The Razer Kraken are gaming headphones. Compared to other Razer headphones we’ve tested, they offer a lightweight design that is quite comfortable and slightly less bulky. Their boom mic has exceptional noise handling capabilities, and their connection ensures minimal audio lag while gaming. Unfortunately, they feel poorly made, and their simple controls are inadequate for everyday use. They also have an inconsistent sound profile. We are here with our Razer Kraken review you can read.
However, if you prefer a louder, more bass-heavy sound, they may be worth considering for a relaxing console or PC game. When it comes to a neutral sound, the Razer Kraken X are not as good. They offer a very consistent mid-range response, but an overpowering, boomy bass and inconsistent highs. Their sound is overly harsh and sibilant, lacking brightness and clarity. It’s also difficult to provide a consistent listening experience, especially if you wear glasses or have long hair.
Razer Kraken review: Design
The design of the Kraken differs little, if at all, from its predecessor. The headset still has a braided cable and a bauxite aluminum frame, which makes it feel nice and light. It has the same 3.5mm audio jack and 50mm drivers as the Kraken Pro, which are larger than the 40mm drivers typically seen in headphones under $30. The Kraken still has an internal volume control and a switch to mute the microphone, so it’s always possible to turn it off and adjust the sound.
In conclusion, not much has changed on the outside. The biggest difference in the new headset is where you notice it the most. The Kraken has improved padding around the ears and thicker padding along the headband. The ear pads are still the same size, so they’re more than big enough for any head, and they have foam to cushion your head. The pads themselves have had a bit of an upgrade, however, as the latest Kraken pads are designed to be as cool as possible thanks to the use of cooling gel in the ear cups.
Razer Kraken review: Comfort
The Kraken X is one of Razer’s most comfortable headsets ever due to its size, weight, and ear cups. Even when wearing glasses, the padded leatherette headband and ear cups press down extremely smoothly for a tight seal around the ears.
After using the Kraken X for a few hours, another colleague completely agreed with my review and reported that he successfully wore the headphones for much of the workday without ever having to take them off. He found them to be very comfortable.
Razer Kraken review: Features
As opposed to USB, the Kraken X connects via a 3.5mm port, therefore there isn’t much software functionality. You can enable digital 7.1 surround sound using the surround-sound software that is exclusive to Razer when you buy a new Kraken X. It is not difficult to set up, but it is annoying to have to install different software from Razer Synapse, which manages all other Razer peripherals.
Furthermore, in my testing, there was no discernible difference in performance between surround and stereo. All that is really left is the mic, which is serviceable but not fantastic. However, a lot of background noise could also be heard clearly, including the talks of my coworkers across an entire row of workstations. This microphone works OK for light-duty multiplayer, but we wouldn’t rely on it for anything more.
Razer Kraken review: Music Performance
The Kraken X’s flashy microphone prevents it from being used as a standard music headset, but since it doesn’t play music well either, this problem is irrelevant. To assess how well the Kraken X handles different genres, we used music from artists such as Old Crow Medicine Show, Flogging Molly, The Rolling Stones, and G.F. Handel. First of all, the emphasis on treble is beneficial for games, but detrimental for music.
Voices were audible, but bass was virtually non-existent, especially on the punk and classical pieces where it is perhaps most needed. The uneven and flat soundstage gave the music a somewhat dead feel. The Kraken X can get the job done in a pinch, and music doesn’t sound muddy or distant like many similar headsets do, but it’s not spectacular.
Razer Kraken review: Noise Canceling
For a gaming headset, the Razer Kraken Ultimate offers excellent isolation. The headset’s thick and soft ear cushions do a good job of blocking out noise like you might encounter at home, even if it doesn’t come close to active noise cancellation. It’s not like you have to block out loud cafes or buses when you’re on the go, after all, it’s a PC-only headset.
For a gaming headset, the Razer Kraken Ultimate offers a fairly accurate sound. In the 50-200 Hz range, the bass is clearly overemphasized, while the mid and high frequencies are consistently underemphasized, albeit only slightly. However, such a frequency response runs the risk of acoustic masking, when some sounds drown out others due to faulty balance. This is not so bad, but it does carry a certain risk.
Razer Kraken review: Audio Performance
Gaming is where we tested the Kraken because it works well in that environment. The Tournament Edition is more suited to PC, although we tested this one out across all popular gaming platforms. The Kraken did well with all the bassy components of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, our current favorite testing title from Ubisoft. This headset performs admirably. Additionally, during action scenes, the bass accent makes every thud and collision feel substantial and complete. The Kraken struggles a touch in the treble and higher frequencies because they don’t sound as rich.
The Kraken’s overall sound spectrum is superb for the price and it would be unfair to compare it to headsets that cost twice as much. The delicate crackle of fire in some situations, for example, was something that our testing TV picked up instead, but what we did observe is that it missed several other audio cues, which was a screaming shame.
The Kraken does quite well when it comes to dialogue because it has a slightly flatter range of sound, which makes it easier to mix dialogue with incidental sounds in games like Assassin’s Creed. The in-game music is also portrayed rather effectively, but, like with the Odyssey soundtrack, several of the higher-pitched guitar pieces lack clarity.
Final Words
The updated Kraken is a good gaming headset that will serve you well for loud and boisterous games like shooters and action ones. Although it performs better than expected given the price and ease of construction, it excels at bass but falls short overall. The Kraken is a straightforward design that also manages to be fairly lovely in spots, yet the color palette and some of the materials have a rather cheap feel to them.
The Tournament Edition of the Razer headset may be a better option because of its improved audio and volume control features. It’s obvious why the Pro V2 became such a household name in the gaming headset industry, and while this model is technically better, the world expects more features and slightly better audio in 2019.
