The articulation on the ear cups is a little odd. They will swing forward to almost flat but do not articular backwards barely at all. They seem comfortable on my head so there are no complaints about it. Just something I noticed.
As for the sound, I can tell that most people complaining about this have probably had audio experiences in the past where they simply plug a headset in and it works and sounds fine. When you throw some 50mm speakers in there, things get a little complicated because you need some juice from your audio source to get the things moving. I am using a Creative X-Fi Go! USB soundcard and I was able to achieve pretty good results. At first, I will admit, they sounded hollow and lacking in bass. However, with about 10 minutes fiddling with the equalizer software, I was able to achieve just as good sound quality as my JVC monitor headphones which are a nice set of headphones for music and movies. The point is this don't expect plug and play. You will have to mess around a bit with these and I would highly suggest not using these with onboard sound chips. I haven't tried it yet but I would suspect that doing that would create mediocre results. For my part I had to boost the 62, 125, 1K, and 2K Hz levels to get this to have some kick and not have the voices sound hollow. As I am listening to music as I write this, I am noticing a much more precise sound reproduction than I am used to. Less inherent muddy/echo effect in the sound reproduction. I am hearing things in recordings I am very familiar with that I have not noticed before. That is a plus in my book.
My biggest issue with virtually every gaming headset I have owned is that they tend to break in under a year and sometimes within 6 months despite being wellcared for. If Corsair's 1300 holds up with regular use, they will have exceded my expectations in many ways.
In the end, it is so hard to know how to take reviews of audio equipment because it is so subjective and because in the age of MP3s and compressed audio files many people don't even know what "good sound" is any more...
EDIT 11/6/12: After a year of use I can easily say this is the best headset I have ever owned. I have tried Logitech and Plantronics headsets but none hold a candle to this one. After a year the memory foam is holding up like new and they are as comfortable was they ever were. The pleather grew on me quite a bit. I noticed that this material is MUCH easier to clean than cloth cup pads and this has made me a pleather convert. In terms of durability, these are as good as the day I bought them. They hold up really well. Best money I have ever spent on a set of gaming headphones. Heart to Corsair. They are definitely one of the best computer part and component manufacturers in the business.
Update 5/14/2013: After a year and a half of use the hinge for the right earcup finally cracked. It is still hanging together barely and I can use them but soon it will give away completely. This may have been from repeated trauma somehow but I would say that this was typical use. I am not hard on my equipment. That said, this is approximately 3 times the lifespan of my previous headsets. I liked this one so much I will be replacing it with the same product.
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Back on September 16, Corsair introduced their new Vengeance line of gaming headsets and peripherals. The Vengeance 1500 headset is the follow up to the Corsair HS1, one of the best gaming headsets available, at any price. The new Corsair Vengeance 1500 USB gaming headset is based on the Corsair HS1 USB headset and now looks as good as it sounds.PROS:
Great sound quality
Very comfortable
New aggressive appearance
Replaceable earpads
Large, accurate 50mm drivers
CONS:
None
COMFORT
When I reviewed the HS1 a few months back, I wrote that it was supremely comfortable, but that they were just a tad heavy and loose on my head. I'm happy to say that the 1500's fit better than the HS1 and stayed put during my testing. The 1500's still use the uber-comfy memory-foam earpads and have very good padding on the headband. I wore the 1500's for two to three hours at a time and experienced very little discomfort.
SOUND QUALITY
Like the HS1, the Vengeance 1500's sound crisp and accurate--just the way I like `em. For those who prefer a more custom sound, the 1500's respond well to EQ settings in the Corsair software.
I listened to a lot of FLAC-encoded music files and LAME-encoded VBR MP3s with the 1500's, spread over multiple genres like rock, classical, dance, rap, and trance. They all sounded great with the EQ flat, but responded pretty well when I switched EQ profiles in the software. Pumping up the bass was fun on certain songs, but it sacrificed some accuracy to allow for artificial bass. When I left the EQ flat, I felt the bass was nice and tight.
