of the included profiles - but beyond that the software does what I would expect it to do.THE BAD:- The sound quality on these just... doesn't deliver. These in no way sound like $200 headphones. The sound is very tinny with poor production on lower frequencies and what seems to be over-represented high frequencies. Even after tinkering with the equalizer settings I can't get a sound profile that I would consider to be acceptable given the price of the headset. My Airpods (both the standard and Pro models), Bose QC35, and even my very old Audiotechnica ATH-150s sound better than these headphones. I would consider the headset to be a bit better than the Apple earbuds that are included with new Apple products, which is obviously really disappointing. Do I find myself thinking about it while playing a game or watching something? No, it's not that terrible. But the first time I used them I was immediately disappointed, and the downgrade in sound quality is very appreciable when coming from just about any other set of headphones.- These are NOT comfortable - at least not for me. The clamping pressure is pretty high, which I normally like, however there's a pretty strong pressure point on the top of my head that makes these uncomfortable to wear for more than an hour or two. The cans themselves are also pretty shallow, and my ears are essentially up against the drivers when I have them on - and I would say that I have pretty "normal" ears that don't stick out a ton. I have to take breaks when using this headset because of the discomfort.I really wanted to like this headset - and there's a lot of positive here - but given the failure to create a headset with decent sound quality that can be worn for long periods of time, I just can't recommend this at $200. I think you would be better off going with either better quality headphones and using a separate mic - both of which can be had for the same total cost as this headset - or taking a gamble on another headset altogether. There's just no value to be had here when it comes to the actual functionality of the product. People will know that you spent a lot on this headset when they see it and touch it, but if it sucks at, you know, being a headset, then what's the point?Lets just start by saying I really love this headset, the fit and finish, and the look is are both awesome. not overly gamery, so if i am on a call with a client I don't look like unprofessional.The Sound quality is excellent, with decent bass, good mid and high range as well, I dont have the most discerning hearing in the world, but they were a noticable step up from any pair of headphone I own.Caveat - No Bluetooth...Much of the competition is building blutooth in as a standard feature, which would have been appreciated here, with the mic being detachable, they would absolutely work well as a pair of BT headphones, but unfortunately it's not an option here. I'm sure this will get added in the next revamp, it is really a letdown tbh, the only thing that really kept it from the full 5 stars.Nitpick - The headphone jack location points straight down into your shoulderThis is not ideal, I kinda get they didn't expect most people to use this, as you can use the USB connectivity to get high-res audio, or you can use them wirelessly with the included dongle. But then again it was included as an option, so why not put the jack in a better location?Bonus - The cables are beautiful, and it works as USB-C Headphones on android (Pixel 3 XL)Being a premium product you expect some nice braided cables but these are a cut above, the rubber coating underneath and on the sheath is soft and very flexible, and the braided sheath is softer than most, and doesn't really irritate my skin when the cable sits on my neck a bit. They also have these beautiful metal reinforcements/accents on the ends, I have a weird thing for nice cables, and these definitely scratch my itch, they are easily the nicest USB C & 4 pole 3.5mm cable I've ever owned. On top of that, they work as USB-C Heaphone an android phones, so you can get the high res functionality on the go if that's something you are looking for.los auriculares me llegaron llenos de tierra sucios dije no hay problema mientras funciones y wa cual fue mi sorpresa que un lado del RGB esta lleno de tierra sucio que pasa que los audífonos tienen puntitos para que pase la luz del RGB estos puntitos están llenos de tierra y ahora que pasa que me gustan pero eso del RGB con tierra me preocupa que la tierra allá llegado mas adentro de los auriculares y estos se desgasten mas rápido ahora quiero pedir otros y mandar estos y pues no se puede estoy por devolverlos y comprarlos en otro lugar sin tierra y sin el desperfecto del RGB creo que es un producto que estaba descompuesto y lo repararon y vendieron como nuevoEn general me gusto mucho el producto, tanto a nivel estético como funcional. La calidad de construcción y su durabilidad es bastante aceptable y han resistido sin problema el uso que les doy a diario.Lo mejor en mi opinión son las varias opciones de conectividad que ofrece, prácticamente cubren cualquier situación de uso cotidiano.El micrófono tiene una muy buena claridad de sonido y mis interlocutores siempre me escuchan sin problemas, sin embargo, sigue captando cierto ruido de fondo por lo que es ideal para uso en entornos con poco ruido externo. Otro detalle que considero un poco incomodo es el hecho de que el micrófono utiliza un conector micro-USB por lo cual es algo complicado conectarlo sin retirarte los audífonos.En cuanto a la potencia de sonido, realizando una comparación con mis antiguos HS60, los Virtuoso pierden en cuanto a potencia de bajos, me he acostumbrado a ello, pero extraño sentir el "boom" de los bajos en la música y