Pros: Out of the box, these are outstanding, comfortable, well constructed, and offer great clarity. Do download the software from Corsair's website. You will need to play with EQ to get the audio profile you want but it comes with some presets which offer a good baseline. I especially like the microfiber and memory foam earcups. They're comfortable and surround the entire ear. They also won't wear out as quickly as some others with vinyl/plastic covers over the foam will (especially if you have a beard).

Cons: So far the cons are very few. The initial bass response was not very impressive, but adjusting the EQ appropriately and adjusting the surround sound location properties helps as well. But let's be honest, the bass we look for is not natural bass... we like to bump it up and feel it even with a headset on. So in my mind, this isn't a con but is worth noting. That said, the sound reproduction and complexity far exceeds my former headset with 40mm drivers which was considered one of the best a year ago.

Overall Review: I read the Tom's Hardware review on 7.1 surround headsets. These are the only to feature 50mm drivers vs 40mm and lower offered by competitors. I made my decision based upon their recommendations in that review. I was not disappointed.

Pros: This headset has wonderful sound quality. The ear pads fit over my enormous ears. The microphone is very clear.

Cons: Cannot wear headset and top hat at same time.

Pros: Corsairs foray into the gaming headset is a good one. The biggest complaint other than the general lack of sound quality you get out of most gaming headsets is "bass rattling". For instance, someone throws a grenade... a tank drives by and your headphones rumble and grind like a maxed out cheap stereo in a cheap car. Needless to say the 50mm drivers on the Corsair 1500 negate that common complaint. Highs are very nice and lows are decent. Nothing booming but crisp and balanced with the highs, voices come through clearly. Corsair includes a software set that is very slick and minimalistic that lets you tweak your EQ. There are plenty of sliders and options as well as panels to turn on and off Dolby/7.1. Under this pane you can also tweak each virtual speaker and create a custom 7.1 soundscape. Remember the best kinds of headphones are the most flat in terms of sound. This being so that the user can control the headphones to their liking. The microphone is good... tested on Skype and Ven

Cons: The headphones are seemingly well constructed with my only complaint is the fake metal construction. It seems to be plastic, or at least the lightest metal known to man. However, it still feels sturdy and no creaking. The pads on the sides of headphones cups are soft and help keep the phones off your ears. The braided cable is super long - and when I say long, I mean longest headphones cable I have ever seen. Someone at Corsair knows I keep my computer several feet from my desk. The pads along the top are nicely done and the Vengeance 1500 has a nice overall has a clean look. The headphones fit firmly on your head so they don't flop around when you look down or from side to side. They are a closed set of headphones so outside noises don't permeate. I definitely wore them for a six hour gaming spree with no problems other than some sweaty ears sometimes and a bit of tension from the stiff band.

Overall Review: These headphones are plug in play... you plug them in, Windows installs them and bam... ready to go. The only thing you might have to do is set them to default in your control panel depending on your sound card/mobo set up. The 3D aspect works in games whenever you plug them in. Once plugged in the headphone attachment controller illuminates blue with a "+,-" for volume as well as a mute button. I have had them for about a week or so and got to play them with several different games and am so far impressed with the overall feel of these headphones. I got these as a demo unit from Corsair. 4.5 out of 5.

Pros: Loved the headset did everything I wanted it to do and sounds amazing.

Cons: lasted less than a year even though they were amazing during the time the right headset speaker shorted out. and now it only works if i pull the cord. I never dropped it or anything so not sure how it started shorting out. but since I specifically bought it for the surround sounds capability it is kinds useless now. oh well back to regular speakers for me i guess.

Overall Review: I took off two eggs because it is n ice but not lasting one full year is a bit much

Pros: Sound - Good clear sound with corsair drivers. 7.1 emulation works as expected. Music sounds good and balanced. (These do not have obnoxiously punchy bass. They simply play the bass at the levels it is meant to be heard at and there is an equalizer in the driver interface for some adjustment.) USB connector means these headphones are capable of managing their own sound (a good option if you don't have a dedicated sound card.) Microphone - Good clear mic quality. With two mics plugged in, I switched from a low end headset to this during an active skype call and the individual in the call assumed I was muted due to the total absence of static. Search youtube for mic tests of any particular product you are considering. Comfort - Very comfortable. Wore these for a 10 hour gaming session as soon as they arrived. They do not feel too heavy, the earcups don't squeeze too tightly. (just enough to keep them stable but not enough to cause any discomfort). Earcups are deep enough for my ears. Nothing poking or pressing uncomfortably. Weight is distributed evenly. Price - These are one of few surround sound headsets available at this price range, and for the sale price I got them at this was actually the only 7.1 surround sound headset I could find at all.

Cons: This is very much a personal opinion that will not apply to most people: I am not a big fan of microfiber so I found the microfiber covering SLIGHTLY irritating. Every few hours or so I'd notice it and shift them and it was fine. Not worth complaining about at all, but if I had to reach for something.

