Corsair Virtuoso Pro review: Open-back gaming headset? Don’t mind if I do

The Corsair Virtuoso Pro is simply a terrific archetypal introduction into the open-back gaming headset satellite by Corsair. It delivers fantabulous audio for gaming and media consumption, and it’s got an elegant yet highly customizable plan that gamers volition appreciate. Is it worthy the terms tag? Yes, if you person the wealth for it.

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Corsair Virtuoso Pro: Two-minute review

If you deliberation astir it, it makes a batch of consciousness to usage a brace of open-back headphones erstwhile gaming arsenic that tends to springiness the audio a spot much country to breathe, which should lend itself good to delivering that immersive soundstage and close dependable imaging you privation during gameplay. So, it’s benignant of unusual that not galore gaming headset manufacturers are keen to leap connected that bandwagon.

Luckily, Corsair is making up for mislaid clip with its bold caller Corsair Virtuoso Pro, an open-back summation (its precise first) to its already fantabulous gaming headset line, galore of which are among the best gaming headsets connected the market.

Corsair isn’t, of course, a pioneer successful the open-back gaming headsets country – Epos, Audio-Technica, and adjacent Philips each got determination first. Still, this caller accomplishment is simply a large deal, arsenic nary of the large gaming peripheral manufacturers person been intrepid capable to research it. 

And what an awesome archetypal introduction it is, effortlessly rising to the ranks of the best wired gaming headsets retired determination and truthful overmuch truthful it mightiness person Corsair’s rivals to marque their own. It has maine convinced.

Coming successful achromatic and achromatic colorways, the Corsair Virtuoso Pro doesn’t stray precise acold from Corsair’s signature look. It has each the telltale signs – the elegant curves, the marque logo connected the receptor cups and yokes, and the luxurious but coagulated finish. It’s conscionable arsenic beautiful, successful fact, arsenic each of Corsair’s caller gaming headset releases, particularly successful white.

Understandably, arsenic it is its precise archetypal effort astatine an open-back gaming headset, determination are plan choices that could person been better. The headband foam is connected the thinner broadside and not precise plush, and the earpad cloth isn’t the softest. Plus, the headset itself, portion reasonably lightweight, isn’t the lightest retired determination astatine 338g, though that isn’t astonishing arsenic wired open-back gaming headsets bash thin to beryllium connected the heavier side.

The 1 happening I don’t similar astir the plan is the information that the mic, which is detachable, is attached to the dual 3.5mm audio cablegram that besides attaches to the close earcup for audio. It’s truly not a batch antithetic from a regular 3.5mm cable, but it conscionable feels a batch much cumbersome successful practice. Now that I deliberation astir it, it’s truly the mic that’s the Virtuoso Pro’s weakest point, but much connected that later.

Despite those insignificant shortcomings, there’s plentifulness to emotion astir the gaming headset’s design. The earpads are plush, big, and made of breathable fabric, enveloping your ears portion inactive keeping things airy – though that is besides the quality of open-back headphones. The receptor cupful yokes connection a batch of swivel, allowing the receptor cups to conform to conscionable astir immoderate caput shape. And, the wide physique is arsenic premium arsenic Corsair’s different high-end offerings. So, expect a chill and comfy gaming league erstwhile you’ve got these on.

The Virtuoso Pro is besides highly customizable. The talker tags connected the receptor cups are replaceable and interchangeable – I’m assuming present that Corsair volition rotation retired a enactment of accessories astatine immoderate point. As are the earpads and the headband cushion, though the headband cushion takes a small spot of finagling to pry off.

As you whitethorn person concluded already, this is simply a wired 3.5mm gaming headset, which means that you volition beryllium tethered to your laptop oregon PC. But, you bash get a bully acceptable of cables successful the box, a 3.5mm to dual 3.5mm audio cablegram with the mic boom, a 3.5mm to dual 3.5mm audio cable, and 1 y-adapter cable, which is indispensable if you're connecting to your gaming PC.

If you’re not acquainted with open-back headphones and gaming headsets, determination are a fewer things to support successful mind. Open backs are mostly much spacious and wider successful soundstage arsenic the dependable is going everywhere, alternatively of being stuck wrong the receptor cups. They besides thin to person brighter highs that present tons of details and clarity. And, for amended oregon worse, that dependable tends to bleed out, which means your bureau neighbors mightiness perceive dense gunfire oregon immoderate beats you’re listening to if you don’t support that measurement down.

