At first we would like to thank Razer for offering us their Kraken V3 HyperSense 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 DEEPEST IMMERSION

Dive into a new dimension of immersion with the Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense—a PC gaming headset powered by haptic technology. From rumbling explosions to whizzing bullets, with the ability to feel what you hear, the time has come to embrace true multi-sensory gaming.

FEEDBACK THAT FEELS REAL. - RAZER™ HYPERSENSE

Cutting-edge haptic drivers in each earcup pick up on audio cues and convert them into realistic vibrations that vary in position, duration, and intensity, providing touch-sensory feedback for in-game sounds.

STEREO HAPTICS

Haptic effects flow between left and right earcups based on in-game positioning for greater spatial awareness and immersion.

REAL-TIME HAPTICS

Intelligent audio processing that requires zero integration or additional downloads to work. Compatible across games, music, and movies.

INTENSITY ADJUSTER

Easily adjust the haptics’ strength with an on-headset button that can toggle between off, low, medium, and high.

IMMERSION FROM EVERY ANGLE - THX SPATIAL AUDIO

The headset is armed with advanced 7.1 surround sound that optimizes your game’s sound design for realistic positional audio. Experience true-to-life acoustics and hear everything as if you were right in the middle of it all.

POWERFUL, LIFELIKE AUDIO - RAZER™ TRIFORCE TITANIUM 50MM DRIVERS

Our patented 3-part driver design pushes out exceptional highs, mids, and lows that doesn’t muddy, providing a more dynamic listening experience for deeper immersion. Upgraded with titanium-coated diaphragms for superior clarity, the drivers enable truly lifelike and accurate sound reproduction.

BUILT FOR COMFORT. BUILT TO LAST.

HYBRID FABRIC AND LEATHERETTE MEMORY FOAM CUSHIONS

The perfect balance of comfort, sound isolation, and haptics transfer.

PLUSH FABRIC HEADBAND CUSHION

Soft cushioning on the head for minimal pressure.

STEEL-REINFORCED HEADBAND

Flexible and lightweight, yet durable and resilient.

CLARITY WITHOUT QUESTION- RAZER™ HYPERCLEAR CARDIOID MIC

By suppressing sounds from the back and sides, the detachable mic offers greater speech pickup and noise cancellation, ensuring improved clarity and a natural representation of your voice.

POWERED BY RAZER CHROMA™ RGB

With 16.8 million colors and a suite of effects, enjoy greater immersion as it dynamically reacts with over 150 integrated games. Hold down the Razer HyperSense adjuster button to conveniently cycle through Razer Chroma™ RGB lighting effects.

 

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20 Hz – 20 kHz

IMPEDANCE: 32 ohms (1 kHz)

SENSITIVITY: 96 dBSPL / mW @ 1 KHz (HATS)

DRIVER SIZE - DIAMETERS (MM): 50 mm

DRIVER TYPE: Razer™ TriForce Titanium

EARCUPS: Oval Ear Cushions

INNER EARCUP DIAMETER: 62 mm x 42 mm

EARPADS MATERIAL: Heat-Transfer Fabric / Leatherette / Memory Foam

NOISE CANCELLING: Passive noise cancellation

CONNECTION TYPE: USB-A

CABLE LENGTH: 2.0 m / 6.74 ft

WEIGHT: 344 g / 0.75 lbs

MICROPHONE STYLE: Detachable HyperClear Cardioid

PICK-UP PATTERN: Unidirectional

MICROPHONE FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 100 Hz – 10 kHz

MICROPHONE SENSITIVITY (@1KHZ): -42 ± 3 dB

VIRTUAL SURROUND ENCODING: THX Spatial Audio

VOLUME CONTROL: Volume up and down

OTHER CONTROLS: Mic mute on / off toggle

Haptics Adjuster – Off, Low, Medium (Default), High

LIGHTING: Razer Chroma RGB

COMPATIBILITY: PC

PlayStation

Nintendo Switch (docked mode)

 

Kraken is one of the most known headset series from Razer and recently they have released V3. The wired versions include a V3 vanilla but also a V3 HyperSense, which is equipped with haptic drivers in each earcup to enhance immersion even more. Both models come with THX Spatial Audio but also the Razer HyperClear Cardioid microphone, also in charge of suppressing the extra background noise.

 

Razer is shipping the Kraken V3 HyperSense inside a medium-sized cardboard enclosure with the signature color scheme; on the top cover we will learn of the 50mm TriForce drivers, THX support but also of the HyperSense feature. Of course, here we will get the list of compatible platforms (PC, Mac, Playstation) but also the fact that it features Razer Chroma RGB:

 

 

 

On the side of the box, Razer does give the user a better insight on the included haptic technology and the fact that it works without installing any software; the on-headset intensity control is all that it needs!

