KitGuru KitGuru.net – Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards
Corsair have opted for an over-ear design for the Vengeance 1500 which means that the earpads press against the side of your head. This means it feels very different to on-the-ear gaming headsets like the SteelSeries Siberia V2 which is more comfortable all things considered. However, the over the ear design means that the Vengeance 1500 has better passive noise isolation than the Siberia V2.
While the headset applies quite a lot of force to the sides of your head, this doesn't cause discomfort and the memory foam earpads help the situation somewhat. They are covered in fabric rather than leatherette, making the headset comfortable to use for long periods of time.
The headband is padded on the inside and features a leatherette covering. This helps to distribute the weight of the headset evenly across your head for a more comfortable fit. The headband is also adjustable on either side so you can ensure the best possible fit.
Our sample of the Corsair Vengeance 1500 wasn't supplied with the software in the box so we downloaded it directly from the Corsair website. This lets us enable Dolby Headphone (virtual 5.1 surround sound) or virtual 7.1 surround sound and configure the various features. We are also able to adjust the volume of the microphone and the volume and levels of the headphone. There are a number of presets for the levels which are tailored to different categories of games and music.
We felt it appropriate to commence our testing procedure with some gaming, after all, this is what the Vengeance 1500 is designed to do best. In Medal of Honor the sound panning, courtesy of the 7.1 virtual surround sound functionality of the headset, enhanced the gaming experience when compared with a stereo model. The sound balance was also well suited to this type of game.
The movie playback experience was also enhanced by the 7.1 virtual surround sound functionality of the headset. This was especially noticeable during the opening sequence of ‘The Dark Knight'. Compared to most gaming headsets we've tested, we found that the Vengeance 1500 was a little lacking in the lower registers at the default setting. Thankfully we are able to adjust the levels within the application that Corsair provide.