I put on my favorite test movies, Saving Private Ryan, Star Trek, and Tron: Legacy, and really enjoyed the Dolby Headphone setting. Positional cues were accurate and dialogs were easy to hear. The 5.1 surround effects worked well and enhanced my listening enjoyment.
Playing games on the 1500's was a lot of fun. I could hear every detail while playing F.E.A.R. 2 and the location of the sounds were spot on. Gunfire and explosions were satisfying too.
The mic worked fine in my Skype tests. I could hear the person on the other end perfectly and was told that they could hear me clearly as well.
SOFTWARE
The new control panel and drivers also work with the HS1, so if you're an HS1 owner, you should go download it. The control panel is easy to use and not overwhelming or complicated at all. If you want to fine tune the 5.1 or 7.1 settings, you can customize the sound to your heart's content. The EQ supports profiles and includes a few presets that work well out of the box. Also, I had no issues with the 1500's on a Windows 7 64-bit system. There were some HS1 owners who had problems with the old HS1 software running on Windows 7 64-bit.
BUILD & DESIGN
The obvious difference between the HS1 and the Vengeance 1500 is the all new styling. The 1500 bares very little resemblance to the HS1, other than being a circumaural, closed back headset. The HS1 didn't look bad by any means, but I think to some, it looked bland for a gaming headset. The 1500's are anything but bland and I personally love the new styling. I'm also a sucker for accent stitching, which Corsair uses on the headband in their signature blue. The headband now has a textured appearance as well.
The ear cups have also been changed from a silver/gray matte plastic to a combination of matte black, glossy black with a strip of blue. The brushed chrome appearance of the lower section of the headband also give the 1500's a sleeker, stylish appearance.
The folding mic has been moved from the outside of the headband, to the inside. The move is not only a cosmetic improvement, but it moves the mic even closer to the user's mouth. The mic also doesn't make a cheap clickety sound when rotated, like the HS1 did.
The cable and wired remote on the 1500 is identical to the HS1. The long, tangle-proof headphone cable still controls the volume and mutes the mic. The individual volume up and volume down buttons light up blue during normal use and change to red when you press the mic mute button.
CONCLUSION
Corsair took an already great headset in the HS1, and made it even better with the Vengeance 1500. It's comfortable as hell, sounds great, and looks awesome. I'm not sure you'd find a better headset in its price range, or any other price range for that matter. If you're looking for a new gaming headset, the Vengeance 1500 needs to be at the top of your list.
* Review unit provided by Corsair
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So I was looking for some 3d Surround Sound headphones and being a fan of corsair, I decided to ignore some reviewers and go with the majority opinion which seems to be fairly favorable.When I first got them, they sounded all right, and an EQ in the driver console really brought out some great sound. Not heavy booming bass at all...nice clean sound. I was also very pleased with the sound of the microphone which is crystal clear and appropriate volume.
1 problem I had was that...being a former Razer Barracuda owner, when I read surround sound headphones, I took this to mean there are multiple speakers in the cans. Unfortunately this is a "simulated" surround sound..not a true surround sound...and I was a little disappointed because the surround experience I found to be very very lacking compared to the barracudas. (Dont buy the barracudas though, they have their own problems like bass unless you have razers soundcard or an x-fi)
Anyway they were fairly comfortable day 1, and I played for a couple hours and I was fairly happy with them.
Fast forward 1 week.....
These things hurt my left ear... no matter what I do....my left ear just is very irritated by these headphones...the cushions are nice memory foam but they evidently remembered to be more collapsed than at first and now they dont push out far enough to keep my ear from rubbing against the speaker grating inside and its most unpleasant. (My ears do not stick out at all)
Its something I can passively use for 30 minutes maybe...but extended gaming sessions were a painful experience.
Also when I first got these headphones they felt a bit tight on my head at any size adjustment..but they have since worn in or ive gotten used to them... perhaps if you have a large head..avoid them...this may also be why it bothers my ear.
At first I was really tolerant about it but overtime one BIG dealbreaker for me is the control box....its uselessly close to the headphones themselves and it cannot sit on a desk..it can only dangle...this adds so much weight its obnoxious and pulls to one side of my head. When will headphone companies learn that we actually need to use these things and want them to be practical for extended gaming sessions?
