| Corsair Vengeance 2000 Wireless Headset |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Audio | |||||||||||||
| Written by Steven Iglesias-Hearst | |||||||||||||
| Wednesday, 20 June 2012 | |||||||||||||
Corsair Vengeance 2000 Wireless 7.1 Gaming Headset
Manufacturer: Corsair Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Corsair. Corsair is well known for their wide range of high quality and high performance enthusiast and gaming orientated computer hardware. The Vengeance 2000 is their first foray into the wireless gaming headset market and boasts multi-channel 7.1 surround sound gaming audio capabilities too. The Vengeance 2000 headset is very comfortable thanks to a padded headband and microfiber covered memory foam ear pads, and has true freedom of movement thanks to the lack of wires. At the business end we have 50mm drivers with a frequency response of 20Hz to 20kHz and a unidirectional noise-cancelling condenser microphone with a frequency response of 10Hz to 10 kHz. The main setback of the Vengeance 2000 is its price, at $144.99 you have to really ask yourself if it is worth an extra $55 over the Vengeance 1500 for wireless freedom. Benchmark Reviews intends to give you all the information you need to know about the Vengeance 2000 Wireless 7.1 Gaming headset and to answer any questions you might have.
During the course of this review we will give you an in-depth look at the Vengeance 2000 Headset and also put it through its paces to see if it can stand up to corsair's claims. It will be tested in a range of scenarios from listening to music to watching movies and most importantly, its main purpose - Gaming. By the end of this review I hope you can share your opinions and provide some feedback, please feel free to ask any questions if you think there is anything we haven't covered. Vengeance 2000 Features
Headset SpecificationsHeadphones
Microphone
Source:www.corsair.com Closer Look: Vengeance 2000 Wireless HeadsetIn this section we will take a good look at the design of the Corsair Vengeance 2000 Wireless 7.1 Gaming headset.
The Vengeance 2000 wireless headset is quite large but thankfully not too heavy, despite being quite chunky and housing a rechargeable battery. The design is very similar to the Vengeance 1500 wired headset from Corsair but the differences are quite distinguishable. The main headband and speaker housings remain the same but the hinge/adjuster assembly has had a re-design.
The microphone rotates up or down 90 degrees and has a slight amount of flexibility in the boom to adjust to your preference. There is no microphone mute button on this model, instead the microphone is muted when the boom is rotated to its up position.
Like most gaming headsets on the market the Vengeance 2000 is pretty big, and once you put it on your head it just looks ridiculously huge. I consider myself to have a smaller than average head and by my approximate measurements when I have the headset on it spans 10 inches from side to side. I prefer much sleeker and close fitting headphones but the bigger size of the Vengeance 2000 is a trade-off for better sound quality and depth.
The headband is quite thick and spreads out the contact area of the headset on your head, it is cushioned for comfort and has a leather effect finish. The perforations are purely aesthetic and do not feature on the underside.
The side profile shot here shows the ergonomic shape of the Vengeance 2000 headset, the slight angle in the adjuster arm allows the ear cups sit comfortably on your ears without the headband hanging off the back of your head - simple yet very effective. Also shown in this image is a mini USB cable attached for charging purposes, Corsair state that you can still use the Vengeance while it is charging (in case you forgot to set it on charge after your last session). Vengeance 2000 Wireless Headset Detailed FeaturesIn this section we will take a closer look at the features of the Corsair Vengeance 2000 Wireless 7.1 Gaming headset.
Bundled with Vengeance 2000 headset is a USB to mini USB cable for charging (top left) and a USB extension and stand cable for the USB transmitter/receiver dongle (bottom right) also shown below in more detail.
If you have easy access to your front I/O USB ports plugging in a dongle won't cause any bother and you probably won't need this cable/stand. If this is not the case then the extension can be quite handy and will avoid having to reach round the back of your PC whenever you want to use the Vengeance 2000 headset. You could also use the extension you locate the receiver/transmitter for optimal range if you were listening to music while not at your PC.
