Corsair's HS65 gaming headset is the successor to my fav budget set of cans, and for just $50 it may well convince me to upgrade

The Corsair HS65, a wired gaming headset in white and grey, floats in a teal void. — (Image credit: Corsair)

Currently, I’m between gaming headsets. In my gaming audio travels, my ears have been through a lot at the hands of hefty headsets, from unwieldy ear cups pinning my lobes in all the wrong ways, to flimsy mic arms that make me sound like I’m underwater no matter how I try to force the settings to come up for air. Instead I’ve been relying on some much less specialised, relatively budget over ear headphones–in purple, of course.

Yes, the lilac-liker has logged on. Without a dedicated mic arm, and a heaped helping of style over substance, I’m getting some of what I paid for with my JBL Tune 720 BT headphones. But perhaps it’s time for an upgrade–especially when spending about ten bucks less will get me one of the best budget gaming headsets out there. Specifically, I’m talking about the Corsair HS65 wired gaming headset, which is now only $50 from Newegg.

Though not available in as many fun colourways as my stylish JBLs, the Corsair HS65 more than makes up for it with its budget price and mostly banging audio quality. To begin with the prequel, its predecessor, the Corsair HS55 Stereo, is still our top pick for the best budget wired gaming headset. Today’s discounted Corsair HS65 is the beefier, next step up from that, not least of all because it offers Dolby Audio 7.1 Surround Sound.

Both aforementioned Corsair headsets also feature 50mm neodymium audio drivers, meaning you'll still receive decent audio with a surprisingly good thumping from the budget headset’s bass response. The HS65’s surround sound features also support Sony’s Tempest 3D audio on PS5, which is good news if you’re a console sicko like me.

Featuring lightweight construction clocking in at only 282 g, plus memory foam ear cups to boot, it should keep my embattled lobes happy through many hours of listening to the dulcet tones of Cryptmaster’s totally chill death mage.

What’s more, the Corsair HS65 also features a fairly robust, flexible mic arm that promises to deliver crisp, clear audio to all of my Discord chums whenever I utter the phrase ‘Bone Daddy.’ My pals may try to boot me from the server, but the Corsair HS65’s 3.5 mm wired connector means I can jump back into chat with my nonsense should they have a change of heart.

Granted, the wired connection also means I could potentially end up dragging my rig along with me if I absent-mindedly get up for a walk. That said, when it comes to a surround sound gaming headset for just $50, that’s a risk I’m willing to take.

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Jess has been writing about games for over ten years, spending the last seven working on print publications PLAY and Official PlayStation Magazine. When she’s not writing about all things hardware here, she’s getting cosy with a horror classic, ranting about a cult hit to a captive audience, or tinkering with some tabletop nonsense.

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