You can keep the game in your ears when your phone rings. Corsair’s HS80 v2 MAX Wireless lets both reach the same pair of earcups, using a 2.4GHz wireless connection for your game and Bluetooth for your phone. You can take the call without switching the headset away from the game, or bring your phone’s playlist along for a quieter session.
That small bit of flexibility is an appealing part of Corsair’s latest headset, which launched on October 8 and costs $199.99 in the US. The longer name matters here: the older HS80 MAX made you choose between its wireless modes. The v2 can play both at once.
Price: $199.99 USD · Corsair HS80 v2 MAX Wireless, Steel Gray
Where to buy: Amazon · Corsair
Two connections you can actually hear
The setup is straightforward: plug the included USB wireless receiver into the gaming device, then pair your phone over Bluetooth. Corsair lists PC, Mac, PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, and mobile support. Xbox isn’t on that list, so this particular model shouldn’t go into an Xbox shopping basket.
A dedicated Bluetooth button on the earcup handles calls and media playback. That puts the phone connection within reach while your hands are already busy with a keyboard or controller. You don’t have to move your music library or call app onto the gaming machine just to hear it through the same headset.
There are platform differences worth catching before checkout. Dolby Atmos spatial audio works on PC and requires the Dolby Access app. The basic wireless connection doesn’t require Corsair’s iCUE software; iCUE adds EQ adjustments, preset sound profiles, and RGB controls. Buying it for a console won’t bring every PC feature along.
A mic you can silence with one movement
The microphone flips up to mute, a useful physical cue when you want to stop broadcasting to a chat. It stays attached to the headset, so there’s no small boom mic to misplace, though you also can’t remove it for a more discreet headphones-only look.
Inside is a 10mm capsule with a redesigned pop filter. Corsair also offers NVIDIA Broadcast processing to reduce sounds such as keyboard clatter and fan noise, but that option needs a PC with a compatible GeForce RTX graphics card. It isn’t a noise-cleanup feature running inside the headset on every platform.
Corsair has changed the 50mm drivers, too. Their non-Newtonian laminate diaphragms are designed to settle faster after loud sounds, which the company says helps quieter cues come through.
The lights make a sizable battery difference
Corsair rates the v2 for up to 110 hours over 2.4GHz or 130 hours over Bluetooth, with the RGB lights off and volume at 50 percent. Turn the lighting on and those figures fall to 65 and 80 hours respectively. If long gaps between charges matter more than a glowing logo, there’s a clear setting to change.
Those are separate wireless-mode ratings. Corsair doesn’t give a battery figure for running the two connections together, so the 110-hour number shouldn’t become a promise for a week of game audio plus phone calls.
A 15-minute charge is rated to add up to six hours of use, and you can keep using the wireless connection while the USB cable is plugged in.
The fit uses fabric-covered memory foam ear cushions and a floating headband on an aluminum frame. At 370 grams, this is a full-size gaming headset. Fit will still be personal, especially if you wear glasses or dislike pressure around your ears; the padding specification alone can’t settle that.
If your current headset already handles two audio sources together, the connection feature alone won’t be a reason to replace it. If you’re still switching between game audio and your phone, that’s the specific nuisance this $199.99 model addresses.
Price: $199.99 USD · Corsair HS80 v2 MAX Wireless, Steel Gray
Where to buy: Amazon · Corsair
