Razer Kraken - Black

The hardware in the Krakens is excellent, imo. My husband loves these phones (and I do, too!) My previous phones, a pair of Sony MDR-7506's, were so good we thought nothing could beat them, even though the Sony phones' drivers are 40 mms in size and these Razer Kraken drivers are 50mm--much depends on the amplification hardware in the ear pads and motherboard hardware as to which will drive the better sound--eg., 50 mm drivers are not automatically better than 40mm drivers, regardless of the hardware environments. A lot also depends on the preferences of the individuals asked to state their opinions, of course. Some people like bass so overwhelming it actually distorts whereas other people like it only enough to hear it plainly with no distortion, and others like it turned down or off, inexplicably, etc. (But you can't argue with individual opinions, right?...Opinions are like armpits--we all have at least two of them, eh? So, I advise listening to all sides and colors of opinions, especially about computer hardware! There's always something new to learn even we don't agree with the overall opinions other people have or their conclusions. Opinions should always be debated--never, ever censored, we firmly believe!) Bear in mind, both sets of phones were tested via my husband's x570 Aorus Master motherboard's RealTek'HD Audio 3.5mm analog Hi-Definition front-panel jack--the best earphone connection jack in the system, btw. (Give me wired over wireless any day--I hate batteries and frequency interference, not to mention security concerns that do not exist with wired connections, etc.) The x570 Master also supports, in hardware, a 3-position headphone amp, and a hardware DAC, a SABRE 9118 DAC--the combination has to be heard to be properly appreciated, imo. Connector cabling. The Kraken offers a superior wiring connection--Kraken uses an extremely thin and ultra-flexible braided connector cable, whereas the Sony offers a thick, plastic-covered connection cable in which most of the length is coiled, just like analog amp cables circa the 1960's were made. Indeed, the Sony cabling doesn't look like something made for a 3.5mm plug! It looks exactly like something made for a full size plug! It's opinion, sure, as everything always is in the end, but we much prefer the Kraken's cabling over that used in the Sony cans used as the baseline comparison for this review. The Kraken cabling is ultralight, ultrathin, cloth braided, and so ultra-flexible that there simply isn't any obstinate stiffness in the cable that can be perceived. We both like it very much because of that--it is the nearest thing to not having a cable at all, but without any of the negatives of wireless. Sony's cabling is--well--SoA, circa 1969...;) Reminds my husband of plugging in his ancient but revered Gibson SG-Specials or Fender Strats & Telecasters into nice big onstage amps (which he still does, only the amps are a fair bit smaller, thankfully...;) ) Razer Kraken has an inline volume and microphone control switch. The Sony has neither--well, it doesn't have a microphone at all, so of course no Mic on/off switch. The Kraken has a nice, radial volume control for the cans, and a straight on-off switch for the Mic. Neither of us is a Mic user, so I'll leave that portion of the review to others better qualified to write about it in another review. Suffice it to say the Mic works as advertised and the on/off inline switch works fine. Now for the optional DSP software. Here's the situation as we think it stands regarding the extra-cost surround software available for the Kraken, the THX Spatial Audio software for the Kraken. We don't recommend anyone buying the Headphones without buying the offered THX Spatial Audio software! It's offered at 50% off when you buy the Kraken Phones, by Razer. So it's $10! It's the best $10 you are going to spend for a long time. We believe that these phones should not be offered sans the THX Spatial Audio--it's kind of baffling that they are offered without the custom THX software, frankly. However, there are people who love distorted bass and volumes so loud that King Kong's eardrums would burst!...;) So maybe that's why Razer doesn't integrate this into this Kraken package. Still, it would be unusual to find earphone wearers who would prefer their games sounding like an avalanche of boulders tumbling down the side of Everest. I think, anyway...;) To sum it up--I love this software. Husband loves it. He says it's much better than what he thought it might be. Razer includes a 7.1 surround-sound software solution free of charge with the Kraken, and it's just "OK"--just kind of average--seems to induce a fair bit of bass distortion in speech in some of our games--one guy's speech is nigh unintelligible with the Razer 7.1 surround sound package for the Krakens. But run the THX Spatial Audio, instead, and the difference is real and immediately noticeable. THX really justifies its commercial claims--the software brings out the best in the Kraken hardware! Comfort. It's a very important category with cans--as all of us know. If you can't game for hours because your phones are causing you pain or discomfort after a certain wearing time--that's unacceptable. These Kraken phones have "Oval Cooling Gel Cushions" in the pads and I'm just going to say that they are very comfortable indeed. My husband says that this set is the most comfortable set of cans he's ever worn. Both of us think the Sony set tends to "pinch" a bit in a long wear. The Sony pads are by no means uncomfortable, absolutely not. But both of us--my husband's typically swelled head and my petite but usually swifter smaller head both find the Krakens more comfortable in all wear scenarios--which I find a bit unusual. My husband says that what surprises him about the Krakens in addition to the gel-filled ear pads is how comfortable they feel--even for a large head like his they feel like they've got more room to give--not something the Sony's ever did. The Sony's were adequate, just not as comfortable. Durability. This is a big one for us, but especially for my husband. He's gone through many Plasticine sets of cans promising great durability. Hah. We have lost count of the very strong-looking plastic-frame headsets that after very little use, comparatively, use that was anything but harsh or abusive, simply fell apart, cracking through or breaking apart, and it happened over and over again. Hence, the hunt for metal headbands and construction in our headphones. Both the Sony and the Razer Kraken use metal in their construction, and what a difference! Neither set has come close to cracking or breaking apart! The Sony's have been up for years without a single problem in that regard! Years, literally. We do not expect to see any less durability from our Razer Kraken--namely, the one reviewed in this article! Really, any aluminum-headband construction should suffice for a long, long time. Our advice is to avoid plastic like the plague--especially the plastic headbands that appear to hold massive weight and hold up under enormous wear and tear--especially those particular Plasticine headbands....;) They just aren't going to be there one day when you really need them. Price: Believe it or not, the Sony cans are actually priced higher than the Kraken headset reviewed here. You can usually buy the Kraken Gaming Headset reviewed here plus the Razer THX Spatial Audio Software for less--that's right--less than what the MDR-7506 is currently selling for in places such as AMAZON! Where you are right now. Summary: The Sony cans, the MDR-7506's used as a baseline comparison for the Razer Kraken Gaming Headset review here, deliver really nice sound and were our number 1 choice in gaming headphones. Operative word being "were"....! These Razer Kraken headphones are better, in our very humble, sincere opinions!

