Updated at: 13-02-2023 - By: Leo Hall
The new Corsair HS70 SE gaming headset is pretty good, and it costs less than $100. Find out why it’s so great by reading our in-depth review right here!

The Corsair HS70 SE is a high-quality headset at a reasonable price. Excellent cost-effectiveness is achieved.

Corsair’s headset selection currently consists of two series: the Void and the HS. The latter category is headed by the Corsair HS70, of which the “SE” variant is what we’re checking out today. It’s a little odd, but not unprecedented, for Corsair to give their products superficial designations like “SE.”

The HS-series of headsets from Corsair is aimed at more cost-conscious users, but the incredible performance/price ratio they offer threatens to cannibalize the sales of Corsair’s more expensive Void headsets. Just to sum up, the HS70 is a wireless version of the excellent wired, analog HS50.

The HS70 SE is very similar to its cheaper sibling, the HS50, in terms of design and build quality. Corsair combines all of these features into one of the best and cheapest wireless headsets for under $100. Down below, I’ll be rating the device’s construction, features, and audio.

Exceptional bass, clarity, and depth for a truly engrossing listening experience. The Corsair HS70 is my favorite Bluetooth wired headset because of its superb sound quality and outstanding microphone, which accurately captured all of the inflections and inflectionlessness in my voice.

Pros

  • Superb, fully enveloping audio
  • high-fidelity audio capture system
  • Strong, cozy construction
  • Respectable cost-benefit analysis
  • Accessibility on multiple systems

Cons

  • It’ll feel toasty in your ears.

For me, the Corsair HS70 Bluetooth headset brought a thumping, jubilant sense of happiness. This headset connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth and wired connections. The drivers and microphone, in particular, stand out for their understated elegance and high quality. This is one of the best gaming headsets for the money at only ($99.99(opens in new tab)), with sound quality that would normally cost between $200 and $300.

Corsair HS70 Wireless Review - RTINGS.com

In addition to its impressive comfort and sound, this headset also boasts a high-quality microphone and is compatible with a wide range of devices, including PCs, Macs, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and smartphones. Staying true to their established aesthetic, Corsair has produced yet another high-quality accessory that will appeal to gamers, audiophiles, and professionals alike.

Specifications

Clip-On Microphone Yes
Battery that can be recharged Yes
Resonance Frequency 20Hz – 20kHz
Powered-Up Time Anywhere between 16 and
Sensitivity 111dB ( /- 3dB)
Transmission Distance 40ft
Impedance Resistance: 32 Ohms at 1kHz Frequency:
An Impedance Measurement of a Microphone 2.2k Ohms
Drivers for Headphones 50mm
Variety of Microphones Noise reduction in one direction only
An Examination of the Frequency Response of a Microphone 100Hz – 10kHz
High or Low Sensitivity Microphone -40dB ( /- 3dB)

Packaging

The HS70, like most other recent Corsair products, is packaged in a glossy black and yellow box with information plastered all over it.

Included in the package are the headset itself, a detachable microphone, a rubber USB charging cable, and a USB receiver for wireless use. Likewise, there is supporting material like a user manual and warranty details.

Design and Features

To recap, the Corsair HS70 can be thought of as a wireless version of the HS50. Corsair has released the HS70, which forgoes wired connections in favor of 2.4 GHz wireless audio. It also keeps the same understated style as the HS50, which is great for those who find the aggressive aesthetic of Corsair’s Void line to be a turnoff.

Metal mesh, creating the illusion of an open back, is layered on the exterior of each ear cup. However, you should know that is not the case, as the earcups are hermetically sealed. There will be no leakage of sound into the surrounding environment.

A single power button, used to turn the headset on and off, can be found on the outer right earcup. The remaining settings can be accessed via the left earcup. It has a volume control, a microphone mute button, and a micro-USB charging port on the bottom. There’s an LED light next to the port that shows the battery life: green for full, red for low, and amber for charging.

The HS70 is a well-made product. Aluminum alloy yokes and a headband are used, with ABS plastic used for the surrounding areas and the earcups. Corsair has done an excellent job with the selection of materials and attention to detail for a headset that costs well under $100.

While the HS70 is one of the more compact and lightweight headsets I’ve used, at around 12 oz, it’s still a bit too bulky to take outside the house. Because they don’t have Bluetooth, there’s not much point in using them away from a computer.

