Corsair Vengeance 1100 Gaming Headset Review

1. Introduction2. The Headset3. Comfort and Performance4. Conclusion5. View All Pages

We recently took a look at Corsair's latest flagship gaming headset, the Vengeance 1500, which impressed us on a number of levels.  The outstanding build quality and good sound quality were a winning combination that helped it achieve our most prestigious ‘Must Have' award. Corsair offered us a sample of one of the more ‘budget friendly' headsets in their latest range.

Today we are going to look at the Corsair Vengeance 1100 gaming headset which boasts an impressive feature set for the price.  One of the most interesting inclusions is a USB sound card dongle which is useful when using the headset with a laptop that has underpowered audio outputs or a poor quality sound card.  That said, if you have a high quality sound card, you can plug the headset straight in using the dual 3.5mm connectors.

Features

• High-performance 40mm drivers – accurate audio with sparkling high and deep lows
• High-sensitivity, noise-cancelling, microphone with flexible boom – your team-mates hear you loud, and clear, whether in-game or just using voice chat
• Lightweight, behind-the-neck fit and soft-touch materials – for exceptional playing comfort
• Foam earpads – enhances comfort and allows you to play for longer
• Supra-aural – sits comfortably on the ears; offers better awareness of external sounds
• 3.5mm analog connection – compatible with quality sound cards and music players
• USB dongle – handily connect to your keyboard’s USB hub; bypass low-quality soundcards

The packaging that Corsair have chosen to use for the Vengeance 1100 differs greatly from what we saw with the 1500.  Rather than use a proper cardboard box, this time they have opted for a vacuum-formed plastic packet that closely fits the shape of the headset.  While this may not give the headset quite as much protection as a proper box, it will show it off much better on the retail shelves and it helps to reduce the overall cost.

Turning the box over reveals details of the features and specifications of the headset in various different languages. As we found with the Vengeance 1500, the bundle included with the 1100 is very small indeed.  Aside for the USB sound card dongle that we mentioned previously, we only find a small carrying case in the box.  Don't expect the carrying case to provide much protection to the headset, though, as it is a simple cloth bag.  It should prevent the headset from being scratched or marked, though.

Corsair have chosen to use plastic almost exclusively in the construction of the Vengeance 1100.  The only pieces of metal to be found are at the base of the microphone boom and two rings on the back of the neckband.  While the rings on the neckband appear to be decorative, it seems that the metal section at the base of the microphone is part of the hinge mechanism.  We would say that Corsair have implemented this to ensure that the microphone hinge doesn't wear out quickly or snap off.  All of the plastics used in construction also seem to be very good quality.

It's clear that Corsair have tried to infuse some excitement into the aesthetic design of the Vengeance 1100 as they have added some blue trim on the inside of the headband and on the outside of the earpieces.  This differentiates the Vengeance 1100 a little from the vast number of uninspiring all-black headsets on the market.  Even though the Vengeance 1100 doesn't fold up for transportation, the neckband is very flexible so it is unlikely to be damaged unless you subject it to significant abuse.

Despite being the cheapest headset in Corsair's Vengeance range, the 1100 features a high-quality cloth braided cable.  This gives us confidence that Corsair hasn't made any compromises when it comes to build quality.  The headset cable itself terminates in a pair of silver-plated 3.5mm connectors, one for headphone output and the other for microphone input.

The USB sound card dongle that Corsair include with the Vengeance 1100 is very well designed in our opinion.  It comprises of a flash-drive-sized unit that plugs into a USB port and a separate piece to plug in the two 3.5mm connectors.  The two parts of the unit are connected by a very short cable.  This design helps prevent the headset cable from pulling on the dongle and damaging the USB connector.

Corsair have wisely chosen to locate the headphone volume control and microphone mute cable into a separate unit which is located about 50cm down the headset cable, before the 3.5mm connectors.  This means that they function irrespective of whether you are using the USB sound card dongle or not.

The noise cancelling boom microphone folds down from the left earpiece and is quite large in size compared to the rest of the headset.  This can be a little annoying when the microphone is not in use as it tends to get in the way and disrupts the attractive aesthetics of the headset.

Being a neckband-style headset, the Vengeance 1100 feels very different from an over-the-head headset.  The earpieces sit on your ears, secured by the neckband which hooks over the top of each ear.  While this makes it less comfortable than an over-the-head style headset, Corsair have done a good job of keeping discomfort to a minimum.  After a few hours of use it does become a little uncomfortable but we would say that the Vengeance 1100 is one of the most comfortable neckband-style headset we've tested and the neckband design is definitely superior to that of the SteelSeries Siberia Neckband.

There are areas in which a neckband-style headset trumps the more comfortable over-the-head variety, namely size and weight.  These attributes make the Vengeance 1100 well suited for those who travel a lot.  It is clear that Corsair are targeting these people as they bundle a compact carrying case and USB sound card dongle with the headset, two items which are very useful if you game on a laptop.

We began our performance tests with Medal of Honor to test the FPS gaming ability of the headset.  We found the sound balance to be well suited to FPS gaming, with gunshots and explosions being prominent but not overexposed.  While footsteps were audible over more prominent noises, the sound directionality was noticeably less obvious than with a virtual or dedicated surround-sound headset.

Next we moved onto the multimedia performance of the headset, starting with the movie playback performance.  In the opening sequence of ‘The Dark Knight', the bass notes were rendered with prominence but, again, there was a noticeable lack of sound directionality when compared to a virtual surround sound headset.  The sound balance of the headset was well-suited to most genres of music we tried although some users may find that the bass isn't quite prominent enough for some types of music.  The mid-high tones were more prominent and rendered clearly throughout our tests.

We are very happy to say that Corsair have maintained the high standard set by their top-end 1500 headset with the Vengeance 1100.  Despite being considerably cheaper than the 1500, the build quality of the Vengeance 1100 is at a similar level.  There isn't any aspect of the build or design of this headset where we feel that Corsair have cut corners to reduce quality.

Corsair has struck a good balance between professional and gamer-enticing aesthetics with this headset.  This, combined with the all-round good performance means that you can use it for work or play without issue.  One small complaint we have is the lack of any dedicated software to tweak the sound balance and other audio options like the one that was present with the Vengeance 1500.

Despite being an excellent neckband-style headset, the Vengeance 1100 does possess some of the negative traits that plague headsets of this style.  After a couple of hours use, the headset can become uncomfortable where the neckband sits on the top of your ears.  This seems to be more of a problem if you wear glasses when using the headset, though, as they can conflict.

The Corsair Vengeance 1100 can be yours for the very reasonable price of £34 at Amazon.co.uk.  At this price we feel it is a good buy as it offers a winning combination of solid build quality and performance.  We would urge those who are serious about gaming to consider an over-the-head headset like the Vengeance 1500 as they are more comfortable during long gaming sessions and they offer useful features such as virtual surround sound.

Pros

• Solid build quality.
• Good sound quality.
• Attractive aesthetic design.
• Braided cable.
• USB Sound Card Dongle.
• Reasonable value.

Cons

• Not as comfortable as most over-the head headsets.
• No software configuration utility.

KitGuru says: A great option if you're in the market for a neckband-style gaming headset

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