Corsair Gaming H2100

•       -   Bargain price
•     -   Stylish design
•      -  Excellent build quality

•        -Lacking midrange audio compared to the Steelseries H Wireless
•       - Shorter battery life at around 10 hours

It’s an oldie, but Corsair’s Gaming H2100 wireless set is as strong a package now as it was at launch in late 2013, and of course a couple years before that in its earlier incarnations. And now that it’s dropped below the $100 mark, it’s kind of a no-brainer for budget buyers.

As with every peripheral Corsair puts out, the build quality on show in these cans is extraordinary. The closed-cup design features massively oversized cups, big enough to envelop any set of ears, and thus block out distracting noise while giving the bass a little chamber to resonate in. The body’s constructed using a mixture of plastics and lightweight aluminium, keeping the overall weight low enough to maximise comfort levels. Oh, and the enormous padded headband doesn’t exactly hurt on that front, either.

There’s just one on-off switch on the right cup, and a nicely textured volume roller below it, so it isn’t bursting with inline controls like our $150 pick, but the simplicity really adds to its look.

However, like our $150 pick, The H2100 is another fuss-free setup, requiring only a single USB slot to connect its receiver. Battery life is a perfectly usable ten hours—less than our other picks, and not something to brag about on the packaging, but certainly enough to get you through any one session before those beeps kick in.

It’s in the sound quality where you start to hear the difference $200 makes—the H2100’s midrange lacks a little clarity compared to our newfound favourite, the SteelSeries H Wireless, but for the money it still offers powerful low-end and convincing positional audio that’ll immerse you in your games. You’ll feel the lack of sparkle when listening to music, but them’s the breaks at the budget end.

All things considered though, $90 is practically theft for the level of quality on offer with the Corsair H2100. They’re arguably the best-looking cans in the whole roundup, and though their sound and battery life can’t compete with the upper echelon, the downside to you when using them in the real world is minimal.