Controlling the Vengeance 2000 headset couldn't be simpler, the big dimpled silver button controls power and the textured scroll wheel controls volume. There is an LED indicator strip under the power button that illuminates blue and flashes to show connection status. Muting the microphone is achieved by rotating the boom up 90 degrees and vice versa for activating the mic.
The ear cups are micro-fibre covered memory foam and are quite comfortable but take a little bit of getting used to. We have had a very hot spell of weather over here in the UK and the Vengeance 2000 headset faired quite well under hot and heavy conditions. I felt that the materials used may have contributed a little extra heat or at the least didn't help to cool things down like synthetic leather would. Testing & ResultsTesting MethodologyThe Corsair Vengeance 2000 Wireless 7.1 Gaming headset was tested in a range of scenarios such as listening to music, watching movies, voice communication and most importantly, its main purpose - Gaming. Since there are no benchmarks that can produce comparative results I will give my impressions on the performance of the Vengeance 2000 including important factors relating to comfort and ease of use. Since this is a wireless headset there are other factors to consider such as range and battery life. Intel Z68 Test System
ResultsBy design the Vengeance 2000 gaming headset is a stereo headset that uses Xear software with Dolby II technologies and Corsair's optimized HRTF positional audio technology to provide virtual surround sound. As a stereo headset the Vengeance 2000 is very impressive, and it is important to set the equalizer in the control panel for the right scenario to get the best results when in surround mode. When listening to music you can choose from four pre-defined 'Audiophile' settings or you may fine tune for yourself. When watching movies Corsair recommend selecting the 'Movies Mod-X' setting. This setting helps restore the 'X-Curve', an equalization curve that movies are typically mastered in which is optimized to make the audio sound great when you're sitting in a theatre. When gaming you have a choice between FPS and MMO pre-defined settings.
The Vengeance 2000 control panel is simple yet effective. The "Bypass" button in the top left turns the virtual 7.1 surround on or off and there are three modes for surround environments on the bottom right; Studio, Cinema and Hall. Over to the right is the equalizer settings, there is a drop down box with eight pre-defined settings for simple configuration switching when you go from movies to games to music etc. For those who like more control you can set the equalizer to your exact preference by adjusting the individual sliders, personal profiles can be added or removed by using the '+' and '-' buttons. Real world Usage: The Corsair Vengeance 2000 Wireless 7.1 Gaming headset is very impressive in both stereo and surround modes. The only time the virtual surround faltered was with voice communications, the effects just felt like super imposed echoes (think empty room/hall). Otherwise it was a thoroughly enjoyable and recommendable experience. I do not consider myself an audiophile but I know and can appreciate the difference between poor quality and high quality audio equipment, before the Vengeance 2000 I have been through many low quality gaming headsets and up until I started using the Vengeance 2000 I have been using a pair of Senheisser HD 407 headphones and a tie clip microphone because I couldn't find a decent quality gaming headset that doesn't cost the earth. The Vengeance 2000 delivers excellent quality audio across the whole range and offers very powerful bass that does not overwhelm the audio experience. The virtual surround was also very effective, not only in gaming and movies that were created for 5.1/7.1 surround, but also in giving added depth to stereo music. I had to play with the settings to suit my preference but the pre-defined settings are more than sufficient for a quality experience. The microphone was very clear indeed, you won't need to set the level very high otherwise background noise becomes an issue (despite Corsair's claims of noise cancellation). Comfort: The Vengeance 2000 headset is reasonably light considering it has a built in battery and receiver/transmitter, I had expected it to be much heavier. The padded headband and micro-fiber covered memory foam ear pads make the headset a pleasure to wear, there is a slight adjustment period but in no time at all you will forget that you even have it on. My main problem was that it initially felt quite tight to wear but the freedom from wires has no equal, wireless is definitely the way forward but we really do need