Corsair Virtuoso Max Wireless review - a PC headset tour de force

The Corsair Virtuoso Max Wireless headset is the brand’s flagship premium pair of cups, and this was apparent the second I carefully removed them from the included leather-bound case. From the sleek logo-embossed headband, the bright LED-lit-up metal cups and microphone, to the superb audio quality from the 50mm graphite audio drivers - every inch of the Virtuoso Max is just as impressive as the last.

Naturally, this premium quality comes with a premium price. The Virtuoso Max Wireless costs $329.99 / £280, which is pricier than nearly all the best gaming headsets I’ve come across so far. For console players, particularly those that stick to the PS5 or Nintendo Switch, this price could be a big ask - as while it will bring out the rich and nuanced sounds of any game you through its way, all its customization, including its sound and lighting, relies on having access to software like iCue and the Dolby Atmos which are unique to PC and Mac platforms.

If you’re mainly in the market for a PC headset, and you don’t mind giving up tailoring your audio and lighting setup when switching to consoles, this is one of nicest that will grace your head. Sure, it’s also one of the heaviest, and the lackluster foam padding doesn’t do much to combat that. But the mild aches and pains are easy to forget when you hear and see all that the Corsair Virtuoso Max wireless headset has to offer.

Key specs

Design

It’s difficult not to get carried away when yapping on about the design of the Virtuoso Max Wireless headset. For this review, I was provided with the White SKU, and as soon as I got my hands on it, I couldn’t help but grin at the sight of its sleek, sophisticated appearance. This is mostly due to its hard-to-miss shining metal cups and yoke, which make this headset stand out from the plastic chassis of other PC headsets I’ve had across my testing bench.

Even the top of the yoke looks monumentally classy thanks to its Corsair embossed logo, which is almost as reflective as its LEDs are bright. The sleek design continues as the yoke attaches to the light gray leather headband, which features the Corsair text logo subtly engraved across it. It feels a bit silly getting this worked up over the look of a gaming headset, but it was refreshing to only test a White headset, but one that has such a robust chassis.

The high-quality build of the Virtuoso Max impressed me down to the gleaming metal cups, patterned control wheels, USB-C detachable microphone, and the matching light gray cushioned headband and ear cushions. Even the onboard controls don’t feel intrusive and contribute to the professional appearance by remaining tucked away on the bottom of either cup - which includes the wireless mode switch, USB-C mic port, action switch, custom button, and USB-C port for charging.

All of this fanning over the headset’s look was before I even flicked it on, which only cemented it as one of my favorite gaming headsets in looks alone. The six individual rings of both cups light up white one by one, simulating the initial flickering of an overhead office light. Even without customizing them through iCue, these rings felt like a monumental step up from the Corsair Virutuoso RGB Wireless headset, which instead opts for customizable Corsair logos. The Virtuoso Max did take away one thing from its RGB counterpart, and that was the small LED ring on the detachable microphone, which adds an extra bit of flashy flair to an already great-looking bit of tech.

The LED on the microphone will light up red if you’ve purposefully (or accidentally) pressed the mute mic button. This LED-lit classy aesthetic is even represented on the accompanying 2.4GHz wireless dongle. The dongle has a Corsair logo, which will light up white when in use and light up red when it’s connected but the headset isn’t turned on, in case you need a little reminder.

This high-end premium design does come at a cost, and I’m not just meaning it’s brow-raising $330 MSPR. This is a heavy headset, and its tight clamping force doesn’t help in making it a more comfortable experience. I found myself regularly moving it across different areas of my head every half hour to help with blood flow and give my skull some relief. For me, it’s array of high-quality features make it a small price to pay, but if you have an especially sensitive head or are prone to migraines, you may want to stick to a lighter headset alternative.

Features

The features of the Virtuoso Max are vast, but one of the first things I noticed during my early time testing the headset was its unique onboard controls. It has all you would expect of the best wireless headsets, including a ‘wireless mode switch’ that also acts as the power button. With simultaneous Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless, pushing this forward will not only turn the headset on but have you instantly connected should the 2.4GHz dongle be plugged into your PC or PS5. Holding the switch further another notch will activate Bluetooth pairing mode, and it is one of the fastest I’ve ever witnessed. Whether it was hooking the headset up to my Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch, both handhelds recognized the Bluetooth in seconds. Yet, it was the volume control wheel that really drew my attention.

Just to the side of the wireless mode switch, there’s an engraved metal pattern along the entire outer cup. This isn’t just for show and is there to give you a bit of grit as you turn the makeshift ear-wheel to control the volume. This volume wheel is one of my favorite aspects of the headset, as it feels far more convenient than feeling for any volume controls, which can often be small and hard to find on other headsets. It’s also incredibly smooth and satisfying to turn, and even after my two weeks of testing, I still feel like I’m on the set of a Kubrick sci-fi film whenever I use it to control my PS5 or PC’s system volume.

