The HS80 RGB USB from Corsair is a premium wired headset for PC gamers. Like its little brother, the HS65 Surround, it features Dolby Audio 7.1CH virtual surround sound, but sets itself apart with EQ presets, better sound quality and RGB lighting.
Corsair’s HS80 RGB USB headset is one of the brand’s premium gaming headsets and is the next step up from the HS65 Surround. The headsets offer similar surround sound, but the HS80 RGB USB goes one step further: the iCUE desktop app lets you choose between five equalizer presets (Pure Direct, Movie Theater, FPS Competition, Clear Chat and Bass Boost) or you can create your own for a more personalized sound profile. Each preset is optimized for different media, so you can use the headset for everything from CoD competitions and Discord chat with friends to streaming movies and music. The iCUE app also gives you an easy way to enable and disable the Dolby Audio drivers.
And unlike the HS65 Surround, the HS80 RGB USB doesn’t have that slightly tinny, very echo-like quality to the audio output once Dolby Audio is enabled. Rather, it offers a “fuller” listening experience with virtual spatial audio for locating audio signals in online matches or a more immersive experience while streaming movies and music.
The included microphone is one of the best I’ve come across while reviewing gaming headsets. It provides consistent, clear voice chat for Discord calls, in-game chat, Zoom, and Audacity. Corsair claims the microphone is broadcast quality, and I tend to agree. There is very little white noise or background noise when talking or recording, so you hear every word clearly.
The boom arm of the microphone bends to allow for slight position adjustment, but it does require some force, so don’t worry about having to be careful. The microphone should also be fairly close to your mouth to get the best input volume and quality, as the standard, ready-to-use microphone position ends up giving very weak chat input. But with the flexibility of the boom arm, it’s a quick adjustment to make.
Build quality is also excellent with the HS80 RGB USB. The all-plastic case is lightweight without feeling flimsy or cheap, making the entire device very comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. I wore the headset for at least 8 hours every day between work and evening game sessions, sometimes with prescription glasses or a blue light filter, and it never got annoying or painful.
The RGB elements are also somewhat understated, appearing in the small Corsair logo on both earcups, which is great for anyone sharing a gaming room or whose gaming room doubles as a home office where bright, flashy visuals can be a distraction.
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The headset weighs about 4 ounces and doesn’t have a lot of clamping pressure, which is good news for anyone who wears glasses or has a larger head. The ear cups are made of memory foam with a woven fabric cover for breathability to keep your ears from getting clammy. The headband uses an adjustable elastic strap to cushion the top of your head and provides a secure fit and quick adjustments with Velcro straps.
My biggest complaint with the HS80 RGB USB is that the headset is only compatible with Windows PCs. It connects to your computer via USB, which in theory should work with at least Xbox Series S and Series X and Xbox One or PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 consoles. However, Corsair has opted to make the headset only work with gaming PCs. This could be due to the fact that the Dolby Audio 7.1CH surround sound and equalizer presets don’t work with consoles, which is the headset’s biggest draw.
So if you’re looking for a headset that can switch between PC and console gaming, check out the HS65 surround; it also doesn’t support Dolby Audio on consoles, but at least you can hear your game.
If you’re looking to buy the HS80 RGB USB, it’ll set you back a cool $99.99 (£109.99, AU$159), putting it at the top of wired gaming headsets. It is comparable in price to the Razer Kraken V3 and SteelSeries Arctic Primeneither of which offer Dolby Audio drivers, although the Kraken V3 uses spatial THX audio while the Arctis Prime works with SteelSeries’ proprietary audio drivers for virtual surround sound.
All in all, the Corsair HS80 RGB USB is a great choice as a wired headset for serious gamers or anyone looking for an audio option that works across multiple types of media, such as movies and music. The incompatibility with game consoles such as the Xbox Series S and Series X or PlayStation 5 is a major attack on the headset; however, the level of control over the equalizer settings and the studio-quality microphone make up for it somewhat.
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