Review: Corsair Virtuoso Max Wireless

Corsair has made several variants of their Virtuoso headset over the years. We’ve tested several of them and they’ve been among the best sounding and most comfortable in their class.

Now a Max has been added to the name, raising expectations even higher. There’s also a bit added to the price.

Corsair Virtuoso Pro Max Wireless supports both Bluetooth and lag-free 2.4 GHz connectivity via the included USB dongle. At the same time. So you can play and listen to music – or teamspeak via Discord, for example. On the other hand, support for analogue audio is gone. Something very few people will ever notice.

In terms of design, the Corsair Virtuoso Max Wireless is similar to its predecessors. It’s a substantial headset with large, flat, circular earcups. The style is muted black (or equally muted silver) with no hint of youthful exuberance. This is a headset for the adults. There’s RGB lighting built into Corsair Virtusoso Max Wireless, but it’s so discreet that you barely notice it.

A diamond-cut ring around each ear cup hides the volume control for system audio and Bluetooth audio respectively. It’s superbly crafted. The microphone sits on a soft, fabric-covered gooseneck. It’s detachable and since everything is digital, the connector is USB-C instead of the usual 3.5 mm minijack.

The ear cushions and headband padding are padded with mesh fabric. The previous models were upholstered with artificial leather, which gave a slightly more luxurious feel. But on a hot summer’s day, you’ll probably appreciate the better ventilation. The fact that the cushions seem a little stiffer than before and the headband is made of plastic also detracts from the luxury feeling.

What sets the Corsair Virtuoso Pro Max Wireless apart from its predecessors is the electronic noise cancellation (ANC) that helps avoid distractions from other players. If you want to hear what fellow gamers around you are saying, you can use transparency mode, which sends outside sounds through the microphones to the earcups.

Corsair’s control software is called iCUE, and it has all the settings most people need – plus a few extras. The latter includes a dashboard where you can view system information for the computer, including the RAM frequency and temperature of each processor core.

More interesting for headset use is SoundID Personalisation, which can adapt the sound to the user’s hearing – and personal taste. The former is done through a hearing test and the latter through a series of music samples to choose which ones sound best.

Of course, Corsair Virtuoso Pro Max Wireless also supports 3D sound. This comes in the form of Dolby Atmos, which provides the best compatibility with films and games.

Hi-Fi like sound

As mentioned, we’ve tested several Corsair Virtuoso headsets and they’ve always had a good and very Hi-Fi sound. Fortunately, the Max edition is no exception. Whether it’s speech, music or loud explosions, they are reproduced faithfully and naturally. At least if that’s what you’ve chosen in the individual setup with SoundID. If you let your enthusiasm get the better of you during the setup, you can retest at any time and it is also possible to create several different sound profiles.

This wouldn’t be possible if the basic sound quality was lacking, but Corsair delivers. It is emphasised that the diaphragms in the drivers are made of graphene, which is a super thin and stable carbon material. This has certainly contributed to the clean sound – although we can’t say that the sound is noticeably cleaner than its predecessors. Or other good headsets without graphene diaphragms.

Competitors

Corsair competes directly on both features and price with luxury models like the Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, Sony Inzone H9, and Turtle Bech Stealth Pro. All three have in common that they have ANC and are styled for adult gamers – and all have won the Gaming Headset of the Year award at some point. It’s a tough field to be compared to. Corsair is sonically on par with the three – thanks in no small part to its smart hearing customisation – but it’s also the most expensive set in the field at today’s prices. If RGB light show is important to you, that might be what tips the balance in Corsair’s favour.

Conclusion

Corsair Virtuoso Max Wireless is an improvement on an already successful concept. With active noise cancellation, you can enjoy peace and quiet while gaming. And thanks to Bluetooth, the headset can also function as wireless headphones. The sound is clean and clear – if you choose it. And the in-built RGB light show adds a bit of subdued raucousness. But luxury comes at a price, and there are several equally good options in the price range.