The engineers at Corsair sought to design a headset with optimal price-performance without compromising on quality, comfort, and audio. The result is the HS50.
Product on Review: Corsair HS50
Manufacturer: Corsair
Street Price: UK: £54.99, US: $49.99
Low cost headsets are often end up compromising on either comfort, audio quality or its construction. With that in mind, it makes sense that Corsair set their engineers to task to deliver a low-cost no-compromise gaming headset; enter the HS50.
As presented, the HS50 has a slim and elegant looking design that is composed of robust plastics, structural metal, and plush memory foam, while on the inside, audio duty is carried out by 50mm neodymium drivers. On description alone it would be easy to think that the HS50 doesn’t necessarily bring anything new to the market. However, the HS50 has been refined far beyond many of the competing headsets at this price point. Corsair have included features such as: on-ear audio controls (including a volume dial and microphone mute button), accent stitching on the headband, metal grills on the sides, and expertly concealed wiring. To top it off, the noise reducing microphone is detachable, allowing you to maintain the sleek aesthetic for pure headphone use.
Overview by Corsair
Building upon the success of the CORSAIR VOID PRO headsets, we are pleased to introduce the latest addition to the CORSAIR headset family, the HS50 STEREO. The HS50 STEREO offers gamers outstanding comfort, audio quality and durability at more accessible price points without sacrificing the performance and quality CORSAIR products are known for.
Technical Specifications
Available Colors: Carbon, Green, Blue
Driver: 50mm Neodymium
Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz
Impedance: 32 Ohms @ 1kHz
Sensitivity: 111 dB (± 3 dB)
Mic Type: Unidirectional noise cancelling
Mic Impedance: 2.0k Ohms
Mic Frequency Response: 100Hz – 10kHz
Mic Sensitivity: -40 dB (± 3 dB)
Dimensions: 160mm(L) x 100mm(W) x 205mm(H)
Weight: 319g
Warranty: 2 years
Driver: 50mm Neodymium
Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz
Impedance: 32 Ohms @ 1kHz
Sensitivity: 111 dB (± 3 dB)
Mic Type: Unidirectional noise cancelling
Mic Impedance: 2.0k Ohms
Mic Frequency Response: 100Hz – 10kHz
Mic Sensitivity: -40 dB (± 3 dB)
Dimensions: 160mm(L) x 100mm(W) x 205mm(H)
Weight: 319g
Warranty: 2 years
Packaging & First Look
Corsair have packaged the ‘Carbon’ edition of the HS50 in their easily identifiable yellow on black packaging, however as the HS50 is also available in blue and green, the respective colours would otherwise be indicated by the box colour. You will find the compatibility information and key features listed around the central image of the product that is clear and unobscured.
At the back there is a detailed diagram of the product, clearly labelling the features in various languages.
Inside the packaging there is a Y-splitter to separate audio and microphone channels.
The HS50 itself is relatively slim and elegant in its design, featuring metal yokes (the parts that hold the earcups in place) and ample cushioning on the earpads and headband.
Closer Look
The headband features stitched detailing and lines the headband edge to edge to ensure maximum comfort.
The adjustment strap clicks smoothly, but firmly in increments and is lined with metal and plastic.
Corsair have used large oval shaped memory foam earpads that give excellent space and coverage for your ears while providing good passive noise cancellation and isolation. On the lower left of the image you will see that the cable has been channelled through the metal, creating a high quality, discrete aesthetic that will also protect the cable from snagging, as opposed to the solution found in other headsets where the cable is exposed.
on the sides of the earcups you will find a metal mesh with the Corsair logo in the middle. This gives a high-quality, durable finish that looks sleek.
Sitting at the lower rear side of the left earcup you will find the volume dial and mute switch, while at the front you will find the port for the detachable microphone. The port has a handy dustcap that will keep the aesthetic looking neat in situations where you may not want to use the microphone.
Even with the microphone attached, the HS50 looks elegant and professional, certainly a headset that leaves a lasting impression at this price point.
Performance Testing
Setup, Design & ObservationsFirst impressions of the Corsair HS50 are incredibly good. Unpackaging it and getting it out of the box is a joy, and if you didn’t know the price, it could easily pass for something three times its price. As the HS50 uses a native 4pole jack, to use with a PC you will need to use the included audio/microphone splitter, or you can plug it directly into any mobile device or game console controller.
