At first we would like to thank Razer for offering us their Kraken Competitive Gaming Headset for testing and reviewing.

 

About Razer:

"Razer is more than just the world's leading brand in gaming.

We were founded in 1998 in San Diego, California by our CEO Min-Liang Tan and our President Robert “Razerguy” Krakoff in a tiny shared office with a couple other gamers. We have grown today to hundreds of employees worldwide with offices in seven cities, including San Francisco, Hamburg, Seoul, Shanghai and Singapore.

Our vision from the very beginning was to be the world's greatest gaming brand and we've set out to achieve that by designing the best gaming products that any gamer has ever seen.

We believe that truly great products are based on technology, designed with extensive human factors and user ergonomic studies and then tested by the top professional gamers. In simpler terms, our own world class scientists and engineers develop cutting edge technology in-house or with partners, design phenomenal products around core technologies – and test the hell out of them in the field with our pro-gamers before we launch them.

We are the only gaming hardware company in the world with dedicated gaming user interface research and development labs, and our technology and designs are incubated in three dedicated design centers located in facilities in California, Singapore and Shenzhen. No other company boasts of technology like we do – because we're the only guys who have what it takes under the hood.

We tell it like it is: some can pretend to co-develop products with professional gamers, but gamers don't develop technology: scientists and engineers do (and ours just happen to be gamers as well).

We develop and design our products in our own labs and then put them to the test with top professional gamers who use them in pro-level tournaments and then provide us with feedback. Then we iterate on the product, refining it with the feedback – over and over and over again. That's how it's done, that's how a Razer product is built from ground up. No marketing BS and no hype.

We pioneered the eSports movement with the world's first $100K tournament back in 2000 and we have continued to give back to the community by sponsoring top eSports athletes who give back to Razer by beta-testing our products. We remain one of the largest sponsors of eSports community sponsoring top global eSports teams worldwide.

The people that work here at Razer are gamers just like you – some amateur, some ex-professional gamers, some just play for fun, just ask our CEO who will lay the smack down on you in Quake Live or our President, who has over ten level 80's on his local server. Hell, he will even take you on a raid in the middle of the work day.

We are the same gamers who are told by the suits that we need adult supervision and we need a professional CEO or management team – and we're the same gamers who tell the suits exactly where to shove it because we like doing what we do – and we do it on our own terms.

We hope our passion for gaming speaks to you like it does to us, through our products and we hope you enjoy the competitive edge we bring to your game."

The iconic gaming headset has evolved

 

Since its inception, the Razer Kraken has built a reputation as a cult classic within the gaming community. It made its mark as a staple at countless gaming events, conventions, and tournaments. We’ve now improved the features of this crowd favorite to not just give its audio quality a boost but also make it more comfortable so you can game all day with the headset you love. This is the new Razer Kraken.

 

Clear & powerful sound

 

Enjoy superior sound clarity and deep, punchy bass for a wide soundscape. From subtle footsteps sneaking up behind you to climatic explosions that blow you away, every sound detail is heard when you’re gaming with the Razer Kraken.

 

Thicker headband padding

 

We’ve improved the headband padding and made it even thicker so it relieves more pressure on your head for long-lasting comfort. The Bauxite aluminum frame of the Razer Kraken makes it lightweight, flexible, and extremely durable.

 

Play comfortably for hours

 

In order to take comfort to the next level, we’ve added cooling gel-infused ear cushions to reduce heat build-up. The soft cloth and leatherette combination provides a plush feel and sound isolation that lets you enjoy long gaming marathons.

 

1. Cooling-Gel Layer

Reduces heat build-up during intense gaming sessions

2. Hidden Indented Eyewear Channels

Compresses easily for eyewear relief

3. Memory Foam

Comfortably fits the unique shape of any gamer’s head

4. Heat-Transfer Fabric

Provides heat transfer with faster sweat evaporation

 

Improved cardioid microphone

 

The Razer Kraken’s microphone utilizes a cardioid pickup pattern so that your voice is captured with clarity without any unnecessary background noise. It rejects noise from beside and behind the mic, so your teammates will always hear you loud and clear.

 

The Razer Kraken is compatible with PC, Mac, Xbox One*, PS4, Nintendo Switch and mobile devices with a 3.5mm audio jack.

 

*Xbox One Stereo Adapter may be required, purchased separately

 

At a glance

 

Custom-tuned 50 mm Drivers

Cooling Gel-Infused Cushions

Retractable Unidirectional Microphone

Bauxite Aluminum Frame

Thicker Headband Padding

Cross-Platform Compatibility

 

Headphones

 

Frequency response: 12 Hz – 28 kHz

Impedance: 32 ? @ 1 kHz

Sensitivity (@1 kHz): 109 dB

Input power: 30 mW (Max)

Drivers: 50 mm, with Neodymium magnets

Inner ear cup diameter: 54 mm x 65 mm

Connection type: Analog 3.5 mm

Cable length: 1.3 m / 4.27 ft.

