Over the past few years, the best gaming headsets have gone premium. Gone are the days of gaudy headphones loaded with RGB lights and angular designs that stick out like a sore thumb. These days, the major audio players are more interested in creating high-quality headsets that you wouldn’t be embarrassed to wear in public. The catch, though, is that these often come at a high price tag since these devices are being marketed more as lifestyle products than gaming ones.
That makes Black Friday such a crucial moment for gaming audiophiles. This weekend is your chance to get a premium headset for a reasonable price. If you need help figuring out which one to pick, I’d recommend Corsair’s Virtuoso Max Wireless Headset, which is on sale at various retailers for $290 (down from $330). I feel comfortable recommending that even if it has its fair share of problems, because it’s become my go-to headset over the past few months.
So what makes the Virtuoso Max so special? The fact that it’s not very special at all. Rather than loading it up with back-of-the-box gimmicks, Corsair focused on making a clean, functional pair of cans that work across a range of devices. While there’s a separate pair you can buy for Xbox specifically, the core headset supports PC, Mac, PlayStation, Switch, mobile and more thanks to its 2.4 GHz wireless and Bluetooth support.
As far as audio quality goes, the Virtuoso Max checks a lot of boxes thanks to its clear 50mm Graphene drivers. You’ll want to mess with the EQ settings, as this is your typical bass-heavy gaming headset, but the audio shines once you get it tweaked to the right spot. Most notable is that the Virtuoso Max can get quite loud without distorting the audio. If I max them out, I don’t get a dreaded hiss. That’s ideal for someone like me who likes blasting music. That clean audio profile pairs nicely with effective active noise cancellation that does a great job of blocking out sound.
More than anything, though, it’s the design that draws me in. Rather than trying to look “cool” by an outdated gamer definition, the Virtuoso Max features a subtle, lightweight aluminum design that I can wear out in public. I personally have the silver model, which has a clean look that’s not too shiny. The only extra lighting touches are thin rings around the earcups that add a light glow. Those earcups rotate too, acting as a control wheel that can be used to adjust volume. That means I don’t have to fiddle around its underside trying to find a volume wheel. It’s all intuitive.
As for comfort, that’s going to differ from person to person. These have a tight, firm grip on my head, which helps them block out any outside audio. The memory foam earcups and headband provide enough cushion, but they aren’t as soft as something like Turtle Beach’s pillow-like Atlas Air. If you’re planning to wear them for long periods of time — and you can with up to 60 hours of battery life — just be aware that it might be a bit of a squeeze.
The Virtuoso Max aren’t perfect by any means. I’ve seen plenty of great critiques from audiophiles who feel a little burned by some of its shortcomings, like audio bugs and lacking preset EQ. Those are largely nitpicks turned into bigger problems because of the headset’s hefty $330 price tag. I agree with those assessments; a premium headset needs to be held to a different standard than a pair of $100 cans. But with the price tag now under $300 for Black Friday, I feel far more comfortable recommending the Virtuoso Max for the price tag. Even with issues, the incredibly clear sound quality, lack of distortion, and great noise cancellation make them an great choice for competitive games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.