It’ll have you well covered whatever you like playing, delivering quality and rich sounds to your ears consistently, while also competent enough to be your go-to headphones for other media. It’ll have you well covered whatever you like playing, delivering quality and rich sounds to your ears consistently, while also competent enough to be your go-to headphones for other media.
The aesthetic is just as cool as previous Krakens and keeps the distinct design quirks and mix of colours; the two main elements of the solid headband and the semi open nature of the earcups seamlessly come together and still work as a whole. The neat and retractable microphone is again a stand out feature—it’s incredibly compact and because you can stow it away, it means you can use the Kraken as regular headphones or a full-blown gaming headset.
It’s convenient and is the only on-board controls, but it’s worth noting that the volume roller does all audio and not just game or chat, so a balance might take some finding depending on your preferences. The cable is an audio jack connection which makes it appropropriate for all gaming setups if you switch from your PC to consoles, mobiles or tablets, however there is a splitter included which is ideal for dividing the input for mic and headphones.
Navigating tighter spaces of the game such as buildings and urban areas and fending off Nazis from corners, I could always tell which way they and their gunfire was coming from due to the excellent surround sound. The audio held up here and was nice and full, each pluck of a string or lightly spoken word was presented to me clearly and rarely lost or obscured. The microphone also really impressed here and I was crystal clear to my teammates; the pull out mic coming around to the front of my face proving to be an effective, tried and tested design.
Razer Kraken X review
Gamers don’t get much in the way of features but the onboard controls, boom mic, and 7.1 surround sound cover the necessities. The Razer Kraken X headset is made for gamers on a budget and works just as well for anyone who needs over-ears with an integrated boom mic. They’re not intended to leave your gaming station and include a dedicated audio/mic splitter cable for computers with separate inputs.
If your desktop has separate audio and mic inputs, you’ll need to use the included splitter for full functionality.
The Razer Kraken X works with virtually any platform, making it a valuable contender within the gaming headset market. The headphones lack in-line controls but do feature a volume dial and mute button on the left ear cup. The 40mm dynamic drivers reproduce a natural representation of three-dimensional space, something gamers should require from any headset. This realistic perception of sound makes it easier to spatially understand where enemies are located.
When playing Destiny, alien footsteps were easy to identify and I predicted which doorways potential threats emerged from. While the frequency response chart appears rather odd, the headphones sound good for their price point. The broad dip from 1-6.5kHz isn’t as dramatic as it looks, but does subject high-pitched frequencies, like harmonics, to auditory masking. The headset’s amplified bass response lends itself nicely to Brown’s folksy style, stressing the drum kicks.
Meanwhile, the light midrange emphasis highlights Brown’s voice even more than the mix intended, which works well for the genre. The microphone doesn’t do a great job at mitigating ambient noise, but if you’re in a quiet room it shouldn’t be too noticeable. The Razer Nari Ultimate is a more premium gaming headset that has a louder design with its LED lights. The Kraken X is a wired-only gaming headset, while the Nari Ultimate supports a wireless connection via the USB adapter.
While wireless support is nice, it also means that you have to be aware of battery life: the Nari Ultimate provides 8 hours, 22 minutes of playtime before you have to recharge them. If you’re able to splurge on a similarly sized gaming headset with a slightly more neutral sound signature, look into the SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless.
Razer Kraken Gaming Headset Review: Reimagining a Gaming Great
Update: Razer’s just launched another batch of color refreshed products, including this model of its Kraken gaming headset in a pristine white variant instead. Aside from a shorter name, the new Kraken features more padding around the headband, an improved mic, and cooling gel in the ear cushions to keep the heat out on those sweltering summer nights. It’s a world of small improvements and minor tweaks, especially after the company released the eSports focused version of the Kraken – the Tournament Edition last year.
While some hardcore PC gamers like to dismiss Razer products, there’s no denying that the Kraken Pro V2 has become an iconic figure in the gaming headset world.
