The Corsair HS80 RGB WIRELESS are wireless gaming headphones compatible with PCs and PlayStation consoles. They're very well-built, with a comfortable elastic headband and cloth-covered ear cup padding. The flip-up boom mic has an impressive recording quality and does a good job separating your voice from background noise. Their latency via wireless or wired USB connection is low enough for gaming as well. Unfortunately, they don't isolate you from very much noise, and their roughly 13 hours of continuous battery life is quite a bit less than the advertised 20 hours.
Our Verdict
The Corsair HS80 are satisfactory for neutral sound. They have a warm default sound profile, with overemphasis in the high-bass range that adds some extra warmth and boom. However, they lack thump and rumble, while vocals and lead instruments are missing detail and clarity. Fortunately, you can customize it with a graphic EQ and presets in the companion app. They're also prone to inconsistencies in audio delivery, so you may want to spend some time adjusting their fit and positioning on your head to experience the same sound each time.
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Graphic EQ and presets available.
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Default sound profile lacks low bass.
The Corsair HS80 are poor for commute and travel. They have a comfortable fit but don't support Bluetooth, so you need to connect them to a laptop if you want to use them when you're on the go. Also, they don't isolate you from the low rumble of bus and plane engines. Like most over-ear headphones, their bulky size makes them not very portable, and they don't fold into a more compact shape or come with a bag or pouch. Their onboard controls are also gaming-oriented and don't include a way to skip tracks or play/pause audio if you're listening to music on the bus.
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Well-built and comfortable.
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Poor noise isolation.
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No case or pouch included.
The Corsair HS80 are sub-par for sports and fitness. While they're very well-built and have a comfortable fit, they aren't intended for sports use and aren't stable enough to stay in place during workouts. They trap some heat against your ears, so they may also make you sweat more if you use them for exercise. They also lack an IP rating for dust and water resistance, which is typical for gaming headphones.
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Well-built and comfortable.
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Not very stable.
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No call or music controls.
The Corsair HS80 are alright for office use. Their cloth-covered earcups and ski-band headband should be comfortable for most people. The flip-up boom mic makes your voice sound clear and natural, even in moderately noisy environments. Their battery life of roughly 13 hours should easily last through a 9-5 workday as well. Unfortunately, they don't block out very much ambient noise and leak quite a bit, so if you're listening to music at high volumes at the office, it may bother people nearby.
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Mic has a great recording quality and good noise handling.
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Well-built and comfortable.
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Poor noise isolation.
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No call or music controls.
The Corsair HS80 are decent for wireless gaming. They have a comfortable fit, with well-padded ear cups and an adjustable ski-band headband. Their wireless USB dongle provides a fairly low latency wireless connection with PCs and PlayStation consoles. The boom mic does a great job of making your voice sound clear and full, even in moderately noisy settings. It's not detachable, but it's easy to mute and unmute by flipping up or down. They have a warm default sound profile, and if you prefer a different sound, you can customize it with a graphic EQ and presets in the app. The app also has settings for mic volume and side tone.
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Mic has a great recording quality and good noise handling.
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Low wireless latency.
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Poor noise isolation.
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Default sound profile lacks low bass.
The Corsair HS80 are decent for wired gaming. When you use their USB-C cable to USB-A cable to connect them to your PC, their latency is low enough to be suitable for gaming. However, you can't connect to Xbox or PlayStation consoles this way. They're also very well-built, comfortable enough for long gaming sessions, and have a very good overall mic performance.
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Mic has a great recording quality and good noise handling.
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Poor noise isolation.
The Corsair HS80 are adequate for phone calls. Their boom mic makes your voice sound clear and full-bodied, even in moderately noisy environments. It's also easy to mute and unmute by flipping up and down. Unfortunately, they don't have onboard controls for answering or ending a call. They also don't isolate you from very much noise, meaning that if you use them to talk on the phone in a noisy setting, it may be hard for you to hear the call.
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Mic has a great recording quality and good noise handling.
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Well-built and comfortable.
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Poor noise isolation.
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No call or music controls.
