Introduction
In recent years, pros have been making the move towards wireless gaming headsets. As a consequence, brands have been focusing on wireless audio products more. That’s great for the added freedom that it gives, but sadly for the consumer, wireless headsets can often cost quite a bit of money. Corsair’s latest release in their budget-friendly HS35 lineup now also cuts the cord, and in our full Corsair HS35 v3 Wireless review, you’ll find out whether it’s a good option to go wireless on a budget, and how it compares to the market in general.
At A Glance
Corsair HS35 v3 Wireless
The Corsair HS35 v3 Wireless is a very capable budget-oriented headset for people who are looking or a wireless option for their competitive gaming needs.
Pros
- Affordable
- Extremely comfortable and lightweight
- Lots of connectivity options
- Good sound for competitive gaming
Cons
- Sound profile isn’t great for content consumption
- Range isn’t great
Specs
| Type |
Closed-Back |
| Connection |
Wireless |
| Noise Cancelling |
No |
| Microphone |
Detachable |
First Impressions
The Headset
When you first pick up the Corsair HS35 v3 Wireless, you immediately notice how light it is. At just 250 grams, this is a very lightweight product, especially if you consider the fact that it’s wireless.
Aside from the weight, there’s not a ton to note about the HS35 v3 Wireless at first sight. It’s a simple, plastic headset with a relatively subdued look. If you leave the (detachable) microphone off, you could definitely take this one on the train without getting odd looks, as it looks just like any other pair of headphones. The only ‘quirky’ feature is the thin neon yellow strip above the ear cups, but that’s really quite subtle.
Packaging
Inside the box of the Corsair HS35 v3 Wireless, you will find:
- The headset itself
- User documentation
- A USB-C-to-USB-A charging cable
- The wireless receiver dongle
- The detachable mic
Considering that this is a budget headset (the MSRP is $79.99), that’s pretty much all you need.
I also want to highlight the dongle here; this has a clever adapter with it so that it can be used as either a USB-C dongle or a USB-A dongle. It’s a nice way of adding extra connectivity and futureproofing without alienating people who only have access to one particular port.
Build and Comfort
As expected at this price point, this is an all-plastic build. That doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing though. For one, it usually means a lower weight. And the weight is, to me, one of the defining features when it comes to the HS35 v3 Wireless’ comfort.
You can wear this headset for hours without feeling like it’s digging into your skull thanks to the weight and suspended headband system. That, combined with the fabric ear cup cushions makes for a headset that’s pleasantly airy and breezy. We’re on the third heatwave of the summer where I live, and this headset has been particularly pleasant to wear in this heat.
I should mention that the headset does feel a little bit small, however. The clamping force is on the higher side for me personally, and the largest setting of the elastic headband leaves only a couple of millimeters to spare between my head and the harder plastic part of the headband. I do have a rather large noggin though, so if you have a regularly-sized head, you won’t have to worry about this. However, if you are someone who often has trouble with regular headsets due to the size of your head, you may want to take note.
With that said, this will be a very comfortable headset for the vast majority of people. It’s also built quite well. The plastic does not creak, not even when flexing the headband while holding it. So all in all, you’re getting a lot of bang-for-your-buck here.
Sound and Mic
Microphone
The microphone is consistent. Drops in volume or quality are rare, so it’s reliable for gaming communication and the likes, but the sound quality isn’t great, so I wouldn’t use this for extended meetings or content creation.
In terms of filters or noise-cancellation, it’s also not the very best. Regular background sounds get filtered out quite reliably, but plosives do sound quite harsh, and sounds like harsher breaths do also come through quite sharply, so as a whole it’s not a great mic for people who are gaming in a louder environment or for people who value high voice quality.
The above is obviously something I can excuse: this is a budget-oriented wireless microphone, so it was never going to be world-shockingly good, but it’s good to know what you’re getting into if you’re looking into buying this product. For its intended purpose (gaming communication and other forms of short, quick communication) it does exactly what it has to, but for other purposes I would look towards external alternatives.
Microphone Test
Sound Quality and Gaming Performance
The HS35 v3 Wireless is quite explicitly a gaming headset. That translates to the sound profile. In my opinion, this is tweaked for (competitive) gaming, because the bass isn’t all that present, and the mid-to-high frequencies can come through quite harshly. This is great for isolating important sounds in competitive gameplay, but not so great for content consumption or more cinematic games.
