Sound Quality

The Corsair HS80 MAX is equipped with a pair of 50-millimeter dynamic drivers. Its maximum sound resolution in wireless mode is 24-bit/96 kHz – a step up from the 24-bit/48 kHz limit of the HS80 RGB Wireless. The headset has a surprisingly wide volume range, and it can play so loud that it could probably cause hearing damage – not that I've maxed it out for long enough to verify.

For gaming headset frequency response measurements I'm using the miniDSP EARS headphone test fixture, probably the least expensive such device on the market. It consists of two miniDSP UMIK-1 microphones placed inside a pair of silicone ears and affixed to a steel headphone stand. It's a USB-powered device, perfectly integrated with the fantastic Room EQ Wizard (REW) software, which is used for headphone and microphone calibration, as well as doing the measurements themselves. Every single miniDSP EARS unit comes with its own microphone calibration files, which are loaded into REW before doing the measurements. The miniDSP EARS certainly has its quirks. The artificial ear canals aren't particularly deep, so I wouldn't consider it a viable option for IEM testing. The integrated microphones are exceptionally sensitive to headphone positioning, partially because of the screws affixing the silicone ears to the stand, which aren't perfectly flush with the silicone surface. Some users also claim that the fixture is too narrow for very large Hi-fi headphones, so they have to use rubber bands to tighten the clamping force. The latter isn't something I ever had an issue with, though; all my headsets and headphones fit perfectly.

Because of all that, the miniDSP EARS is prone to user error. Whoever is using it has to know how to interpret the results and, even more importantly, how to spot those that are clearly flawed. After getting rid of the bad data, assuming the initial configuration and calibration were done properly, the resulting frequency response measurements are usable and in line with what one would hear from the headphones (or headset) in question. Once I got to where the frequency response plots corresponded to what I heard from the headphones and headsets I measured, I knew it was time to bring the results into my reviews. My testing methodology mostly follows the best practices of using the miniDSP EARS as covered in great detail in this article on Headphonesty. The most significant difference is that I'm using the updated HEQ compensation, where a subjectively neutral headphone would measure approximately flat. The audio source for my analog headphone and headset tests is the fantastic EVGA NU Audio Pro PCI Express sound card. For the AQIRYS Alnair, I used the supplied 2.4 GHz wireless dongle as the source, as that best represents the experience the future owners of the headset are going to have when listening to it. To compensate for minor seal variances, I'm measuring each ear until I get 10 usable results and reseat the headphones, or headset, between runs. After I have my results for one ear, I apply a 1/12 octave smoothing and average the measured responses. I then repeat the process for the other ear for an idea of whether any channel imbalance exists. It's important to keep in mind that my results cannot be directly compared to anyone else's, as only an identical methodology conducted on my exact sample of the miniDSP EARS would yield directly comparable results. Still, we now have a relevant visual representation of the sound characteristics of the headphones or headset under review, so I hope you find it useful.

You can explore my gaming headset frequency measurement database and follow its progress on my personal Squiglink. Let's take a look at the frequency response measurement of the Corsair HS80 MAX, both averaged and for each channel separately.




In terms of sound performance, I'm confident that the HS80 MAX will be one of the best-received gaming headsets in Corsair's portfolio, because of its warm tonality, which many of its owners are bound to like. Looking at the frequency response chart, you may notice a slight emphasis in the 70-130 Hz bass range, which makes the headset sound full and punchy. There's not much happening in the sub-bass range, but the aforementioned high-bass fullness masks that to some degree. The bass isn't prone to hanging around longer than needed. It seamlessly blends into the midrange, where you can expect a notable forwardness and intensity in vocals and most instruments. The recorded 600-1,000 Hz bump paints the whole picture.

There's a surprising amount of information to be heard in the midrange, and that's good for two reasons. Firstly, higher frequencies are somewhat subdued and don't deliver much in terms of sparkle and detail on their own. Secondly, the midrange is where you'll find most audio cues needed for spatial positioning and quick target pickup while gaming. This is an area where the HS80 MAX differs from the HS80 RGB Wireless. I found the latter good for music and movies, but not so much for multiplayer shooters, as I didn't feel like it provided me with enough information about my surroundings. The HS80 MAX is a different beast, as stereo imaging is one of its strong suits. This headset is an excellent choice for multiplayer gaming, including fast-paced shooters and battle royale games, where the ability to detect your opponent quickly and accurately quite literally makes the difference between virtual life and death. The soundstage of the HS80 MAX is by no means wide, but it performs admirably within the space it covers.

