This is the comparison between the Corsair Virtuoso RGB SE and Sony WH-1000XM3 headsets. Both are the expensive and premium headsets. Both are in some way the perfect one but check out which one is best for your taste and requirements.

Introduction

Corsair Virtuoso RGB SE

The Virtuoso is the Corsair’s a first real high graded gaming headset, it does cost a bit more than their previous models with an MSRP of 180 dollars for the standard edition and then 200 dollars for the special edition.

Sony WH-1000XM3

The Sony which is famous for the quality of sound gives the new model Sony WH-1000XM3. This has the best comfort and active noise cancelling microphone and many other features. This one retails for more than 300 dollars which is little bit expensive.

Design

Corsair Virtuoso RGB SE

In the box you will get an extremely nice a magnetic pouch then you get the manual, the 2.4 gigahertz slip-streaming USB end dongle, a large removable a microphone and then for cables, you get a 1.5 meter TRRS to TRS a braided cable and then also a 1.5 meter USB type of C to USB type A braided cable.

You get a very simplistic about stylish design with the SE having this gorgeous a gun a metal color scheme but you do also have the black and the white models for the standard edition. As for bullet quality, a lot of other premium headsets do sound really good but they skimp out on addy bolder quality making me feel very cheap. However, the virtue SE have been comprised of aluminum for the entire frame. There’s not only it makes it feel extremely high in quality but also makes it quite light at 360 grams approximately and also a very sturdy.

You can twist a fair amount for all head sizes and it will able to handle travel and no issues. It’s going to handle drops and also rough travel or for instance, if there’s a lot of pressure on the headset or heavy things on it I think that’s all mostly gonna be fine. The build quality is really a sturdy, so for that only thing is going to be totally fine.

As for connection at types on the left ear cup you do get above your USB type-c and 3.5 millimeter connections with the type-c doubling as a charging. You do also get at the front the mini USB port for that detachable a microphone. On the right ear cup, you get the aluminium of volume controller wheel which it does have a bit more of a tension between each scroll and also adjust the volume quite a bit slower but actually you like it if you feel a bit more in control.

You do also get the wireless and USB toggle switch that allows to either use it with the USB wired cable or with the USB wireless 2.4 gigahertz receiver. Now, it does work on PC and play station with the wireless mode. So, you do have that option but for the other consoles you will need to use the included cable.

Sony WH-1000XM3

Quality-wise, they feel nearly identical to the last generation and compared to the competition, the 1000XM3 have the same clicky headband up top, soft ear pads and what feels to be the same quality as the 1000XM2. Now, aesthetically there’s an added piece of bronze or copper accents which adds a bit of class to the headphones but oddly Sony removed the texture on the ear cups and compared to the first generation, the leather texture is gone. These all plastic which takes away from that premium feel is not a big deal and they still look great though but the leather feels so much better.

Comfort

Corsair Virtuoso RGB SE

The comfort is another aspect where diversity also does not sacrifice on. The large headband at the top or the softest padding does help spread the weight evenly across your head. Ear cups are able to a swivel 180 degrees to rest on your neck and does also tilt a small amount to fit over your ears a better. Clamping force was also just the right amount for me to make a proper seal around my ear and they’re also not a full offer too, easily if I do shake my head around a normal amount.

The ear cups cushions are decently thick with a soft a memory foam and synthetic leather. I had no problem wearing these for a long period at a time. Also, the one issue that I usually have with gaming headsets in general is that my ears adduce tend to scratch against the inside of the driver wall and that does get very annoying. Now, even though the Virtuoso does not have a padding against the driver, it does have a soft fabric and that is the reason why I could wear it for so long.

Sony WH-1000XM3

Aside from looks, this is where it gets interesting. Comfort is improved as the metal reinforced headband and arms are now thinner. The leather up top has some extra cushion and the overall shape of the headphones have slightly changed. You can see that the newer model is just slightly a little bit more narrow. Actually, Sony reduced the weight on this one to beat most competitors. Now, Comfort wasn’t an issue, I had minimal zero wearing fatigue at the crown of the head, no jaw line fatigue from the clamping force and the overall design remains stable when moving around. If compared to the 1000XM2, it’s less sharp and less pinching at the crown of the head everything else is as comfortable as it was before.

The ear pads are redesigned on the new model and are not as firmer as thick as the previous generation but they do feel slightly better and slightly more plush. Unfortunately, they still cause my ears to slightly warm up after an hour of wearing, not ears wet but feels a bit humid. It’s light and my ears breathe just better in there. If you stretch, the headband will get to stretch at the maximum point, so it will not break easily.

Features

Corsair Virtuoso RGB SE

Important part about a wireless headset is range of course and Corsair states that a diverter does have a max range of 18 meters or 60 feet but that is in perfect conditions with no walls in between. On the other hand I was able to get around at 10 meters away from my PC with two double brick walls in between before I started to lose connection which is pretty decent. You’re not going to go too far away from your gaming system, so around 10 meters is actually pretty good in my opinion.

