Corsair Vengeance 1500 7.1 Gaming Headset - Comfy, Cushy Cans

Design Confusion

Corsair is a brand well known for their PC hardware in the form of system chassis, cooling units, memory and PSUs. But with the Vengeance line, they have moved into the gaming peripherals market segment. While we have previously reviewed the gaming mechanical keyboard offering from Corsair in the form of the Vengeance K90, we now have a chance to run the rule over the Vengeance 1500 Headset.

With gaming being such an intense, adrenaline pumping activity where attitude and confidence can give a slight edge, the aesthetics of gaming peripherals are significantly important. Gaming and e-sports in general are somewhat of a new-age pastime and having decent levels of 'swag' is absolutely essential for products such as these. You can see how companies, like Razer for example, have realized the fact that the appearance of a gaming peripheral is almost as important as its performance leading to a decent modicum of success.

So we start off this review of the Corsair Vengeance 1500 Headphones by evaluating its looks, which are interesting to say the least. The product seems to be a weird hybrid of different textures, colors, materials and styles. Gaming headsets generally have an angular look, which make the circular ear-cups of these headphones more in line with standard audio headphones. The glossy black finish also goes against the usual trend of having a rubberized, matte look. However the blue circular accents give it somewhat of a nod towards entertainment and this design aspect is slightly similar to the Creative Sound Blaster Recon3D’s glowing highlights.

Brushed aluminum has become a staple when it comes to modern design and the Corsair Vengeance 1500 also incorporates it into its build. However, the plating just does not gel with the ear-cups in our opinion and gives the entire product a disjointed appearance. In addition, the embossed Corsair branding on the plating is a bit too large and ostentatious for our liking. Further adding to the mishmash, the headband of the device is covered with a cloth mesh while the cushioning on the ear-cups is covered in velvet. With four different textures present, the Vengeance 1500 is quite confusing to behold.

In terms of hardware however, the Corsair Vengeance 1500 matches up with other high end gaming headsets. It comes equipped with 40mm audio drivers, slightly smaller than the impressive Creative Recon3D Headphones which we have reviewed previously. However, unlike the latter, there is no packaged audio processing unit. An in-line control pod is provided to help adjust the volume and mute the microphone, which is also included in the package. The control pod and buttons are larger than average which was a pleasant surprise as we always feel that manufacturers tend to make them a tad bit too small. Note that a USB connection is used to plug the device in, thus making this pair of headphones strictly a PC/notebook companion.

Trials Ahead

Here at HardwareZone, we have an established set of audio materials that we use to evaluate the merits of any audio product. Considering the naure of  the Corsair Vengeance 1500 headset, we added in a couple of extra tests. Our usual MP3 Tracks and movies were retained, but we also added in games like Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty and Battlefield 3 on the PC as challenges that this product would have to overcome.

Obviously, our overall testing process encompassed a wide variety of extra content as well. But for the sake of consistency and in order to provide a benchmark to compare the headphones with other audio products, we will be presenting our findings from our standard test materials.

Formal MP3 Audio Track Testing:

• Hotel California - Eagles
• Sail on Soothsayer - Buckethead
• Melt My Heart to Stone - Adele
• Elements of Life - Tiesto

Formal Movie Title Testing:

• Swordfish
• Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring

Video Games Testing:

• Battlefield 3
• Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty

Prove Your Mettle

Gaming headsets have it hard. They not only have to deliver on performance but also have to be versatile and adaptable to a wide range of use. Besides expecting excellent surround sound for gaming, you can safely assume that gamers will also be using their headsets for listening to music and watching movies. As if that's not enough, gaming headphones also need to provide extra comfort over extended periods of use.

Comfort Levels

We’ll start the evaluation of the Vengeance 1500 by relating on the level of comfort it accords. As mentioned earlier, Corsair has chosen velvet cloth for the cushioning around the ear-cups. Velvet, being a natural fabric provides much better tactile comfort when compared to synthetic materials. However, it also has a reputation was causing over-heating.

Due to the combination of velvet cushioning and a loose fit, we personally found the Corsair headphones to be extremely comfortable. However over-heating of ears, as was to be expected, was a problem after approximately an hour of use. The time period before the onset of over-heating is respectable and nothing to scoff about. An important point to note about velvet is the fact that the material is prone to getting dirty. Additionally, if your ears sweat due to over-heating, it would also be hard to clean the material. Keep these considerations in mind when debating on whether to procure the product.

Music Test Suite

In order to establish a baseline for the tonal characteristics of the Corsair Vengeance 1500, we began with our MP3 audio test tracks, picked specifically to test various aspects of audio reproduction. We use Sail On Soothsayer by Buckethead to test out how well the headphones can deliver on a mix of chiming guitars and crunching distortion. Unfortunately, the Vengeance 1500 got off to a bad start with loose, muddy distortion that lacked definition. The lead guitar lines lacked bite and on the the entire mix felt flat.

Matters improved somewhat when we switched over to Elements of Life by DJ Tiesto. While the bass and lower frequencies were still loose, they were sufficiently deep and resounding. Packing good impact, the play through of the track was not as disappointing as the previous song.

