Kris Naudus / Engadget
The largest level of rivalry within the consolation division is the thick twine, which tends to get in the way in which after I’m typing. I’m additionally a bit spoiled by wi-fi headsets, which I’ll typically go away on after I rise up from my desk. The HS60 could not weigh me down, but it surely actually makes me really feel tethered to my laptop by the sheer inconvenience of taking it off due to its stiff twine and headband.
The Nari Final has a bonus on this division, because it’s a wi-fi set. However the tradeoff within the HS60 is that you just’ll by no means must cost it. It’s USB-A, for the document, which many gaming machines nonetheless embody whereas my work laptop doesn’t. Whereas most computing equipment have made the transition over to USB-C, the gaming class largely nonetheless sticks with the older port. This received’t be an issue for gamers on gaming desktops or laptops, however my desk is a jumble of dongles.
Kris Naudus / Engadget
The HS60 Haptic is appropriate with Corsair’s iCUE software program, which you need to use to tweak the equalizer settings, although it really works simply fantastic out of the field. And that was my first impression, “simply fantastic.” On first pay attention, the rumble was a bit of extra distinct than that of the Nari Final, making music appear crisper and even a bit louder. I ended up turning the quantity down from my most well-liked settings on the HS60, for which my eardrums are grateful.
I nonetheless wasn’t utterly bought on the idea till I experimented with just a few tracks with thumping beats like Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean,’ with the headset pulsing in opposition to the sting of my jaw. I don’t usually get pleasure from bass-heavy music, however on the HS60 it truly felt good. Like many people residing by way of this loopy yr, I’ve been stressed loads. That may result in clenching and grinding — and dentists have been reporting much more cracked tooth this yr. So I’ve been a bit paranoid, since I’ve suffered from TMJ prior to now. I typically do workout routines to stretch the muscle tissues there, and rub the sting of my jaw loads. The HS60 doesn’t provide as a lot aid as these actions, but it surely does act like a mini therapeutic massage, loosening the whole lot up after extended listening.
Kris Naudus / Engadget
The pulsing beats had been good, however the place the HS60 Haptic actually shines is with sounds just like the rumble of an approaching tank or spaceship. And never simply due to my achey jaw. The elevated presence of the audio jogged my memory of being in a movie show. Keep in mind these? The type with immersive encompass sound that’s so loud it makes the chairs shake? My seat wasn’t transferring however I nonetheless briefly flashed to the final time I noticed a giant occasion film in a theater (most likely Star Wars) and was blasted from all sides with audio.
The HS60 is simply a stereo headset, but it surely’s glorious at positional audio — I used to be notably impressed when watching an episode of Star Trek: Decrease Decks, the place a personality walked throughout the display screen, with the observe switching so easily from one ear to the opposite that it appeared like he was passing behind me.
Engadget / Kris Naudus
Would I’ve felt this optimistic concerning the HS60 Haptic in a yr the place I wasn’t continuously stressed and will go to the films as typically as I wished? I don’t actually know. Corsair actually wasn’t planning on a pandemic when it designed the HS60, identical to Nintendo wasn’t when it launched Animal Crossing again in March. It’s nonetheless a fairly nice $130 headset, with stable audio and match. The worth of the haptics is simply extra obvious this yr.
