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It’s not every day that a gaming headset stands out, but when I reviewed the Corsair Virtuoso Pro last year I knew there was something particularly special going on. This is an open-back headset, which means it’s not going to make sense for everyone, but I always recommend it to one type of player; the streamer. At $199.99 it’s not the cheapest set of cups on the market, especially considering its narrow use case, but Amazon’s latest discount does soften that blow considerably this week.
You’ll find the Corsair Virtuoso Pro available for $149.99 right now, for a full $50 off the original MSRP. That’s just $9 away from a record low of $140.99 that I’ve only ever seen once before, back in February. That offer lasted for a few weeks, but this has been a full-priced piece of kit since then, dropping to today’s $149.99 position in late April. Even previous sales at the start of the year only ever took those numbers to $180.
This is about as cheap as gaming-focused open-back headsets get. You can spend thousands of dollars on high-end audiophile-level cups, but if you’re looking for specific gaming features, easy integration with a range of different accessories, and competitively tuned audio this is where you need to be. After all, the Corsair Virtuoso Pro has earned its rank as the best gaming headset with an open-back design in all of my testing so far.
Should you buy the Corsair Virtuoso Pro?
I’d primarily recommend the Corsair Virtuoso Pro to streamers. After all, these open-back cups are designed to integrate your soundstage into your existing environment, with no off-putting sidetone worries to consider and a more natural feel when hearing yourself talking. On top of that, the wired connection can plug directly into the brand’s Wave XLR kit for finer control over your microphone settings. Throw in the naturally breezy comfort that comes from an open-back model, incredibly well-balanced graphene drivers, and a subtle but still unique aesthetic.
I wouldn’t, however, suggest that everyday solo players should be flocking to this deal. By virtue of that open-back design, there’s no sound isolation in here whatsoever. That means you can hear everything that’s going on around you, and everyone in your vicinity can hear your gameplay. That’s not ideal if you play in busier environments. The wired connection can also grow tiresome after a while, especially if you’re hopping between the dedicated non-mic and mic cable sets. Plus, there are powered gaming headsets with far more customization options at this price. The Razer BlackShark V2 Hyperspeed, for example, carries the full Synapse experience for just $129.99 at Amazon.
We’re also rounding up all the best wireless gaming headsets if you’re looking to go cordless, or check out plenty more of the best PC headsets on the market. For console users, we’re keeping you topped up with all the best PS5 headsets and best Xbox Series X headsets as well.