explosiones. Fuera de ello, ofrecen una muy buena respuesta en cuanto a altos, siendo pocas las veces que he logrado sentir vibraciones o distorsiones en este aspecto.La batería dura alrededor de 10 horas para mi y se agradece mucho la función de auto-apagado cuando los dejas solos por un tiempo (el tiempo de espera es configurable en el software iCUE), he notado que tardan un poco mas en cargar que otros audífonos que he usado, pero esto no es problema ya que puedes usarlos mientras se cargan ya sea con el cable de 3.5mm o USB-C incluidos.Una opción incluida en el software que personalmente es de mi agrado, es la capacidad de Feedback que posee el micrófono para poder escucharnos con los audífonos puestos. No es excelente y a veces no es fácil percibirlo, pero sigue siendo útil en ciertos casos como video conferencias para asegurarte de no usar un tono de voz demasiado elevado. Junto con esto debo decir que el aislamiento acústico que proporcionan es bueno sin llegar a ser extraordinario.Con todo son unos audífonos bastante buenos aunque bien podrían valer un poco menos.I'll start this off by saying this is the first headset I've had for a while, so my opinion will be a bit skewed in it's favour.I chose this headset primarily based on it's mostly aluminum construction. My previous 2 headsets, a wired Turtle Beach and a wireless Skullcandy PLYR 2, were both plastic and ended up breaking. The Turtle Beaches snapped at a pivot and the Skullcandy's had small chips come off and eventually the headstrap itself breaking. You're not likely to have those problems with aluminum.The first thing I noticed with these was the quality of the packaging Corsair used. It practically screamed "premium" to me.Opening the box revealed the Virtuoso SE headset itself, easily the best looking headset I've ever seen. Initial handling it lead me to believe it was really well built and quite rugged too.Compared to the knock-ff Apple EarPods I was using before this, these are a massive step up. They also fit my head perfectly, but I don't have a massive head or large ear to begin with.After messing with the EQ settings in iCUE for a bit and settling on a profile similar to the one Lewis Tech Tips recommends, I have to agree with the many reviewers I've seen saying that the default profile just sounds wrong but when tweaked the audio can be amazing. I also quite like how the audio dial controls Windows audio instead of a separate setting too.The passive sound cancellation on the other hand is also okay, though I can still hear my fairly quiet PC idling as I type this while wearing them. These aren't advertised as sound cancelling though, so that's fine.While I don't like needing iCUE for it, I definitely want to have it just for this headset. Being able to make the audio sound better, turn off the RGB to slightly enhance battery life and even have it's battery level on my taskbar are great features.What would've been better in my opinion would be onboard memory to keep your settings without needing to keep the app running. Memory doesn't need to take up much space at all, so there's no reason they couldn't do this.This definitely is a great headset, there's probably better options out there for the price but I definitely can't say I don't recommend it.Is this actually worth the price though? To me it seems that way but honestly I'm not sure.So far I have absolutely no issues with this headset, but if I do I'll update this. For now I'm definitely satisfied with this purchase.Edit: One week in, here's an update.The charging cable should really be on the right side of the headset. Most PC cases are usually designed to sit to your right like mine is, so as it is it's either have it in the way or running behind you. With the cable running behind me though, my left ear constantly hears the amplified sound of it rubbing against my shoulder and chair.Minor issue for me, but when using this headset with my Rift S it gets constant connection issues over wireless. Likely the VR headsets cable causing interference.Very minor but annoying, iCUE versions 3.28.75 and 3.29.110 both had issues with the dongle blinking red, as if the headset wasn't detected despite it working fine. Installing 3.28.70 fixed this problem for the most part. You can get a link to an older version by copying the download link from Corsair's website and replacing the version number.No idea why it happened, but after the headset going into sleep mode it randomly refused to reconnect over wireless. I fixed it by reseating the dongle and restarting iCUE, it hasn't happened since.I'm going to leave my rating as is, this is still a 4 star headset to me since these are mostly minor issues in my opinion.I can still recommend this headset, though maybe get the cheaper non-SE version instead.Compre estos audífonos para reemplazar unos Sennheiser GSP 300 porque buscaba algo inalámbrico y porque estéticamente son muy bonitos, y mi mas grande sorpresa fue que la calidad de sonido los Sennheiser es superior ademas que cuestan menos de la mitad. Ademas de eso, la forma de los auriculares es redondo, no ovalado, por tanto, a pesar de que tengo orejas promedio, tocaban la bocina y después de un tiempo dolía y como son muy pesados, dolía la zona de la cabeza donde la banda asentaba (a pesar de que ya estoy acostumbrado a los Sennheiser). Además de todo esto, cuando jugaba y me conectaba a sesiones de chat a través de Xbox en Windows 10, en varias ocasiones, se desconectaban los audífonos y se trababa el juego sin razón aparente, cosa que nunca me ha sucedido con los Sennheiser.Por todas la razones anteriores, decidí devolverlos. La verdad quede decepcionado de este producto, y vaya que tengo varias cosas mas de la marca Corsair que me han gustado mucho.