With its default sound profile, called Pure Direct, active, the HS80 MAX strikes me as a crowd-pleaser. It's certainly not the most energetic-sounding gaming headset on the market, but it has a full, warm sound signature, which I ended up enjoying regardless of what I used it for.


There are two ways to alter the sound performance of the Corsair HS80 MAX. The more obvious one is to use the 10-band system-wide graphic equalizer, offered within the iCUE software suite. In it, you can create a custom profile, or use one of the factory presets (Movie Theater, FPS Competition, Clear Chat, Bass Boost). I would focus my efforts on boosting higher frequencies (2 kHz and up), as that way you can bring out some of the details you're missing with the default sound profile, and make the HS80 MAX sound more open.


A more advanced approach is to use the SoundID Personalization technology, developed by Sonarworks. Here you'll take a five-minute hearing test, where the software will try to figure out how well you hear different frequencies in both ears. The second part of the test has you selecting between two interpretations of the same sound sample. By doing a simple A-B comparison, you'll feed the software with the information about your preferred tonality. Once done, you'll have a personalized sound profile, tailored to your preferences. You can toggle it on and off in the SoundID Personalization section of the iCUE software suite. This also gives you the ability to quickly figure out if you prefer the SoundID profile over the default ones. Of course, as soon as you activate it, the equalizer settings are ignored.

There's no way to use the equalizer or SoundID Personalization technology when using the HS80 MAX via Bluetooth, as there's no mobile app that would enforce them. In Bluetooth mode, the headset sounds slightly bassier and has a more pronounced treble.

Dolby Atmos

The Corsair HS80 MAX carries an official Dolby Atmos license, which means you don't have to pay the usual $15 fee to use it. Just to be clear, you can use Dolby Atmos with any headphones, but only for 30 days for free – then you have to decide if you want to pay for it or not.

Dolby Atmos is quite possibly the most advanced and best surround sound technology currently available. Its key difference to traditional 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound systems, both physical and virtual, is that it offers object-based audio, meaning, each object has matching metadata that tells the system where in the sound field to position that individual sound. One other key difference is that Dolby Atmos distributes sound not only around you but also above you. In speaker systems, this is achieved by adding in-ceiling or special upward-firing "Atmos" speakers. Of course, adding speaker drivers isn't possible with headphones, but you can still experience a part of the Dolby Atmos magic, assuming certain conditions are met.


First and foremost, you have to visit the Microsoft Store and install the Dolby Access app. This app will instantly recognize the Corsair HS80 MAX headset – if it doesn't, just visit the Products tab and initialize it. In the Home tab you can browse and watch/listen to various Dolby Atmos samples. The most impressive ones are found in the Dolby Demo Content section so do give those a try. I especially recommend the clips called Leaf and Amaze.


The Settings tab is where you'll spend most of your time. Here you can pick between various types of content (Game, Movie, Music, Voice), or play with a 10-band equalizer, with or without surround sound. This is where you'll decide if you'll use Dolby Atmos or stereo mode.

The second important ingredient for a true Dolby Atmos experience is content. It needs to be supported within a game, as its engine has to have the object-based audio information baked in. A complete list of games that support Dolby Atmos can be found on Dolby's official website.

When you play an Atmos-capable game, the Corsair HS80 MAX offers an impressive surround sound experience. The system manages to keep everything good about the sound of this headset, without introducing any echo, reverb, or artificiality, and it adds a deep level of immersion. You get a sense that someone picked you up and dropped you inside a game world, and that sounds are coming from a sphere surrounding your head, instead of a flat plane. Atmos behaves in a refined and meaningful way – if you, for example, hear something that sounds like it's positioned behind your left shoulder, then that's exactly where the object making that sound will be. You can get a rough sense of what I'm trying to describe by checking out this Dolby Atmos demo. Warzone is one of the Atmos-supported games I've played both in stereo and Dolby Atmos mode. The experience was completely different, not only in terms of immersion, but also when it came to my ability to hear my enemies, figure out their movement, and engage them fully prepared.