to work on bringing the size and the weight down. Wireless: Wireless devices typically need to be paired or synchronized manually but the Vengeance 2000 automatically pairs with the USB dongle when you turn it on. The Vengeance 2000 uses adaptive channel hopping to solve the problem of channel collision to avoid interference and loss of signal, using a number of algorithms to determine if a channel is already in use or otherwise shouldn't be used, and then stays away from those channels. During my time using the Vengeance 2000 headset I have not noticed any interference at all and it performed just as well as a wired headset. Range and Battery life: Corsair claim that the Vengeance 2000 has a range of up to 40 feet, I personally feel that this is overly generous and maybe in lab conditions where there is direct line of sight then it may be possible. In real world conditions with walls and floors etc the range drops to a little over half of that. Battery life on the other hand is very good indeed, while I don't have the time for mammoth 10 hour gaming sessions to test out Corsairs claims, I can say that on average that Vengeance 2000 has between an 8~9 hour battery life with intermittent use over two days between charges. The real bonus is that even if the battery gets too low you can still use the Vengeance 2000 while it is charging via the USB charging cable. Dangerous Science: As wireless devices become more proliferant around our homes it is wise to know what will interfere with these devices. During a conversation with a friend of mine about the Vengeance wireless headset, he told me that he had killed his previous Logitech wireless headset by getting too close to his microwave oven while it was operating. I knew the risk but I was curious. What would happen if the Vengeance 2000 got too close to my microwave oven while both were in operation? In the true myth busters fashion I had my wife turn on the microwave while I was at a 2m distance and nothing happened, I got closer but it wasn't until i got within 2ft of the microwave oven that anything happened. The headset began crackling and eventually lost its signal and the microwave went into an absolute frenzy. The Vengeance 2000 survived the ordeal unscathed but the microwave has not been the same since, and I think it might need replacing (my wife refuses to even go near it let alone touch it). Lesson learnt and advisory warning - Do not use the Vengeance 2000 in close proximity to a microwave while it is use! EDITOR'S NOTE: Operating any wireless device near a microwave will cause interference. It is safe, but not suggested, that you wear wireless headphones near to an operating microwave. CORSAIR'S RESPONSE: Damage to a microwave is not possible. A microwave uses a magnetron that transmits about 1,000W of RF power at 2.4GHz. It has no receive capability. Vengeance 2000 transmits about 1mW of RF power at 2.4GHz (1 millionth the level of a microwave). Also, the microwave has shielding that provides about 60db of attenuation, reducing any signal by a factor of another million. It's simply impossible for the low level of our product to cause any permanent damage. If it were possible, then any Bluetooth device or other 2.4GHz transmitter would cause the same problem. In fact, wifi routers and suchlike are 100 times more powerful than V2000 Where there is some truth is interference in the other direction. A typical microwave transmits about 1100W (700W ERP), with 60db of shielding as I mentioned. This means you might see up to 1mW (legal max. is 5mW) of leakage which is on a par with the power level from our headset, so when the headset is in very close proximity to the microwave source, it's radio can definitely be effected. But even here, it's impossible for the leakage from the microwave to cause any damage to the headset - worst case is temporary loss or breakup of signal that goes away as the distance is increased between them due to our receiver being overloaded by the broad spectrum dirty signal from the microwave. Corsair Wireless Gaming Headset Final ThoughtsI have long been a sceptic of USB headsets since owning a few pairs that have not delivered a quality experience that was worthy of their price. Generally you get what you pay for but there are times in developing markets where price does not always reflect quality. Since the years have gone by there has obviously been some great advances in USB audio technology and I now find myself with not only a great quality USB gaming headset but a wireless one! To say that I am impressed is somewhat of an understatement, but this is the main reason I like to review computer hardware - I want to be sceptical, but most of all I want to be impressed.
