Unboxing & First Impressions

Unboxing & First Impressions

The HS35's come in a box very similar to that of the HS50's. Black, and yellow, Corsair's signature colors. Given the price point of this headset, I really wasn't expecting a premium unboxing experience, like you might get with something akin to Asus' Strix Fusion lines, for instance. The headset's specifications and your various bits of marketing blurb are to be found on the back of the box. So far, so very normal.

And normality continues when you continue to open the box. You will find the headset (headband protected by some plastic sheeting), some adapters, and the 3.5mm jack (non-braided) tied neatly with an 'on-cable' soft clip. A nice little touch, that, I have to admit. The headset itself rests in a cheap plastic tray that practically every other low to mid-range headset is packaged in, so I really have no complaints. Pay $39.99, and you'll get a $39.99 unboxing experience and associated packaging. That's not me being disparaging, though. Far from it, I wouldn't expect anything more! And, in Corsair's defense, the outer box is nice enough, and that is what catches your eye on store shelves.

What about, however, the headset itself? How does it look? How does it feel..?

Well, have a look for yourself. Personally, I think they look great. Corsair also offers a blue and red accented version (the accents, in this case, being thin bands on the ear cups themselves), if you're interested in those. Visually speaking the headset is very, very understated, with absolutely nothing in the way of traditional 'gamer' flair. This surprised me, in all honesty. Firstly, this headset is more specifically orientated to the console market, or - to put it another way - the more 'casual' market. For the record, no I am not calling console users 'lower-end' or 'casual', at all. They are, overall, cheaper than most gaming PC's and it's reasonable to assume that someone who has dropped $600+ on their PC will probably want a slightly higher-end headset?

The second reason is that cheaper headsets, i.e. the likes of which you might find by doing a generic search for 'gaming headset' on Amazon, tend to rely on looking a lil' more flashy/aggressive in their design because they need to catch the eye of the person looking to buy. Why? Well, primarily because they haven't got the specs to back the looks up... 

This is why I am happy with what Corsair has done with the HS35's. I would be entirely happy to use them anywhere. In fact, I did, having used the product in both a local cafe and on the train up to the North of England (for a stag do, as it happens). They caught no attention whatsoever, which pleased me greatly.

Build quality, on the other hand... it could be better if I am being entirely honest. The headset does feel a little light and a little cheap. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't feel 'bad', at all. Just on the lighter side, and the plastics used for both the headband and ear cups are definitely on the less expensive end of things. Would that stop me buying them? Well, I guess it depends on who you are. If you had to travel a lot and saw yourself using the HS35's as your 'on the go' over-ear headphones, then I might want to spend a little more money. If you're just at home, however, gaming on your PC or PS4/Xbox One, then they are fine.

So, a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to first impressions. On the one hand, great looks. On the other, they are a little cheap feeling. A reasonable counter to this would be; 'But, Raff... they are cheap?' And that retort would be entirely fair enough, which is why I am not making a big deal of it. I have reviewed more expensive units than this which used similar quality plastics in vital areas, put it that way. In fact, that should reflect significantly more poorly on the expensive unit than it does these. Don't get me wrong, the quality of the HS35's is perfectly sound, and they feel fairly sturdy, but just not as sturdy/rugged as its bigger brother(s). Then again, what did I expect?

Wearer Comfort

A big one for me. Any reader of my previous headset reviews will know that I have a really, really big head. Therefore, the perceived comfort levels of a headset (whilst entirely subject) are very important from the perspective of a product's projected longevity in my possession.

The HS35 features ear cups that swivel on the 'Y' or vertical plane, but not a horizontal one. However, the headband is also exceptionally well padded, meaning strain or fatigue on the top of your bonce isn't going to be a problem (probably). The ear cups are, also, fully adjustable, sliding up and down on a rail that should automatically stretch out the necessary width in order to accommodate any head it happens to be upon.

I generally had no complaints about the HS35, in terms of comfort. I could certainly tell I was wearing a headset, granted, but only one unit has ever not managed to remind of this fact after multiple hours of use, and those are my Cloud II's.

To summarise, then. Looks? Good. Great, even. Build? Not exceptional at all, but 'fine' for what they are. Ultimately, then, it's marketed as a low-end headset packing high-end looks and appropriately lower-end build quality, but all with some surprisingly beefy audio specs, at least on paper. This... this should be interesting. Next, we will move onto the real 'meat' of this review. The testing.