 

 

 

Moving on, we do have the full list of technical specifications, the box contents but also system requirements:

 

 

 

A more in-depth view of the headset can be spotted on the back, with extra details:

 

 

 

After unsealing the box and lifting the top cover, we will get to see that the main product is held secure inside black sponge material:

 

 

 

Regarding documentation, we will find a small product description written by the one and only Min-Liang Tan:

 

 

 

The user manual will help the user on the initial setup with explanations and lots of drawings:

 

 

 

The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense is a wired headset, sporting an all-black color scheme; there is another model available from the same series, the Pro, which adds the wireless option but besides that it is mainly the same. The cups are closed in the back and the microphone is fully detachable, not integrated as we have seen with many units from SteelSeries:

 

 

 

The exterior of the cups does come with an RGB-enabled segment in the middle, while on the outside we will spot a dotted layout. This design is quite subtle and pleasant to the eye:

 

 

 

On the outside headband frame, we will not the HyperSense feature highlighted by the manufacturer:

 

 

 

The frame does allow earcup adjustment in order to fit most head shapes:

 

 

 

The 50mm TriForce titanium drivers are covered by large, thick memory foam earpads which come with leatherette on the exterior and soft fabric on the inside:

 

 

 

Here is a closer look on the different types of material:

 

 

 

The right cup integrates a single control button for the haptic feedback. The level of vibrations is selectable with three different steps of intensity, but can be also turned off temporarily, without the need to install extra software:

 

 

 

The left cup comes with the microphone jack and also includes a special design so the microphone will be installed only in the correct position:

 

 

 

The same cup integrates the Volume wheel and the microphone Mute button:

 

 

 

Between the cup and the steel-reinforced headband we will note the cables, which are braided as well for additional durability:

 

 

 

The headband does feature thick padding as well, for offering optimal comfort during long gaming sessions:

 

 

 

On the outside of the headband, we will find the Razer logo printed on leatherette material:

 

 

 

The headband can be adjusted as well and markings are available on both sides, to help with setting the same measurement on both sides:

 

 

 

 

The included microphone style is named by Razer as being HyperClear Cardioid and comes with a unidirectional pattern, filtering the background noise. It comes with a frequency response between 100Hz and 10kHz and includes a preinstalled pop protection:

 

 

 

 

The jack plug is gold plated, for optimal contact:

 

 

 

Here is a closer look on the microphone with the sponge pop protection removed:

 

 

 

The body of the microphone is flexible and can be easily adjusted to fit our needs:

 

 

 

As we have seen with many high-end wired headphones for gaming, the cable is braided for additional durability:

 

 

 

The USB connector is customized with the Razer design as well:

 

 

 

The lighting on the outside of the cups is fully configurable via software and comes with a single left/right segment, not multiple RGB area per cup:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Right after connecting the headset to our computer, we got the prompt to install the dedicated, unified software:

 

 

 

We have the option which modules of the application should be installed:

 

 

 

The install will only take about a few minutes:

 

 

 

After the installation has been completed, Razer Synapse can be used with an account but also in Guest mode:

 

 

 

Besides the Kraken V3 HyperSense, Synapse has also detected other compatible hardware installed on the test system:

 

 

 

The headset has its own dedicated graphical user interface, with multiple tabs on the top. From the Sound area, we can adjust the current volume, the haptic intensity but also work with the Sound Properties. If the Kraken V3 HyperSense is not connected, THX effects can be fallback to another device (from another brand!) as well:

 

 

 

The THX audio modes can be customized via the Mixer menu; we can let Synapse choose the modes for us for each application or do the configuration manually:

 

 

 

 

The Enhancement tab comes with Bass Boost options, Sound Normalization but also Voice Clarity filters. The EQ has some presets as well, but also a Custom mode for configuring with personal preferences:

 

 

 

The Microphone options are not left out as well; we can set the volume, Voice Gate for background noise removal but also apply additional filters such as Volume Normalization, Vocal Clarity or Ambient Noise Reduction. The mic has its own presets in terms of EQ as well!

 

 

 

The RGB lighting menu is similar to the one we have seen with other Razer-branded peripherals; one interesting option is that we can switch off the RGB lighting when the display is turned off:

 

 

 

Quick RGB effects can be chosen from a short list:

 

 

 

More advanced options can be set via Chroma Studio:

 

 

 

Studio will detect other compatible devices and allow sync between them:

 

 

 

We can layer multiple effects and the number of presets is higher here:

 

 

 

The launcher does also allow setting up effects based on different applications:

 

 

 

Next, we can work with Chroma workshop:

 

 

 

Chroma Visualizer ties with an audio device and displays effects based on the output:

 

 

 

The Kraken V3 HyperSense shares a lot of features with the Nari Ultimate we have reviewed back in 2020, but we have found the haptic feedback to be more balanced, while with the wired version we do not need to keep charging so quickly (Nari Ultimate Lucio Edition needed a full recharge at every 8 hours). The microphone has been improved noticeably, while the vibration effect modes can be switched with accessing the hardware button, without the need of accessing Synapse software at all.

 

The 50mm TriForce Titanium drivers can pack quite a bit of punch and there is a high level of customization from within the software. THX Spatial Audio is included for even more immersion, with three different operating modes, while the comfort levels are great thanks to the thick memory foam for the ears and the headband.

 

The microphone is unidirectional, can be adjusted as needed and Razer have gone with a removable design instead of incorporating the microphone inside the left cup chassis. A pop sponge filter is pre-attached to the mic and we were quite impressed to see a lot of filters to be selectable from within Synapse, but also a handy EQ!

 

On other sites, people have complained that this headset does not come with a removable USB cable...we see this as a plus because this way, the durability of it is increased, while the removable feature could have added an additional point where defects can show up: the port and the connector.

 

The brand-new Kraken V3 HyperSense can be found online for about 139 Euros.

RAZER Kraken V3 HyperSense Gaming Headset is Recommended for:

 

 

 

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