The lack of metal and real leather in the design means that the headset is super light, (just over 320g), but this also gives it a less sturdy feel than other models we’ve tested. Sure, it’s flexible, and can withstand a fair amount of torsion in either direction, but you wouldn’t want to drop the Kraken on a hardwood floor too often, nor would you pull it apart too wide when removing it from your head.
The 3.5mm jack cord, which is attached to the left earcup, is nicely nestled into the unit, and the retractable mic fits snugly into the same half of the headset. However, what we did notice is that it missed several bits of audio that our testing TV (in this case a Samsung Q9FN) picked up instead, like the subtle crackling of fire in some scenes, which was a crying shame. The bassy tuning is perfect for hearing those big explosions, both near and far away, and because these pair of cans are fine-tuned for gaming, there’s a decent sense of imaging here too. The pings of on-screen instructions mixed nicely with the constant thunder of weapon fire, and the stereo sound — while not as complex a surround audio system as you’ll find on Pro-grade gaming headsets — provides a decent sense of your place in the environment.
Its slightly older brother, the Tournament has THX Spatial audio, which does a better job of imaging in multiplayer games, and it costs pretty much the same (it depends which unit has the bigger price cut in the online sales they both frequent). It delights in action movies, like Avengers and Black Panther, but struggles with more subtle dramas and talk-heavy TV shows, because it can’t quite deliver the range of audio to bring the dialogue and incidental noises to life.
As far as music goes, again, anything with a decent bassline is fine (excellent for metal), but the headset is middling with treble and more subtle guitar based tracks. Given the tuning and design of the Kraken, we know its primary use is gaming, and we definitely wouldn’t recommend it if you’re looking for a headset purely for movies, music, and TV. It sits a good length from the earcup, so you’re not poking yourself in the face when attempting to each it, and it feels well attached to the nylon cord that the 3.5mm jack dangles from. It’s clear why the Pro V2 became such a big name in gaming headsets, and this is technically a better model, but the world expects more features and slightly superior audio in 2019, so if you’re planning to invest in a Razer headset and can spend a few dollars more, the Tournament Edition might be a better choice, because of its enhanced audio and better volume control features.
Razer Kraken X Review: A Solid $50 Gaming Headset
While gaming headsets in the $100 range tend to marry good sound quality to attractive designs, those that cost between $50 and $60 always seem to sacrifice something. The Razer Kraken X is no exception to this rule, with subpar music performance and an inconvenient microphone.
Furthermore, it’s extremely comfortable to wear for hours at a time and lightweight enough to make you forget how oversized Razer’s other headsets, like the Kraken Tournament Edition, tend to be. If you need a cheap gaming headset that sounds pretty good and works with everything you own, this is an easy recommendation, even though it’s not quite yet a definitive one.
You get an all-black plastic chassis with subtle honeycomb designs and Razer logos on the ear cups. I spent most of my time with the Kraken X trying it out with various PC games, including Overwatch, StarCraft: Remastered, World of Warcraft and Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition. The headset excelled with voice work, such as the character quips in Baldur’s Gate, as well as music, like StarCraft’s driving background beats. Likewise, the Kraken X delivered high-quality sound on portable platforms, whether I was exploring the forests of Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition on the Switch or probing the dungeons of Dragon Quest III on Android.
The sound isn’t quite as deep or nuanced as what you’d get in a more expensive headset, but the Kraken X more than holds its own against competitors like the HyperX Cloud Stinger ($50) and the Roccat Renga Boost ($60).
Purchasing a new Kraken X gives you access to Razer’s proprietary surround-sound software, which you can use to enable digital 7.1 surround sound.
However, a lot of background noise came through loud and clear as well, including my co-workers’ conversations a whole row of desks away. I tested the Kraken X with music from Old Crow Medicine Show, Flogging Molly, The Rolling Stones and G.F. Handel to see how well it tackled various genres, and it didn’t do all that well.
The Kraken X will work in a pinch — music doesn’t sound fuzzy or far away, like it does on a lot of comparable headsets — but it’s not great. But for $50, it’s an extremely solid headset, providing good in-game sound and a comfortable fit for hours on end.
