Corsair HS55 stereo

The Corsair HS55 Stereo is an affordable wired gaming headset. It looks smooth, especially in white and gray options, and is very comfortable with its lightweight construction. The audio is decent, even if it lacks the top edge, and would be great for general gaming. Just beware of the lack of software-driven features and thin-sounding microphones. Other than that, though, the Corsair itself has a really good headset here.

Introduction

The Corsair HS55 Stereo is the latest American brand to travel the world of affordable gaming headsets.

It comes with a sleek silver and white color path, some plush memory foam padding and a 50mm driver that will offer some decent all-round audio on devices ranging from your PS5 to a Nintendo Switch and PC.

All of this and more can be had for 59.99 / £ 49.99 / € 69.99, which combines the HS55 stereo with the best budget gaming headset. What’s the way to Corsair’s new candidate? Here are my thoughts.

Design and features

• Lightweight construction
• Stylish design
• Great consistency

The Corsair has always had a reputation for creating clean-looking products, and the Corsair HS55 Stereo is in line with that standard. The sample of my review was a white and silver color option, which gives the headset a modern look.

For a budget headset, the HS55 stereo feels well-made, it has some stiff plastic that doesn’t feel rough to the touch unlike some competitors. Everything here is smooth and shiny. The HS55’s headband is also reinforced with metal, which means it’s extremely durable – and while there’s no RGB on offer, it’s not too much of a loss as the HS55’s stereo looks attractive.

The Corsair HS55 Stereo 273g has a lightweight build, which also adds to the comfort factor. In that case, the headset comes with a decent amount of padding around the ear cups and especially around the headband. For the price, this headset is especially a plus, and it looks good to see this kind of huge padding on more affordable headsets.

Here the multimedia controls are simple, just a volume roller that sits behind the wire in the left-handed ear cup. You won’t find a conventional mic mute button on the HS55 stereo. Instead, the mic is self-contained, so when you turn it upside down and move it away from your face, it will automatically mute – clever, right?

The HS55 also offers great compatibility as the stereo is fully wired. Corsair says it will work with anything including a headphone jack – whether it’s a PC, Mac, Xbox Series X, PS5, Nintendo Switch, or any mobile device. Connecting it to my home PC, MacBook or Xbox Series X didn’t prove to be a problem and everything worked perfectly well.

Sound and mic quality

• Decent all-round audio
• Mike is a little thin-voiced
• No sound around

In general, more affordable gaming headsets are not expected to sound amazing; But I’m happy to report that the Corsair HS55 stereo sounds pretty good.

The audio is sharp with a well-presented mid and a nice bass punch, though the top-end isn’t as lively as my choice. This means that some elements of music – high-hat symbols, for example – do not have some subtlety. That Bessie Punch was welcome during the test; Grenade blasts sounded point to point, and the gun felt aggressive. After all, for everyday use, the HS55 stereo headset will serve you well, no matter what device you’re using it with.

Given that it connects via a 3.5mm jack, there is no spatial audio or virtual surround sound bundled with the HS55 stereo – such additional features are usually bundled with a headset with a dedicated USB sound card. Easily, if you are looking for spatial audio power for more precision, a version of this headset is available.

If you own a PS5, it’s worth noting that the HS55 supports Sony’s 3D audio functionality, although you could argue that it’s a paid – roughly every PS5 – compatible headset when paired with Sony’s next-gen gaming behemoth It offers when there is.

In terms of its mic, the HS55 stereo uses a versatile pattern, which means it picks up sound from the surroundings in equal measure. For the most part, Mike offers good clarity for the price. But sometimes, I become aware of an underlying hissing sound, which can be a bit annoying for any partner you are conversing with.

The HS55 stereo is compatible with Corsair’s intuitive iCue software. This is definitely useful, but it doesn’t offer much in the way of efficiency – just the ability to balance your audio with EQs.

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