Audio issues with Virtuoso RGB

[Xaethus]

Hi there!

 

Was in the market for a new headset, settled on a Virtuoso RGB after reading decent reviews and generally having good experiences with Corsair products in the past. Unfortunately it's been nothing but stress trying to get this thing to work properly for me over the past few days. From the start it's been giving me nothing but issues. It doesn't really work in wireless mode, I get clean audio for ~10 minutes but eventually it'll go crackly/inaudible and the only (temporary) fix is to briefly switch to wired mode, then back to wireless.

 

Secondary issue I've noticed over the past day or so is a persistent, white noise/static like sound in the background. This seems to be tied to the headset itself, as it happens with Icue closed & open.

 

I have my own suspicions about what might be going on with the headset - the drivers listed in my Device Manager are dated for December 2019. Updating them tells me I have the best drivers available, but that seems silly to me. I've followed countless threads and suggestions by fellow users and Corsair representatives alike. A brief sample:

 

There was an article published by corsair that detailed dealing with sound issues following a windows update. Included a full reinstall of Corsair + drivers. (Didn't work).

 

Turning on Windows Sonic. I've tried this. Not only does it not fix the issues, but there's some incompatibility with it and Icue. Renders my EQ settings useless.

 

Reinstalling drivers with Icue. Have tried this several times, but it seems to be fetching the incorrect ones or something. It's hard to believe the most recent/best drivers would be dated for 2019. I'm just at my wit's end, I've exhausted what limited knowledge I have, I've consulted friends. Nothing has worked. I turn to the forums where people here might be more experienced. Outside of all the issues I've had it's a decent sounding headset and the mic is one of the better ones I've had over the years. I'd like to try everything possible before I refund.

[imtopa]

Do you have any other devices that use 2.4Ghz connection? For me i had wireless mouse that used the same connection and that caused problems.

 

Try to have a usb extension cable and insert the dongle in that and move it away from your computer.

 

Hope this helps, it fixed all of the issues for me.

[Xaethus]

I don't have any other wireless devices plugged into the PC, no. My PS5/wireless headset is nearby, but they're both always off and I typically unplug the dongle for that headset when it's not in use anyway.

 

So I don't think that should be causing any issues. I suppose I can give your suggestion a shot though

[Xaethus]

I should probably add some clarification though and say that my issues with this headset are present in both wired *and* wireless mode, unfortunately. I'm starting to wonder if maybe I might've just gotten unlucky and gotten a defective product, but from my research it seems like there are some pretty widespread issues with the Virtuoso in particular.

 

/shrug.

[Corsair Albert]

You could try different USB ports to see if the issue still persists. I'm assuming your headset is already on the latest firmware available via iCUE, so I suggest attempting a soft reset. To soft reset your headset:

 

1. Make sure your headset is currently unplugged.

2. Make sure your headset is powered on.

3. Hold the Mute button on the headset down for about 15 seconds.

4. Switch the headset off and then back on.

5. Test your headset and see if the issue is resolved.

 

If you haven't already, I suggest opening a ticket at https://help.corsair.com, our support team may be able to provide some insight/troubleshooting guidance.

[Xaethus]

You could try different USB ports to see if the issue still persists. I'm assuming your headset is already on the latest firmware available via iCUE, so I suggest attempting a soft reset. To soft reset your headset:

 

1. Make sure your headset is currently unplugged.

2. Make sure your headset is powered on.

3. Hold the Mute button on the headset down for about 15 seconds.

4. Switch the headset off and then back on.

5. Test your headset and see if the issue is resolved.

 

If you haven't already, I suggest opening a ticket at https://help.corsair.com, our support team may be able to provide some insight/troubleshooting guidance.

 

Thanks for the suggestion and apologies for the late response, just checking this thread every day or so. I'll let you know if this solves the issue. Received a replacement dongle yesterday as well, so going to see if that solves the issues in wireless mode, at least. Updates to come.. soon?

[Xaethus]

Welp, wish I could come here with better news. Unfortunately that's not the case.

 

I've tried every single port on my PC, front and back. The new dongle/soft reset seemed to fix things for several hours, but as of just about a minute ago the problems have returned. After some time the headset audio just becomes awful. A constant static/extremely muffled audio.

 

I have no other bluetooth/wireless devices connected in the vicinity that could cause any issues.

[Corsair Albert]

Thanks for the follow-up, Xaethus.

 

Strange how it was fine for several hours but then the audio issues return. If your ticket is still open, I would recommend updating it with what has happened so further guidance may be given.

[Bradley0880]

I have the same headset and have been dealing with the problem for the past year, audio crackling, static, very loud sounds that hurt and all sorts of annoying things. Mainly happens in wireless. Sucks cause I bought the headset for the reason if it being wireless. Tried all the things you mentioned that you did; no luck either. Seems that it's just a problem with the headset.

Really sucked spending $200 on a headset for it to only properly last a year. Also bums me out cause every peripheral and PC part of my build is Corsair so I have to stay consistent. I don't even know what headphones to buy at this point.

Hope a solution can be found!

[Drinksy]

I just bought my headset about a week ago as I used to have razor headsets and had nothing but troubles with them (build quality)😡. I am expecting this same issue like 10 minutes of good audio on the 2.4 GHz wireless then boom hissy crackling audio haven't tried it while just watching a movie on my PC will need to try that to see if it's something to do with gaming. Just noticed it playing Dota 2 so far. It doesn't do it when connected to USB cable directly to my PC though which is kinda good I guess going to check Bluetooth to my PC next to see if this issue is present only on the 2.4ghz connection. I'll carry out some more checks and come back if I find anything.

[chris285]

I am finding the same issues with the wireless mode myself with bad garbled audio or just a drop, switch to USB and back and it temporarly fixes it, which when you buy as a wireless headset with the option of USB higher quality audio is a little frustraiting for sure. As mentioned above the USB mode works great for me, and i did a bunch of changes yesterday which i thought had fixed it with over an hour of music but gamed this evening and pretty quickly found the issues had returned.

I have a feeling it may be down to the audio source which is the issue as it's destiny 2 i notice i get audio issues within say 10-15mins or so, and last night I listed to music and a game which may have been stereo was fine for over an hour with no issues which over my wireless connection hasn't happened in a while.

I've applied the latest BIOS to my motherboard to address some USB stability issues, updated drivers, made sure iCUE is up to date and that no new firmware is available when i check in iCUE as well. I've tried various USB ports both front and rear of the case for the dongle, on a USB extrender which is USB 2.0 and it's in the ST 100 headset stand now all of which have had no effect.

I haven't uninstalled iCUE at this stage and removed any stored values, I am planning on upgrading to win 11 and doing a fresh install anyway so will see if that resolves anything. I've checked the option in control panel for exclusive mode for the headset, it wasn't enabled and wondering if there is a conflict where something is toggling between apps and maybe confusing it but it's more of a hope at this stage.

It's sad as i had the VOID pro SE which this replaced and i took the old one to work, and that has caused me zero issues in the last 7/8yrs i had the headset it was just tired and i decided to treat myself to new ones for home and while I like them the wireless aspect has been frankly pretty shocking so far