You won’t mind wearing and using the HS70 headset because of how pleasant it is. The clamping force is nearly ideal, ensuring that the headset does not feel too tight while still remaining securely fastened. The memory foam earcup padding is also great for extended listening/gaming sessions.

Turning on the surround sound and activating the Competitive FPS profile in the Corsair Utility Engine (CUE) software made every sound in Overwatch feel immediate and vibrant.

In spite of the fact that the HS70 worked fine in Windows, I was unable to get it recognized by the CUE program. After spending an afternoon delving into the Corsair forums, I learned that I was not the first person to experience this issue with a headset manufactured by the company.

Corsair HS70 SE Headset Review 2023 - Wireless Headset Under $100!

The long and the short of it is that Microsoft prefers to use its own drivers. However, Corsair drivers are required for the CUE to detect the headset. As a result, I had to uninstall and reinstall numerous drivers and programs, as well as restart my computer numerous times.

However, once the CUE is operational, its features are intuitive. The 7.1 surround sound can be turned on (it works well, though I generally preferred the stereo setting), the mic volume and sidetone can be tweaked, and different equalization profiles can be experimented with. It comes with five preconfigured profiles for common uses like playing first-person shooter games and watching movies, and you can also create your own. There isn’t much you can do with the HS70 and the CUE software, but what is there is useful. If anything, I wish the software also displayed the remaining battery life.

When using the headset, you may find that CUE’s limited functionality is representative of the whole experience. It is not possible to adjust the volume in Windows by simply turning the volume dial. No on-the-fly EQ profile switching hardware buttons are present. Inactivity triggers the annoying “powering down” message after only a few minutes, and there’s no way to adjust this timer.

In general, I’m satisfied with the HS70’s CUE capabilities (and the fact that I was able to make them function). But the peripheral could benefit from a few extra personalization choices, even though its flaws are mostly minor annoyances rather than fatal ones.

Comfort

The HS70’s 11.6-ounce weight is manageable, and it’s pleasantly dispersed in your hand. The headband was rigid and notched, but I was able to adjust it to a comfortable fit without too much effort. I was able to listen to music, watch TV, and play games with no discomfort while wearing my glasses for hours on end because the ear cups didn’t press down too tightly.

After handing off the HS70, a coworker echoed my sentiments about the HS70’s pleasant weight and ergonomic design. The softness of the ear cups was something he appreciated.

Performance and Battery Life

Again, the HS70’s audio performance belies their price and that of other wireless headsets. Both earpieces are driven by 50mm neodymium dynamic drivers that can produce a frequency response of 20Hz to 20KHz. The end result is an impressively remarkable and well-balanced listening experience. The bass is thick and robust without being overwhelming, and the highs are equally well-represented.

Also very clear are the higher and middle frequencies. The HS70’s sound is well-balanced across the audible spectrum, making it suitable for use with video games, music, and film. Although Corsair doesn’t seem to elaborate on the technology that enables the 7.1 virtual surround sound, it does an excellent job of artificially expanding the listening environment.

It’s an issue shared by all wireless headsets that their juice can only last so long. According to the manufacturer, you can get about 16 hours of use out of a single charge with a Corsair product, and in my testing, I found that to be generally accurate. On average, I get about 14 hours of use time before needing to recharge. The battery can be recharged and used again after it has run out, but the sound quality is typically better when the headset is powered by a fresh charge.

Furthermore, Corsair states that the HS70 can operate within a 40′ range, but in reality, you’ll be lucky if you get 30′. It’s possible that the HS70 will function at a distance of 40 feet in ideal conditions where there is a clear line of sight and no obstacles in the way. On the other hand, the HS70 picks up sound beautifully in a family room or a game room. There is no disconnect when I move from the living room to the kitchen.

Music Performance

In light of the HS50’s subpar music performance, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the HS70 delivered about as well as I’d expect from a wireless $100 headset. I was impressed by the clear vocals, distinct instrumentation, and well-balanced bass and treble in the music of Flogging Molly, Old Crow Medicine Show, The Rolling Stones, and G.F. Handel. (Although the bass boost equalization setting was not strictly required, I will admit that it was useful for choral music.)