- 7.0 Neutral Sound
- 5.3 Commute/Travel
- 6.0 Sports/Fitness
- 6.5 Office
- 7.2 Wireless Gaming
- 7.3 Wired Gaming
- 6.9 Phone Calls
- Updated Sep 28, 2023: We've added a comparison between these headphones and the Corsair HS80 MAX WIRELESS in Bluetooth.
- Updated Sep 26, 2023: We've remeasured the 'Length', 'Width', and 'Height' in Portability with the ear cups laying flat on the table, and the scoring has changed.
- Updated Sep 23, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Sep 16, 2021: Early access published.
- Updated Sep 09, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Aug 30, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Aug 24, 2021: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
There's only one variant of the Corsair HS80 RGB WIRELESS, which has an all-black 'Carbon' color scheme. You can see the label for the unit we tested here.
If you come across another variant, please let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Compared To Other Headphones
The Corsair HS80 RGB WIRELESS are gaming headphones for PC and PlayStation. Their boom mic's recording quality is much better than the Corsair HS70 Wireless' and rivals more expensive headsets from this manufacturer, like the Corsair VIRTUOSO RGB Wireless XT. Unlike most other Corsair headsets that we've tested, though, the mic isn't detachable. Another difference is their adjustable ski-band headband, which gives them a similar design to headsets like the SteelSeries Arctis 9X Wireless or the SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless.
If you're looking for other options, check out the best wireless gaming headsets, the best headsets for PS5, and the best gaming headsets.
The Corsair HS80 MAX WIRELESS are a step up from the Corsair HS80 RGB WIRELESS. While both headphones look and perform very similarly, there are a couple of key differences. The MAX support Bluetooth, which is nice if you want to game on your Nintendo Switch or smartphone. They also have a longer continuous battery life. However, only the RGB model supports audio and mic over USB.
The Corsair VIRTUOSO RGB Wireless XT and the Corsair HS80 RGB WIRELESS have different strengths, and you may prefer either. The VIRTUOSO's boom mic is detachable and has a somewhat better overall performance. They also offer a longer continuous battery life, Bluetooth compatibility, and work with Xbox via analog connection, unlike the HS80. However, the HS80 are less prone to inconsistent bass and treble delivery and have a much more comfortable design.
The Logitech G733 LIGHTSPEED Wireless are better gaming headphones than the Corsair HS80 RGB WIRELESS. The Logitech have longer continuous battery life, and lower latency, ensuring your audio and visuals stay in sync while gaming. Their default sound profile is more neutral, which some may prefer, and their companion software offers more features, including surround sound support and button mapping. That said, the Corsair have a significantly better build quality, and a much better overall mic performance. You can use them wired with PCs too.
The Corsair HS80 RGB WIRELESS are somewhat better for wireless gaming than the Corsair Void PRO RGB Wireless. Their boom mic has a much better recording quality, and they have a somewhat longer continuous battery life. They're also significantly better-built, and you can also use them wired with PCs via USB, while you can't use the Void with a wired connection at all. On the other hand, the Void's boom mic has a much better noise handling performance. They also have lower non-Bluetooth latency.
The Corsair HS70 Wireless and the Corsair HS80 RGB Wireless are gaming headsets with different strengths, and you may prefer either. The HS80 RGB's boom mic has a significantly better recording quality. They have customizable RGB lighting on their ear cups and a stretchy headband design, which some may prefer. They're also a bit more versatile, since you can use them wired with PCs. On the other hand, some users may prefer the HS70's more neutral default sound profile. They also have detachable boom mic and longer continuous battery life.
The Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 are better for wireless gaming than the Corsair HS80 RGB WIRELESS. The Astro are much more comfortable, have a better overall mic performance, and come with a wireless dock that provides a lower latency connection. Their continuous battery life is also longer. On the other hand, the Corsair leak much less and block out more ambient sound, although they still aren't ideal for isolating you from noise. You can also use them wired with PCs.
The Logitech G PRO X WIRELESS LIGHTSPEED Gaming Headset is better for wireless gaming than the Corsair HS80 RGB WIRELESS. The Logitech have a much more comfortable fit. They also have a detachable mic, somewhat lower wireless latency, and a longer continuous battery life. However, the Corsair's boom mic has a better overall performance. You can also use the headset wired with PCs, while you can only use the Logitech wirelessly.
