Corsair Void Surround Gaming Headset Review

By Jason Maxfield

Manufacturer: Corsair Components, Inc.
Product Name: VOID Surround Hybrid Stereo Gaming Headset with Dolby 7.1
Model Number: CA-9011144-NA
UPC: 843591070850
Price As Tested: $59.99 (Amazon | NewEgg)

Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Corsair.

Corsair has updated it’s Gaming line of headsets with the VOID Surround Hybrid Stereo Gaming Headset. Featuring Dolby 7.1 Surround certification with the use of Corsair’s CUE (Corsair Utility Engine) Software, micro-fiber covered ear cups, noise canceling mic, and frequency response from 20Hz to 20KHz. The Void Surround is compatible with the Xbox One, PS4, PC (with USB adapter), and mobile phones, making the Void Surround a versatile headset for all your gaming needs.

Unlike the Corsair Void Surround RGB wireless that came out last year, this trimmed down version cuts out the expense of wireless power and RGB lighting system, and what is left, is the bare bones of a wired version of the Void Surround with all the same sound quality of it’s wireless sibling. Corsair also has a stereo variant of the Void headset, if surround sound isn’t for you.

In this article for Benchmark Reviews, I’ll be putting the Corsair Gaming Void Surround to the test. Will Corsair deliver the goods with this mid-price offering, or come up short? Let’s find out!

Features & Specifications

Corsair Gaming Void Surround Overview

Corsair packs the Void Surround with a warranty and quick start guide. The USB adapter is used for PC in conjunction with the CUE software for Dolby 7.1 (virtual) surround sound.

Corsair has chosen to use micro-fiber and soft foam for it’s ear cups and bridge atop the Void Surround headset. I personally like this choice. The ear cups sit around my largish ears comfortably for hours of gaming, music listening, voice chat, etc. The Void Surround is easily adjustable by sliding the ear cups down. They lock in place at each interval on the scale, which is clearly marked on top of the bridge, so you can precisely adjust the length of each side for a perfect fit.

Corsair has included a handy mute toggle on the left ear cup just behind the Corsair logo. It’s fairly large, so finding it quickly is not an issue.

The volume slider for the Corsair Void Surround sits at the bottom edge of the left ear cup. It’s fairly large, and easy to find. It has grooves to facilitate positive grip and ease of motion while rotating the volume up or down.

Finally we have the Dolby 7.1 USB adapter for use on the PC. This allows for the virtual surround sound to work in conjunction with Corsair’s CUE software.

Corsair Gaming Void Surround Testing

Testing & Results

Testing Methodology

While testing the Corsair Gaming Void Surround headset, I wanted to evaluate as much of it’s functionality as possible. Not only from a sound quality standpoint, but to the fit and comfort of the headset.

For testing, I used my PC and mobile phone, and spent many hours gaming in Ark: Survival Evolved, DDO (Dungeons and Dragons Online), Skyrim, and Diablo 3. I also spent hours listening to a variety of music, from classic, to metal, to rap, and many other genres of music. I watched plenty of movie content and TV shows while evaluating the Void Surround headset. The CUE software was turned on and off during my testing of the Void Surround headset.

Testing on my mobile phone, was similar. I listened to FM radio, MP3 music files, watched TV shows, movies, and made phone calls using the Void Surround headset.

The CUE software is fairly straight forward to use. Corsair doesn’t provide a lot of documentation on how it is to be used or the effect it will have on your sound experience. Enabling the 7.1 virtual surround is easy enough. You simply toggle the Dolby icon at the bottom of the volume sliders, and when activated the icon turns blue, and your Dolby 7.1 USB adapters LED turns white, letting you know surround sound has been activated.

On the right side of the CUE software you have various presets for sound, which are basically nothing more than EQ settings. There are 5 presets included with the CUE software: Pure Direct, Movie Theater, Clear Chat, FPS Competition, and Bass Boost. You can set custom EQ profiles to your liking if you do not like the presets that come with the CUE software.

Beyond that, the volume sliders for the mic and sidetone are the only other parts of the CUE software that are functional for the Corsair Void Surround headset.

Test System

• Motherboard: MSI 870 G45
• System Memory: Gskill Ares 1600 8GB (2×4)
• Processor: AMD Phenom II 965 BE @ 3.8GHz
• Audio: On-board
• Video: XFX Radeon R9 390 Ghost Thermal 3.0 Cooling 8GB Vram
• Disk Drive 1: Samsung 850 Evo 500GB
• Disk Drive 2: WD Black 750GB
• Optical Drive: DVD Writer/Reader
• Enclosure: Silverstone PS11-W
• PSU: EVGA Supernova 850 Watt Gold
• Monitor: Acer X223w 1680×1050
• Operating System: Windows 10 Pro

Results

Listening to the Corsair Gaming Void Surround is pleasant. The sound is fairly balanced without EQ settings, with a slight tweak upwards in bass frequencies. The Void Surround required me to turn the volume up to 50 on my system settings since the Void Surround requires a high power USB 2.0 connection. I can tweak the volume from there using the volume slider on the headset to a comfortable level.

The overall sound when using the Dolby 7.1 surround function was more of a broadening of the sound field, rather than directed sound. I listened to various Dolby 7.1 sound tests to see if I could pinpoint sound in a directional manner and it is not much different than listening to the content in stereo. In the end, I preferred to use the Corsair Void Surround with the Dolby function off, since it tends to make everything wider in perspective, and makes listening to someone talk on the headset sound like they are talking to you from down a hallway rather than being centered.

