Razer Kraken Tournament Edition Review
Razer is known for gaming, making some perfect headsets for gamers. For just $99.99, the wired Razer Kraken Tournament Edition has simulated surround sound from THX, a 5.1-channel USB audio adapter, and two 50mm drivers in a very comfortable design. It’s not the fanciest headset on the market, but it has a good feel, good performance, and many features for a reasonable price.
Razer Kraken Tournament Edition Specifications
| Frequency Response | 12 Hz – 28 kHz |
| Input Power | 30 mW (Max) |
| Audio Usage | Devices with 3.5 mm audio jack |
| Drivers | 50 mm, with Neodymium magnets |
| Cable Legth | 1.3 m / 4.27 ft. |
| Connection Type | Analog 3.5 mm |
| Audio Usage | Devices with 3.5 mm audio jack |
| Weight | 322 g / 0.71 lbs. |
PROS
- Solid and easy to use.
- Fabric-wrapped cables that are strong.
- THX faked the effect of surround sound.
CONS
- Not very strong highs.
Design
Razer Kraken Tournament Edition headphones are known for being big and round, and the Kraken Tournament Edition doesn’t change that. It’s a good-quality pair of over-ear headphones in black or green with black accents. The large, round plastic shells of the earcups are surrounded by solid metal, which is how they connect to the metal headband. The headband is pretty flexible and can be adjusted with firm click-stops. The metal rings on each earcup allow a small amount of vertical movement so that they fit comfortably. The earpads are very big, so they don’t put any pressure on your ears and are made of a nice mix of materials.
Connection Options
The Razer Kraken Tournament Edition headphone comes with a three-foot cable is fine for systems like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One S, where the controllers have built-in headset jacks, and the Nintendo Switch in portable mode, but it’s quite short for PC gaming. The USB cable, the other part of the Kraken Tournament Edition, comes into play here. It has a USB plug on one end and an audio control box on the other. The cable is five feet long and covered in fabric. The box is a small, flat, black plastic box that is 3.4 inches long and has big buttons on the top that say Volume Up, Volume Down, and Mic Mute.
Showcase Of Music
The Razer Kraken Tournament Edition sounds powerful and has a lot of basses, which is pretty typical for gaming headphones. It played our bass test track, “Silent Shout” by The Knife, at maximum (and dangerous) volume without any distortion, and it sounded pretty loud in the process. The low frequencies lead this song, while the synth notes and chanting are in the background and sound slightly muddy. This is also clear in Yes’s song “Roundabout.” The electric bass sounds full and deep, but the opening acoustic guitar plucks don’t have much string texture or higher frequency finesse. The snares and vocals are also a bit in the background of the busy mix, but the bass remains the most critical part of the song.
Performance Of The Game
I played Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Blackout mode with the Razer Kraken Tournament Edition . I was in a group with four other players whose voices were easily heard over the in-game chat. My squadmates could also hear me well because of the microphone. The THX audio processing in the headset turned the sounds of battle into an impressive surround sound simulation. Even though stereo drivers can’t tell precisely whether a sound source is in front of or behind the listener, the processing makes lateral imaging very accurate. Clearly, guns were being fired from both sides because we were being ambushed. The action sounded like it was going to hit hard. Because the headset was heavy on the bass, gunshots and explosions had a lot of low-end force.
Price
The Razer Kraken Tournament Edition is a wired gaming headset that costs $100 and does many things well. It’s big, comfortable, and has strong 50mm drivers that put out a lot of basses. It also works with almost any game system as a wired 3.5mm headset, and the USB adapter cable for PCs gives excellent THX-like surround sound. The adjustable bass is a nice touch, but it doesn’t make up for the fact that the headset’s highs aren’t quite as good as they could be. The Turtle Beach Elite Atlas feels slightly more luxurious, but its audio tuning sounds less balanced. At $60, the Astro Gaming A10 is still a good choice for a wired headset if you want to save a little money.
Conclusion
The Razer Kraken Tournament Edition is the comfiest headphones we have ever worn, but the audio output from the headphones and the microphone leaves a lot to be desired. The Kraken’s muddled audio may not be a dealbreaker for some games, but it’s not ideal for listening to music. There are far superior alternatives available at this pricing.
