By Daniel McNamara
Manufacturer: Corsair Components, Inc.
Product Name: Raptor Gaming Headset
Model Number: HS30
Part Number: CA-9011121-NA
UPC: 843591038874
Price As Tested: $49.99 (Amazon | Newegg)
Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Corsair.
The Corsair Raptor HS30 Gaming Headset provides a solid performance at a budget price. Benchmark Reviews has tested this headset and the results will allow you to decide if the Raptor HS30 Gaming Headset is for you. The headset will undergo player evaluations and technical tests.
The primary purpose of a gaming headsets is to isolate your from your surroundings, and to allow clear communications with your comrades in arms. In fact, a good gaming headset is as important as life itself:
It seems like you have been running all day, blood levels are low, energy almost nonexistent and finally, the airport is in sight. You and your wing-man are looking to score big in weapons and supplies. This is what you have been killing yourself for. Your head is locked into in the game, every sound is critical, every word you utter, essential. You crest the small rise looking for the sniper that the chatter says is there. Suddenly a blood curdling voice rings out, “Supper. Get down here at once!” In that split second of inattention a shot rings out. Too late – you are dead; your wing-man alone and exposed. If only you had a Corsair Raptor HS30 Headset you would have had those couple of critical seconds to take care of business. Now it is back to the beach and another long haul…
In this article Benchmark Reviews has a look at the new Corsair Raptor HS30 Gaming Headset, in various environments, to help you decide if this is a tool for your gaming toolbox.
The Corsair Raptor HS 30 Gaming headset is solidly built and the quality of workmanship is apparent. A bit heavy at 16 ounces, but this extra weight seems to disappear when you set the HS30 on your head. The head band is nicely padded to help distribute the weight evenly across the head.
I have worn the headset while traveling and although it was somewhat warm and I did not feel overly uncomfortable due to heat. In fact on one flight the aircraft interior started at -25 C, so it was kind of nice to have warm ears.
It is also good to note that the Raptor HS30 is equipped with large circumaural ear cushions that provide very solid sound dampening. This was a remark made by a couple other (family) reviewers when they had a chance to use them while I was on yet another trip.
Everything is not all rosy though, when you slip the headset on you immediately notice that the boom on the microphone is flexible, but does not stay at where you bend it. This may have something to do with the ambient noise reduction, but I still like my mike close to my mouth. It was necessary to run my microphone at maximum volume, which I am not used to doing. On the other hand there were no comments about background noise problems from my cohorts.
The Raptor HS30 comes with a 9 foot chord with analogue connectors, which will fit into every computer that has the two standard 3.5 mm jack connectors.
The other feature to note is a volume control and mike on-off switch, both of which work very well. The length of cord between the headset and the volume control feels right to me, not too far down the line, but not up near your head. I also like the microphone kill switch so you know, for sure, that the mike is off or on.
The following information is taken from the Corsair Components Inc. website:
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The large diameter drivers are equipped with high-sensitivity magnets for better sound with lower distortion.
Circumaural, closed-back design
- The ear cups fit around the ears to help block distracting environmental noise, and the solid outer shell helps prevent bothering others when you’re playing or listening.
Noise canceling microphone
- The microphone automatically screens out background noise, so you can be heard clearly.
Padded ear cups and headband
- Extra comfort, so you can keep your head in the game longer without your gear getting in the way.
Dual 3.5mm audio connectors for compatibility
- The HS30 works with any PC or Mac with standard 3.5mm connectors for audio output and microphone input. It works with both sound cards and built-in audio connectors, on both desktop PCs and notebooks and laptops.
Headphones
- Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20 kHz
- Impedance: 32 Ohms @ 1 kHz
- Drivers: 40mm Neodymium
- Connector: Dual 3.5mm Jacks
Microphone
- Type: Unidirectional noise canceling
- Impedance: 2.2k Ohms
- Frequency Response: 100Hz – 10kHz
- Sensitivity: -42 dB (± 2 dB)
Cable Length
- 2.7m / 9’
System requirements
- Any Computer with 3.5mm (1/8”) connectors for audio output and microphone input
In the Closer Look, above, I tried to cover the ergonomic aspects of the HS30 Headset. In this section I will describe the more technical evaluation of the headset speakers. I am doing this because, although the headset primarily a gaming device, I tend to spend most of my time listening to music, rather than talking.
Test System
To provide some objectivity to the assessment process I used audio test tones available for download at: www.audiocheck.net. With this set of test tones I was able to discretely test aspects of the headset that would be hard to quantify otherwise.