Approx. weight: 322 g / 0.71 lbs

Oval ear cushions: Designed for full-ear coverage with cooling gel, perfect for long-wearing comfort

 

Microphone

 

Frequency response: 100 Hz – 10 kHz

Signal-to-noise ratio: > 60 dB

Sensitivity (@1 kHz): -45 ± 3 dB

Pick-up pattern: Unidirectional ECM boom

 

In-line control

 

Analog volume control wheel

Microphone quick mute toggle

 

Audio Usage

 

Audio Usage: Devices with 3.5 mm audio jack

Audio + microphone usage: Devices with 3.5 mm audio + mic combined jack

Audio / mic splitter adapter cable usage: Devices with separate 3.5 mm audio and microphone jacks

 

Razer has returned on the market the iconic Kraken headset, with quite a few upgrades, while keeping a competitive price; these are neither wireless or USB, so the audio quality will also depend on the source (smartphone, PC or any other stereo device with jack ports).

The product is shipped inside a medium-sized cardboard enclosure, sporting the usual Razer box art; right on the top cover, we will see the manufacturer advertising the oval cooling gel ear cushions, that were also found with the Nari model that we have previously reviewed:

 

 

 

On one of the box sides, Razer has included the Package Contents but also the full Technical Specifications:

 

 

 

A more in-depth explanation of the product components is available on the back:

 

 

 

After lifting the top cover, we will get to see that the headset is fully secured inside a black plastic mold and holds the representative company colors:

 

 

 

For additional durability, the stereo cable is braided; an adapter is provided for devices that have separate headphone/microphone jacks (such as sound cards), which also acts as a cable extender:

 

 

 

The green/black color combination of the 2019 Kraken really makes the headset stand out; as the high-end offerings, the Kraken have been upgraded with an exterior bauxite aluminum frame, for additional durability:

 

 

 

On the exterior of the cups, we can see a similar arrangement as with Nari, with a central Razer logo (not LED-lighted this time), but also a black metallic mesh. These are housing custom-tuned 50mm drivers, that can deliver quite a bit of bass so you will enjoy extra immersion in games but also other multimedia content:

 

 

 

 

The ear cushions are really important when using the product for long periods of time; Razer has put a lot of time into this, so we are getting upgrades with the cooling-gel layer we have seen before and works as advertised, hidden indented eyewear channels (quite a bit of gamers do wear gaming glasses or subscription ones, so this addition is very welcome), memory foam for a comfortable fit depending on the head shape or size but also a heat-transfer fabric:

 

 

 

The included microphone is retractable inside the Kraken chassis and features a unidirectional pick-up pattern for noise reduction:

 

 

 

 

 

Versus the Kraken Pro V2, we now have a thicker headband padding on the inside, for extra comfort:

 

 

 

The exterior side of the headband is padded with green-colored leatherette, also featuring a large Razer logo:

 

 

 

The headband can be also extended and features markings on both sides:

 

 

 

Since this is an analog headset, we do not need a lot of controls on the device, most of these being done directly from the sound source; here we do have a microphone on/off switch, but also a small Volume wheel:

 

 

 

On its back, we will find another discrete Razer logo:

 

 

 

The headset jack plug can be used with devices with3.5mm audio+mic combo jacks:

 

 

 

For the other analog devices, we have the previously-mentioned adapter; all jacks are gold-plated for optimal contact:

 

 

 

For testing the product, we have used our Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 internal soundcard; we have run multiple games such as Wolfenstein: The New Order, Guild Wars 2, Tera and GRIP Combat Racing. Thanks to the large, custom 50mm drivers we could hear explosions, gun shots and other effects in very much detail, while the character voices did remain clear at all times. The headset is also good for listening to your favorite music tracks while commuting to work and you will surely attract a lot of attention thanks to the catchy color choices.

 

Thanks to the improved quality of materials and the exterior aluminum layer, the headset does not feel cheap at all, while the cable is braided for even more durability; eyeglasses owners will really appreciate this model thanks to the dedicated channels inside the earcup foam, while the cooling gel really keeps the contact surface cool, in order to avoid sweat during longer, intense gaming sessions.

 

The only difficulty we did have was with the retractable microphone positioning: because of its cardioid pickup pattern, you must make sure that it is placed in the direction and very close to your mouth, otherwise you won’t be heard with much clarity by the other parties.

 

The new Razer Kraken model can be picked up from the store for about 79.99 Euros and is also available in three more colors: black, quartz or console.

Razer Kraken Competitive Gaming Headset is Recommended for:

 

 

We would like to thank again to Razer for making this review possible!