Corsair Vengeance 1500 and 1100 Headset review

Soundcards and Speakers 106 Page 2 of 9 Published by

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Page 2 -- Features and Unboxing

 

Specification and Unboxing

Corsair probably doesnt need an introduction at this point.  Theyve been an interesting company to watch.  Theyve grown from a modest cache memory maker into a top enthusiast peripheral company.  Corsairs first headset offering, the HS1, was well received when we reviewed it last year.  Corsair now has expanded into everything from cases, power supplies, keyboards, mice, and of course headsets.  I was rather excited to review the HS1 last year, as it was the first of their new products.  Corsair have not neglected their core business of memory, though.

The HS1 was a good start, great design, comfortable, and it sounded pretty good.  Of course there was room for improvement, but not much, the HS1 is still a great pair of headphones.  Corsair, of course, didnt rest on their laurels, they added three more headsets, all under the Vengeance brand, the 1500, 1300, and the 1100.  Corsair didnt send us the 1300, the analog-only version of the 1500, but they kindly sent us the 1500 and the 1100.

The boxes for the Vengeance 1500 and the Vengeance 1100 couldn't be more different though.

Vengeance is Mine!

The Vengeance 1500 comes in a proper cardboard box, with a window on the side so you can see the awesomeness contained within.  Never mind the picture of it on the box.

The Vengeance 1100 comes in a blister pack, which I absolutely detest, but Corsair did a nice job of making it openable without the need for leather gloves and sheers.

Vengeance is Yours!

I tend to cut myself trying to blister packs open, but Corsair perforated the back panel for easy opening.  Not a lot of blister packs do that.  The other reason I don't like blister packs is that it uses plastic, which always finds it way into the garbage and not the recycle bin.

Lets check out the Technical Specifications.

Headphone

Vengeance 1500

Vengeance 1100

Frequency Response

20Hz-20KHz

20Hz-20KHz

Impedance

32 Ohm @ 1KHz

32 Ohm @ 1KHz

Dynamic Range

95dB (A-weighted)

94dB (A-weighted)

Drivers

50mm

40mm

Cable Length

3m (9.8 feet)

1.8m (6 feet)

 

 

 

Microphone

 

 

Type:

Unidirectional

Unidirectional

Impedance

2.2 Kilo Ohms

2.2 Kilo Ohms

Frequency Response

100 Hz 10KHz

200 Hz10KHz

Sensitivity

-44dB (+/-3dB)

-44dB (+/-3dB)

 

 

 

 

 

 

System Requirements:

  • Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP and a USB connection or (analog connection with Vengeance 1100).

Probably the most important specification on here is the cable length.  Since both are USB headsets, the impedance doesn't matter.  For the Vengeance 1100 in analog mode, 32 Ohms is a pretty safe load for sound cards to drive without causing audible problems.  If impedance is too low it can cause all sorts of problems for the electronics, and if it's very high, you won't get a lot of sound out of the headphones.  So, there's nothing really surprising with the either Vengeance headsets.  They have minor differences in sensitivity (loudness for a given volume setting), and they both use a slightly different microphone.  They both support USB 1.0 and 2.0, as well as the HID audio standard (driverless audio device).  The Vengeance 1500 does come with a driver to enable the surround modes, but I'll get into that later.

Earth First! 

And a little bit more glamorous shot:

To the Victor go the Spoils of War

The Vengeance 1500 are fairly heavy, around 380g.  They also didn't come with much else, just the fact sheet, warranty info and a whole lot of braided cable.

 The Proof of the Pudding is in the Eating

One thing that is curious is that there isnt a driver disc included in the box. Youll have to download the drivers for the Vengeance 1500 off of Corsairs site. The drivers are also good for the HS1, in case youre wondering.

For the Vengeance 1100, there is a little bit more to see.

All in! 

The Vengeance 1100 come with a bit more kit, a USB dongle to convert from analog to USB, and a handy carry case. For the Vengeance 1100 USB dongle, it is a standard USB Audio device and any computer will have a driver to get sound out of it.

That's it for the unboxing and features.  Both are no-frills products; typical of Corsair products, a lot more substance than fluff. Next page please!

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