Corsair RGB XT 3.5mm very tinny and distorted

[sabrecam]

Hi,

So I have a brand new Corsair RGB XT.  It works fine and I am pretty pleased with it, except...  If I use the 3.5mm jack on the headset with any 3.5mm cable EXCEPT the one it came with it sounds hideous.  Either extremely tinny or distorted so badly you can barely understand it. Basically unlisten-able anyway.  This worries me since if the included cable ever dies, how can I easily replace it?  I tried three other 3.5mm cables I had around the house, one a high quality one from audio technica, and another that was literally brand new and unused.  Same issue.  If I use the Corsair cable it sounds perfectly fine though!  I tried running sound through nopn Corsair cable from PC, PS5 controller and my mobile phone  and again, hideous except via the Corsair native cable.

So...  What is up here?  I'd like to be feeling confident I can use any 3.5mm cable!  I particularly rely on a 3.5mm cable for my PS5 connection because  I also have a PC as my primary device and I want that to be wireless.

[sabrecam]

Replying to myself because it won't let me edit!

Edit - hmmm.  If I plug the native Corsair cable into the jack with the side that isn't marked 'headset' and plug the other side into the source I get a similar problem!  Ok, so the headset side has 4 rings and the source only 3.  What is going on here?  I presumably am clueless about something as I have not encountered this before, but I assume this is the source of the problem!  My other headsets seem not to notice this detail.

[sabrecam]

Replying to myself again!  Ok, so this is a 3.5mm TRRRS to TRRS cable.  5 to 4 pole. Whoah.  Never heard of it before.  Well you learn something new everyday.  I think I answered my own question but I leave this here for others to find!  Corsair - I think publishing this info more clearly may be handy in your doco to help clueless folk like me.

Note I have the RGB WIRELESS XT.  

[raffy56]

I just bought an HS70BT and noticed the unusual connector. I quickly got researching as I have a lot of TRRS cables for my other headsets. Although I don't seem to have the issue where it sounds tinny, I wish corsair will provide information on these cables! I did not expect to get an unusual cable with the headset. Is the headset compatible with TRRS cables? If the cable broke, can we get TRRRS to TRRS cables? Will any off-the-shelf cable work?

I don't like to say it, but I feel like the lack of information made me buy into a proprietary system... 

Edited February 7 by raffy56

[raffy56]

Just wanted to update this thread in case you find yourself here looking for information on the cable that came with your corsair product. I opened and tested the headset (HS70BT) last night, and all I had was a TRRS-TRRS cable from a chinese company. For some reason that cable works. I tested my other cables this morning and as the op mentioned, the earphones don't produce low frequencies when using with other TRRS-TRRS cables. You will need the original cable that came with the product, and as far as I have searched, I can't seem to find replacement cables on Lazada or Shoppee (I'm on SEA region). You'll have to take care not to loose or damage the original cable that came with the earphones.