Using a frequency test that started at very low frequency I was able to determine that the headphones were able to produce sound from about 10 Hertz and up. That does not necessarily mean that I could hear that frequency, but the headphones were clearly reacting to this harmonically.
The highest frequency I could clearly detect was 11 KHz. That was when the dog and the rest of my family would physically react to the sound although I am in no position to dispute the 20 KHz claimed by the manufacturer
I did also use other audio tests that still were a bit subjective. This included listening to music and a couple of other audio tests from the site listed above. I then was able to evaluate the performance in display the ratings in the above chart.
Distortion. I did my very best to produce distortion in the HS30 Gaming Headset. Granted I only used my computer, and I am sure if I wanted to overdrive the audio inputs I could, but I was able to max out all the volume levels available and I only was able to detect distortion at the edges of the sound. Score: 87.5.
Imaging Detail. Imaging detail is another very subjective test. It is easier to pick up when listening to complex music representing many instruments. Mostly this is clearer in good quality classical music. A truly remarkable sound system will allow you to almost pinpoint where every instrument is placed. In this test the Raptor HS30 also did very well. The sound was reproduced very well and singular instruments could be heard in general locations. For this reason the system scored 85.
LEDRO – Overhead. LEDRO stands for Listening Environment Diagnostic Recording Test. This means that sounds are spatially rotated and you can listen to see how well you track the sound. During the overhead test a sound is produced above your head and to the left. It travels from left to right and back again. You should be able to picture in your mind the sound moving with some precision. With the Corsair Raptor HS30 the sound was clear, and above, although it was hard to differentiate it from front and back side to side, so I rated it at 75.
LEDRO – Left to Right. The Raptor HS30 also performed very well in this test. The sound clearly hovered to the front and translated left to right and back. Score: 90.
Acoustic Space. It is difficult to create a complete acoustic picture in the volume within the headphones. However I found that with the Raptor HS30 you felt like the listening volume was much greater than most headphones. I therefore assigned a score of 85.
Results
Averaging the above factors the Corsair HS30 earned a performance score of 84.5, which translates into a Benchmark review of 8.50.
The Corsair Raptor HS30 Gaming Headset performed admirably. My first impression was that it was a bit clunky, but after working with it, at home and while travelling, it grew on me. I like the looks of the headset, and the way it carries out its job. For me, it provides effective isolation from the household background noise, it is very comfortable, and the noise reduction microphone works very well. The nine foot cord is also a big plus.
The performance of the HS30 was assessed through various audio tests. It was rated as an 8.50, on a scale of one to ten. This performance rating reflects the ability for the headset to reproduce sound and create an effective audio picture, which is important while gaming or just relaxing.
The Raptor HS30 Gaming Headset has a very modern and pleasing appearance. The colours are eye catching, but muted. Angular surfaces are used to create a dynamic appearance and the lines are clean and pleasing. All in all the Corsair Raptor looks like a much more expensive gaming headset.
The Raptor HS30 is solidly constructed, and sturdily made. Once again clean lines are reflected in that there are only four screws in evidence on the whole headset. At 16 ounces the headset may seem a bit heavy at first, however no one in the household who wore the Raptor HS30 complained at all about the weight, in fact I received far more comments on how light it is.
On the question of functionality I would say that the Raptor HS30 covers all the bases. It has good isolation, and when using the microphone background noise is all but eliminated. I would say that when it comes to functionality the Raptor HS30 gives a great bang for the buck.
Value for me is a function of how well an item carries out the critical tasks versus how much it costs. The Corsair HS30 comes in at a price of $49.99 (Amazon | Newegg), which given the functionality, and performance provided makes it a great value. At press time there was even a $10.00 rebate card on offer at Newegg, making it an even better deal!
In its class the Raptor HS30 performed very well in every category assessed and so I would recommend it to those who want a quality, entry level headset, at a value price. You can meet most of your gaming needs with the Corsair Raptor HS30 Gaming Headset.
+ 3.5 mm connectors means a wide variety of computers are supported
+ Large comfortable, circumaural ear pads make for very good noise isolation
+ Microphone has very good ambient noise canceling
+ Well constructed and stylish design.
+ A great value at a very competitive price
– Spatial awareness limited to side to side movement
– Unable to lock Microphone boom curve relative to your mouth
- Performance: 8.50
- Appearance: 9.25
- Construction: 9.25
- Functionality: 8.75
- Value: 9.50
