Razer is thought for gaming, together with some very succesful gaming headsets. The wired Razer Kraken Tournament Edition packs THX simulated encompass sound, a 5.1-channel USB audio adapter, and twin 50mm drivers into a really snug design for simply $99.99. It is not the fanciest headset on the market, however it hits a candy spot that delivers a stable really feel, robust efficiency, and plenty of options for an affordable worth.
Design
The Kraken Tournament Edition would not steer away from Razer’s signature chunky, round search for gaming headsets. It’s a solidly constructed over-ear pair of headphones, obtainable in all black or inexperienced with black accents. The earcups have massive, spherical plastic shells ringed with stable steel to which they connect to the steel headband. The headband is pretty versatile and adjustable with agency click-stops, and the steel rings enable restricted vertical pivoting for every earcup to allow a cushty match.
The earpads are generously massive to keep away from placing any strain on the ears, and have a compelling mixture of supplies. They use reminiscence foam with a cooling gel layer to assist stop the headset from getting too heat after lengthy durations of use, and are coated with fake leather-based on the inside and outside rings and breathable material on the floor on which the pads meet your face. It makes for a surprisingly gentle and cozy match, contemplating the cumbersome design.
The headset by itself is wired and pretty easy, connecting to any machine with a headphone jack with a four-pole 3.5mm connector. It has no on-earcup controls or lights, solely a increase microphone on a versatile steel arm that retracts into the left earcup when not in use. The comparatively quick three-foot cable is completely connected to the headset, and wrapped in braided black material. An inline distant with a quantity wheel and mic mute change sits a 3rd of the best way down the cable.
Connection Options
A 3-foot cable works superb for programs just like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One S, the place the controllers have built-in headset jacks, and the Nintendo Switch in moveable mode (which additionally has a headset jack), however it’s fairly quick for PC gaming. That’s the place the opposite half of the Kraken Tournament Edition, the USB cable, comes into play.
It’s a for much longer (five-foot) fabric-covered cable with a USB plug on one finish and an audio management field on the opposite. The field is a small, flat, 3.4-inch black plastic container with massive Volume Up, Volume Down, and Mic Mute buttons on the highest. A jog dial for adjusting bass sits on the left aspect of the field, and a jog dial for adjusting sport/voice combine and a button for toggling THX Spatial Audio match on the best aspect. A 3.5mm audio jack on the entrance of the field connects to the headset.
Between the 3.5mm connector and the extra USB cable, the Kraken Tournament Edition can work with any sport system, laptop, or cellular machine with a headphone jack.
Microphone
The microphone sounds excellent, although it may gain advantage from a pop filter. Test recordings sounded clear and crisp, with a little bit of sibilance in my voice. I slipped a foam pop filter I had mendacity round over the microphone, and it lower down sibiliance significantly. The microphone is completely superb for voice chat even with out a filter, however if you wish to stream or document podcasts, you may need to put money into a little bit of fluff for the tip.
Music Performance
As is pretty typical of gaming headphones, the Kraken Tournament Edition sounds bass-heavy and highly effective. It dealt with our bass take a look at monitor, The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” at most (and unsafe) quantity with out a trace of distortion, sounding fairly head-rattling within the course of. The low frequencies stand within the forefront of this monitor, and the synth notes and chanting settle within the background, sounding barely muddy.
This comes by in Yes’ “Roundabout,” as effectively. The electrical bass sounds full and deep, however the acoustic guitar plucks within the opening lack a lot string texture or increased frequency finesse. The snares and vocals additionally relaxation a bit within the background of the busy combine, whereas the bass stays probably the most distinguished a part of the track.
Game Performance
I used the Kraken Tournament Edition to play some Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Blackout mode. I used to be dropped right into a squad of 4 gamers whose voices I might simply hear over the in-game chat. The microphone let my squadmates additionally hear me clearly.
The headset’s THX audio processing translated the sounds of fight into admirable simulated encompass. While stereo drivers cannot precisely point out if an audio supply is in entrance of or behind the listener, the processing allows very correct lateral imaging. I might pinpoint when gunfire was within the distance in entrance of me or behind me, or far off to the best or left. The imaging helped me decide once we got here below fireplace whereas in a car, with the report of weapons clearly coming from either side as we have been ambushed.
The motion sounded very punchy and highly effective. Gunshots and explosions had loads of low-end pressure because of the headset’s bass-heavy signature. It did not really feel muffled or muddy, although, and different sounds just like the crunch of the bottom below my ft and the rumble of the car got here by. I might additionally discern slight variations between the sounds of various weapons. It’s very stable, immersive audio efficiency that works effectively for aggressive shooters and battle royale video games.
Capable and Powerful for the Price
The Razer Kraken Tournament Edition is a really succesful $100 wired gaming headset. It’s massive, snug, and has highly effective 50mm drivers that present loads of bass. It additionally works with nearly any sport system as a 3.5mm wired headset and offers very stable THX simulated encompass sound with its included USB adapter cable for PCs. The adjustable bass is a pleasant contact, even when it would not enhance the headset’s barely underwhelming efficiency within the highs.
The Turtle Beach Elite Atlas feels barely extra luxurious, however its audio tuning sounds much less balanced. If you want to save lots of a bit of cash in your wired headset, the Astro Gaming A10 continues to be a powerful advice at $60. And should you actually need to splurge on one of the best audio high quality attainable, with much more bells and whistles like 3D audio with head monitoring, the Audeze Mobius stands as probably the greatest gaming headsets you will get, although with a whopping $400 worth it is also one of the costly.