Corsair Vengeance 2000 ConclusionImportant: In this section I am going to write a brief five point summary on the following categories; Performance, Appearance, Construction, Functionality and Value. These views are my own and help me to give the Vengeance 2000 wireless gaming headset a rating out of 10. A high or low score does not necessarily mean that it is better or worse than a similar headset that has been reviewed by another writer here at Benchmark Reviews, which may have got a higher or lower score. It is however a good indicator of whether the Vengeance 2000 gaming headset is good or not. I would strongly urge you to read the entire review, if you have not already, so that you can make an educated decision for yourself. The Corsair Vengeance 2000 Wireless 7.1 Gaming headset performs very well in all scenarios apart from voice comms where the surround sound effect just sounds like an empty room. The bass is fantastic without overpowering the mid range and high frequencies and you get a very good sound experience. Battery life is good and on average I found the Vengeance headset would get 8~9 hours of intermittent usage between two days before needing a charge. I was expecting to be disappointed by the maximum volume level but I could not have wanted for more. I would even say that it was just at the right level, it was loud but not deafening so there would be no issues if I were to accidentally set the volume too high. Corsair state that the Vengeance 2000 will operate up to 40ft away but in the real world it more like 25 feet before the signal starts dropping. The appearance rating of the Corsair Vengeance 2000 will be quite high. There have been some nice visual improvements over the Vengeance 1500 which was the basis of this headset. The materials and colors used are really nice and give the Vengeance 2000 its own unique look. There are some that will surely disagree but thanks to the graphic nature of this review you can easily make your mind up for yourself. If anything lets it down it would be how it makes you look when you are wearing it, I think it is too big and chunky. The construction of the Vengeance 2000 is very good, it is well built with quality materials. All of the moveable parts feel strong enough to take some abuse without breaking. A headset shouldn't encounter much danger but I'm sure the Vengeance 2000 will stand the test of time. Functionality of the Vengeance 2000 is also very good, and it functioned just the same as a wired headset. The control panel is simple and easy to use and the sound can be tweaked to your own preference. The virtual surround worked very well and only sounded virtual when I was using voice communications. Rotating the mic to mute it is very innovative and actually makes a lot of sense. It is great that you can continue to use the Vengeance 2000 headset while it is charging but the charging cable is only 1.5m long which is slightly too short for my liking. Value is not the strongest point for the Corsair Vengeance 2000 Wireless 7.1 Gaming headset. You can pick up the Vengeance 2000 now for $144.99 (NewEgg/Amazon), that's $55 more than the Vengeance 1500 wired USB Headset. You now need to ask yourself if going wireless is really worth an extra $55. The Vengeance 2000 is a very good headset but it is at the top end price wise, it is sure to get buyers at this price but would be a top class seller if it were $25~30 cheaper. Since they both operate on the same frequency it is advisable that you don't use the Vengeance 2000 in the close proximity of an operating microwave oven, I did and it knocked out the headset signal and sent my microwave into a frenzy. The Vengeance 2000 headset survived the ordeal unscathed but my microwave oven has not been the same since. Pros:
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Comments
As soon as you open anything which uses the microphone on the 1500's there's a constant low background hiss (on top of the one you get from powered headphone anyway) which whilst not enough to be a dealbreaker it is somewhat annoying.
Perhaps they fixed it in time for the 2000 though.
I'm an audiophile, and I create and mix music as a hobby, and I'm critical about my Classical music, so I may have higher standards than most. Regardless, I've found that headsets under a MSRP of $100 do not perform well in regards to audio reproduction or pickup. To be honest, the best I ever found at that price range was the Steelseries Syberia V2 for $110, which performed so well that I bought two of them. I just recently found them online, while gift shopping for a good friend, for as low as $80. To me, a low-end wired headset starts around $100, a middle range headset starts at $150, and the top of the line starts at $200. Most of the wireless mid-range and top of the line headsets start at $180 and $225 respectively. The lowend wireless headsets, which usually start at $140, aren't even worth my time. If this headset holds up half as well as you say it does to my scrutiny, I'd call it a mid-range performing wireless headset at a low-end price. I don't know how it works over there in the UK, but that's how it seems here in the Mid-west USA. You probably don't want to know what I've payed for headPHONES.