Unlike controllers and keyboards, which wear out over time, gaming headsets can last quite a while, especially if you take good care of them.
I bought one of them best gaming headset That was back in 2018, but my trusty Corsair HS70 has served me extremely well over the years. Even after hours of use and hanging it on the side of my standing desk for long periods of time, it showed relatively little wear and tear.
When it comes to gaming headsets, best over ear headphones Also, the ear pads are prone to wear. I took good care of my Corsair HS70 and always put it back when I was done using it, so I had no problems with mine.
That all changed when I had kids. When he was a baby, my headset proved invaluable when I wanted to make some progress late at night. persona 5. But once he became a toddler and started walking around, he was immediately drawn to my headset. My boyfriend’s Corsair HS70 wore out quickly, until I unhooked and reattached it multiple times, and even wore the headset like a belt.
When I was thinking of quitting it for good and buying a new headset, I remembered that I could replace the damaged ear pads with new ones. Luckily, it was one of the easiest projects I’ve ever done. Here, we explain how the whole process went and why you might want to consider doing the same before throwing away your old headset or headphones.
Modify parts, upgrade parts
The worst thing about damaged headset or headphone ear pads is that they keep getting worse. This cannot be stopped until all the material on the outside of the ear cup is completely gone. I didn’t wait for things to get that bad. After a quick search online, I found new compatible ear pads for the Corsair HS70 ($14, Amazon).
While not completely universal, headset and headphone earcups will fit a variety of models, especially if the pair you’re repairing is a more popular brand. In my case, the replacement earcups I ended up purchasing are compatible with Corsair HS70, HS70 Pro, HS60 Pro, and HS50 Pro.
If you’re considering investing in a new gaming headset or a good pair of over-ear headphones, you should check to see if replacement ear cups are available before you pull the trigger. That wasn’t the case many years ago, but I got lucky. For my next headset, I’ll definitely be looking into it and also buying some extra earcups to go with it from the get-go.
Now that your replacement earcups have arrived, it’s time to remove the old ones. I ended up trying to retrieve the headset as it was quite damaged so I didn’t worry too much about it. However, I’m happy to report that I was able to peel off the old earcups without any problems with just a little bit of force.
From here, I placed the first new ear cup in place and pushed it around the sides until I heard a click. I repeated this process throughout, making sure the new earcups were fully installed. Then I did the same thing with the second one. Honestly, it was easier than I expected.
It is worth noting that you can get new ear cups even if the original ones are not broken. If you want a more customized look and feel for your own headset or over-ear headphones, this is something to consider.
new lease of life
What I like about the replacement earcups I purchased is that they’re made of cloth, so they’re less likely to start peeling off over time like the original ones. As well, it’s a little thicker and more comfortable overall.
To be honest, these were the first shoes I saw and I loved the look of the gray fabric, so I bought them right away. I didn’t know it was made of memory foam and was about half an inch thicker than the original. This extra thickness is useful as it allows you to store the USB dongle inside the headset when not in use.
After the swap was completed, I put the upgraded Corsair HS70 headset to the test by watching a few new videos. fallout series On Amazon Prime Video. It still sounded great, but the thicker pads reduced some external noise.I also played a little rocket league My PC has a skateboard SIM, which is my go-to game for relaxing after a long day session.
As I’ve been using, Xbox Lately, I’ve been wanting to try using a headset with Microsoft’s console a little more. But then I realized that buying a new gaming headset might have been a better option after all.
Not as versatile as I remember
When I bought the Corsair HS70, I didn’t own an Xbox. At the time, most of my gaming was split between my PC and PS4 Pro. One of the reasons I chose this headset over others was that it worked wirelessly with both devices.
Corsair has since changed its strategy with this line of gaming headsets, but the HS70 focused on doing one thing and doing it well. This headset only came with a 2.4 Ghz USB dongle instead of Bluetooth, which I had to swap between my PC and PlayStation. Naturally, now that everything is fixed, I tried using it on my Xbox Series X out of curiosity.
When I plugged the dongle into my Xbox and couldn’t hear anything, I figured there must be a 3.5mm audio jack somewhere, since these are just headphones after all. When I put down my Corsair HS70 and started looking, I found a covered port that looked like it might have, or at least had, the jack I needed.
Another thing I liked about this headset when I got it was the fact that it comes with a detachable microphone. I removed the mic and only used it a few times, as I mostly prefer single-player, story-heavy games over multiplayer games. I hadn’t played with this headset in a while, so when I saw the jack for the microphone, I thought I was good to go. Unfortunately, although it looks like a standard headphone jack, it’s only for a microphone, not a 3.5mm male-to-male audio cable. At least I tried.
It’s still worth doing
Well, you can’t use a six-year-old gaming headset with modern gaming consoles, but that’s to be expected. However, I can continue using it on PC and PS4 Pro, which is still a win in my mind. Additionally, we learned all about earcups and how easy it is to remove and replace them if you buy the right ones.
My headset has been repaired the last few days, but my toddler still hasn’t found it. It probably will, but even if it does, the new earcups won’t wear out after a little play.
If your gaming headset or over-ear headphones feel a little long, we highly recommend that you consider replacing the ear cups before getting rid of them. This is a quick and cheap fix to help bring them back to life while avoiding creating more waste, which you want to avoid with Earth Day right around the corner.