Choosing an entry headset on a tight budget can seem fairly daunting as you never know what to expect amongst the hoards of cheap looking plastic 'clackyphones'. However, in a sub £40 market, it is understandable that there are various aspects that need be be juggled to provide the right product at the right price. The HS40 is through and through a headset designed for gamers, the impressive bass with slightly dipped highs is the regular colouring added to audio by many gaming headsets and it makes for some impressive sound and experiences. Though set on that saddle, it does limit your experience in other areas slightly. Another consideration is that the HS40 is a USB headset, not only is it easy to setup, you may experience a boost to your audio quality over an integrated motherboard solution, adding appeal to those without a discrete soundcard or a DAC.



Touching on some criticisms, the comfort factor could be improved a little, most of which could be solved with a little less padding to actually make space for your ears. It would have been pleasant to have included a modular microphone but that can be forgiven considering that this headset is designed for gaming and is not foldable. The idea of using such a large piece of equipment for anything other than 'leaving it on your desk ready to game', is slightly ridiculous, so is largely an oversight. The choice to include virtual 7.1 surround sound as a feature and selling point, is a bit of a misnomer. To be entirely brutal the packaging makes several points that the HS40 is a '7.1 channel surround sound' headset, or a '7.1 gaming headset', which is beyond a joke. Firstly, the word 'virtual' doesn't appear once on the packaging so let's be entirely clear,

'The Corsair Raptor IS a Stereo Headset that is capable of software emulated, virtual 7.1 output and is not capable of outputting real 7.1 channels of audio.'

Secondly, its implementation of this virtual 7.1 surround is pretty poor and you are better off leaving it disabled.
In the grand scheme of things, the virtual 7.1 surround sound is a nice addition, 'better to be with than without' as some may say, but do not be fooled into purchasing this product on those grounds alone, though if you do, you may not be entirely dissatisfied.

The overall package the HS40 offers is solid and impressive, you get a USB headset that can potentially give you better audio fidelity than you may previously be used to when compared to integrated motherboard solutions, good gaming orientated audio with impressive bass, all at a reasonable price. For these reasons we happily present the Corsair Raptor HS40 our Silver Award.

The Corsair Raptor HS40 is well equipped to bring your gaming experiences to life, the deep bass is a definite strong point that adds intensity and excitement to your gaming sessions.





Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net. Thanks to Corsair for providing today’s review sample.