
Running these analyses costs money. Buy through my links to help keep lights on! I may get a small commission.
Reddit Reviews
Ok so Iâll answer the actual question here as I have a bit of experience of high end non gamer and gamer. So on my main set up I use a shure mv7 mic and Sennheiser 800hd with a dac/amp. Itâs wired of course and yes the soundstage is excellent. Loads of times Iâve taken them off thinking someone was in the apartment and it was actually a sound in game⊠some sounds I didnât know even existed in the game. Thatâs considered top tier high end and I have it for content creation and gaming. However, prior to that I had the steel series pro wireless (itâs the elite model). Honestly, they were just âokâ and for the money I spent, very disappointing in the sound department. For the money, not worth it at all. The battery swapping was neat, but I think ultimately a gimmick. So for my current gaming laptop thatâs set up in the living room I used the Bose QC45 (basically the Bose Ultra in todayâs money). You can grab them on sale for like $299. Now these sound great. Great ANC and solid experience and perfect for travelling too. But hereâs the issue people forget to mention⊠if you are connecting wirelessly via Bluetooth, then youâre going get latency, and if you connect the internal mic on top via Bluetooth, then the sound actually changes to that âtinâ effect as Bluetooth is unable to do the input and downput stream effectively (I know someone is going to argue the technical aspect here and I hope they do because I know I have that wrong, but Google many of these non gamer headsets over Bluetooth and youâre going to get loads of examples of how the mic fucks it unless you got into a wired connection/seperae mic situation). If that set up works for you then great, if not then youâre ironically back to gamer headsets where many come with a dedicated 2.4ghz dongle for windows/cinsole connection that give a direct signal feed, effectively reducing your latency to almost zero. They just connect with zero issues. So ironically Iâm now back on âgamerâ headphones for my laptop. I did my research and went for the Corsair Virtuoso MAX. Not something you see in lists that much I know but they are truly excellent⊠for the price. The issue is they released at $330 or so and tried to put themselves in the high tier gaming bracket with the Audeze and Steelseries. However, I picked some up this week for $199 on sale and at that price I think they are a steal. I canât believe the sound quality of them wirelessly, and for sure the dedicated dingle makes them better for gaming than my Bose QC headphones that connected via Bluetooth (and sound as good as my Bose). I went Corsair as I already had a high end gaming pair in steelseries and they were crap. And I read the Audeze literally fail after a year from so many Reddit posts. No idea how the corsair will hold up, but the build quality is also great with a fantastic mic boom. I wouldnât only get them at the $199 sale price though. No way the $330 price. So as other says: - high end wired non gamer headset + mic is gold standard but pricey and not always feasible - if unable to do then something like a Bose/Sonos style headset, but then be real careful on how itâs connected as Bluetooth can bring its own problems so avoid unless wired. - if you do have to connect wirelessly and have a smaller budget, then avoid the expensive gaming headsets and go mid-tier with a sale like the Corsair virtuoso max, which for me sound just as good, if not better than some of the so called high end gaming headsets. Good luck!
After going through more than 10 gaming headsets, including "high end stuff" like the virtuoso max, all of them are honestly just not that good. They have either broken on me due to shoddy materials, or the audio quality is subpar for the price, or the mic is not that great. I understand now why audiophiles who are gamers recommend just getting a cheap Sennheiser headset for the same price as a gaming headset and it will have significantly better audio quality, the only downside is there is no mic attached to them. Basically that's the ONLY upside i see with using a gaming headset, the attached mic. The Virtuoso max does have a really nice attached mic, but it's still really not worth such a massive price especially since the headband snapped on me and the headset starts to hurt your head and ears after a while.
I like my pair, but I had to recently do an RMA with them because the fabric on the headband was pulling away from the headband. So when I sent them back, I sent everything that came with them back to Corsair, but when they sent me my refurbished set, they didnât send it with a case, so now I donât have a case for my headphones.
Loving my Corsair Virtuoso Maxs
A solid 8. The range could be better & in 2025 they should be compatible with all platforms. Thereâs currently 2 separate models for pc/ps and xbox/pc. The pc/ps version(the ones i have)has access to a few things the xbox version doesnât like the pause & skip buttons. Something about the sound control and maybe other features Iâm forgetting. The boxes look *extremely* similar so i bought the âwrongâ but still better pair as an xbox/pc player & i just donât think that should be a thing anymore.
Mine haven't arrived yet, but I'm upgrading from the original artist pro wireless, pre nova. I just got and returned the Corsair virtuoso max, because the top band hurts my head, and the icue software is garbage. I love my m65 mouse and k100 keyboard, but their headset has zero software, volume dial is awkward, and headband hurts. Quality was nice, removable mic is neat, but I'm going back to steel series for their game engine and sonar
Best gaming headset in the market imo. At least at this price range. ANC is better than any other gaming headset hands down. Simultaneous bluetooth and wireless is great. Im never going to get a headset without this feature in the future. Sounds great. It took a while for it to get comfortable but it looks like Ive adjusted to it. Its a 100% buy for me.
I need both bluetooth and wireless at once since i have calls on PC and phone. Went with corsair virtuoso max wireless. Itâs the best headphones for me personally especially in that 150-300 price range.
I tried those first before anything else. Sound quality is not great. Bluetooth is even worse. ANC is the worst one Iâve tried from any headphones. Also cant move the receiver around cause itâs a big ass dock. I work with a laptop so I need the mobility. I ended up returning it. Everyone recommended those but after using it for a week it was all hype and no juice. I went with corsair virtuoso max wireless. Sound quality is 10x better. Bluetooth is just as crystal clear as wireless. Mic is also better Ive been told but idk for sure. ANC is way better. I will say itâs heavier than the series. And the earpads needed to get worn in before they were comfortable. It does not have the retractable mic which I did prefer. Corsair also fixed some firmware issues they used to have and these headphones actually feel worth the price. I saw steelseries released the elite headphones and those seem to have the similar specs to the virtuoso max. Unfortunately they want $600 for it! Crazy lol.
I have the Corsair virtuoso max and I absolutely love them The battery life is shit I will admit but the build quality and sound quality is spot on no issues well built I had a turtle beach headset last me 10 years before these ones I have now
As someone who has just had to RMA mine for a snapped headband, its a toss-up. The sound quality is phenomenal for a gaming headset, and the way you can use both slipstream and Bluetooth simultaneously is so good when playing on a Switch for example while listening to music on your PC. Personally, if you think you can justify the price and want to risk it, go for it.
Rankings by Use Case
Top recommendations from others in the same boat
Best for Competitive FPS footstep tracking

Top pick
Drop + EPOS / Sennheiser - PC38X
Best for Durable and repairable build

Top pick
SteelSeries - Arctis 7 Series
Best for Hybrid work and gaming

Top pick
Drop + EPOS / Sennheiser - PC38X
Best for Large heads and glasses

Top pick
SteelSeries - Arctis 7 Series
Best for Marathon gaming sessions

Top pick
SteelSeries - Arctis Nova Pro Series
Best for Mic isolation in shared rooms

Top pick
Astro (Logitech) - A50 Series