Also, keep in mind that a dongle placement is going to play a factor. If you do put the dongle behind your PC you are going to lose connection a lot easier. For example, I did a tested out of connecting it to the back of my PC and it would just lose connection for around five seconds and then reconnect and even though it was really close to the dongle.

Sony WH-1000XM3

The power and the cycle of sound modes are on the left ear cup which are easily identifiable and you do have a 3.5 millimeter chord for physical connections. The headphones still work even though the headphones are off, ANC just simply would be on and it does sound better with a physical connection and it might be slightly better.

On the right ear cup the touch sensitive controls are back and they work to absolutely fine, swiping up and down or holding the upper or lower regions of the ear cup raises and lowers volume and swiping left and right skips and goes back on your music and a Double-tap pauses and plays all the actions are intuitive. With that same ear-cup, you can hold your hand over it and the headphones will lower your music, turn on the microphones, and pump in your environmental noises. This is highly convene when you have someone coming up talking to you or at work or at home and you don’t want to mess with taking the headset off.

The Sony WH 1000XM3 oddly doesn’t offer Bluetooth 5.0 considering all other proofs but Bluetooth version 4.2 still works great. I’m still able to walk my entire 800 square foot apartment with zero connection issues. Now, keep in mind the 1000XM3 can only pair with one device at a time, it can’t pair with multiple devices which is possibly the biggest letdown and this pair of headphones switching from my phone to my laptop every morning when I get into work it’s a little nuisance.

There’s also the app of adaptive sound control. The headphones have the ability to dynamically change the amount of noise based on your movement, all automated. So, while walking on the streets you might want to hear your surroundings for safety but as soon as you sit in transit the headphones automatically changes to 100% active noise-cancelling. Now, you can always turn this off and have it at A and C 100% of the time. My opinion, this actually takes several minutes which is odd as heck, it’s not instant being this feature functional but at times unreasonably delayed.

There’s an ANC optimizer on the app that you can perform for, maximum effectiveness, and new environments, you can position where you want the audio to come but simulated surround sound, audio profiles are available which were very subtle other brands offers much more engaging changes than Sony.

The equalizer which does offer some changes but the app does force you out of El dec and into the SBC codec. If you went from basically high resolution audio transmission to mp3 quality, if you normally listen to mp3 or streaming services, it’s not a big deal. If you purposely blocked high-end files it’s better to use your own dedicated equalizers, you don’t drop down to that lower quality. In the end, the app looks robust but it’s been okay from my use.

Microphone

Corsair Virtuoso RGB SE

You get a detachable and bendable mic which is awesome and especially because of its largeness, being able to remove it is really cool you don’t have this mess with this thing. For the sound quality, it actually sounds really good. It does still have that kind of nasally sound to it and it does pick up pops quite easily if it is too close to your mouth. But, I’m honestly impressed for a gaming headsets a microphone, it’s gonna be good enough if you’re streaming and so on but if you do purchase this headset you’re most likely going to be able to afford an external microphone. So, you’ll most likely use that but for just casual use, this is only good enough and in wireless mode also it’s awesome.

Another feature that the microphone actually has is that on the mic at the back you do actually get mic mute button and then also if you do press a longer, it is going to toggle via mic feedback. So, you can hear yourself when you’re talking, so that is cool and it’s on the microphone. You can also go inside the software to set it. I like that it’s actually on the microphone and something bit different.

The noise cancellation isn’t it via based but luckily you do have filters that you can apply in the programs like streamers or OBS which will lower that to a degree. So, you do have that option but it doesn’t have any noise cancellation really built in or that you can go set inside the software.

Sony WH-1000XM3

The voices are greatly reduced, cars driving by are barely to not even audible at times. ANC headphones don’t cancel everything out but the 1000XM3 is on a whole another level.

To get too technical Sony implemented their own processor that takes their noise canceling up several notches on the 1000XM3. The Sony were the best at noise cancelling but this generation blows everything 1000XM3 else I’ve tested so far out the water. Surprisingly, I personally didn’t feel any air cabin pressure feeling which can be noticed on other competitors. Use the headphones that’s really the only way that you can hear directional audio with the microphones.

One thing I want to point out is that the microphone for phone calls does pick up the voice pretty well but there’s a minor echo but the downfall though it picks up most if not all background noise. With the movies also, there are no syncing issues. I didn’t experience any syncing issues.

Sound Performance

Corsair Virtuoso RGB SE

This is where the Virtuoso pretty much stands out above all other gaming headsets. Specs wise, the 50mm accustomed and neodymium drivers have a frequency response of a 20 Hertz to 40 kilo Hertz an depending on the connection type you use, you can either get a 24-bit a bit rate and a 96 for a USB wired or a 24-bit rate at a 48 kilohertz operate for a wireless.

The virtuoso sounds amazing. It has crystal-clear highs, it has full amends and a really good amount of a bass. The bass isn’t overly powerful with that deep thumping bass that you get on summer gaming headset, it’s a lot more equal across the frequency range which you only do or once. Now, even though this is not a studio grade hit, I do feel comfortable using these for pretty much all. The sound quality is good enough for all. I do believe it’s will do pretty decent to fold the music as well.