The rest of the left ear cup is home to a USB-C port for the detachable microphone. Cleverly, Corsair opted out of busying up the left side of the headset with more buttons and instead placed the mute mic on the bottom edge of the mic itself. This is noticeable the second you connect the two, as is the strong wired boom arm, which is one of the most robust I’ve used. Rather than the mic flopping around in your peripheral vision, which I experienced with the OXS Storm G2 wireless headset, the Virutoso Max mic stays exactly where you put it.

On the opposite cup, you can find the custom button, which is used to turn on (and off) ANC if you hold it down for a few seconds, along with the action switch. The action switch ended up becoming one of my favorite controls on the headset, namely as it lets you skip music tracks in apps like Spotify - something I do far too often. Now, instead of begrudgingly having to make the effort to open Spotify on my phone or on my PC to skip a few tracks, I could just flick it back and forth and save myself some valuable time. The USB-C port for charging sits just under this button on the right cup, and its wheel can also be used to adjust your microphone’s audio monitoring.

The features of the Virtuoso Max don’t just shine where its onboard controls are concerned, but it’s also decked out with customization in both sound and lighting. By downloading Corsair’s iCue software, you can make some little tweaks to the headset’s lighting brightness, turn on and off its ANC, assign whether each wheel adjusts the system or Bluetooth volume when turned, enable or disable voice prompts, disable the mic’s LED, turn up the mic’s gain or just glance at the remaining battery of the headset instead.

iCue is typically a bit of a tedious and frustrating-to-use bit of proprietary software, and that doesn’t change with the Virtuoso Max. But the fact I was able to actually change the image of the headset to the white SKU I was testing in the review was a nice added detail that made me appreciate iCue more this time around. Fortunately, changing the headset’s lighting was also straightforward, and just like with the Corsair K65 Pro Mini RGB gaming keyboard, you have a range of lighting effects to utilize, from the bright blues of the “watercolor” lighting type to the more gamerified-looking “spiral rainbow.” For a nice added touch, you can set both cups to use the same effects or assign them individually, but for the most part, I stuck with the default white as they kept up the professional office look of white headset.

More importantly, it’s via iCue that you’re introduced to the first set of audio features. Through the app, you can use an equalizer to switch between different audio presets, create your own, or adjust your mic sidetone. iCue also contains a ‘SoundID Personalization’ feature, which provides you with an audio test to create a more personalized sound for your games. The next set of audio features comes through the Dolby Atmos app, which you have to download separately. You can select from a similar range of audio presets, which include game, movie, music, and voice modes, along with three custom slots to create your own personalised audio. Each mode comes with a range of audio settings to choose from, ranging from a detailed, balanced, or warm pre-sets. Naturally, as a gaming headset, the game mode also has an extra performance setting that is designed for competitive games in particular.

Performance

This headset is, by large, a PC gaming headset. It’s compatible with the PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox consoles (if you have the Xbox designed version), but its performance lends itself to the platform. This is primarily due to the fact that if you want to customize the sound, you need to use Corsair’s iCue software or the Dolby Atmos app - neither of which you can access while playing your PS5, Nintendo Switch, or Steam Deck, which I also used for testing.

That’s not to say it doesn’t sound great when paired with Sony’s current-gen console. I tested the Virutuoso Max wireless gaming headset while playing hours upon hours of Marvel Rivals, Sea of Thieves, Phasmahobia, and my still ongoing adventures with Unicorn Overlord. At first, even at full volume, the headset was pretty quiet on the PS5, but this was easily remedied by ensuring I had downloaded the latest firmware update through iCue. Afterwards, the low, mid and high range levels of each game’s soundscape sounded more full and pulled forward, which was ideal as I like my game audio loud and in-your-face.

Galacta’s high-energy narration in Marvel Rivals sounded as clear as day through the cups, and the triumphant score of the competitive hero shooter sounded fairly balanced. It was missing that boomy bass, but without an app version of iCue at my disposal, there wasn’t much I could do to fix that. This would be a common theme no matter what PS5 game I played - and while nothing ever sounded bad in any way, I can’t help but wish there was an easy way to play around with iCue’s audio features on my Sony console. Fortunately, at least, with the Dolby Atmos options turned on through the PS5’s audio settings, I was able to witness the headset’s spatial audio through Sea of Thieves for the first time - which does wonders for Rare’s swashbuckling masterpiece.

Again, I didn’t have the full options as per the PC Dolby Atmos app, but I could still feel like I was truly below deck in my 2-manned sloop, as the creaking of the ship sounded like it was permeating all around me. This was even better on the PC, where not only I still had access to my pirate and my ship thanks to Rare’s cross-progression, but I also had access to the various audio presets through the Dolby Atmos app which made the Sea of Thieves audio design, and stunning ost by Robin Beanland sound more full-bodied.