Also Im not fond of the way the headphones pivot in their design. If I have to answer my phone, they tend to snap awkwardly as i try to pull them off and have the tendancy to fall backwards off my head.... the way the pivots pull causes this and its just sort of obnoxious. Why did they do this? Did they test this stuff at all in a practical setting? strange.
For the money they are very disappointing. I made the mistake of "liking" them on day 1 and throwing away the packaging..so I cannot return them...and by day 7 Im here shopping for a new headset.
So to sum it up...
Sound Quality 8 sound clear but bass is lacking even when EQ'd heavily. Explosions sound crisp and not like explosions in games and movies. Id like more versatility here.
Comfort 4 At first they are fine but a little tight...a week later they arent tight, they just hurt.... maybe your experience could be different but the memory foam seems to lose its bounce overtime and makes them uncomfortable overtime. after 1 week they are ok for 30 minutes but not ok for raiding.
Ease of setup 6.5 Downloaded drivers from corsair and plugged them into my USB port and they didnt work... I had to restart my computer..then they worked but the corsair consol didnt show up...i reinstalled and restarted again and then it finally worked. bleh....
3D surround sound 5 These try to emulate the effect but its dead obvious that adding different forms of reverb doesnt mean "directional" sound to even a semi-coherent listener.
Microphone 8 no complaints from vent buddies...sounds clear and clean, very nice mic.
Value 4 What can I say? if they are uncomfortable what gamer will actually ever use them?!
Personal Grade C(may not be the average sum or total of each part or whatever...this is just honest and direct perception)
Honest reviews on Corsair Vengeance 1500 USB Connector Dolby 7.1 Gaming Headset
Vengeance 1500Corsairs foray into the gaming headset is a good one. The biggest complaint other than the general lack of sound quality you get out of most gaming headsets is "bass rattling". For instance, someone throws a grenade... a tank drives by and your headphones rumble and grind like a maxed out cheap stereo in a cheap car. Needless to say the 50mm drivers on the Corsair 1500 negate that common complaint. Highs are very nice and lows are decent. Nothing booming but crisp and balanced with the highs, voices come through clearly. Corsair includes a software set that is very slick and minimalistic that lets you tweak your EQ. There are plenty of sliders and options as well as panels to turn on and off Dolby/7.1. Under this pane you can also tweak each virtual speaker and create a custom 7.1 soundscape. Remember the best kinds of headphones are the most flat in terms of sound. This being so that the user can control the headphones to their liking. The microphone is good... tested on Skype and Ventrilo which both came back with thumbs up.
The headphones are seemingly well constructed with my only complaint is the fake metal construction. It seems to be plastic, or at least the lightest metal known to man. However, it still feels sturdy and no creaking. The pads on the sides of headphones cups are soft and help keep the phones off your ears. The braided cable is super long and when I say long, I mean longest headphones cable I have ever seen. Someone at Corsair knows I keep my computer several feet from my desk. The pads along the top are nicely done and the Vengeance 1500 has a nice overall has a clean look. The headphones fit firmly on your head so they don't flop around when you look down or from side to side. They are a closed set of headphones so outside noises don't permeate. I definitely wore them for a six hour gaming spree with no problems other than some sweaty ears sometimes and a bit of tension from the stiff band.
These headphones are plug in play... you plug them in, Windows installs them and bam... ready to go. The only thing you might have to do is set them to default in your control panel depending on your sound card/mobo set up. The 3D aspect works in games whenever you plug them in. Once plugged in the headphone attachment controller illuminates blue with a "+,-" for volume as well as a mute button. I have had them for about a week or so and got to play them with several different games and am so far impressed with the overall feel of these headphones. I got these as a demo unit from Corsair.
4.5 out of 5.
Pro's
Good Sound Closer to a audiophile headset.
No Bass rumbling!
Plug and Play
Comfortable with a long cable.
Con's
If you have a large head the tension on band may bother you.
Update:
Here you can see my youtube review. Please amazon make your vid. uploads bigger >.
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