The Virtuoso is a gaming headset, so you’re mostly going to use it or playing some games and because it’s wireless that’s mostly going to be your connection that’s how you’re going to use. So, using the Virtuoso playing some of my favorite games I only had a lost using the virtual 7.1, it made the surround sound a lot of better and I could hear stuff all around me and also you can use it in normal stereo mode if you prefer. Listening music is also awesome and the quality that it diverges to delivers it’s just superb, I really enjoyed my time with it.

Now regarding sound isolation, the Virtuoso does a pretty good job. As all the creative people close to you will still be able to what you’re listening to. If you up the volume above 50%, it does get a bit a louder than and then also if you do have loud sounds around you. If somebody working outside with a jackhammer, you are going to hear that even if you deal up the volume a bit more.

Sony WH-1000XM3

Now, the 1000XM3 are very similar to the 1000XM3 but it is slightly refined, it’s ever so slightly brighter and more for than a previous generation. If you compare the 1000XM3 to the competition the M3 are very bass focused headphones. If you like bass M3 gives off a punchy and some resonating characteristics, it doesn’t hit deep sub bass like these Sony xb950 and ones but the M3 are perfect for those who like a blend of hip-hop, EDM, and pop music. The 1000XM3 still does well with vocals and detailed focused music but the basic times is predominant. The mid-range isn’t necessarily recessed though or dwarfed by the bass, if anything the mid-range for vocals and most instruments are neutral or slightly above neutral from my personal experience. It’s still awesome to listen to if your bass focus.

As for the high notes never sharp or ear piercing with roll-off on the top, I think it’s missing a little sparkle up there to make cymbal crashes and it’s really identifiable and to balance out those lower frequencies to help with the beats.

The sound-stage is quite apparent for a left and right audio channels but there’s not much dimension of audio being in the forefront. Then, another layer of audio being further out, same with the rears and besides. Now sound leaking happens at about 75 to 80% and it is minimal though they do suppress a lot of the audio from leaking or coming out, so your neighbors can hear it too much. The M3 is I believe will be loud enough for most people, I never needed to play these at 80% vibe or higher.

Battery

Corsair Virtuoso RGB SE

A big issue that we usually have with 2.4 gig are wireless gaming headsets is that the battery life isn’t good at all, not a losing or long enough for a full day’s use. However, Corsair Virtuoso also does actually address that with them standing that it has a 20 hours active at time and that does actually seem to be true. So, that does seem to be around in the 20 hour that you gonna get out of it with the RGB off. The RGB will drain a lot more but you’re not getting used to mostly. So, battery life is really good.

For the battery indicator unfortunately, you don’t get anything in percentages, you only get a high, medium, and low with a green, orange, and red. So, you do get an LED on the headset the blinking to let you know and then also you can take it into the tall sport to see the battery life.

Sony WH-1000XM3

The 1000XM3 upgrades this to USB c for charging. The thing which makes the 1000XM3 a better than most out there is the ability to fast charge. The previous model provided 70 minutes of playback time that is when charged for 10 minutes with the 1000XM3 10 minutes gives you freaking up to 5 hours of playback that’s insane.

Sony claims up to 30 hours of playback with a and ANC or active noise-cancelling. On from the ANC headphones I got a total of 20 hours and 8 minutes from a full battery to dead.

 Conclusion

Corsair Virtuoso RGB SE

It is a superb and pretty much covers everything that I want in a gaming headset. The sound quality is amazing, the build quality is really good. The mic though I’m not going to use it a lot, it’s also good enough to use and then battery life is very good as well. So, even though the price tag is a bit high honestly it is worth it for everything you get. I wish Corsair might have included to make it even better and that is to have a Bluetooth.

Sony WH-1000XM3

This Sony 1000XM3 is not perfect but compared to everything on the market the 1000XM3 nails it on comfort, the best and fast charging on the best and battery life and active noise-cancelling. If you like bass, this certainly kills it.

[i2pc pros_icon=”icon icon-plus-thick” cons_icon=”icon icon-plus-thick” show_title=”true” title=”Corsair Virtuoso RGB SE” show_button=”false” pros_title=”Pros” cons_title=”Cons” ][i2pros]Comfortable fit
Great gaming sound
Fantastic mic[/i2pros][i2cons]Expensive
Not compatible with every system
Soundscape is treble-heavy[/i2cons][/i2pc]

[i2pc pros_icon=”icon icon-plus-thick” cons_icon=”icon icon-plus-thick” show_title=”true” title=”Sony WH-1000XM3″ show_button=”false” pros_title=”Pros” cons_title=”Cons” ][i2pros]Outstanding noise cancellation
Fantastic sound quality
Quick Attention Mode
30-hour battery life[/i2pros][i2cons]Can only be paired with one device at a time
Mediocre call quality[/i2cons][/i2pc]

Buy Corsair Virtuoso RGB SE

Buy Sony WH-1000XM3