Next up was a live, acoustic rendition of Hotel California by The Eagles. On the whole, the song sounded sluggish and flat. The intricate lead guitar melody was not clear or crisp. Treble definitely suffered from the lack of definition that has been displayed by the headphones so far. Transient response was also a letdown and the supposedly crisp alternative percussions came across as dull thuds with no realism to the sound. Only the strong mids of the Vengeance 1500 prevented the entire performance from being completely unpleasant.

The middle frequencies actually turned out to be the forte of the Corsair headphones. Warm and melodious, they helped increase the enjoyment of Adele number Melt My Heart To Stone. However, the same muted highs and sluggishness of delivery prevented us from awarding high marks for the device’s performance.

Movie Test Suite

For movies, a nice, wide soundstage is essential. After seeing the performance of recent contenders such as the Creative Recon3D, gaming headphones have no excuse not to provide great surround sound. Not to mention that any headphone claiming to be catered for gamers should deliver precise audio positioning.

So we popped in our DVD of Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring to check out the soundstage of the Corsair Vengeance 1500 with the opening sequences. Unfortunately we found the headphones' audio performance extremely constricted and had an extremely strong central channel which overpowered the surround sound effects. There was very little direction to the arrows whizzing past in the initial battle sequence of Peter Jackson’s epic reproduction of the Tolkien masterpiece. Similarly, the opening sequence of Swordfish features a massive explosion with shrapnel flying around all over the place. But as the Corsair headphones were unable to reproduce the strafing sounds with gusto, the scene lost its charm.

That being said, the good bass performance of the Vengeance 1500 does lend a certain gravitas to action sequences. In addition, the strong central channel helps bring the dialogue to the forefront. Certain scenes of Swordfish where Travolta delivers lines were reproduced quite well by the headphones. On the whole though, we were a bit disappointed with how movie scores were handled.

Gaming

Finally we come to what is meant to be the core competency of the Corsair Vengeance 1500, namely gaming. While game soundtracks have improved dramatically from the early days of MIDI tunes, other audio element also play an important role with respect to gameplay such as sound used to provide information and cues to gamers. Sharp ears can definitely help you get an edge over your competition. We started off with Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty, a real time strategy title. The soundtrack for the game was well reproduced and sounded good, with the low ends emphasized. The Corsair’s strong central channel meant that alerts for important in-game events such as when upgrades finish, armies being attacked and nuclear launches were immediately brought to the forefront of the gamer’s attention.

The real test however for any headphones claiming to be intended for gaming, is Battlefield 3. The strong central channel which worked well on Starcraft II counts against the headphone’s performance. With any first person shooter, surround sound is extremely important. Unfortunately the Vengeance 1500 does not help in any way to better pinpoint the direction gunshots were coming from. If you are expecting a boost to your gaming performance, sadly these headphones might not cut it.

The Verdict

Having evaluated the headphones in detail, we can proceed towards awarding an overall audio performance score for the Corsair Vengeance 1500. The tests detailed on the previous page forms the basis of our merit and comparison system. Each category has equal weightage towards determining the final performance score.

The bottom line is that as a gaming headset, the Corsair Vengeance 1500 does not meet our expectations. Though it advertises 7.1-channel surround sound, we were not impressed in the least by its soundstage. Those who frequently play FPS titles in the vein of Battlefield 3 or Call of Duty will find that the headphones does not increase their ability to pinpoint the direction of relevant sounds. That being said, the headphones are not completely out of the running for gaming sessions. We would classify the comfort levels provided as the best aspect of the product, which makes them suited for prolonged gaming sessions. In fact, its strong central channel makes the headphones a bit more suited for RTS titles.

The same characteristic, namely a strong central channel, was a boon when watching movies and listening to dialogue. But the lack of a wide soundstage meant the action sequences of certain titles failed to impress. We would advise those who love thrillers and art films to try out the headphones while those who prefer explosion laden, action packed flicks should veer clear of the Vengeance 1500.

When it came to music, middle tones are the forte of the headphones and help ensure that the sound is not completely unpalatable. Decent lower frequencies with impact makes the Corsair Vengeance 1500 suited for bass heavy music tracks. As detailed during our performance evaluation trance, hip-hop, house and other similar genres were pleasantly reproduced. However it is important to note that while the bass delivered on oomph, it lacked definition. This lets the headphones down on rock and pop songs. Treble performance was the lowest point during our testing as they lacked definition and sparkle, coming across as muted and lifeless.

On the whole, we would say that the Corsair Vengeance 1500 falls short on most counts. Besides comfort and a decent central channel, most of the other audio properties of the device are below par. The only thing really going for it is its price tag which is just S$139. Other headphone competitors from Creative, Razer and Steelseries are comparatively priced much higher. However the old adage, "you get what you pay for", rings true. The Corsair Vengeance 1500 might appeal to a small niche of thriller movie seekers, trance lovers and RTS game loving folks on a budget. But the general user might not be impressed with it - especially if you expect immersive surround audio as its naming scheme suggests with the "7.1" descriptor. One more point to note that is that it works on USB connectivity only, thus limiting its use to desktop and notebook computers only.

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