It would take a lot to sell me on a wired headset in the year of our lord 2023. I’ve been using the Astro A50 as my daily driver for the past four years, and through testing dozens of other headsets for review, I’ve always returned to the comfort and familiarity of my beloved A50s. It’s so hard to give up the freedom of being able to get up from my desk and walk around my house without having to take my headset off, especially when the headset in question offers such incredible sound quality. But if there’s one brand that could bring me back to the wired life, it’s Corsair. I’m consistently impressed with Corsair’s gaming peripherals, so when I was offered the new Virtuoso Pro headset for review, I took it as a challenge to give wired headsets another chance. After a week of testing, I have no problem recommending the Virtuoso Pro to those looking for a premium audio experience while gaming, but I still don’t think wired is for me.
The Virtuoso Pro is an open back streaming/gaming headset that boasts some seriously impressive hardware. Its design makes it one of the most attractive and comfortable gaming headsets I’ve used, and I’d like to see other manufacturers borrow some of its designs for their own headsets. The open back cups don’t put pressure on your ears, which makes them more comfortable to wear for a long time. And while they look large, they’re incredibly lightweight, with lots of padding to protect your head.
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The cable, ear pads, speaker tags, and headband cushions are all removable and replaceable. When you’re investing $200 in a headset, you want to be able to easily replace parts when they get worn out, rather than replacing the whole thing. I love that the Virtuoso Pro can break down into separate parts, not just for replacing, but for regular cleaning too. I also appreciate the texturing on the headband cushion, which prevents the headset from sliding forward or backward on your head. I haven’t seen that in other headsets, but it works, and it seems like something that should be a standard.
Unlike most USB headsets, the Virtuoso Pro uses a 3.5MM audio cable. Three of them come in the box: a short cable, a long 3.5MM to 3.5MM and a 3.55mm with a boom mic attached. All of them are split dual cables, because both of the earcups have to be plugged in separately. Wearing the Virtuoso Pro is a bit like using a doctor’s stethoscope. You’ve got cables coming out of both ears, and when you want to use the microphone, you have to swap out the entire cable. It’s nice that the cable allows you to use the Virtuoso Pro with a wide variety of devices other than a PC, but it’s an odd design that I find really exacerbates my dislike of wired headphones.
Having two cables come out of the headset creates twice as many problems for me. The cables run down my shirt and meet together at belly button level, and whenever I turn my head the cable rubs against my shirt, transferring that sound directly into the ear cups. If I lean my head in either direction, one end of the coarse, braided cable touches my neck. The cables are rugged and, at six feet, long enough for whatever you need them to do, but if you don’t like cables, the Virtuoso Pro may offer an especially negative experience.
Corsair also sent along the Wave XLR mixer for testing, which is a great desktop tool for adjusting your microphone and headset audio. It’s a pretty plug-and-play mixer with a giant knob on it, but if you intend to use the Virtuoso Pro’s included mic, you’re out of luck. The Wave XLR only takes microphones that use an XLR cable, and it won’t recognize the headset mic when you plug the Virtuoso Pro into it. A lot of people, including me, use separate USB or recording microphones, but the poor compatibility just makes the Virtuoso Pro’s wired connection feel even more outdated.
It’s a shame that the cable situation plays such a big factor here, because the headset is otherwise excellent. Sound quality is incredible, especially with Windows’ Dolby Atmos for Headphones plug-in. I have no problem wearing them all day, and it’s easy to take all the cushions off for routine cleaning. They’re easy to pack and travel with as well, since they fold flat and come with a hardshell case. And they’re not obnoxious looking, I would be comfortable wearing these on a plane or waiting in line at the doctor’s office. I do think a headset this expensive should have some kind of volume controls built into the ear cups, though I could look past that - if not for the uncomfortable, awkward cable coming out of both ears. The Virtuoso Pro is a great headset held back by its connection. If you’re still loyal to wiredandyou have a separate mixer, it’s an easy headset to recommend. That’s too tall an order for me though, so I’ll still be sticking with my Astro A50 until something better comes along.
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