Razer Kraken Gaming Headset Review
The headset still features a bauxite aluminum frame, which gives it a nice, light feel, and a braided cable. Where other headsets might eventually start to feel heavy on the ears or offer no breathability, the Kraken are surprisingly light, and obviously built to be used for long periods of time. They even come with indented channels along the ear cushions for glasses, which helps aid in overall comfort, especially for the visually impaired amongst us. Razer even issues a warning for this in the instruction manual for the Kraken, although with proper care, things should remain just fine.
Effects like explosions, gun shots, or ambient noise sounded ok, but I was never truly blown away by anything coming out of the speakers.
Razer Kraken (2019) headset review: Quality gaming audio for all
Mild doesn’t mean uninteresting, but it’s a direct replacement of the Kraken Pro v2 and an important part of Razer’s lineup refresh for 2019. The Kraken isn’t necessarily the headset for you if you’re looking to upgrade from an older model, but if you’re coming in new, it’s well worth your ears whether you game on console or PC. Shop Cyber Monday deals at: Amazon | Walmart | Best Buy | Microsoft | Dell When you get to the headset you’ll see something that’s unmistakably a Kraken. The design hasn’t changed much in recent years, and to glance at the new one looks basically the same as the Kraken Tournament Edition.
There’s even a cooling gel layer beneath and a concealed glasses channel so you can match comfortably with your eyewear. The thick padding all around presents you with a beautifully comfortable headset to wear for long periods without enduring fatigue.
There’s a plenty of adjustment for different size heads and slight movement from the cups to sit just right over your ears. You also get a lot of volume, and though no active noise cancellation, the ear cups are so large and create such a good seal on the side of your head that you don’t really need to worry about hearing the non-game world too much.
The new Kraken and its cooling gel infused ear cups are somewhat larger and if you do wish to use them as a pair of headphones, you’ll have to run the risk of looking like you work the runways at the local airport. It would also have been nice to the see the Kraken, which makes no secret of its target of esports, folded up into a travel-friendly, compact form.
Razer Kraken Review
Verdict Small tweaks mean the Razer Kraken don’t offer substantial improvements compared to their predecessor, but these are still the best value gaming headphones, versatile enough for both PC and console. Razer has added thicker and comfier padding to the headband, cooling gel-infused ear cushions to prevent your head getting toasty, and an improved microphone that does a better job of rejecting ambient noise. Rather than the angled and detailed stylish looks of other premium gaming headphones, Razer has gone thick and cushiony – dad bods are in vogue, I guess.
The honeycomb grilles surrounding the Razer emblems on the outside of the earcups do a great job at flaunting personality, as does the bright green coating that looks extravagant without being overbearing.
And if you’re not a fan of the green, there’s also a Quartz Pink edition as well as the Razer Kraken for Console that’s coloured black with blue highlights. This isn’t immediately apparent, but press down on it, and you’ll notice the foam is now firmer to better support your head for longer periods.
Underneath all the padding and foam is a metal band that ensures the Razer Kraken has a robust and premium build. The versatility of the Razer Kraken is one of my personal favourite features, especially since I frequently jump between consoles and PC.
Volume can be cranked up to a very high decibel, to such a degree in fact that it becomes loud enough to piece your ear drums.
There’s enough detail here to hear the metallic crunch of a reload, and there’s plenty of bass to give the likes of grenades and jetpacks satisfying boom. But while gaming performance is solid, the Razer Kraken aren’t so versatile when it comes to general music playback. This means it should be better at ignoring background noise compared to previous iterations, so your friends don’t have to suffer the barks of your dogs or the blaring sirens in a nearby street.
The Razer Kraken offer superb audio quality, and with the new changes to the ear cups, they’re now even comfier to wear. And since the Razer Kraken cost exactly the same price as they’re predecessor, they’re a no brainer purchase if you’re looking to buy some gaming headphones for both consoles and PC that are available under £100. Small tweaks mean the Razer Kraken don’t offer substantial improvements compared to their predecessor, but these are still the best value gaming headphones versatile enough for both PC and console
Razer Kraken V3 X Review
They also have faux leather padding on the ear cups and headband as well as an audio cable wrapped in a silicone-like material.
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