Corsair HS75 XB review: A gaming headset that excels at both multiplayer and solo play

Corsair HS75 XB review
(Image: © GamesRadar/Future)

12DOVE Verdict

A quality gaming headset with no corners cut. Positional audio and a clear mic make it well-suited for online gaming and Dolby Atmos support provides a great audio soundscape for single-player too.

Pros

  • +

    Wireless signal never falters

  • +

    Premium Dolby Atmos app included for free

  • +

    One of the best mics on Xbox

  • +

    Sound detail and bass are top-notch

Cons

  • -

    A bit on the pricey side

  • -

    Might be a touch too big for smaller heads

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The Corsair HS75 XB Wireless headset joins a seriously packed lineup of names competing for the crown of best Xbox Series X headset with a premium offering that will have SteelSeries, Razer, and Turtle Beach headsets, looking over their shoulders. 

Priced at $149/£169, the Corsair HS75 XB is leaning towards the more expensive end of the market, but without reaching silly levels of the likes of the Audeze Penrose X. The best wireless gaming headsets are often a lot more expensive than wired models, but of course, quality can vary, even with established brands. The thing is, Corsair has made a fantastic headset here that is well worth considering for Xbox gamers. Let's dive in.

Corsair HS75 XB review

(Image credit: GamesRadar / Future)

Corsair HS75 XB: Design & Features

The Corsair HS75 is quite a large headset with nice roomy cups that make for great comfort but might feel too large on some heads as the extra space and weight of the headset means it can be a loose fit. That's on the smallest setting too, and you can extend the arms by an extra inch or so if needed. The cups won't rotate to lie flat when not in use, but they do twist a few degrees for a bit of flexibility. Despite that looser fit on smaller heads, that's soon forgotten once you settle down and start playing.

There's plenty of padding around the leatherette-finished cups and the headset's larger size lets more air in than most so your ears won't be overheating as often. The looser fit alleviates the annoying crown-clamp other headsets have too. Admittedly, sound leakage might be a bit of an issue for anyone else in the room.

Corsair HS75 XB review

(Image credit: GamesRadar / Future)

The stylish grill on the sides give the Corsair HS75 XB an open-back look (but these are closed-back for sure), but it's the metal yoke arms that really stand out for us and give the headset a super solid feel, we love how they're always cool to the touch too. You'll need to look out for scratching any surfaces with them though, so we wouldn't casually toss them onto a dark wood coffee table for example.

The detachable mic sits on the left side and if you'd rather remove it for single-player gaming, there's a rubber plug to keep dust out of ports. Annoyingly, the plug isn't attached to the headset, so when you are using the mic, you're going to have to find somewhere to put it without any pets, kids, or vacuum cleaners gobbling it up. Or just skip the ordeal of trying to find it by throwing it away first.

The mic cable is covered in bendable metallic material which allows you to adjust it to a much more sturdy position than cables with rubber casing. If you often find headset mics a bit distracting in your peripheral vision, you'll be able to move the HS75's to somewhere more pleasing.

Corsair HS75 XB review

(Image credit: GamesRadar / Future)

As for the controls on the headset you have a game/chat balance on the right, with a neat soft click halfway between the two. The volume dial is on the other side and comes with an infinite scroll wheel instead which doesn't feel as satisfying as having a lock at full volume, which we find makes it much easier to adjust down to preference. Or just have at full whack because Doom Eternal demands such things.

Also on the left is a mic mute button and the USB-C charging slot, which is what we like to see in this day and age instead of micro-USB (we're still upset the SteelSeries Arctis 7X went with that dated connection). On the right, you have the power button, which takes quite a long time to activate, so you won't have to worry about accidental touches killing the power at least.

You'll also find a luxuriously braided, 6'5" (195cm) USB-C charging cable in the box. If you're already drowning in cables though, you might just want to use your phone charger.

Corsair HS75 XB review

(Image credit: GamesRadar / Future)

Corsair HS75 XB: Performance

The Corsair HS75 XB Wireless has no wired connection option and does not require a dongle as it will connect to your Xbox One, Series X, or Series S wirelessly. It will not work on a PS5, but will on Windows if you fork out for the official Xbox Wireless Adapter. The connection quality is excellent, with none of those ear-shredding connection drops that distort the audio at an incredibly high pitch like we've experienced on Xbox even with some of the best Razer headsets.

While the recent official Microsoft Xbox Wireless Headset proved great bass performance is achievable with smaller 40mm drivers, most drivers of that size often lack impact. The Corsair HS75 XB needn't be concerned though as it's rocking 50mm drivers that give it superior bass than most, including the otherwise amazing SteelSeries Arctis 7X.

Corsair has thrown in a neat freebie with the HS75 XB Wireless in that you'll get access to the Dolby Atmos app on the Xbox Series X for free (usually $15/£15). This provides a fantastic equalizer and a range of adjustable presets for movies, gaming, and music. Plus you get Dolby's excellent positional audio, which is great for online FPS titles.

Corsair HS75 XB review

(Image credit: GamesRadar / Future)

The Dolby Atmos app is a little clunky, but we had fun trying out the different modes and it allowed us to bring the treble down a little as there were a few instances of it being a little bit too high with some notes piercing a bit too much. Otherwise, the quality across the soundscapes was excellent. You'll rarely find subtle detail and powerful bass combined so well on a single headset.

Most of the best gaming headsets opting for a wireless connection are getting better battery performance nowadays and you'll have no problem getting 20 hours between charges with the Corsair HS75 XB, which is up there with the best.

We compared the mic against Microsoft's new official Series X headset, the Razer Kaira Pro and SteelSeries Arctis 7X, and the Corsair HS75 XB was the clear winner for clarity and cutting out background noise. The Kaira Pro was the worst of the lot if you're interested, while the other two were very acceptable.

Corsair HS75 XB review

(Image credit: GamesRadar / Future)

Should you buy the Corsair HS75 XB Wireless headset?

It's a strong contender, especially if you're mainly gaming on an Xbox and often find gaming headsets to be quite small and uncomfortable after a few hours. The Corsair HS75 XB Wireless' biggest advantage over most other headsets though is its strong multiplayer performance with a clear mic and positional audio potentially giving you an edge in multiplayer shooters. 

Getting the Dolby Atmos app for free could be even better once more games start fully supporting it, but it's already super handy for trying the presets or balancing the audio to taste with the equalizer. With so much audio freedom and quality overall though, you'll enjoy playing plenty of single-player games here too.

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Brendan Griffiths

Brendan is GamesRadar's former Managing Editor of the Hardware & eCommerce team. He also spent time as the Deals Editor at our sister site, TechRadar. He's obsessed with finding the best tech, games, gadgets, and hardware at the lowest price. He also spends way too much of his free time trying to decide what new things to watch on Netflix, then just rewatches It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia instead. Nowadays you'll find him as the eCommerce Content Director for Future's mobile tech sites, Android Central, iMore, and Windows Central.