Corsair VOID Surround Headset Review - Good Price, Mostly Good Audio

When it comes to PC gaming, people tend to put a lot of focus on what's inside your PC, the kind of monitor that you have, and your keyboard and mouse. However, your audio solution is just as important as any of these other factors. Bad audio can break the immersion of your game, and a good headset can help you pinpoint the exact location an enemy is coming from. With that in mind, today we're going to look at Corsair's Void USB Surround headset.

I'm fond of the look of this particular headset. I like the black look with red highlights. You'll also find the Corsair logo in a light grey. The ear cups are an interesting angular shape, with a soft fabric covering them. You'll find the same soft black fabric along the top, which rests against your head.

On the left ear are all of the important parts of the headset. Here is the microphone, which is permanently attached to the headset. It locks into place in one of 11 different spots vertically. The mic is also flexible, and can be bent inward or outward to your liking. Next to the Corsair logo is a rather large rectangular mute button. It activates with a satisfying click, and stays in to let you know that your line is muted. Pressing it again pops the button out, and unmutes the line.

On the lower back corner of the left earcup is your volume control. It's a small wheel that smoothly scrolls up and down. Next to that is your rubber audio cable, which is around 6' long. This can connect directly into your computer, but for the maximum effect, you'll want to insert it into the Dolby Headphone decoder. This will unlock the surround sound abilities, and allow you to utilize Corsair's software to tweak your audio settings.

Corsair's software that they provide with the headset is fairly straightforward and basic. You can easily adjust your mic and headphone levels, and choose between one of five different presets. These are simply EQ presets, and if you want to tweak them further, they give you the option to do so.

While some people would say that audio quality is the most important part of buying a headset, I disagree. Comfort is just as important as the audio it provides. It doesn't matter how good the sound is, if the headset is too heavy, or is uncomfortable against my head.

I'm happy to say that the VOID Surround is a perfectly comfortable headset. The ear cups are large enough to sit around my ears without putting any pressure on them. The size of the headset adjusts very easily, so when I'm putting it on I can make sure it's sitting snuggly on my head with very little effort or thought.

Having both the volume control and mute button on the left ear cup is also very nice. I tend to play a lot of shooters, so if I'm using my right hand to fiddle with my audio, I'm completely vulnerable. However, by keeping it on the left side, I can still keep my hand on my mouse, and defend myself if an enemy does show up.

At this price point, I don't expect the highest quality audio from a headset. And I'm happy to say that the VOID Surround exceeds my expectations in this department. The sounds were crisp, and the lows weren't too muddy, and the highs were just fine. I'm no audiophile, but for a gaming headset, this one will deliver exactly what you want to hear.

Unfortunately what I do have an issue with is the mic. It's not the worst mic I've encountered, but it's not great. Remember earlier when I said it locked into one of 11 different positions? I am always trying to find exactly the right one to keep the mic in, when I'm gaming. If I have it too low, I find that it catches the air coming out of my nose. If it's too high, then it is sitting in an uncomfortable spot which is too high on my face.

As for the overall audio quality of the mic, it has a bad habit of clipping, and picking up a lot of noise whenever I'm talking. It gets the job done, but I wouldn't want to be the person on the other end of the conversation that had to listen to me talking through this mic.

For a headset that retails at $69.99, I'd say that the Corsair VOID Surround is a pretty good buy. I enjoy the comfort of the headset, as well as the quality of the audio that it puts out. The USB dongle is actually quite nice, as you can plug any set of headphones into it, and get the Dolby Surround experience with it. My only issue is with the microphone, as it tends to pick up a lot of wind noise when I'm using it. Perhaps if Corsair had some sort of wind screen for the mic, it would be a perfect headset at this price range.