The HyperX Cloud 2/Cloud II Wireless are better headphones for wireless gaming than the Corsair HS80 RGB WIRELESS. The HyperX have lower latency via non-Bluetooth wireless, a much more comfortable fit, and a longer continuous battery life. They also have a more neutral default sound profile, which some may prefer, but on the other hand they don't come with any sound customization features. The Corsair's software offers an EQ and presets. Their boom mic also has a better overall performance.
The SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless are better gaming headphones than the Corsair HS80 RGB Wireless. The SteelSeries have longer continuous battery life and recharge more quickly. Their boom mic also has a significantly better noise handling performance, and they have a much more neutral default sound profile, which some may prefer. They're Bluetooth-compatible and come with a 1/8" TRRS cable, meaning that you can use them via analog connection with Xbox consoles as well as PlayStation and PCs.
The Corsair Virtuoso RGB Wireless SE are somewhat better for wireless gaming than the Corsair HS80 RGB WIRELESS. The Virtuoso have much lower latency via non-Bluetooth wireless and also come with a 1/8" TRRS cable for an analog connection. Their boom mic is detachable and has a somewhat better noise handling performance, and they also do a better job of passively isolating you from sounds like ambient conversation. However, the HS80 have a ski-band headband design that should make them much more comfortable for most, and they have a slightly better mic recording quality.
The HyperX Cloud Flight and the Corsair HS80 RGB WIRELESS have different strengths, and you may prefer either. The Corsair have a much better build quality and a significantly better mic recording quality. Their companion software is also better and includes a graphic EQ and presets. The HyperX don't come with sound customization features, but they have a much longer continuous battery life. They may also be a better choice if you game in a noisy area since they isolate you from more ambient sound and have a mic with a significantly better noise handling performance.
The Corsair HS80 RGB WIRELESS are slightly better headphones for wireless gaming than the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2020. The Corsair have a significantly better build quality and a boom mic with much better recording quality. They also have lower latency via non-Bluetooth wireless. On the other hand, unlike the Corsair, the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless come with a 1/8" TRRS cable, so you can use them with Xbox via analog connection. Their mic has a better noise handling performance, and they have much longer continuous battery life.
The Corsair HS80 RGB WIRELESS and the TOZO T6 Truly Wireless are very different headphones, and you may prefer one or the other depending on what you're looking for. The Corsair are wireless gaming headphones with an over-ear design. They have a boom mic that performs much better than the TOZO's integrated mic and come with a USB dongle that you can use to connect wirelessly to PCs and PlayStation consoles. On the other hand, the TOZO are much more portable Bluetooth earbuds. They're better suited for purposes like commuting and office work since they leak less sound and passively isolate you from much more ambient noise.
The SteelSeries Arctis 7 2019 Edition Wireless a better wireless gaming headset than the Corsair HS80 RGB WIRELESS. The SteelSeries have better controls for gaming, including channel mixing, a longer continuous battery life, and a more neutral default sound profile, which some may prefer. They have lower non-Bluetooth latency, and also come with an audio cable you can use for an analog connection with Xbox consoles as well as PlayStations and PCs. On the other hand, the Corsair don't work with Xbox, but their boom mic makes your voice sound more full-bodied and natural.
Test Results
The Corsair HS80's design stands out from other Corsair headsets. The earcups have an angled shape rather than rounded, they have a flip-up boom mic instead of a flexible one, and they have a ski-band headband design that you may associate more with SteelSeries headsets like the SteelSeries Arctis Prime. Like the Corsair Virtuoso RGB Wireless, they have the brand's small pirate ship logo on each ear cup and RGB lighting that you can customize in the headphones' companion software.
The Corsair HS80's are comfortable headphones. They're a bit heavy, but while they clamp onto your head with more pressure than the Corsair VIRTUOSO RGB Wireless XT, they don't feel too tight on your ears. The ski-band headband is also comfortable and light, although some users may prefer the Corsair HS70 Wireless' padded headband, a more typical design for gaming headsets. Their ear cup padding is covered in fabric instead of faux leather, which some may prefer. Overall, they should be comfortable enough to wear for long gaming sessions without much fatigue or soreness.
