CrazyDave

If you uninstall iCue or just never allow it to run then it will stay in 2 channel mode but if iCue is ever opened it will change back to 8 channel.

The HS80 Max had a firmware update to fix the poor mic quality, but even after applying the update the mic still sounds noticeably worse than the original HS80. The mic quality was the single biggest standout feature of the HS80 so charging extra for a downgrade is baffling to me. I have been asking for an updated HS80 with better battery life for a long time now and unfortunately if there is no further work being done to improve the mic quality to match the original HS80 then I will be returning this headset. See this video for a clear demonstration of the inferior mic quality after the firmware update: https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxiM7zeiKBPwASD2SuSmtyZdzwZGsuGYUA If you listen with headphones you can hear that the newer HS80 Max is still clearly much worse than the original HS80. Even just an option to disable the built in noise cancelling would be a great addition, I don’t need it because my play space does not have noise and this filtering/processing is killing the sound quality.

I have a fix that may work. Turn the sound volume up all the way in windows taskbar. This will increase the sidetone volume as well. I don’t know why. To prevent audio from being too loud you can individually turn the volume down on every program that you use in the windows volume mixer, or in the game bar overlay (win+G). If you don’t want to do this, you can use a third party tool called Equalizer APO to globally apply a negative gain to the headset so that all sound from the computer will be quieter. Sidetone will not be affected, so it will still be full volume. I don’t know why. Equalizer APO can also boost the microphone, if your friends say you are too quiet. I’ve done so. This program works using Windows built in APO support so once you close the program the modifications will persist forever, no need for an extra program running in the background. I use this to apply mic boost without having iCue running. Here is my Equalizer APO config. Note this is for the original HS80, not the Max, so the gain amounts might need to be changed.

I feel heartbroken because I have wanted a new HS80 with better battery life for so long. And they have removed the entire reason for using the headset over the competition. The mic quality has always been the standout feature of the HS80. It’s baffling to me that the product was released like this. Any word on a software fix for this would be great to hear otherwise I think I’m going to just send them back.

The HS80 Max still does not sound as good as the original HS80 even after the firmware update, is this problem still under development or is Corsair content with the newer more expensive product being worse? See this clip for a clear side by side comparison showing the new mic is still inferior after firmware update: https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxiM7zeiKBPwASD2SuSmtyZdzwZGsuGYUA

It has virtual surround sound built in to the driver, always on and no way to actually turn it off. You can see it when you turn off Atmos, in the windows sound settings it shows as 8 channel. If you change it back to 2 channel it will change itself back shortly unless you quit iCue.