Corsair HS65 Surround Gaming Headset Review

A Closer Look & Performance

Corsair has changed quite a lot on their new HS65 headset, and while it still has the hallmarks of previous designs, everything is a lot less aggressive-looking and more rounded. That’s certainly not a bad thing though, as the headset looks fantastic, with a mixture of matte blacks and lighter greys giving it a stylish look that is eye-catching without being overly distracting.

There’s a fake mesh look at the back of the ear cup. This is actually the same triangular pattern that’s been cropping up on a huge range of the latest Corsair products, so it’s certainly keeping with their current hardware themes. However, while it looks like an open back driver design, this is purely for aesthetics as the drivers are actually enclosed here.

The ergonomics look spectacular, and it’s clear some thought has gone into the design to keep things as slim as possible. There’s a single mounting point for the earcup to pivot. However, it’s the ultra-low-profile arm design that follows the earcups curve that I like, as it looks very clean. The second joint above the earcup to the headband also allows for rotation adjustments.

Even the join to the headband pulls in towards the inside before bending up into the headband. It’s a little detail, but it’ll make a huge aesthetic and ergonomic difference. Instead of having the headband arch out near your ears in a more rainbow shape, it’ll sit much closer to the contours of your actual head. The end result is a closer looking and feeling fit. This is just much more in line with a premium product design.

So despite the slim mounting hardware, the earcups/drivers are surprisingly adjustable, allowing you to tweak the angle to ensure a clear fit around your ears, and also a comfortable resting position when you wear the HS65 headset around your neck.

Of course, there’s also a size adjustment slider built into the headband, with a metal reinforced band on each side. The range of adjustment is excellent too, making it suitable for younger gamers, as it easily fits my 8-year-old daughter, while at maximum, even on my unusually large head, the Corsair HS65 Surround still had adjustment room to spare.

So the HS65 has good ergonomics, there’s no doubt about that. However, combine that with the large ear cups and those closed-back 50mm drivers, and things are starting to look very promising indeed. The headset should get those drivers lined up nicely next to your ears and keep you comfortable for hours.

Furthermore, the larger ear cup design means a larger surface area of memory foam padding. While comes with a dual-finish PU leather and fabric design. The softer inner material is what contacts your skin, and it’s very comfortable too. Meanwhile, the softer leather outer walls provide additional noise isolation properties, locking in the sound of the headset and blocking more ambient noise from getting in too.

A more enclosed design like this gives the Corsair HS65 a much deeper bass response, and it sounds pretty punchy when you want it to. While I didn’t feel the need to tinker with the EQ, at higher volumes, low-end rumbles and explosions pack a satisfying womp. The mid-range is very detailed too, and it’s easy to pick out ambient sounds in gaming and movies, and literally and style of music sounds fantastic overall. However, I’m really impressed with the higher frequencies, which sound fantastically clear to me, but there’s a good reason for that…

The SoundID helps tune the HS65 headset to your needs. I’m nearly 40, and I’ve lost some of the high-end of my hearing, so SoundID can remap the EQ a bit, boost a few things and bring a lot of that detail back to my listening experience and it certainly works. I strongly suggest you set this up on your first use, as the difference is quite dramatic. It asks you to listen to some clips, you vote for what sounds best, then it delivers you an EQ. It worked well for me, but if you don’t like the sound, the “Pure Direct” EQ mode will likely be what you want.

Furthermore, with Dolby Audio 7.1 processing, you get extremely convincing surround sound on this headset. I actually think the sound experience is closer to that of the Creative SXFI technology, as you get the processing combined with Sound ID, and the two features complement each other well.

The only downside that I can see is the requirement of needing the iCUE software. Now, this isn’t likely an issue if you’re on PC or Mac. Plus, it’s a powerful software suite for any modern Corsair peripheral that helps sync the RGB, macros, profiles and more, so it’s not a bad thing to have. However, I know some don’t like having extra software loaded at times. If it’s any recourse, I’ve never found iCUE to stress my system or offer up any bugs, so that’s something. The headset will work in stereo via the 3.5mm jack, and it sounds good, but you only get the full experience on desktop via USB.

The microphone is “Discord Certified” which means Discord will properly detect the HS65 headset on first use, and apply the appropriate advanced settings to suit the headset’s capabilities, making for a very easy user experience. Overall though, the microphone sounds bright and clear, and I really haven’t got anything to complain about.

I do like that it’s flip up to mute though, and being able to put it out of sight and know that my teammates can’t hear my endless cursing, well that’s just perfect for me.