The Corsair HS55 Wireless is a discreet headset that doesn’t follow the flamboyant style typical of gaming accessories. There are no RGB lights or colored plastic strips, but rather an entirely matte black design, with a touch of elegance provided by the glossy logo on the back of each earcup. Without the non-detachable boom microphone, it could easily pass for a conventional wireless headset.
Corsair HS55 Wireless design
At just 9.4 oz (266 g), the HS55 Wireless is lighter than any other headset on our list of the best wireless gaming headsets. The tester, with a head particularly sensitive to headset pressure, was able to wear the HS55 Wireless for almost a full working day without discomfort.
However, this lightness is explained by an almost entirely plastic construction. While the headset doesn’t give an impression of fragility, it doesn’t feel extremely robust either. A little metal is used in the adjustment straps, but the brackets, pivots and headband are all plastic. This is a common concern with gaming headsets, as the repeated stress of putting them on and taking them off can lead to long-term cracking. Nevertheless, the HS55 Wireless doesn’t exhibit any worrying creaks when stretching the headband or making adjustments.
The memory foam ear pads, trimmed in faux leather, are aesthetically pleasing but only moderately block external noise. Their oval shape encompasses the ears well, and the depth of the pads prevents contact with the speakers (measuring a total of 0.9 inches). The headband is less thick, using softer foam and a similar faux-leather covering. The HS55’s ear pads proved a little stiff, requiring the headset to be adjusted for a better fit. However, they tend to retain heat, causing the ears to feel warm after a few minutes of use.
The clamping force and other adjustments of the headphones are well balanced. They stay in place even when leaning forward, and the headphones can swivel to fit the shape of the head or lie flat around the neck. For spectacle wearers, the headphones fit snugly without moving the temples or causing discomfort.
On each earcup are integrated controls. The right earcup has two buttons and an indicator light. The lower button controls power and toggles between 2.4 GHz wireless audio and Bluetooth. The top button manages Bluetooth, with different pressure options for playing music, navigating between tracks and taking calls. The left earpiece offers audio controls, as well as a USB Type-C port for charging. It features a microphone mute button and a volume dial, with secondary functions when held down. The volume wheel, easy to press inadvertently, can switch between four built-in equalization modes.
At the front of the left earpiece is the built-in microphone, which offers good amplification and a handy toggle mute function. There’s no LED to indicate when the mic is muted, but its flexible arm allows comfortable positioning.
Corsair HS55 Wireless features
| Model | Corsair HS55 Wireless |
| Connectivity |
|
| Operating time |
|
| Headset type | Gaming |
| Pad shape | Shape memory |
| Microphone type | Flip to mute |
| Frequency response | 20Hz – 20,000Hz |
| Sensitivity | 114dB |
| Earphone size | 50 mm |
| Impedance | 32k Ohms |
| Microphone frequency response | 100 Hz – 10,000 Hz |
| Audio technology | Dolby Audio |
| Weight | 266 grams |
Corsair HS55 Wireless audio quality
The HS55 Wireless is equipped with large 50 mm neodymium drivers, specially designed by the brand. Such drivers, with their ability to displace more air, can generally deliver a richer, more impactful sound than smaller drivers, when properly tuned. Despite their large diameter, these speakers are easy to power and can reach very high sound levels, eliminating the need to turn up the volume to the maximum to hear enemy footsteps.
The headset features several equalization profiles: Standard, Bass Boost, Cinema and FPS Competition Mode. A click on the volume wheel toggles between modes, and while there are differences, they are generally quite subtle. The Bass Boost mode should be avoided, as it makes the sound so muddy it seems to come from beyond the grave. FPS Competition mode, on the other hand, brings the treble a little more to the fore and was my preferred mode for all types of content. Fortunately, the headset offers good stereo audio quality. I was able to locate fights in deathmatch rounds before the game started and even get around enemies by hearing them before seeing them. The treble lacks clarity, however, which is a bit of a shame.
As the headset is designed to connect to a smartphone, it’s likely that most users will also use it to listen to music. No special Bluetooth codec is involved here, and no difference in quality was perceived between its two wireless connections. Whether for games, music or movies, the choice of listening mode is left to the user, with both options offering similar sound quality. Ultimately, this headset favors a warm, resonant sound signature at the expense of sonic balance. Competitive cues are clearly perceptible, but for those seeking clarity and detail across the entire sound spectrum, these headphones may not be the ideal choice.The HS55 Wireless stands out for its dual wireless connectivity. It can connect simultaneously to two audio sources: 2.4 GHz wireless via the included USB Type-A dongle, and Bluetooth 5.2. The 2.4 GHz is for low-latency gaming, compatible with the PlayStation 5, while Bluetooth works with all your usual devices, including the Nintendo Switch. The headset’s range is impressive, allowing you to move up to 15 meters without losing the connection. It’s important to note that the headset can’t accept audio from multiple sources simultaneously like some high-end headsets. It automatically switches from game audio to an incoming call, and returns to the game once the call is over.
Corsair HS55 Wireless microphone
The Corsair HS55 Wireless features a fixed omnidirectional microphone with built-in ambient noise cancellation. This microphone has a frequency response range of 100 Hz to 10 kHz and a sensitivity of -41 dB. It is attached to a flexible microphone arm, allowing it to be adjusted close to or away from the mouth for clear, comfortable sound capture. The microphone offers flip-to-mute functionality, and can also be muted using a button on the back of the left earpiece. In practice, the flip-to-mute feature is so well designed that use of the button becomes a rarity. A tactile click and a beep accompany the movement of the microphone arm from an upright position, avoiding any uncertainty about the state of the microphone.Microphone performance is satisfactory in the sense that teammates can hear the user clearly. The microphone works well for calls with friends on Discord, but would not be ideal for uses requiring high microphone quality, such as streaming on Twitch or other activities where microphone quality is paramount.
Corsair HS55 Wireless battery life
The Corsair HS55 Wireless offers fairly good battery life, but still requires recharging at least once a week, depending on usage. Corsair claims a total battery life of 24 hours. This estimate proved fairly accurate at a listening volume of around 50%, but autonomy decreases if the volume is increased beyond this threshold.
Playing for around three hours a day, this autonomy allows around eight days’ play between charges. The indicator light on the right earpiece changes color from green to orange to red, indicating the current battery status. However, it’s frustrating not to be able to check the exact battery level, even via the software. I had to use Android’s Bluetooth menu to check the status of the HS55, which isn’t very accurate and only provides measurements in 10% intervals.
iCue software
iCue is as comprehensive as ever, but here the settings are for once very simple to understand. In fact, there are no two panels for backlighting acar as the headset is not backlit. The first panel features the Nvidia Broadcast function, although this does not appear to have been updated for RTX 4000 series cards.
The second panel presents the equalizer, with the option of choosing a pre-configured equalizer from the manufacturer, or setting your own 10-band graphic equalizer.
Finally, the last section presents the headset parameters, with the option of changing the headset color in the software, especially if you have white headphones.
It is also possible to program the headset to switch off automatically after a certain time when not in use.
Corsair HS55 Wireless review
The Corsair HS55 Wireless is a high-performance, low-cost headset. It’s naturally more expensive than the HS55 Surround, but because it’s wireless, its features are interesting, and for a gamer who’s just starting out but has a bit of a budget, it’s an excellent wireless headset.