Closer Examination, Build Quality and Comfort

In terms of design, build quality and comfort, the Corsair HS80 MAX is very similar to the Corsair HS80 RGB Wireless, which is why I have no choice but to rehash a part of my observations from the HS80 RGB Wireless review. There are of course several details where they differ, and I'll take extra care to point those out.


The Corsair HS80 MAX is very nice to look at, and equally pleasant to touch, thanks to its ever-present robustness. The design of the ear cups is visibly inspired by the famous Void gaming headset lineup, which was Corsair's entry into the gaming headset market. The ear cups are made of dense, sturdy plastic, just like the outer headband, with subtle Corsair wording written on the top.


The ear cups and the outer headband are connected with a pair of aluminium hangers, which allow the ear cups to be swiveled by 90° inwards. This is a welcome feature for several reasons: the headset adapts easier to various head shapes and sizes, and it can lay flat on the table, or around your neck.


The HS80 MAX sports a secondary flexible suspended headband. Its ends are affixed to the outer headband by two Velcro straps. They can be moved, and by doing so you're changing the tension of the inner headband. I didn't feel the need to readjust it from its default position, as that one worked great for my fairly large head. The suspended headband is thinly padded and covered in pleather, but completely comfortable – it's hard to tell it's even touching your head. If it isn't obvious, the idea behind it is to remove the need to manually adjust the "height" of the headset. When you want to use it, you simply put it on your head, and the flexible inner headband automatically stretches as much as necessary. It's a design we already saw on various other gaming headsets, as well as higher-end Hi-fi headphones. Corsair's implementation is commendable – the weight distribution is excellent, and there are no pressure points on any of the spots where the inner headband comes into contact with the head.


The ear cushions are filled with a thick layer of memory foam and covered in a premium velour fabric. They surround the ears completely, although I can't say if their unusual shape has any other noteworthy benefits, other than looking interesting. The overall wearing comfort of the HS80 MAX is very good. I'm under the impression that the clamping force was slightly reduced compared to the HS80 RGB Wireless, which is definitely a welcome change. I didn't have any issues wearing it for several hours at a time. The velour fabric, covering the ear cushions, fares better in terms of heat accumulation than standard pleather, which you'll quickly learn to appreciate, especially in the hot summer months. It also has a lower level of passive noise isolation compared to pleather ear cushions, which will be preferred by some, while be seen as a drawback for others.


The left ear cup contains a power button, a volume knob, and a USB-C charging port. The volume knob can be pressed like a button, and you can assign a system action or a custom macro to that "button" in the iCUE software suite. The wheel is textured and as such very intuitive to use. On the HS80 RGB Wireless, the power button was used to switch the headset from wireless to USB mode, in case you decided to establish a wired connection to your PC. On the HS80 MAX, quickly pressing the power button switches you from 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi to Bluetooth connection. For reasons unknown, wired connectivity as a whole has been removed from the HS80 MAX. Its USB-C port is used for battery charging exclusively, and there are no other wired means of connecting the HS80 MAX to the sound source.


A feature exclusive to the HS80 MAX is the Bluetooth button, located on the right ear cup. Its purpose is to initiate Bluetooth pairing, answer phone calls, and pause/skip songs. When the headset is paired to your phone via Bluetooth, you can still listen to sounds from your PC through the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi connection, and only use Bluetooth connectivity to answer phone calls. Only after clicking the power button will the playback switch to the Bluetooth source completely.


The Corsair logo on the ear cups glows in any color you set it to in iCUE. Corsair is offering various RGB effects, as well as the option to synchronize them with other company's peripherals. All that is nice, but also fairly pointless, for two reasons: you can't see the RGB effects while using the headset, and, more importantly, they reduce battery life.


The microphone is pivotable and blends in with the headset quite seamlessly. When you lower it and put it in front of your face, it automatically switches on and starts recording your voice. You can then pivot it upwards when you want to mute it. In my opinion, this is the best way to mute the microphone, as you never have to wonder if you successfully pressed a mute button or not.


Corsair is using an omnidirectional microphone, which isn't susceptible to plosive noise so there was no need to cover it with a pop filter. The entire arm of the microphone is rubberized. It's pretty much impossible to position it very close to the mouth, as it simply won't stay in that position, although the omnidirectional pickup pattern means that you don't get a proper proximity effect anyway. A glowing ring surrounds the head of the microphone. The iCUE software driver lets you decide if you want it to light up when the headset is activated or muted. I preferred having it off while using the microphone, as otherwise, I could see the glowing ring in my peripheral vision, which was slightly distracting.