INTRODUCTION

   It's no secret really that up until just a few years back wireless devices in general couldn't effectively compete with their wired counterparts (signal quality, safety/security and battery life are some of the reasons) but thanks to several somewhat recent technological advancements things have improved quite a lot and so wireless gaming peripherals (and devices in general) are currently gaining ground in popularity/sales especially among enthusiasts. Following the success of the Void Pro line of gaming headsets CORSAIR has further enriched their line with the HS60 Stereo Gaming Headset with 7.1 Surround Sound and the HS70 Wireless Gaming Headset with 7.1 Surround Sound and after testing the first it was just a matter of time before we turned our attention to the wireless model.

   Founded in 1994, CORSAIR supplies high-performance products purchased primarily by PC gaming enthusiasts who build their own PCs or buy pre-assembled customized systems. The company's award-winning products include DDR3 and DDR4 memory upgrades, computer cases, PC cooling products, gaming headsets, gaming keyboards, gaming mice, power supply units, USB flash drives, solid-state drives and system monitoring and control devices.

   Exactly like the HS60 the HS70 is also based on two specially tuned 50mm neodymium dynamic drivers (featuring a frequency response of 20Hz-20KHz with 32 Ohms impedance and 111+-3dB sensitivity) and also feature a metal frame, adjustable earcups with rich memory foam padding, on-ear controls and a detachable and very flexible unidirectional noise-canceling microphone (discord certified with frequency response of 100Hz-10KHz, 2.2 KOhm impedance and -40+-3dB sensitivity). However although the HS60 came bundled with a wired compact external USB sound card/adapter which made it possible to produce/achieve 7.1 surround sound (virtual) this time over CORSAIR has combined a 2.4GHz wireless transmitter (40 feet range) and a sound card into the same USB dongle making the HS70 also compatible with SONY's Playstation 4.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Just like with the box of the HS60 the HS70 arrived inside a box that has a large product picture at the front right beneath the company logo and above the main product features.

A few words about CORSAIR's iCUE software are placed on the right side in 4 languages.

At the rear of the box we see a large a product picture used to showcase its features which are placed just over the specifications table (printed in 4 languages).

From the above picture you can all see that the HS70 is securely placed inside a formed piece of plastic.

CORSAIR bundles the HS70 (headset, detachable microphone and USB wireless transmitter) with USB to micro USB cable, quick start guide and a safety and compliance information paper.

THE HS70

The HS70 weigh a total of 333g and are infact pretty much identical to the HS60 (medium sized made out of plastic, metal and PU leather).

Our mannequin head may not be as large as a normal head but it should give you a good idea about the size of the headset.

Once again metal grills with the CORSAIR logo on them are placed on the exterior of both earcups.

The microphone 3.5mm port is placed on the lower front of the left earcup.

Although i would have preferred a retractable microphone the one CORSAIR uses is also very flexible.

At the rear of the left earcup we find the volume control knob, on/off mute button for the microphone, charging LED and the micro USB port.

The on/off power button is located at the rear of the right earcup.

Both the large earpads and the headpad are filled with a good amount of memory foam and dressed with PU leather.

As usual left and right markings are placed on the interior of the headset just over both earcups.

The headband extends up to 25mm on both sides (50mm total) via 8 visible increments.

The USB wireless transmitter is not larger than your average USB flash drive.

CORSAIR ICUE SOFTWARE

Just like the HS60 the HS70 also require the latest iCUE software version by CORSAIR which you can get from their download page as seen above.

First screen you will see once you install and launch the software will have your compatible product(s) listed on the right (the HS70 in this case) and the loaded profile on the left.

By pressing on the HS70 you can choose between Stereo and 7.1 Surround Sound and you can also use the microphone volume and sidetone (listen to your own voice while talking) level bars.

You can link the default profile (or any profile for that matter) to specific programs (may come in handy).

In the EQ Presets drop down menu we find 5 available EQ presets (Pure Direct, Movie Theater, FPS competition, Clear Chat and Bass Boost) but if by any chance these don’t suit your needs you can always create/add your very own.

From the dashboard menu (top) you can monitor the status of not only the HS70 but also your system (memory, mainboard, GPU and CPU to be exact).

From the settings top menu you can perform firmware updates (our sample came with firmware version 0.51 but 0.64 was available), check the status of the battery, enable/disable the auto shut off function and you can also adjust some settings for the iCUE software itself.

CONCLUSION

   The HS60 may not be the best headset CORSAIR has released to date but it does offer clear and accurate mids and highs along with plenty of bass. Virtual surround sound immersion also feels somewhat limited but again not bad considering the price point CORSAIR had in mind when they released them. The large earpads are very comfortable thanks to their memory foam padding (as is the headpad) while the microphone is surprisingly good and although not retractable thanks to its flexibility and size it’s not annoying nor does it feel heavy. This is pretty much our opinion on the HS60 which also applies for the HS70 since we’re talking about the same headset plus 2.4GHz wireless connectivity (40 feet range can be achieved in a straight line without any obstacles in between - with 2 concrete walls we could hardly get any signal just 6 meters away) and a rechargeable battery pack which can give it enough juice for up to 16 hours of playtime (we hardly even hit 13 but we almost always use headsets and headphones at maximum volume). Of course not all is peachy since during our tests we had to reinstall the iCUE software for the headset to work after we performed the firmware update but such glitches are not new to anyone especially when a product just rolled out of the factory. The lack of RGB illumination is also regrettable and although we didn’t’ really expect to see that feature (the HS60 didn’t have it either) it would make sense for CORSAIR to focus on RGB in order to “promote” their new iCUE software and its sync function with other CORSAIR peripherals. Finally we would like to see a wireless and wired use for the HS70 (same as with many other wireless headsets around) but for good or bad the HS70 is wireless only.

   Since the price of the HS60 was very balanced we thought that the HS70 would follow closely behind and although you can currently find it for just USD99.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 109.99Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) its price tag is set 30-40% higher. Granted we do realize the extra cost of the wireless transmitter (USB dongle) and the wireless receiver (headset) used in this particular model but a 30-40% increase in price is quite higher than what we had anticipated. That being said the HS70 delivers not only on the exact same areas as its predecessor but it does so without the need of wires and so it’s also worth our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Comfortable (Large Earpads / Memory Foam Padding)
- Good Mids & Highs
- Good Bass Levels
- 2.4GHz Wireless Connectivity (Up To 40 Feet Range) 
- Up To 16 Hours Of Battery Life
- Detachable Microphone (Easier To Replace)
- Playstation 4 Compatible
- Available In 3 Colors (Carbon / White / Cream)

CONS

- Design (Too “Plain”)
- Wireless Only Use
- Price (Compared To The HS60)