The Corsair HS80 have a simple and easy-to-use control scheme geared towards gaming. There's a power button and a volume wheel on the left earcup, and to mute the mic, you simply flip it up. Flipping the mic down again unmutes it. Conveniently, you hear a chime when the mic is muted or unmuted, and the LED light at the tip of the mic turns red when it's muted and white when it's unmuted. There's a beep and a voice prompt when the headphones turn on or off, but unfortunately, not when you change the EQ preset. There aren't any call or music controls, though, and the volume wheel scrolls infinitely, which may be a little disappointing for some.
Volume wheel:
- Scroll: Adjusts volume up or down.
- Press: Cycles through EQ presets.
Power button:
- Press: Turns headphones on and off.
The Corsair HS80 RGB Wireless have adequate breathability. Like most gaming headsets, they trap some heat but shouldn't make your ears feel too warm during long gaming sessions. However, they aren't designed for sports use and may make you sweat more if you use them during exercise.
The Corsair HS80 RGB have sub-par portability, like most over-ear gaming headphones. You can swivel the ear cups to lay flat, which can make them more comfortable to wear around your neck. However, they don't fold into a more compact shape, and their bulky design means they take up quite a bit of space in a bag or backpack. They also don't come with a carrying case or pouch.
The Corsair HS80 have a great build quality. They're mostly made of good-quality plastic, with cloth-covered padding, and have sturdy-feeling hinges and yokes. The boom mic isn't detachable, unlike the Corsair HS70 Wireless'. The ski-band can be adjusted with a mechanism on the underside of the rigid plastic headband. The velcro material it's made of feels like it could break after a while, however. These headphones also lack an IP rating for dust or water resistance, typical of gaming headsets.
The Corsair HS80 RGB are adequately stable. Their ski-band headband design makes them more prone to moving around on your head or falling off, but that shouldn't be an issue when you're just sitting and gaming. Their wireless design also means you don't need to worry about a cable snagging on something and yanking them off your head. However, they aren't for sports use, and they're likely to fall off if you use them during a workout.
- Corsair HS80 RGB Wireless headphones
- USB-A to USB-C audio and charging cable
- Wireless USB dongle
- Quick start guides
The Corsair HS80 have a warm sound profile. Your audio lacks thump and rumble but has some extra boom that can help bring out sound effects in games. However, lead instruments and vocals lack some detail, and sibilants like cymbals are dull. Luckily, you can customize their sound with a graphic EQ and presets in the companion app.
The Corsair HS80 have mediocre frequency response consistency. They're prone to inconsistent bass and treble delivery, and users who wear glasses or have thick hair may especially notice a drop in bass. You may need to adjust their fit, seal, and positioning on your head to hear the same sound every time you use the headphones.
The Corsair HS80 have good bass accuracy. Low-bass is underemphasized, so audio lacks thump and rumble. The mid-bass is very neutral, however, so they have sufficient punch and body. A bump in the high-bass adds boom, which can help emphasize sound effects in games. However, their bass delivery can vary based on the headphones' fit, seal, and positioning. These results represent the average response, but your experience may vary.
The Corsair HS80 have great mid-accuracy. The bump in the high-bass continues into the low-mid, which can make mixes sound cluttered or muddy. The rest of the range is fairly flat, although it's slightly underemphasized. As a result, vocals and lead instruments are present but a little weak.
The Corsair HS80 have poor treble accuracy. The entire range is underemphasized, so vocals and lead instruments sound veiled or lacking in detail, while sibilant sounds like cymbals are dull. That said, their treble delivery varies across users. These results represent the average response, but your experience may vary.
The Corsair HS80 have good peaks and dips performance. There's a bump across the mid-bass and low-mid, which adds boom and muddiness to mixes. The dip in the mid-mid nudges instruments and lead vocals towards the back of the mix, and a peak in the high-mid adds harshness to those elements. There's also a deep dip in the low-treble that hurts the comprehensibility of instruments and voices, although it's mostly only present in the right driver. The peak in the mid-treble can add sharpness to sibilants, like S and T sounds.
