Closer Examination, Build Quality, and Comfort

In terms of design and build quality, the Corsair Virtuoso MAX Wireless feels like a slightly refined version of the Virtuoso Pro. The most notable change, aside from the ear cups sporting a more common, fully sealed design, is the outer headband, which is now wrapped in a convincing leather-like material. The entire frame, including the yokes that hold the ear cups in place, is still constructed from aluminium. As before, no exposed wires are visible; they are all neatly concealed within the headset's body. The Virtuoso MAX Wireless exudes a luxurious appearance but feels more rigid than its predecessor, which is worrisome in terms of wearing comfort.


The position of the ear cups can be raised or lowered by moving them along the metal frame.


The inner side of the headband, unlike the Virtuoso Pro, is not removable. It features decent padding and is covered in breathable fabric, with visible stitching in three places.


The same breathable fabric covers the ear pads, which can be removed and potentially replaced by rotating them clockwise. The ear pads are fairly large, with an inner diameter of approximately 6 centimeters (2.36 inches), allowing them to surround my ears without touching them - exactly what you want for long-term comfort. Achieving comfort also requires sufficient padding and carefully adjusted clamping force to ensure the headphones feel stable without exerting excessive pressure on the sides of the head. Unfortunately, this is where the Virtuoso MAX Wireless falls short for my relatively large head. While I can use it for shorter sessions without major issues, wearing it for over an hour becomes uncomfortable, as the area around my ears starts to hurt. One way to reduce the clamping force is by extending the headset to a "higher" setting, but this compromises the fit and shifts too much pressure to the top of the head. Let's not forget that this is a relatively heavy headset, weighing 417 grams. Personally, the Virtuoso MAX Wireless is by far the least comfortable gaming headset in the entire Virtuoso lineup. It might be a better fit for those with smaller heads, though I can't confirm that for obvious reasons. One potential solution to the comfort issues I've mentioned could be for Corsair to release alternative ear pads with thicker padding. Additionally, the clamping force might be reduced by storing the headset on a wide object - slightly wider than your head - when not in use. Are these the hoops you should have to jump through when dishing out a cool $330 for a gaming headset… I'm not so sure.


The ear cups can be swiveled by 90° inwards, so you can rest the headset around your neck or put it flat down on the table.


The right ear cup contains a customizable button, an action switch, used to play/pause music, skip songs, and answer phone calls, and a USB-C charging port. The exact function of the customizable button is defined in the Corsair iCUE software suite. Pressing the customizable button and holding it for one-second cycles through ANC, Transparency mode, Off.


The left ear cup features a wireless mode switch, which is used to turn the headset on and off, as well as to connect it to the included Wi-Fi dongle and/or Bluetooth. The Virtuoso MAX Wireless supports simultaneous Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, allowing it to play audio from both sources at the same time. This means you can, for example, listen to music or a podcast from your phone while gaming on your PlayStation console. This is also where you'll find the USB-C port for the supplied detachable microphone. The microphone slides into it nicely and firmly stays put.


Both ear cups are surrounded by large, textured aluminium wheels, which control the headset's volume in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modes separately. I absolutely love this idea and its execution. The wheels are a pleasure to use, and their cool metal surface feels great under the fingers.


The included microphone feels excellent. It features a flexible, densely braided arm that can be easily adjusted to any position. The base of the microphone is equipped with a mute button, so you never have to search for it on the ear cups. When muted, the ring around the microphone head glows red, and it turns white when the microphone is active. If you find the glowing ring distracting, as I did, you can disable it entirely with a simple toggle in the iCUE software, so it only glows red when the microphone is muted, and stays off otherwise.


Both ear cups are decorated with glowing rings, too. Aside from the obvious decorative purpose, they will notify you about the headset going into pairing mode, and its remaining battery level (green – high, orange – medium, red – low).