Corsair Vengeance 2000 Wireless review

Gaming PCs can sometimes become so entangled with the connecting wires of peripherals that it seems only a matter of time until they conspire to constrict you in an inescapable death-grip. A wireless headset like the Corsair Vengeance 2000 is therefore always welcome.

At £115, it enters a market populated by a few star performers, like Creative's Sound Blaster Tactic3D Wrath, and a few that are just okay, such as Sony's DR-GA200.

The Vengeance 2000 separates itself from the pack with an easy setup, comfortable design and the trademark Corsair build quality that runs through every product so consistently, it's frankly getting boring.

Okay, we jest - knowing that your three-figure headset isn't going to unravel at the slightest provocation counts for a lot - but does the Vengeance 2000 deliver enough sound quality and functionality to make it worth your while?

If you don't care about bundled software, the answer's a firm yes.

No drama

One of the Vengeance 2000's biggest selling points is evident when you first take it out of the box - it's ludicrously easy to get up and running. We grabbed the wireless receiver and bunged it in our PC rather hopefully - fully expecting to endure half an hour of syncing and re-syncing, searching for drivers online and praying to the gods to make noises come out - but it worked with no drama at all.

A simple click of the headset's only button synced it, and we were ready to go. It certainly matches the Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Wrath in that department, and bests the pricier Sound Blaster Recon 3D (although the latter does have cross-platform support and more functionality).

It's certainly a comfortable set to wear, and boasts a pretty good range of 12 metres - probably further than you'll ever need.

Its battery life is a real swayer, too. Once it's fully charged, the Vengeance 2000 can keep going for a full day of gaming.

Sadly, the sound quality isn't exceptional for a 7.1 set. Like so many headsets, it's designed to exaggerate low-end frequencies, which makes in-game effects sound meatier but means music lacks clarity.

That's forgivable given that gaming is the Vengeance 2000's raison d'être, but it's worth noting that both the Creative headsets we've tested offered better overall sound quality. They also come with software to let you create your own presets, fiddle with the EQ and adjust the surround.

The Vengeance 2000 is an overall success, but its few weaknesses hold it back. We love its comfort, ease of use and genuinely wire-shy design. Ditto the practical wireless range and impressively long battery life.

We really, really hate hearing those low life beeps though, and ultimately these boons do mean more when you're gaming than being able to give yourself a chipmunk voice or boost 6.5KHz. Those after a more multipurpose headset should be warned this doesn't offer great quality for music and movies, though.