The Corsair HS80 have a great imaging performance. The weighted group delay falls below the audibility threshold for the entire range, resulting in tight bass and transparent treble reproduction. The L/R drivers are well-matched in amplitude and frequency response, so objects like footsteps are mostly accurately placed in the stereo image. However, there's a mismatch present in the phase response's bass range, which may be audible with real-life content. These results are only valid for our unit, and your experience may vary.
The Corsair HS80 have a sub-par passive soundstage performance. The soundstage seems natural and large, but the audio seems to come from inside your head rather than from speakers in the room around you. Also, they have a closed-back design, and their soundstage seems less open and spacious than that of most open-back headphones.
The Corsair HS80 come with a license for unlimited use of Dolby Atmos, a surround sound feature. It's activated as soon as you connect your headphones with the iCUE companion app. To use it, you need to download the Dolby Access app from the Windows Store and activate Dolby Atmos Support in your sound settings on your computer. Please note that not all content or every game supports Dolby Atmos.
The Corsair HS80 have an okay weighted harmonic distortion performance. There's some distortion present in the treble range at normal listening volumes, but with real-life content, it shouldn't be overly noticeable for most. Otherwise, most frequencies fall within good limits, resulting in reasonably clean and pure audio reproduction.
These are the settings used to test the Corsair HS80. Our results are only valid when used in this configuration.
The Corsair HS80 have a poor noise isolation performance. They block out virtually no noise in the bass range, so they don't isolate you from sounds like rumbling bus or plane engines. They don't do much better with mid-range noise like ambient chatter, although they do an okay job of reducing the high-pitched hum of A/C units.
The Corsair HS80's leakage performance is mediocre. The audio that escapes sounds full-bodied compared to in-ear headphones. Leakage may be audible to people sitting nearby, even if you use them in a moderately noisy environment, which isn't ideal if you game in a shared space and listen to your audio at relatively high volumes.
The Corsair HS80 RGB's boom mic has a great recording quality. Your voice sounds full-bodied, bright, open, and is very easy to understand.
The boom mic has a good noise handling performance. It has a noise gate that you can't switch off. The mic can separate your voice from ambient sound, so you're heard clearly, even in noisy environments. It struggles somewhat in very loud settings, so if you use them somewhere like a subway station, your voice may sound quiet at times, although it should still be audible.
The Corsair HS80 have a good battery performance. They have a continuous battery life of about 13 hours, which is a few hours less than the Corsair HS70. Unfortunately, it's far short of the advertised 20 hours of continuous use. However, battery performance can vary with real-life use, so your experience may be different. The headphones also take quite a while to charge. On the plus side, they have an auto-off timer to help save battery life when you're not using them, and if the battery dies in the middle of a gaming session, you can also use them while they charge.
Their companion app is great. The iCUE software works on Windows PCs and Macs, as long as you download the most recent version. It offers a 10-band EQ and presets, mic and side tone volume sliders, auto-off timer settings, and customization features for the RGB lighting on the earcups. The app also allows you to pair another wireless Corsair headset to the dongle using Slipstream, which is Corsair's proprietary wireless technology. You need to download the iCUE software and connect your headphones to activate the license for Dolby Atmos surround sound, but please note that to use that feature, you also need to download Dolby Access, which is separate software.
These Corsair headphones don't support Bluetooth, but if you're looking for ones that do, you'll want to consider the Corsair HS80 MAX WIRELESS instead.
The Corsair HS80 have a low-latency wireless connection using their wireless USB dongle. Most people shouldn't notice any audio delay when gaming with them.
The Corsair HS80 RGB come with a USB-A to USB-C audio and charging cable.
The Corsair HS80 have full audio and mic compatibility with PCs via wireless connection if you use the USB dongle. They're also fully compatible with a wired connection by plugging the USB-C to USB-A cable into your computer. Either way, they have low enough latency for gaming. Unlike the Corsair VIRTUOSO RGB Wireless XT, they don't have an analog cable for a latency-free connection.
The Corsair HS80 are fully compatible with PS4 and PS5 consoles using their wireless USB dongle. There's no way to use them on PlayStation consoles with a wired connection.