Using the CUE software to tweak the EQ settings was easy. Results were as expected. Volumes of specified frequencies were changed as you moved sliders up and down. I preferred to leave the CUE software on ‘Pure Direct’, which is a flat EQ setting while using the Dolby surround function. I’m confident that anyone can get the EQ settings to their desired level using the CUE software, however. The ‘Sidetone’ slider did not seem to do much of anything that I could hear. I assumed this slider was for the surround effect level when using the Dolby 7.1 surround function of the CUE software. Even Corsair’s guide for the CUE software only mentions the sidetone slider as an on/off function, without clarifying what it actually does for sound.

Clarity of sound is good, not quite audiophile quality, but good enough. While listening to music you can hear everything clearly. Only bass is slightly overpowering, but much of that depends on the type of music being listened to. Bass is deep and can be heard well down to 25Hz. Below 25Hz sound appears to drop off sharply. At the upper range, I was able to hear sound up to 16KHz using a frequency sweep from 20Hz to 20KHz. Mids and highs come through clean and understandable. This is by no means a technically accurate way to measure actual frequency response of the Void Surround headset, but a personal experience of what I can actually hear.

During voice chat while gaming, my friends came in loud and clear over in-game sounds, and the quality of the Corsair Void Surround microphone was clear and precise. I play hands free (open mic) while using voice chat on Curse and Ventrilo, and had no complaints of noise in the background. I was not able to test the Corsair Void Surround in a noisy environment, such as an internet cafe, so the noise canceling mic mileage may vary.

Using the Corsair Gaming Void Surround with my ZTE Warp Elite mobile phone was good as well. I played the Walking Dead game, listened to MP3 music, TV shows, movies, FM radio, and made phone calls while testing the Corsair Void Surround. Sound quality was good, if not a bit muffled at times. I think this has to do with my phone trying to push those big 50mm drivers, as I had to turn my volume up near maximum to get good volume to the headset. I personally would not want to use the Void Surround as an everyday headset for mobile use, as there are plenty of other options which are better suited for mobile phones.

Lastly, I want to talk about the comfort and fit of the Corsair Gaming Void Surround headset. The material used for the ear cups and bridge consists of a micro-fiber cloth and soft foam inserts. I have a fairly large head with large ears, and I was able to wear the Void Surround for hours at a time without any strain or discomfort. The headset is a bit on the heavy side and large, so keep that in mind if you do not like large headsets.

A final note: I was not able to confirm functionality with the Xbox or PS4 gaming consoles.

Final Thoughts

The Corsair Gaming Void Surround delivers good sound quality while being comfortable for hours of use. The ear cups can get a bit warm after a while, specially if you live in a warm climate. Although, I could see this as a side benefit during cold days or nights.

I have to say I’m disappointed in the Dolby 7.1 surround quality. Granted this is only a virtual surround headset, which has always lacked performance in my experience with other headsets that offer virtual surround sound.

Using the Void Surround with my cell phone was a bit awkward to say the least. It functions well enough, but it is just too big and bulky to use in an everyday situation with a mobile phone.

If Corsair had nailed the Dolby 7.1 surround experience they would have a knock-out headset on their hands, but it ends up being a good stereo gaming headset instead.

Conclusion

The Corsair Gaming Void Surround is a solid performer for stereo use. The Dolby 7.1 surround was useful in widening the sound stage, which made some content more enjoyable, while others not so much. For voice chat the surround function was more annoying than anything. I preferred to leave the Dolby 7.1 surround off most of the time, limiting the use of the CUE software for my personal tastes.

The looks of the Corsair Gaming Void Surround are sleek and functional. Keeping with what seems to be the industry standard for any ‘gaming’ device, the red and black color scheme will blend with most of your other ‘gaming’ hardware in your PC. I would say they looked a bit odd at first with the shape of the ear cups not being oval or round in shape, but after wearing them this is a purely functional aesthetic, and makes the Void Surround headset comfortable to wear for hours at a time.

Construction of the Corsair Gaming Void Surround headset is solid. They have a beefy feel and heft without feeling like cheap plastic that is going to break if you were to accidentally drop them. The only point of concern with construction is where the ear cups can swivel inward so you can lay them flat. If they were to fall, this area might be the weak link that could break if they landed in a way to put pressure and twist the ear cup too far.

The functionality of the Corsair Gaming Void Surround is mixed. While the headset does perform well in stereo and the mic works great for voice chat, the Dolby 7.1 implementation falls short in my opinion. Which makes the CUE software practically useless for my personal usage of the Void Surround headset.

Selling for $59.99 (Amazon | NewEgg) at the time of writing this article, the Corsair Gaming Void Surround is a good value. Even if the surround function leaves you a bit wanting, the sound quality, mic, and comfort level make up for this short-coming.

As a final recommendation, If you are looking for a Dolby 7.1 Surround headset, I would look elsewhere for a true Dolby surround headset that uses multiple drivers to deliver real surround sound instead of ‘virtual’ surround with software.

However, if you like the style and price, the Corsair Gaming Void Surround is a solid stereo headset, with a good mic, and comfortable to game with for hours at a time.

Pros:

+ Comfortable for hours of gaming use
+ Good quality mic with noise canceling
+ Balanced stereo sound
+ Compatible with gaming consoles and mobile phones

Cons:

– Dolby 7.1 surround falls short
– CUE software is not that useful

Ratings:

• Performance: 7.5
• Appearance: 8.0
• Construction: 9.25
• Functionality: 7.0
• Value: 8.0

Final Score: 7.95 out of 10.

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