The Corsair HS35 is Corsair's latest attempt to provide ordinary gamers with a cheap, no-frills audio solution that can nonetheless deliver superb sound quality and comfort. It undoubtedly undercuts the cost of more expensive Corsair headsets, such as the beefier HS50, but the true test is whether it can sustain those benefits without coming across as a cheap product. Thankfully, it achieves this balance flawlessly. Despite the lack of 5 or 7.1 surround sound, the Corsair HS35 Stereo headset is a solid all-rounder in terms of over-ear gaming headsets, looking elegant and sounding fantastic.
Design
When you first pull the Corsair HS35 Stereo headset out of the box, it provides a terrific first impression. It's not too bulky, and the cable is color-matched to both the memory foam earcup and headband cushions, making it appear more costly than it is. At $40/£40, this is a really attractive and well-designed headset, made of durable materials that are pleasant to wear for long periods of time – even for individuals with large ears. The HS35 comes in a variety of colours, including Carbon Black, Microsoft Green, PlayStation Blue, and Nintendo Red, all of which have a sleek design.
The one area where it fails to impress in terms of design is how it manages microphone placement. The gadget is removable, rather than acting on a swivel that can be flipped up or down depending on whether you need it. As a result, unless you always elect to keep it in, it must be placed into the left earcup if you wish to join party chat. It attaches well enough and has a flexible arm, but I would have wanted it to be incorporated into the device rather than as an add-on that is constantly at risk of being misplaced. Even so, it isn't a deal-breaker.
Features
The Corsair HS35 fails to compete with the larger boys since it is priced at the lower end of the over-ear headphone spectrum. The microphone is not just removable, but it is also Discord-approved, featuring unidirectional pickup and active noise-cancellation. I put it to the test on my own head and on the head of a buddy, and I can affirm that his voice was crystal clear on the other end. The on-ear slider, which is also accessible on the left earcup, makes volume adjustments straightforward, and muting all music is as simple as pressing a button. There's no way to modify the volume levels of in-game and party audio, but that's probably asking too much.
Performance
Moving on to the main event, the Corsair HS35 Stereo headset continues to perform admirably. It may not be capable of producing top-tier 7.1 surround sound, but the cushioned earcups do an excellent job of locking in any and all significant sound worth hearing. Because the HS35 is designed to work with a variety of platforms and game genres, I took it on a journey from PS4 to PC to Nintendo Switch and back. The audio fidelity was similar on both platforms, however huge explosions and low bass noises on the latter seemed a little tinnier.
The Corsair HS35 boasts that you'll "never miss a beat" when wearing it, and while I'd misplaced my copy of Dance Dance Revolution while testing, the sweeping symphony of Assassin's Creed Odyssey had me immediately hooked. The same can be true for a game like Hotline Miami's synth-infused pops, which the HS35 had me murdering and swaying to in no time. Yes, game soundtracks are adequately heard in detail, but the HS35 truly shocked me with its weapon sounds.
Wolfenstein Youngblood is one of the most recent first-person shooters to hit the market, making it an ideal choice for seeing how punchy the Corsair HS35's weapon fires, cocks, and reloads may be. My expectations were far exceeded, with Youngblood's artillery providing excellent, deep-toned reaction to all of my moves. Resident Evil 2, on the other hand, saw the HS35 make fantastic use of the direction-specific sound effects, with everything from zombie groans to creaking doors providing a frightening tone on the left or ride-side cup.
Overall
You can't get much better than the Corsair HS35 if you're looking for a cheap over-ear gaming headset with good sound, enough comfort, and a dash of exquisite elegance thrown in. It's a cheap headset masquerading as a higher-end model, yet it still manages to focus on the important aspects of audio. This should work as long as you don't want any more features, such as the option to switch between in-game and party chat audio. Aside from that, the memory foam headband and earcups give the headset a beautiful finish.
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