Overall Review: I read a ton of reviews on Newegg and other websites before purchasing these, so the main purpose of this review was to address some of the common themes I came across in other reviews for those who might be searching as meticulously as I was. The in line volume control does not get as hot as some reviews are stating. Could be an inconsistent defect but after many hours of uninterrupted use, it is slightly warm at best. The memory foam and microfiber earcups do not get unbearably hot. I didn't find the heat inside the earcups to be different than any other headphones I've used I have read reviews claiming these to impossibly large or awkwardly shaped on certain head sizes. My head is a normal size and I didn't experience any strange clamping or pressing like some reviews have stated. They fit my average sized (probably small or medium helmet size) head perfectly fine. Some have stated that the bass is non present in these. While it is necessary to download the driver from the corsair website, once you do that the sound quality is fantastic, bass and all.

Pros: +In BF3 the Gun fire actually surprised me on how startlingly crisp the shots of every gun sound (read other thoughts) +High quality Braided nylon cable +Fit very well over my big ears!(50MM speakers) +Great wire brush chrome look. +No annoying lighting on the side of my headset I like my explosions to have bass. I had to change the equalizer from the standard "fps" setting to raise the 30, 60 & 120 Hz up & then it was perfect. Didn't bottom out or sound distorted. The mic they use on this thing is phenomenal. We all have "that guy" in vent/ts that's too loud/quiet. I was THAT GUY. My friends actually noticed that I had a new mic before I could mention it. They said "It doesn't sound tinny now." Also that it was "much clearer & almost no background noise." Basically My voice sounds much closer to how I sound in person. Tested them on NFS the Run, BF3, Star Wars TOR, Payday the Heist, & Tribes Ascend. I played each game on different days, 3-6 hrs at a time. (See Other Thou

Cons: -Doesn't come with voice changing effects. I don't really know how much of a con that is for you. I have a SB Titanium HD with that feature & I used it for the first day. Since then I haven't wanted to use it. You could download free software that does this for you. -I had a problem with sound crackle while using the usb 3.0 port on my Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-B3. Intermittently I have had this issue and it can be brought on by ALT+Tabbing out of a full screen game, then mouse clicking back into it. I fixed this by using the usb 2.0 ports instead. Troubleshooting it proved it would work on another system usb 3.0, I didn't have 2 manuf. USB headsets to troubleshoot the issue further. -(fixed this) Like I said the bass seemed low at first. I did look to the equalizer & found it had several presets:Music (with lots of bass), Music, Movies, FPS Gaming & MMO Gaming. I fixed it by selecting FPS gaming & pushing the 30 Hz to the top, 60Hz 2nd to top, 120 3rd to top headset feels too ti

Overall Review: +Headset glows red when mic is muted +Corsair Support helped a lot ts'ing the static +We all know bf3 won awards for their sound effects, but I was genuinely shocked at how good the gunfire sounds. It's nice to finally hear what they won the award for lol. You just need great speakers & a great sound card to provide the full experience -Headset Tightness: I can tell you that I was able to bend it slightly outward to loosen its grip. You can and WILL break the headband if you bend it too far or too often. It was not designed to be adjusted. If you still don't care then I'll tell you how I did it. First I adjusted it to the length I wear it while playing games. Then lightly+slowly I open the ears apart (holding the band not the speakers. Using my ring finger and my thumb) while pushing down on the top band with your index & middle finger, I gently bent the band open. I pulled mine open about 5-6 cms from my ears while pressing down on the top of the band. I did it several times slo

Pros: Hmm...folks need to adjust to 7.1 Virtual and things might start sounding a lot better, otherwise the default 'Bypass' is simply awful. For the price it's tough to beat the Corsair 1500 and it's a lot better than your onboard sound.

Cons: If you wear them for long periods of time the inward pressure gets to you and I have an average sized head. So while I appreciate the tiny heads in China the next version needs a looser fitting 'head strap.' Non-native e.g. ASMedia USB 3.0 controller will destroy the sound (horrible distortion) and there's no fix for this, so those with only USB 3.0 ports are out of luck. Corsair confirmed this problem as latency caused by the chipset, and native USB 2.0 work perfectly fine. So what do I do on my Corsair 500R case?! I agree that the placement of the inline volume control is too far down the cord and it can easily get caught on either your chair or desk, plus IMHO the (+) should be on the top not the bottom; counter intuitive.

Overall Review: Overall the build quality is nice, I like the so called flimsy breaded cord, it looks attractive and once properly set-up works just fine. Also, I love that the LED turns red if you disable the Mic, and boom folds-up and positions itself just fine.

Pros: -Sounds pretty good -Mic quality is great -Extremely comfortable

Cons: And that's where it drops off. The cord is extremely weak and already one of the speakers has gone out because the cord is so fragile. Occasionally, I'll be talking on skype and all my, including my microphone will just stop, and in order to get it to work again, I have to unplug it and plug it back in.

Overall Review: I'm absolutely astonished by how much money I wasted on a product that only worked for a month. I had a creative headset that lasted me for a year that was only 30 dollars. I would not recommend anyone get this headset under any circumstances.