And, that’s fundamentally what you’ll get with the Corsair Virtuoso Pro. This headset delivers a batch of space, its soundstage adjacent wider than the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro. I AB’ed the 2 during testing, and my beloved Arctis Nova Pro present feels precise confined adjacent to it. And its dependable imaging is conscionable arsenic impressive. When playing Hogwarts Legacy, it was evident that each the dependable elements had clarity to them, and I could perceive precisely wherever they were successful the soundstage, resulting successful a precise immersive experience.

It helps that it has 50mm graphene drivers – akin to those successful the Logitech Pro X 2 Lightspeed – that besides contributes to its precise elaborate audio quality. Speaking of elaborate audio, the highs are unthinkable here, agleam without being achy oregon fatiguing but successful a fistful of situations, and with tons of item and clarity. The synths and highs successful Taylor Swift’s Bejeweled were agleam and sparkly, and the ukelele successful Florence and the Machine’s Dog Days Are Over was agleam and clear.

There’s plentifulness of bass arsenic well. It’s not successful your look similar different gaming headsets, but it has bully low-end response, particularly considering that it’s an open-back headset. Both Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s All the Stars and Kavisky’s Nightcall had bully bass and adjacent decent rumble.

It’s not each perfect, performance-wise, however. The mids are a small pulled back, and since the precocious extremity is pushed forward, you’re getting harsher guitars, which means that the dependable tin beryllium unpleasant with stone songs. Listening to The Strokes’ Reptilia hurt my ears and gave maine a mild headache.

Then there’s the mic. Your dependable volition travel done loud, clear, and audible here, which means that your teammates (or coworkers, if you take to usage this arsenic your enactment headset arsenic well) won’t person occupation knowing you. However, your dependable volition travel done a small compressed and harsh-sounding. There volition beryllium immoderate sibilance arsenic well. To its credit, it is simply a precise directional mic truthful that folks you’re chatting with won’t beryllium capable to perceive immoderate inheritance sound – yes, that includes you tapping oregon button-mashing distant astatine your keyboard.

Those flaws are insignificant astatine best, however. Overall, you’ll find the Corsair Virtuoso Pro a beauteous awesome gaming headset – possibly 1 of the champion successful the marketplace close now. Not excessively shabby astatine each for a archetypal introduction successful the open-back gaming headset game.

Corsair Virtuoso Pro: Price & availability

• How overmuch does it cost? $199.99 / £169.99 / AU$239 
• When is it available? Available now
• Where tin you get it? Available successful the US, UK, and Australia

The Corsair Virtuoso Pro is not a inexpensive purchase. At $199.99 / £169.99 / AU$239, it sits successful the premium market, particularly considering that it’s wired. In fact, you’ll find that it’s a spot much costly than offerings from Epos and Audio-Technica. However, I tin warrant that it’s worthy the splurge implicit the contention - if you person the wealth to spend.

That’s particularly due to the fact that it is cheaper than some the wired SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro and the graphene-driver-fitted Logitech Pro X 2 Lightspeed, which beryllium astatine the apical of the gaming headset heap successful presumption of show and value.

If you are acceptable to research the satellite of open-back gaming headsets, however, and you conscionable don’t person that wealth to spare, I would look astatine immoderate of Philips’ offerings. They are a batch cheaper, and they’re better-reviewed than what AT has connected offer.

• Value: 4 / 5

Corsair Virtuoso Pro: Specs

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Corsair Virtuoso Pro: Also consider

How I tested the Corsair Virtuoso Pro

• Spent a week investigating it
• Used it for gaming, streaming, and euphony listening
• Tested it with a assortment of games, songs, and movies

I tested the Corsair Virtuoso Pro for a week, utilizing it arsenic my main headset for gaming, media consumption, and enactment video calls. I made definite to trial its open-back quirks, AB'ing it with my favourite closed-back gaming headset, and enactment its features done their paces, making enactment of its physique prime and comfortableness successful the process.

I’ve been testing, reviewing, and utilizing gaming headsets for years arsenic a freelance tech writer and present arsenic 1 of the Computing editors astatine TechRadar. My years of acquisition on with my discerning audio tastes marque maine much than qualified to trial and vet these devices for you.

Read much astir however we test

First reviewed September 2023