Even while I was wearing glasses, the ear cups didn’t press down too tightly, and I was able to wear the headset for hours on end, as I listened to music, watched TV shows and played games.

Of course, the HS70 isn’t as full-featured as a dedicated set of music headphones, but it still works well for casual listening and gaming. Unfortunately, there is no way to link the gadget to a mobile device.

Wireless Experience on the Corsair HS70 Bluetooth

Connecting the HS70 Bluetooth to my phone via Bluetooth resulted in an equally impressive listening experience. If you took off the microphone and used them as regular over-ear headphones, you’d be very happy with them because the sound quality is the same whether you listen to it through the wire or Bluetooth.

However, since the HS70 can’t pair with a computer or gaming console over Bluetooth, its wireless capabilities are limited in their utility. Unfortunately, this rules out the use of Bluetooth for any serious gaming purposes. However, by pressing the Bluetooth button on the right ear cup, Corsair made it possible to take and end phone calls while wearing the headphones. When playing music, the same button can be used to play, pause, and skip tracks. Again, you can use both Bluetooth and a wired connection at once.

While Corsair advertises a 30-hour battery life for its wireless headphones, I got at least 16 hours of use out of a single charge while using them for work. Even after not charging them overnight, I got another 7 hours of use out of them the following day; I plugged them in to charge out of habit, but they still had life left when I checked. “hundreds of charge/discharge cycles” is another claim made by the seller. A charging indicator light on the right ear cup glows red until the headphones are fully charged, at which point it turns off.

Microphone on the Corsair HS70 Bluetooth

Whether I was on the phone, in a Zoom meeting, recording a podcast, or playing a video game, the HS70 Bluetooth’s detachable and flexible unidirectional noise-canceling microphone did a great job of eliminating distracting ambient noise.

Even the nuances of my voice were beautifully captured by the Corsair microphone. My voice’s timbre and lower registers were faithfully reproduced during a test podcast recording. I deliberately raised my voice to check for distortion, and I heard none. The HS70 Bluetooth headset’s mic has been tested and approved by Discord, as have those of many modern gaming headsets.

This really is a terrific microphone for a headset mic and does a good job no matter what you throw at it. However, I always suggest serious streamers and podcasters invest in a USB mic; You can learn all about them on our Best Gaming Microphones page.

A sensitivity of -40 dB ( 3 dB) and a frequency response of 100 Hz – 10 kHZ are listed as features of the HS70 Bluetooth microphone by Corsair.

Software

The iCUE software is compatible with all modern Corsair peripherals. As usual with iCUE, it’s a powerful but overly complex program. The menus and controls in iCUE are still disorganized, so users may have to dig around a bit to find what they’re looking for, or may need to launch the program several times before they find what they need.

You’ll probably want to turn off the Corsair HS70’s annoying voice prompts and auto-shutoff right away. As an added bonus, the “settings” menu includes a battery indicator.

After selecting the HS70 headset in the “devices” window on the “Home” tab, the EQ Presets will appear on the left side of the screen. Using this knob, you can select from five different default settings or create your own. Sound settings, including volume, sidetone, and stereo/7.1 surround mode selection, are located on the right.

As I’ve mentioned before, Corsair’s iCUE is a robust utility, but it still has the problem of being poorly designed. Though, things have improved with time. Corsair also regularly updates it, so maybe one day it’ll live up to its potential.

Value and Conclusion

Corsair’s HS70 wireless headset seems to have thrown off the established hierarchy of headphones. The design, construction, sound, and comfort are all top-notch. While you can’t tell the difference between them and headsets costing $150 or more just by looking at them, you can rest assured that you’re getting a great value for your money. When compared to Corsair’s more expensive options, the HS70 fares exceptionally well.

Corsair HS70 Pro Wireless Review - TheOverclocker

My only real gripe with the headset is that it requires the same Corsair iCUE setup routine that I’ve gone through countless times before. Fortunately, using a headset is more of a “set it and forget it” kind of deal. The voice prompts are another annoyance, but they, too, can be turned off and forgotten. The low-battery warning tone, however, is not. The fact that the headset volume is independent of the Windows volume setting is also a minor annoyance. Not a deal-breaker by any means, but something to keep in mind.

For its price and performance, the Corsair HS70 is one of the best headsets I’ve used. In terms of quality, there is no better headset available for under $100.