Corsair HS75 XB wireless headset review – I’m not wearing a wire

A couple of weeks ago I took the Logitech G733 wireless headset for a spin, and my ears liked what they heard. Solid sound, a comfy fit, and not a wire to be found for miles around. That test has pretty much convinced me that wireless headsets are the way to go, as the market has begun reaching a glorious convergence point of affordability and quality.

Here’s a new name to add to the list especially if you’re looking to be next-gen ready: Corsair’s HS75 XB Wireless headset. I’m not certain of local pricing yet and I will update as soon as I get it, but for $150 there’s a lot of bang for your buck to be had here. Right out of the box, the HS75 XB  is a looker. Primarily black with a gun-metal finish, it has a premium finish and a satisfying amount of heft that makes it feel solid to wear while also avoiding an unnecessary compression of your vertebrae.

The ear cups have a wonderfully squishy leatherette material, more of the synthetic material can be found on the headband, and the metal accents tickle my fancy in all the right spots. The beauty of this device is that it’s wireless without the need for a dongle. All you have to do is pair it to your Xbox console (It’s Xbox Series X and Series S ready), and you’re ready to go.

It’s legitimately that easy to connect, and if a guy who managed to literally break three Xbox One controllers trying to plug the old wired headsets in can do this, chances are that you can as well.But to once again stress that point of ease of access, it really is that simple. It took me all of ten seconds to hook the headset up to my Xbox and I was busy playing Destiny 2 while listening to Foo Fighters. You can hook it up to your PC as well but you’ll need Microsoft’s wireless Xbox USB adapter which kind of defeats the entire point of the HS75 XB.

Thanks to the build quality, I was able to get some fantastic marathon sessions done through the nights. The headband itself uses a ratcheted design for increasing or decreasing its fit, and it was an easy fit on my pinhead. Bigger heads should prevail and have no problems slipping the headset on as well thanks to the generous amount of give in the HS75 XB design.

As for the sound, it was audiophile heaven with a few caveats. There’s 50mm drivers inside each ear-cup, with the sound featuring a range of quality that was natural, warm, and lifelike. I tested it across a number of games from both the current and the previous generation, doubling down on titles where positional audio came into play. It’s weird just how much you can sweat when you hear the scariest sound of all time, which is footsteps near your hiding hole in PUBG.

The performance mode that highlights certain sounds with the 7.1 surround sound setup is particularly good stuff, and let’s just say that I’m glad I wore brown pants while playing Alien: Isolation.

For a decent mix of game audio and music, I also jammed Brutal Legend for a few hours and had a solid grin on my face, before heading back to Destiny 2, Yakuza, and several other review games currently on my docket. The end result was a headset whose bass and high notes co-existed wonderfully, never intruding on each other and providing a chance to hear subtle sounds that more often than not are drowned out in the heat of gaming battle.

The double-edged sword here is the open-back ear cup design. I’m a firm believer than when you have some space between your ears and the environment around you, the sound you’re listening too doesn’t come off as bottle-necked or as compressed. On the other hand, that design also means that outside noises can filter in. As I type this, I’m listening to some Spotify music behind me through my Xbox console (have to love that range!) and I can hear a jackass in his VW Golf treat my street like a personal drag strip.

That can be rectified though, by a dangerous disregard for my eardrums. At their very loudest, I can use the HS75 XB as makeshift speakers, although I’d like to go through life without Tinnitus so I’m happy to dial back the sound to safer levels. One of the small details that I really like with this headset is how the volume control on the left ear cup with a ratchet-dial. I appreciate that, as it allows me to dial in the right amount of volume and it has plenty of range between soft and deafening.

You can also experience your audio through Dolby Atmos if you’ve got a subscription to the service, but considering how good the HS75 XB felt straight out of the box, I can’t say I was too bothered to even test that out. Once I have an Xbox Series X though, I’ll give it a bash and update this post. A dial on the right ear cup allows you to prioritise between game and chat audio.

The final bit of tech that’s worth talking about is the detachable unidirectional noise-cancelling wire microphone. It’s a subtle design, it comes with a pop filter and it’s easy to install or remove. Noise-cancelling features work well enough on this microphone once it has been optimally positioned, and even when it’s not close to your mouth it has a solid range to pick up THE SOOTHING SOUND OF YOUR VOICE.

There’s a lot of technology inside of this headset, and naturally it’s a bit of a thirsty beast after some intense gaming. In my own testing, I could squeeze out a solid 15 hours on the headset, which isn’t too shabby. If you’re constantly gaming you’ll need to do a daily recharge, but for more casual pick up and go diversions, it’s nice to have a headset which holds a charge and lasts a couple of days before needing to be plugged in. Also it uses USB-C to charge, as Odin intended.

Corsair has hit the nail on the head with the HS75 XB headset. Its minor imperfections are easily ignored thanks to the headset excelling where it matters: Rock-solid audio, precision portable percussion, and a stupidly easy to setup configuration that’s all wrapped up in a product that feels like a premium step-up.

Last Updated: October 27, 2020