HomeMacityMac Accessories The new Razer Kraken V3 Pro headphones are a real concentrate of technology, mostly the best we've seen in the gaming world of the last three years, with a strong brand footprint and a scaled lineup that aims to satisfy users of all budgets.
To better understand what it is and their particular line, it is better to start from the beginning and understand the nature of the product itself.
Built for gaming
Before talking about the specific product, or rather the entire line of which the Razer Kraken V3 Pro are the flagship model, it is better to try to understand what the needs are for such a market.
When it comes to headphones or earphones for music, the needs are quite common: a sober design, light weight, weather resistance, battery capacity and of course, music quality.
The Razer Kraken V3 Pro, subject of this review, are the top model, but there are three other models, flush, far more accessible In the gaming world, however, the rules are more specific: headphones are typically subject to greater stresses, they must isolate and must, inevitably, have a microphone (which is not strictly necessary in musical headphones).
Wireless models must ensure almost zero lag between audio and video and possibly provide greater environmental feedback to increase engagement.
Rules that lead to very different design choices, which does not mean that they cannot be used to listen to music, but that in the construction line they are mainly designed to accommodate sounds that are different by nature and … origin (as we will see).
Built for gaming
Inside the box there are the actual headphones, the USB-C / USB-A cable for charging the internal batteries, a stereo analog jack cable, a detachable microphone, the USB-A dongle for wireless connection and a small manual in useful paper in the early stages of connection, even if everything happens transparently.
The equipment, we would like to say, is the specific one for the Pro model, as we will see at the end of the article, the line also includes three other distinct models similar but which, being flush, have neither the dongle nor the additional audio cable.
The headphones are built in a mixture of reinforced steel and rigid plastic, all black in color: with the exception of the upper cushion, in leatherette and the hybrid cushions in memory foam, fabric and leatherette for the ears. The weight is not indifferent, about 360 g, but it is due to the choice of materials, favoring sturdiness: the writer would have preferred to see the metal part rewarded with a different color, because to an inattentive eye it seems all plastic, but we respect the manufacturer's choice.
Almost all the controls are in the left pavilion (where the microphone also stops), including the power button and the analog volume control, which on balance works really well and is perfect for use during the game: in the long run. effects the volume wheel was the major flaw of the old wire Kraken model, which by getting entangled raised or lowered the volume involuntarily.
In the opposite pavilion there is the button for adjusting the haptic feedback, to which we will return shortly. The detachable microphone has a flexible shaft and foam protector and is very similar to the one found in the Razer BlackShark V2 model.
The headphones arrive with a battery charge of approximately 50%, so they can be used immediately.
Power on and first connection
When turned on, the headphones immediately look for the USB Dongle (Razer sells replacement dongles) and in an instant everything becomes available, without pairing or otherwise. Among other things, by moving the dongle from one computer to another, the headphones respond on the fly without problems.
On Mac the headphones are seen and sound without problems both as an output and as a microphone: indeed, compared to the Razer Nari Ultimate model here there are many more adjustments “in the headphones”, such as that relating to haptic feedback and the lack of Synapse drivers feels much less.
On Windows everything happens the same way, but the drivers have more customizations: for example, you can activate 7.1 audio (for compatible games), adjust the equalization response (between different presets or manually), adjust the color and the brightness of theirs in the pavilions but also act on the haptic level in a digital way.
The difference in approach in the two operating systems is therefore not very different, but on Windows there is greater customization on practically every parameter, even if compared to some old models there is more independence here.
The headphones also work with a stereo jack cable, in analog mode: however, you must first turn off the headphones, otherwise there seems to be interference between the two signals.
How do they work
We tried the Razer Kraken V3 Pro in various production areas, because while it is true that the headphones are designed for those who are saving the world in Call of Duty, Diablo or World of Warcraft, it is also true that in the end the activities of the day are different. and often the same pair of headphones is used for everything.
The headphones are large and, as we have said, not exactly light, but they stay well in the head and the feeling of robustness is evident: the pads (62 mm x 42 mm internal diameter) are really comfortable and can be rotated and removed, even if only. for a cleaning. The headphones do not offer an active noise suppression system, but the isolation given by the pavilions is very good.
The RGB lighting is very nice even if not essential, and customizable via the Synapse driver, and offers that touch of originality that all Razer users are accustomed to.
Old and new: Razer Kraken V3 Pro (left) compared to older Razer Kraken. Too bad for the (momentary) loss of the iconic green color The microphone is of the Supercardioid type with HyperClear technology not Unidirectional detection scheme (given the proximity to the mouth) and with a frequency response of 100 Hz – 10 kHz (with sensitivity -42 ± 3 dB at 1 kHz).
This results in a clearly distinguishable voice even when there are different sounds or noises of the game, where conversation is often essential (when playing in a team, you synchronize for some actions and mistake a synchronization because the “go” was not heard could lead to the loss of a game, because some rotations are quite long).
The headphones are equipped with 50mm Razer TriForce Titanium drivers (presumably the same as the Razer BlackShark V2), thus resulting in three distinct drivers for bass, mid and treble, offering more richness across all frequencies.