When listening to music, for example, I often find that a lot of songs miss that ‘oomph’ that you’d expect from a well-placed bass riff. The same goes for explosions etc. in cinematic games or video content. If you don’t listen to bass-heavy music or you don’t intend to watch shows and the likes at your PC, this might not bother you as much, but if you’re looking for a headset that’s also good for content consumption, I would suggest looking elsewhere.
With that out of the way, I must say that the HS35 v3 Wireless performs quite well as a gaming headset. Its focus on competitively-relevant sounds can help with isolating important audio cues and thus improve your performance in-game, and positional accuracy is also quite decent. In games like CS2, where audio is of crucial importance, I had no issues isolating and locating footsteps in clutch scenarios. The same was true for Overwatch: locating flanking enemies in the thick audio fog of a busy team fight was no problem.
In a nutshell, I’d say that this headset delivers exactly what it says on the tin: good gaming performance. But nothing more. Given the price, that’s a fair deal to me.
Features and Everyday Usage
Controls
The control layout is simple: there’s a volume wheel, a mic mute function, and a power button that doubles as a connection switcher button.
There’s no accompanying app to tweak the EQ or make any in-depth adjustments, so what you hear is pretty much what you get.
Like many gaming headsets, the Corsair HS35 v3 Wireless also supports ‘3D sound’ in the form of Dolby Atmos, which you can enable by downloading the Dolby Access app from the Microsoft Store. Using programs like these is not recommended for most competitive games (the vast majority of pros don’t use them either) so I did not do any in-depth testing, but from what I can tell it functions similarly to most other technologies of this type. It’s nice to liven up more cinematic content, for example.
Connectivity
The Corsair HS35 v3 Wireless supports a wide range of connections. You can connect it via the included USB dongle, Bluetooth, or via a USB cable. Due to the fact that the dongle can be transformed into either a USB-C or a USB-A dongle, there are a ton of connectivity options here.
For competitive gaming, you’ll want to use the 2.4GHz dongle, as Bluetooth is too slow for those purposes, but it’s good to see that you can also take calls on your phone if you’re wearing this headset. One small note on that: the HS35 v3 Wireless does not support simultaneous connectivity. So you can’t take a call on your Bluetooth device while still hearing the sounds of your game being transmitted over the 2.4GHz dongle, for example. It’s a compromise I can live with at this price. Switching between different modes is pretty quick and seamless.
Battery Life
The battery life of around 30 hours is not amazing when compared to some other options out there. It is, however, more than enough for even the most hardcore marathon sessions, so it’s fine with me. You’ll have to be charging this headset a little more often than some of the current market-topping options, but I didn’t find that I had to plug it in annoyingly often.
Wireless Range
The wireless range is nothing to write home about. You can absolutely get a bunch of meters away from your PC without the signal dropping or lagging out, but if you put a bit of wall between yourself and your PC, you’ll start noticing dropouts and signal noise.
I always test wireless headsets by walking from my desk through the house and into the garden (leaving the doors open) and with this one I did not manage to make it outside before I started noticing signal issues. For reference: most headsets can make it outside without issues.
Is that a problem? It depends on what you’re planning on using it for. I love wireless headsets because they eliminate that wire dangling from my head while gaming, but I don’t necessarily need them because I want to walk around the entire house while using them. For me, they would as such be fine. But if you’re someone who, for example, uses your gaming headset to listen to music while cleaning your place, you may want to consider alternatives with a better range.
Conclusion
The Corsair HS35 v3 Wireless is a very capable budget-oriented headset for people who are looking for a wireless option for their competitive gaming needs. It won’t break any records, but it won’t break the bank either, and given how Corsair’s HS35 line has always been a budget-oriented product line, this hits the spot exactly.
It’s not truly exceptional at anything, but it’s not outright bad at anything either. The audio quality in particular isn’t satisfying if you’re going to be using it for content consumption, but this is a gaming-focused headset, with a sound profile tuned for gaming, and it does deliver the goods on that front.
In short: if you’re looking for a super comfortable headset that doesn’t break the bank and is tweaked for competitive gaming, then this is a great option. If you want a more premium experience or you also want a high-quality content experience, skip this one.
This product was received for free from the manufacturer and given to our reviewer to test and review. Brands and manufacturers have no editorial control over our reviews. For more information, check out our review FAQ.
Former semi-pro gamer turned writer, product reviewer, and community manager.
