Nambread

Hi Nick, Unfortunately I've already returned the product for a refund and gone with a different brand, so can't properly answer your questions but will give them a go for future reference: "Have you tried connecting the headset to a different PC/Laptop?" This is my only computer in the house, It is a Ryzen 3-based machine with an X570 mobo. The only other is a work laptop for which I do not have admin rights, so cannot install iCue. I did try several ports/hubs and tested proximity to other wireless dongles. Even with other dongles unplugged I got the same problems. "What is the firmware version for the headset and dongle since you got your replacement? Also iCUE version?" I definitely checked that headset/dongle firmware and iCUE were fully up to date at all troubleshooting steps, this includes that last message on 9/28. Similarly, I believe windows was also up to date. A pity that we couldn't get to the bottom of it, but there seem to be plenty others with the same issues: https://forum.corsair.com/forums/showthread.php?t=192884 https://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=190610 Some report the slipstream beta fixed their issue, other messing with audio channel settings, others the spatial sound. Interestingly one person reported they had to fiddle with power settings on their x570 auros elite mobo (same as mine). I'd already tried the "selective USB suspend" setting though to no avail. Hope some of this helps.

Posting an update here: Paid out of my own pocket to RMA my headset, the refurbished unit exhibits exactly the same issues. There is noise on the line, the volume wheel makes the volume bar jump around, and after the headset went to sleep, turning it on again resulted in total audio corruption that needed a disconnect/reconnect of the dongle to fix. At this point it just seems to be a flaw in the design. Very disappointed as this was not a cheap headset. I will be avoiding wireless corsair products in future.

Just as a follow-up, spoke with a helpful CS rep who suggested turning off USB selective suspend, moving the dongle to different ports to eliminate usb controller constraints, and separating the dongle from other sources of EM interference. As suspected, none of those work so I will be RMAing this week once I've found a replacement for work. Given other people's issues, I don't expect the replacement to be any better, but we will see. Will keep this thread posted.

Thanks for the suggestions but they don't really help. I'm aware of wireless interference. Other products have accounted for this and provided excellent connectivity, some of which I'm using now. It is a black mark against Corsair if they cannot do the same. Like you say this is a problem dating back to the 90's, we should have moved on since then. Additionally, I live in a rural area with mostly elderly folk, plus the neighbours have been out for several days, so I'm going to assume external EM pollution is low. As for the cups, they were not pulled, they were twisted. I did notice that the cup clip remained in the slot and took some digging to fish out. Perhaps too snug a fit caused enough resistance to make it snap, then again maybe not, since I didn't feel or hear it "give". The dongle has been in several ports, including in the passthrough of my corsair mech keyboard. There has been no discernible difference. I've had it drop connection while sitting right next to it. The firmware and software has been updated multiple times, along with unpairing/pairing, as well as going through the "clean install" process I posted about above. I appreciate that these are common sanity steps to take, but I've already taken them several times over months of ownership. For now I'm going to discuss RMA options (refund/replace) with corsair and go from there. A shame, since the design of the headset and its build quality in the headband is brilliant.

To add insult to injury tonight I have two more problems: 1) There is now constant, low-level noise whenever audio is playing on this headset. USB or Wireless. 2) I was filling out the RMA form and had to look up a serial number. I found that the exact same clip on both the earcups have snapped off. This is the first time I've removed them. The headset rarely leaves the desk, so isn't subject to much more than routine use. For reference, I've followed these instructions to the letter twice and the issues still persist: https://help.corsair.com/hc/en-us/articles/360033489511?input_string=audio+connection+issues+and Like I said, very disappointing. I would advise people to stay away from this particular model. I expected better for £150.

For the first time in my life I'm signing up to a product forum to relay my frustrations with a product. A quick read even just the first page of the forum tells me that I'm not alone. I've seen individual issues but none that have aggregated them and provided a bit more information. My problems have been mostly with the wireless connection: 1. If the headset and/or computer go to sleep, upon waking the headset doesn't reconnect. The device shows in the volume popup in the task tray, but no sound comes out. Unplugging and re-plugging in the dongle usually works (but not always!) This happens multiple times a day. 2. Audio corruption happens frequently. One second the sound is fine, the next it sounds like it's coming through a radio with really bad reception. This happens almost every day. 3. Every 3-4 days the sound quality will deteriorate. What I means is that the audio sound normal, then every few seconds there is a "popping" sound. Not quite as bad as in #2, but still enough to ruin music listening. The only way I've found to fix it is to do a full restart using the command "shutdown /t 0 /r". A normal restart via the start menu will not fix it. 4. The volume wheel on the right cup will not scroll the volume level smoothly. I've seen at least one other user having the same issue. You scroll the volume level down and then it will jump back up a few levels. I believe these are software related as these are recent issues but I've been using the headset since Oct 2019. I'm on latest iCue and firmware for headset + dongle. I used to get other issues such as constant connection dropping and duplication of the headset in the iCue software, but they have been resolved in recent months, only to be replace by other issues just as bad! I've actually steered away from choosing Corsair for other wireless products because this experience and iCue stability have been so poor. Such a shame, the actual hardware of the headset is brilliant, and the mic quality on the non-SE version is superb. But if the audio drivers are naff then that defeats the whole point of having one. Are people having similar issues? I'd like to gather a consensus here that something is up with these things. In the meantime I'm going to speak to the retailer and see what their returns policy on bad products is.