Review of Razer Kraken V3 X USB Gaming Headset

Today we have the Razer Kraken V3 X gaming headset in our hands. This is a USB headset with a built-in sound card, RGB backlight and a non-removable microphone. In fact, this model has both outright advantages and some controversial points, but let's talk about everything in order.

Razer Kraken V3 X

Traditionally, we start with packaging and configuration. The box is beautiful, the printing is of high quality, the headset itself is carefully packed in a soft bag. But there is no complete set as such, except that the protective cap on the USB connector and a set of stickers can be counted as accessories.

The headset has classic dimensions for a gaming model – it is overhead, full-size, ear pads completely cover the ears. The headband is manually adjustable, and what is interesting is that the pillow with a leatherette coating and a soft filler does not cover the entire headband, but only a third of it, but this does not affect ergonomics.

The design of the headphones is almost completely plastic, but there are no complaints here – many competitors refuse metal. Attention is attracted by something else – the ear cushion is made of combined materials - leatherette on the sides and fabric directly at the point of contact with the head. This is a very successful solution, because on the one hand, the leatherette is more resistant (including to dirt), on the other hand, the fabric allows the skin to breathe and the ears are less prone to sweating. For such a move, we give the manufacturer a five.

And here's what we didn't really like – a completely undivided design. See for yourself - the microphone is not removable, but it has a long flexible leg, and the microphone can be moved up to remove it "out of sight". But still, if it were removable– it would be more convenient. The USB cable is also non-removable, yes, it has protection against bending at the point of docking with the case, but again - if it were removable, the headphones would simply be more practical. By the way, the cable itself has a rubber braid with longitudinal lines, and frankly, it causes strong associations with cheap "gaming" mice at a price of several dollars. But there is a convenient rubber tie on the cable to fix the wire in the folded state, and the USB plug has quite compact dimensions and the green color of the insides. As for the controls, everything is as simple as possible – a microphone mute button with a long and clear stroke, as well as a volume control that adjusts the program volume (sound in the system), that's all. And nothing else is needed.

Well, the last thing to say is the backlight. The cups have a calm, soft and completely non-irritating backlight. That is a rare case when the backlight is not annoying, but really causes positive emotions.

Software

The not very pleasant news for us was that Razer Kraken V3 X is defined in the proprietary Razer Synapse software, but in fact it turns out that there are very few settings here (you can even say that there are none), and to fine-tune the backlight or, say, to activate 7.1 virtual multichannel sound, you need to register and download other proprietary software.

Actually, you won't find any other functions in them, and against the background of many competitors who offer fine sound settings, various sound improvement technologies, or simply multi-band equalizers with various "improvers", Razer Kraken V3 X looks very pale. On the other hand, if you need a headset that you just want to connect to your computer and immediately start using, without wasting time installing and configuring applications, Razer Kraken V3 X is your option.

Own impressions

Now let's talk about practice. We liked the ergonomics of Razer Kraken V3 X – the ears really feel comfortable in them thanks to the fabric inserts on the ear pads. The size, weight, shape of the headband, the force of pressure on the ears - there are no complaints at all. Well, unless one could complain that the cups do not have the ability to rotate horizontally, but even without this, the landing is very comfortable.

To tell the truth, we liked the microphone, we note that the microphone has no background noise, it has good sensitivity and the voice is transmitted quite high-quality and nobly.

And finally, about the sound quality. From the point of view of the game orientation, there are no questions for Razer Kraken V3 X – in games, the sound is voluminous, the positioning is good, the environment is clearly identified (where the enemy is walking, where they are shooting from, etc.). As for the musical orientation, this headset has a lack of high frequencies, and low frequencies are not subjectively distinguished by depth and pressure. That is, the dominant ranges are medium frequencies, and the sound lacks lightness, lightness, and detail in general. But for a gaming headset, this is very critical.

Conclusions

Razer Kraken V3 X is a combination of extremely successful solutions and certain disadvantages. Among the advantages - excellent ergonomics and materials of ear pads (fabric + leatherette), microphone, stylish appearance. Of the disadvantages, objective – not quite musical sound and extremely poor on the settings of proprietary software. In our opinion, with its price of 7 thousand rubles, Razer Kraken V3 X will not be easy to compete, because for this money there are a lot of models, including from brands comparable in weight, not to mention manufacturers of the second/ third echelon.

Lutovinov Maxim (aka. Kok)
05/10.2021