It’s not long ago that we told you about the Corsair HS80 Max Wireless, excellent quality headphones at a reasonable price and with the only flaw that they may weigh a little too much. A little over a month later, Privateer sent us a new pair of headphones, priced similarly but for a decidedly different audience: the new Professional virtuoso are dedicated to streamers, gamers and content creators willing to sacrifice the comfort of wireless connection and the isolation guaranteed by closed-back headphones in the name of superior audio quality.
Because this is the main feature that the new Virtuoso Pros focus the most on: audio quality. these are headphones open back, that allow sound to pass outside to have a wider and more natural soundstage and offer a better, more “three-dimensional” listening experience. they exploit the gods 50mm graphene driver. and to perform at their best they must be connected to a DAC-AMP, such as an Elgato Wave XLR, but in reality they can also be used in consoles using the 3.5mm connector cable.
Therefore, there is no USB connection, not even on a PC. There are two cables in the package, one of which is equipped with unidirectional microphone, essential to be able to use them fully on the console. Furthermore, in the package we also find a splitter that allows you to divide the headphone and microphone lines: if you have a DAC-AMP with double input, you can use the adapter to have full control and take advantage of the integrated microphone, without necessarily having to resort to a external device. There is also a Balanced cable with 4.4 mm connector, sold separately..
The Corsair Virtuoso Pro comes to the market in two colors, white and black. We received the latter, which is very aesthetically pleasing thanks to the light gray and metallic details. The design is extremely clean: there are no controls or buttons on the headphones, Just the two 3.5mm jacks where you can connect the cable. The slider to mute the microphone is placed directly on the cable, but operating it could cause you to inadvertently disconnect the jack and if this happened, you would only hear on the right side; Corsair obviously thought about it and prepared a housing for the left pavilion where the cable fits, precisely to avoid this risk.
The pinnae rotate and adapt well to the natural inclination of the ears, but they are not deep enough and the ears touch the membrane. The pads are covered in fabric and are breathable, in general the ears are always cool. The arch support is also well padded; Additionally, the arch padding can be removed and replaced if necessary.
In addition to the top padding, the earpads can also be removed, as can the outer covers of the headphones; everything can be easily replaced by the end user, a feature worth highlighting.
The structure is solid and robust, and thanks to the metal arch, there are no strange creaks and you feel that you have a quality product in your hands: the weight 338 grams It is not negligible, but it is well distributed and not annoying.
User experience
Given their nature, we use the Corsair Virtuoso Pro primarily for PC gaming, connecting them to a DAC-AMP. The experience is extremely positive: The headphones are equalized to offer the best in games, the sound is always well rendered, full-bodied and rich in details.. In Elden Ring you can capture every detail of the Interregnum and immerse yourself even further in the game world: if you listen carefully, you can avoid ambushes by hearing the sound of enemies waiting for you behind a wall or beyond a door. In more frenetic games like Apex Legends and Warzone, enemy footsteps can be heard clearly and the direction they are coming from can also be clearly understood.
He the weight is well distributed and during the many hours of play we had no special problems. In general, comfort is good and the only element that could be annoying is the fact that the ears touch the membrane of the auricle. The cable is quite long, perhaps too long if you play on a console and have headphones connected to the pad, or if you are on a PC and have the DAC-AMP on your desk, scenarios in which it could bother you a little.
The unidirectional microphone is also of good quality., more than adequate for playing online and talking with friends; It sits well in front of the mouth and the sponge cap included in the package helps reduce the “pop” effect and improve quality. If you are a streamer or content creator, we recommend that you rely on a higher quality external microphone for your activities.
The microphone mute button is easy to reach and identify if necessary, so there is no problem from this point of view either.
Finally, we also tested the Corsair Virtuoso Pro for listen to music. They are not at the level of real listening headphones, also due to the equalization, but they still offer a performance is better than other gaming headsets in this price range, also thanks to its open structure.
Conclusions
The Corsair Virtuoso Pro are Headphones that focus mainly on audio quality.offering different features than those that brands usually focus on with products in this price range: instead of wireless connectivity and Bluetooth here we return to the cable, essential when you want to maintain the greatest possible fidelity, and instead of the passive isolation of the classic closed we found a open structurewhich widens the soundstage but also lets outside noise in.
The sound performance is excellent in games of any genre thanks also to effective equalization, which however somewhat penalizes listening to music, where a certain neutrality is often preferred. This is not to say that the Corsair Virtuoso Pro are bad headphones for listening, quite the opposite; Simply put, headphones designed for listening to music will provide a superior experience.
The microphone is of good quality. and suitable for talking with friends while gaming, or even attending online meetings. However, if you stream or record videos for YouTube, rely on an external microphone, probably of higher quality.
Perhaps the only limitation of these Corsair Virtuoso Pros is the fact that they can they give their best only when connected to a DAC-AMP and that, consequently, while they are still excellent gaming headsets, they do not work as well when connected to PS5, Xbox Series
In conclusion, if you are a gamer, streamer or content creator and are looking for high-quality headphones to connect to your system, a 199 euros These Corsair Virtuoso Pro are a very good choice, which you absolutely must take into account.