The generously sized USB Dongle is not afraid of being lost: too bad the headphones don't have a cradle for transportation The frequency response is 20 Hz – 20 kH, with impedance at 32 Ω (1 KHz): the feeling is that these headphones are much more gaming than other models such as the Razer Opus X, which instead seemed to us more suitable for a mixed use of music and games.
And this is a positive opinion, because during the game the user receives various sound inputs, from the game audio to the voice of other connected users, which comes from the game itself or from the Discord App, which in this sense is the most popular platform. used, and one of the greatest advantages of these headphones was that of knowing how to mix the various inputs in a really good way.
From a musical point of view we can say that the response perhaps eccentricates the bass a little too much, even applying the “Music” preset in the Synapse driver, and clearly the sound loses a bit of richness in the higher tones. Kids who listen to disco music will be very happy, with very powerful basses that here, in addition to being splendidly present, can also be accompanied by a real vibration.
They are certainly not suitable headphones for listening to a Celtic music solo, for that there are other models with different needs and targets, but if like us you have to work with some song in the background, in the interval between a Teams call and a massacre on an alien planet, they don't hold back.
Three interesting technologies
Notion of obligation for Hyperspeed technology, which allows the audio to arrive without delay to the ears, wisely exploiting the Wi-Fi channel (the same technology we have already seen on some mice, such as the Razer Basilisk Ultimate and the Razer DeathAdder V2 Pro), without the need to manually activate additional circuits as in the case of the Razer Opus X, maintaining a much more interesting battery consumption here and capable of up to 44 hours (with lights and haptic functions off, the which means a week full of play).
The other interesting but more niche technology is Razer HyperSense, which we've already seen in the Razer Nari Ultimate, although feedback has improved here. Compared to the Nari, here the haptic feedback is defined in four moments: off, soft, medium and high and allows you to synchronize the incoming audio with a vibration of the earphones of the headphones.
While this feature is useless in music and can be annoying in speech, in a game to the right extent it increases realism, particularly in driving games and FPS (First-person shooter, such as Overwatch), where vibration simulates the physicality of the character.
Finally, the possibility, thanks to the THX technology (acquired at the time by Razer) there is the possibility of having a 7.1 surround spatial sound. To have a result like this, the game needs to be compatible and the drivers are installed (so you get it only on Windows), so much so that a demo is available right inside the App. Within the drivers it is possible to customize this experience by selecting which audio to apply to each App or type of sound, or let the system decide in complete autonomy.
In this regard, among the games we tried only Overwatch is compatible, and this system was very useful because it serves to determine the presence of the speaker in space, being able to act faster, while other very playable titles do not have this compatibility, even if within the preferences it is contemplated (like Diablo, so to speak).
The microphone, here with the wind protection, can be detached if not needed
Considerations
From the scattered and demon-filled valleys of Tristam to the romantic Parisian streets of Overwatch, passing through a few Teams calls and hours and hours spent writing with the beautiful album Cinema Suites for Violin and Orchestra by Marco Serino, Andrea Morricone and the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano and Trento to facilitate the work, the presence of these headphones was important and often exciting.
Every aspect of the new Razer Kraken V3 Pro is done well, from the choice of materials (which is not afraid to fit in the backpack) to the shape (which is big but doesn't matter), from the look (excellent with the RGB illuminated logo) to the technology inside. , among all Hyperspeed, not to miss even a microsecond of lag in live.
Of course, the model has an important price, because the € 209.99 standard price list is not low but if you want a quality headset with Full Optional accessories this is definitely one of the candidates.
Pro:
• Wireless, haptic, TriForce and RGB, what more could you ask for • Designed for the gamer • The Hypersense effect is interesting
Versus:
• Cost is important • USB dongle cradle is missing • Mac drivers are missing
Price:
• € 209.99 (Razer Kraken V3 Pro) • € 139.99 (Razer Kraken V3 Hypersense) • € 109.99 (Razer Kraken V3) • € 79.99 (Razer Kraken V3 X)
The Razer Kraken V3 family consists of four distinct models: starting from the Razer Kraken V3 X, the most accessible (only flush and without accessory functions), passing through the Razer Kraken V3 (only flush, without haptic feedback) and the Razer Kraken V3 Hypersense (only flush, with haptic feedback) and finally the Razer Kraken V3 Pro, subject of this test, which are the full optional version. Quantities are currently limited, but some of these models can also be found on Amazon.
D1no
February 9, 2022 at 7:40 am
I agree with most part, as i had the honor and happen to have two v3 pro for testing. However im curious how can you recommend something full of bugs and issues. I don’t know whether its paid review or not, but ppl should know that they should wait. There are major issues with charging, as it never stops, and never charges to 100%. Also volume control wheel has this weird issue that in the range 50-75% right side is louder than left. Not to forget to mention buggy THX driver, if you pause audio playback or simply switch between devices THX stops working unless you close synapse software(this can be also workaround when THX is disabled via synapse app – as it should work for just unlocking the feature for windows and Synapse is just messing on top of it. I had one RMA, second device behave the same, and after all comments on reddit and forums i am assuming that each device from first batches are faulty. Ended up returning the device for a full refund. Battery charging issue is dangerous as it could possibly lead to damage and fire, not gonna risk my life here. Razer needs to fix its stuff asap, then i will purchase this headset again.