Corsair Void USB headset review

Corsair knows a thing or two about audio. Take the fantastic SP2500 2.1 speaker system I reviewed all the way back in 2011 as an example – in many ways it is yet to be bettered by other PC speakers. This is partly why I was excited to try out the Void USB, a virtual surround sound gaming headset with an all-new design meant to compliment the Strafe keyboard range and Scimitar mouse.

With aggressive, angular circumaural ear cups, an all-black finish and RGB LEDs in each ear cup, the Void is an imposing headset, yet it isn’t absurdly large like many of its rivals. It’s predominantly made from plastic, with what feels like metal for the joins between headband and ear cups, but it manages to feel more premium than Roccat’s Kave XTD thanks to its surprisingly hefty 388g weight. The ear cups might completely surround your ears, but they don’t heat them up like the much more expensive Steelseries Siberia Elite.

The headband padding and ear cups use memory foam to create a very comfortable fit, with none of the pressure on your head I experienced with the Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 450. I’ve comfortably worn the Void all day, without feeling the need to take it off and give my ears some air. That does mean sound isolation isn’t perfect; I couldn’t use it at more than a quarter volume in the office, or my co-workers could hear my music, and I could still hear the sound of my mechanical keyboard when typing out this review. These are seriously loud headphones.

The boom microphone isn’t detachable, because Corsair has added what it calls InfoMic – a set of two LEDs on the end of the microphone that indicates sound mode and whether the mic is muted or not. It means there’s no need for an onscreen overlay to interrupt your games, and you don’t have to minimise to change audio settings either. Pressing in the volume dial toggles between five sound modes; Pure Direct, Bass Boost, FPS Competition, Clear Chat and Movie Theatre. Pressing and holding the button enables or disables Dolby virtual surround. Pressing and holding the mute button on the left ear cup will enable and disable microphone feedback, so you can hear your own voice when talking, and of course pressing it mutes and un-mutes the mic.

The colour then changes or flashes a number of times to indicate what mode has just been enabled. It’s just inside the periphery of your vision, and works brilliantly in the dark, although the LEDs aren’t incredibly bright so you may struggle to spot them in a particularly bright room.

A rubber cable tidy can pin the microphone back to the headband when you don’t need to use it. My Counter Strike teammates had no complaints about sound quality, with my voice being detected clearly, even with some background noise in the room. The mic is flexible, letting you move it closer or further away from your mouth as required.

The single USB connection is excellent if you don’t have a dedicated soundcard, and it means you don’t have to mess around with colour-coded 3.5mm audio jacks to get surround sound, either. Corsair also makes an analogue version for anyone that doesn’t want to ditch their sound card, or wants to use it with another device like a smartphone, tablet, PS4 or Xbox One – assuming you have one of the new controllers with a 3.5mm audio jack.

Starting off my testing in stereo mode and with the Pure Direct pre-set, the 50mm neodymium drivers delivered a rather neutral sound. This is somewhat surprising for a gaming headset, where bass presence tends to be dominant, so it was nice to be able to use the Void for music and films. There’s an excellent mix of clean treble, clear mid-range and reasonably impactful bass. It certainly won’t rattle your brain like other headsets, but the Bass Boost pre-set does give music a bit more of a kick if that’s what you like.

Dolby Surround doesn’t work well with music, however, creating an airy sound that doesn’t match the original recordings. It’s definitely best to keep it off until you’re playing a game or watching a film. Here, voices feel like they have more presence in the centre of the soundstage, and soundtracks feel like they have a wider spread. The 10-point EQ can be completely customised if you don’t like the default mix, with control over individual sliders or linked control for less precise mixing.

Games also benefit from Dolby surround, but while it’s almost convincing in certain titles, it can’t deliver the precision of a true surround sound headset. The simulated sound definitely adds to the sense of immersion, but it can’t be relied on to identify the direction of footsteps. Even so, the mix of treble and bass gave gunshots and explosions a welcome punch, without obscuring more incidental detail.

The RGB LEDs in each ear cup can be customised through Corsair’s CUE software suite, with a series of blinks, flashes and pulse effects in any colour you choose. You can also sync the headset with a Corsair mouse and keyboard that supports CUE Link, so that everything changes colour at the same time. The lights aren’t as distinctive as some of the Void’s rivals, but I think that works in its favour; it’s a subtle headset, unless you opt for the blindingly bright yellow model.

Importantly, Corsair has got the price right. At £80 it’s one of the least expensive 7.1 surround sound headsets around, and it has the edge in build quality over cheaper models from the likes of Steelseries. At only £10 more than the existing Corsair Vengeance range, which lacks RGB lighting and the InfoMic user feedback, it’s the obvious choice if you want virtual surround. For sheer audio quality and comfort, Q-Pad’s analogue QH-85 remains my preferred headset, but for accuracy in games the Void gets a Recommended award.