I wore these for several hours solid today and was not uncomfortable. The cushions were comfortable as was the headband. These are wired, which is what I wanted. I'm getting used to have the control buttons in the wire instead of contained in the earpiece itself. Good sound and clarity for the price.

Ok so ive had two pairs of these and i love them so much, im a hardcore gamer (3-6hrs a day) and these are incredibly comfortable. They are on the heavier side but dont feel like it and dont put any pressure on your ears. Ive gamed for 12hrs without stopping with these on and I barely felt it at the end. The sound is great tho i do wish there was better seal because you can hear stuff around you fairly easily. Nevertheless these are great and definitely worth it especially on sale. I tried the baracudas and they were SOOO uncomfortable compared to these. Now on the stuff i dont like so much, 1: the controls on the cord are awkward and annoying, if you bump the volume control it will randomly go up and down which is horrible during a match, this didn’t affect much because i put electrical tape over it and i use volume and mute on my controller. The other thing is that my first pair broke after a year, what happened is the cord frayed where it meets the volume control which caused the sounds to cut in and out, this happened far outside the amazon return window so I contacted razer because it says that it has a 2year warranty on the box, they said that they would be happy to replace them but this model was discontinued so they said that they would send me a “equivalent” headset, they offered me the barracuda x which I tried put and hated so i messaged back telling them that i really just wanted the krakens and he said he would see what he could do. A week later they said they had a exact pair and they would ship it to me for free. Customer service was a 10/10. Overall these are truly amazing and I recommend them to everyone, the sound is great, build quality great, mic sounds good, conferrable af, and the retractable mic is super convenient.

Gostei bastante do produto ele já tem uns aninhos de vida, mas está vivo viu. O produto é: Confortável✓ Tem um bom microfone✓ Durável ✓ (em certo ponto) Resistente a uma pisada de um adulto com 150 kilos✓ Fio durável✓ Já que ele tem uns aninhos posso afirmar que ele tem: Plug as vezes dependendo da posição funciona só um lado✓ Nunca funcionou o mute do microfone✓ O couro/tecido na parte de cima descasca com o tempo✓ Obs: Uma coisa que me deixou meio triste é que ele já veio com um calombinho na parte da cabeça, vcs podem observar nas fotos que ele tem um relevo.

Manufactured not to cut costs but rather to last and deliver quality expirience. Yet affordable comparatively to other high end models.

It does not cause interference so that you can integrate with the surrounding environment Quality is very good

Ectremely comfortable headset with great sound.

Son de muy buen material. Cómodos. Al abarcar toda la oreja si producen una cancelacion de ruido externo. Pero el Audio a pesar que es muy nítido, todo se escucha perfectamente. Yo me había acostumbrado a los de la Otra compañía con extra bass y siento que les faltan ese toque extra.