Razer Kaira X for PS5 and PC Headset Review

Others by stefan @ 2022-02-14

Since we are talking about a regular Stereo headset, there is nothing to install in terms of software, so we have tested Kaira X on our E5570 Latitude laptop by watching some TV shows, YouTube clips but also some movies. The sound quality was good and provided quite a bit of bass, while the voices were clear as well. The sound signature can be further customized via the software EQ to fit your preferences and there is no need to worry about comfort, thanks to the low weight and memory foam included with both earcup padding and headband area.

Introduction

 

At first we would like to thank Razer for offering us their Kaira X for PS5 and PC 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."

Product Features

POWER. CLARITY. COMFORT.

Conquer on console and beyond with the Razer Kaira X – a wired PlayStation 5 headset designed for maximum audio performance and cross-platform compatibility. Armed with cutting-edge drivers and a crystal-clear mic, enjoy competition-ready audio no matter where you game.

 

RAZER™ TRIFORCE 50MM DRIVERS

The Razer Kaira X features cutting-edge drivers that can tune highs, mids, and lows separately - producing brighter, clearer sound with richer trebles and more powerful bass.

 

FLOWKNIT MEMORY FOAM EAR CUSHIONS

Its breathable weave minimizes sweat and heat build-up, while the ultra-soft foam’s improved density greatly reduces the headset’s clamping force for snug support during gaming marathons.

 

RAZER™ HYPERCLEAR CARDIOID MIC

The bendable mic has improved housing and pickup for amazing voice capture that suppresses noise from the back and sides – supported by mic monitoring and game/chat balance to ensure optimal levels.

 

MIC MUTE BUTTON & VOLUME SLIDER

Located underneath its left earcup, allowing you to toggle the Razer™ HyperClear Cardioid Mic easily.

 

CROSS-PLATFORM COMPATIBILITY

Aside from its primary use on PlayStation 5, the headset’s 3.5mm jack allows it to work with other popular platforms so you can enjoy amazing gaming audio across different setups.

 

Product Specifications

Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz

Impedance: 32 ohm

Sensitivity: 96 dBSPL / mW

Driver Size - Diameters (mm): 50 mm

Driver Type: Razer™ TriForce 50mm Drivers

Earcups: Oval ear cushions

Inner Earcup Diameter:

Width: 45 mm

Length: 65 mm

Earpads Material: FlowKnit memory foam ear cushions

Noise Cancelling: None

Connection Type: Direct to PlayStation / PC via 3.5mm Connection

Cable Length: 1.3 m / 51.18"

Weight: 0.62 lbs / 283 g

Microphone Style: None

Pick-up Pattern: Unidirectional

Virtual Surround Encoding: None

Microphone Frequency Response: 100 Hz – 10 kHz

Volume Control: Yes (VOL + and VOL – Wheel)

Other Controls: On Earcup

Battery Life: None

Lighting: None

Compatibility: PlayStation, PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch and Mobile Devices

Microphone Sensitivity (@1kHz): -42 ± 3 dB

 

Packaging, A Closer Look

Razer has recently released a new headset model as a budget offering, sporting an analog 3.5mm connection, so the audio quality is also impacted by the sound source as well. The name of the product is Kaira X and comes in two color schemes, one which mostly fits with PS5 white and the other having green accents to fit with the Xbox color scheme.

 

The product is shipped inside a medium-sized cardboard enclosure, which shows the product photo in the frontal area but also the main highlights, as logos on the left:

 

 

 

On one of the sides, we will note the package contents, the hardware requirements but also the technical specifications of the product:

 

 

 

The back side area does show the features of the Kaira X in more detail and here we will also find out that the product is backed by a 2-year warranty:

 

 

 

After removing the top packaging layer, we will find inside recycled cardboard material in which the headset along with its bundle are held secure:

 

 

 

The User’s Manual is accompanied by a nice set of classic Razer stickers:

 

 

 

Razer does explain here the main product interfaces, how to perform adjustments in order to obtain an optimal comfort position but we do also get some words from Min-Liang Tan, the company’s Co-Founder, CEO and Creative Director:

 

 

 

The included stickers look very nice and can be attached on our computer case, laptop or even back of the smartphone!

 

 

 

Both cable and microphone areas of the headset are further protected by foam bags in a dark grey color, as we have seen when testing the Opus X:

 

 

 

Kaira X with the PS5 color scheme looks quite nice and the plastic build along with the lack of an internal battery does translate in an overall low weight; to save costs, Razer has decided to go with a non-removable microphone design this time around:

 

 

 

The ear cups can be rotated quite a bit to help with the comfort, but also when traveling in order for it to take less space:

 

 

 

In the back of each earcup, we will find a subtle blue Razer logo in order to fit with the PlayStation color scheme:

 

 

 

A Closer Look Contd.

The Kaira X incorporates Razer’s Flowknit Memory Foam Ear Cushions, which we have noted with many other products before; these are more durable than leatherette, offer a snug support and also allow the skin to breathe during longer gaming sessions:

 

 

 

Even if we are talking about an entry-level offering, Razer has included with the Kaira X their Triforce 50mm drivers, which offer quite a nice sound signature, with well-rendered mids and lows:

 

 

 

The headband has markings for adjusting at the same level for both sides:

 

 

 

Since this is mainly a Stereo headset with no other features implying software, we will only get a microphone mute switch but also a Volume wheel:

 

 

 

The microphone is Razer’s Hyperclear Cardioid model, with a frequency response between 100Hz and 10kHz and features a unidirectional pattern; it features a flexible arm and is covered by a pop filter:

 

 

 

Here are some views of the microphone with the protection removed as well:

 

 

 

 

Because we are dealing with a budget-oriented product, we were surprised to find out that the cable is fully braided for additional protection, something which is not present with other similar items from other manufacturers:

 

 

 

The cable ends up with a gold-plated 3.5mm jack plug:

 

 

 

The headband is also padded in the middle for comfort reasons:

 

 

 

The top area comes with a large Razer logo!

 

 

 

Impressions and Conclusive Thoughts

Since we are talking about a regular Stereo headset, there is nothing to install in terms of software, so we have tested Kaira X on our E5570 Latitude laptop by watching some TV shows, YouTube clips but also some movies. The sound quality was good and provided quite a bit of bass, while the voices were clear as well. The sound signature can be further customized via the software EQ to fit your preferences and there is no need to worry about comfort, thanks to the low weight and memory foam included with both earcup padding and headband area.

 

The microphone quality is good and to test this we have used it in both Discord and Skype conference applications. The experience may vary though for users, depending on the quality of the CODEC implementation (motherboard or dedicated sound card).

 

The second part of the test meant connecting the Kaira X to our Corsair ST100 headset stand (which does feature an integrated sound card) and implicitly our gaming machine and ran GTA V. The sound of the engines and weapons was a pleasant surprise thanks to the large 50mm drivers, and we were also happy regarding the quality of the dialogs between the three protagonists as well.

 

The Kaira X for PlayStation headset can be found online for about 59 Euros.

 

Razer Kaira X for PS5 and PC Headset is Recommended for:

 

 

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

 

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