Corsair have certainly done something special regarding the construction of this headset, however, some concerns are sparked, for example, without foresight it is difficult to know how well the leatherette material will wear over time. Though the sleek shape and design is pretty much perfect. On the head, I felt that the clamp force is moderate, some may prefer it to be a little lighter. Also, it was only once we put the headset one, that we noticed that the earpads didn’t quite give the plush cushioning that they promise, instead you can feel the foam is actually a rather narrow strip that you can distinctively feel encircling your ear. Far from uncomfortable, but not quite plush. Regardless, over a couple of hours there was no real issue with comfort. At this point it is worth noticing that we couldn’t find a quick/safe way to remove the earpads.
The onboard controls are something we love to see and the solution Corsair have used are solid and functional. The volume dial gives a firm but smooth rotation while the mute button is bouncy and clicky, allowing it to be quickly pressed/depressed.
The cable itself is a rubberised anti-tangle type that is hardlined to the headset, though it would be nice to see fully modular, braided cables, that could be too much to ask for considering the construction quality and price point.
One final note we would like to mention would be the weight of the HS50. Coming in a little under average at 319g, we can’t help but feel that it could be lighter considering the use of additional material purely for aesthetic value such as the metal grills on the sides.
Multimedia
To get a gauge of audio performance, we listen through various audio tracks in either FLAC or MP3 320Kbps and note the differences. The Corsair HS50 has a very deep and warm tone, but is slightly misleading as it doesn’t exactly pronounce the bass as accurate as it could. The mids are adequately presented while the treble is fairly dull. General listening is enjoyable and certain tones present themselves very well at times, somewhat like a stew of sound where sometimes the texture is different, but each bite tastes the same.
Gaming performance benefited far more from the warm tonal signature than it does to music playback. The deep sounds create a soundscape that travels, and engulfs you. It certainly makes playing Resident Evil 7 a scarier ordeal, and it does well to create a somewhat open sound, but does lose a little crispness in the details of the sound.
Microphone
The flexible, detachable microphone is discrete and easy to move to your desired position. Actual pick up quality is good, with the voice sounding smooth and natural with some added warmth. It also does a good job of reducing the sound of the background noises. Overall we are impressed with the microphone quality, especially at this price point.
Conclusion
Corsair have practically redefined what ‘low’ cost means with the HS50, and its ‘no compromise’ did compromise a little. There is no denying that on first glance, that the HS50 looked and felt like a premium headset, and due to that, it almost feels like that is exactly what it should be. The design and sleek aesthetic clearly is intending to send the cheeky ‘look at what we can do‘ message to their competitors, and rightly so.
We could be accused of expecting too much for the price, but what’s the point in creating a Rolls Royce only to replace the engine with a hedgehog, and the plush leather seats with those from a used Vauxhall Corsa? So, it is very tempting to accuse this headset of being a pretender, a beautiful victim of restraint. The build quality is better than many headsets twice its price, yet when you look closer, there are several facades that fall away. The comfort is compromised by the moderate clamping force and unimpressive non-removable earpads. The audio output is rich in bass, but lacks in the detail the mid-upper tones, and the overall impression is of disappointment simply because of how awesome it appeared at first.
In regards to considering its performance and value, the HS50 is a beautiful, well-made alternative. It does several things better than others at a similar price point, and if you specifically enjoy a deep bassy tone that shadows every other tone, you will likely love the HS550.
Corsair set themselves a bold task with the HS50 and in one respect they achieved it. The sleek aesthetic, and enjoyable all round performance makes it a worth while alternative at a very attractive price-point.
Pros.
+ Sleek, attractive aesthetic
+ Outstanding quality construction
+ Decent quality, removable microphone
+ Comfortable
+ Easy access onboard controls
+ Deep audio lends itself well to gaming
Neutral
+- Would prefer fully modular cables
+- Earpads aren’t removable
Cons.
– Audio could be better
+ Sleek, attractive aesthetic
+ Outstanding quality construction
+ Decent quality, removable microphone
+ Comfortable
+ Easy access onboard controls
+ Deep audio lends itself well to gaming
Neutral
+- Would prefer fully modular cables
+- Earpads aren’t removable
Cons.
– Audio could be better
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.
