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When compared with the HS1, the Corsair HS1A no longer handles any of the audio signal processing, which in our opinion is the superior solution. You are therefore free now to partner the headphones up with your own hardware for any processing effects.
For testing today I used the Asus Xonar Essence STX sound card which is one of the finest sound cards on the market, delivering a 124dB signal to noise ratio. Many onboard sound solutions may appear to be good, but they are actually limited to around 88-90dB SNR, therefore it is important to spend a little extra to get the maximum from the computer audio experience.
For the last week I have been bedding in the HS1A's during the evening, as initially they are rather tight and need several days of high volume music to loosen the drivers into a more relaxed dynamic state. Be aware that in the first few days they sound slightly harsh until the bedding in phase is completed.
Initially the bass seemed to be rather insubstantial. I always start testing audio equipment with a ‘flat line' equaliser setting so this can often be the case. On a more positive note, the mid range was clearly capable of delivering great impact and clarity. Lesser drivers can often produce dull, muddied sound with harsh treble and siblance, specifically with pure digital recordings.
After days of fine tuning I found the microfibre pads were less than ideal for listening to Super Audio CD recordings, so I switched to the leather pads. Bass was immediately improved, and although the differences were subtle, I felt the impact was slightly greater without any negative side effects. I have heard this before with microfibre pads, so the fact that Corsair have included leather alternatives as an ‘extra' is a stroke of genius.
Listening to John Frusiante's 2009 ‘The Empyrean' album indicated that the drivers are certainly capable of producing a focused, dynamic soundstage. Frusiante's ‘Song To The Siren' resolved all the fine, high attention to detail ambient background sound effects. The sound quality reminded me a little of my Grado SR125i headphones. Obviously lacking the subtlety, bass depth and dynamic range of the Grado GS1000i's, but equal to a lower cost high quality set of audiophile phones in their Prestige series. This was immediately surprising as I have never heard any ‘computer' oriented headphones to sound quite as impressive.
Classic guitar was also delivered with drama and poignancy. John H. Clarke's 2006 album ‘Acoustik Guitar' was passionate, warm and embodied the nuances of a live recording. With his track ‘The Most Evolved' you could almost feel the fingers moving down the fretboard during the rhythmic passages. Soundstaging was also excellent, even if at times it would miss some of the finer higher frequency detail. I am cutting hairs however as I am used to listening to this piece of music on my Grado GS1000i's.
They seemed to be equally at home with well recorded rock music. ‘Stranger In My Life' from the 2011 Mr Big album ‘What If ...' was extremely enjoyable, although with the microfibre pads installed, the overall sound quality was certainly lower.
Gaming proved a strong point for the HS1A's, with Call Of Duty: Black Ops conveying the impact of war in a very realistic manner. Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit was a lot of fun with all the engine sounds adding immensely to the overall immersive nature of the racing. The fitting of the headphones is really comfortable and I actually forgot I was wearing them during the middle of a gaming session over the weekend.
Using an onboard sound card, such as a generic Realtek unit really lowered the impact of the headset, although we already expected this after using them for a few days. The dynamic range was reduced and it shows that Corsair have clearly put a lot of work into this design during development. It is imperative not to skimp on an audio partner for the HS1A, it is all down to the hardware you use.