Of course, on PC I also had the iCue audio settings to play around with. But no matter if I tried out ‘Bass Boost’ or ‘FPS Competition, they never sounded like they lifted the audio in any positive way. The audio presets in the Dolby Atmos app, however, were fun to play around with - and I got a lot of use out of the ‘detailed’ and ‘balanced’ options found within the movie mode despite it being designed with watching media in mind. These options also lend themselves to shooters like Counter-Strike 2, which I tested out primarily when it came to putting the Virutuoxo Max through its paces on PC.

Keep in mind, I’m alright at hero shooters. When testing on the PS5, the headset’s clear and detailed soundscape made it easier to hide away from any approaching rival team members while I lurked around as Cloak and Dagger, my new Marvel Rivals main character. However, it’s been a while since I had the edge in a competitive FPS like Counter-Strike 2. That being said, being able to place the enemy team around me and hear their footsteps, which were easy to make out through the high-quality custom 50mm graphene audio drivers, made me actually enjoy an online FPS. In fact, I even alluded to the fact that I want to play even more CS2 to the delight of my partner, when it’s not typically my online game of choice.

I also used the headset when playing the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck, and the higher-end of the Virtuoso Max’s sound lent itself to games like Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Sunshine, which I played via Super Mario 3D Allstars. On the Steam Deck, I tested the headset while playing A Highland Song and was able to mater the music rhythm segments thanks to not just the high-quality Bluetooth connection but also the audio excellence coming from the cups - even without iCue or the Dolby Atmos app by my side.

The audio of the Virtuoxo Max, and its various audio customizations isn’t the only thing it has going for it. The detachable microphone was also a joy to use and is one of the best microphones I’ve used in a headset to date. Just like the high-quality mic of headsets like the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro or the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, the mic of this headset made my voice sound crystal clear. That’s even when frantically shouting as I was left behind in a derelict spooky house in Phasmophobia, the quality of the mic remained intact.

Where the headset didn’t dazzle and amaze me, however, was when I got down to its weight. Even after the first 30 minutes of using the Virtuoso Max I had to adjust where the 417g headband was sitting on my head to relieve some pressure. Sure, it’s padded, but it’s not the softest foam, and it feels pretty rigid compared to what you want in a premium headset, especially one of the most expensive headsets at that. Luckily, I never experienced any pain around my ears despite the equally rigid feeling of the padded foam cups. I put this down to the fact they’re large enough that even my huge ears always felt enclosed and tucked away, and actually this was a benefit when the ANC was turned on as I truly couldn’t hear anything else going on around me.

Should you buy the Corsair Virtuoso Max Wireless?

The Corsair Virtuoxo Max wireless high-fidelity gaming headset is not a budget-friendly pair of cups, and I firmly believe any gaming big of tech that isn’t a console should be given extra scrutiny when it sits above the $300 price threshold. That being said, its high-end price feels almost entirely justified given the full magnitude of features and quality on display with this headset - from its robust metal chassis, its high-quality audio and multi-platform compatibility.

For PC and multi-platform players, this headset is an easy recommendation. Sure, PC players will get the most out of it as it relies on software like iCue and Dolby Atmos for audio and lighting customization. Yet, even without bringing out the extra booming qualities of the headsets bass, and turning its cups into a dazzling light show, it’ll still make your PS5, Nintendo Switch, and even Steam Deck games sound sublime.

For those who prioritize battery life, and want access to audio customization without just having to use your PC, an alternative like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless headset would better suit your needs. It also has a similar MSRP of over $300, but if you’re lucky, you can find it discounted during Black Friday, and other big sales events. Unlike Corsair, SteelSeries’s free app means you can tailor the audio with your phone, and it’s hot swappable batteries will go further than the up to 60 hours of the Virtuoso Max wireless headset.

How I tested the Corsair Virtuoso Max Wireless

I spent over two weeks testing Corsair Virtuoso Max Wireless where it became my go-to device day in and day out. During that time, I ran the premium pair of cups through a gaming gauntlet of hours upon hours of Sea of Thieves, Marvel Rivals, Counter-Strike 2, and some Fortnite and Stardew Valley for good measure. I also tested it out with the Nintendo Switch to play games like Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Sunshine through Super Mario 3D All-Stars and while playing A Highland Song on the Steam Deck.

When not gaming, I used the Virtuoso Max Wireless to watch the finale of Severance season two, along with a plethora of TV shows on streaming platforms from Apple TV to Netflix. I also listened to playlist upon playlist on Spotify, testing it with the 90s alt stylings of the Lost Records game soundtrack, a bit too much Fleetwood Mac and a range of bands and artists to see hope it coped with a range of different genres. For more information on how we test gaming headsets, check out the full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

If the Corsair Virtuoso Max isn’t the right fit, check out our guides to the best PS5 headsets, best Nintendo Switch headsets, and the best Xbox Series X headsets to find the perfect pair of cups for your favorite console.