Razer - Kraken V4 Wireless Gaming Headset with 9 Zone Chroma RGB – For PC, Mac, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, Smartphone - Black

I have been using Razer products ever since I began my gaming journey and this is hands down the best headset razer has made, for me anyway. Two things that I ABSOLUTELY love above this headset are the cloth earcups and retracting mic. Those were why I bought it, and what I mainly saw from ads. But what I truly enjoyed to my surprise was the subtle lighting effects, sound quality, and extensive battery performance. Still using it and I plan on using it for a long my time.

I’ve been a fan of Razer gear for a long time. The only issue I really have with their products is the lack of support for Apple devices. Razer products do work with iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers, but functionality is usually limited because their customization hub, Synapse, is only available for Windows devices. This is the only thing that kept these from getting a higher rating. That said, the Razer Kraken v4 are some of the best-sounding headphones I’ve used in a long time. I usually look at a few main areas when testing out headphones — comfort, functionality, and sound quality. Comfort: The headset is light and the earpieces are fabric-lined. The ear cushions are very plush and the padded on the headband was soft enough that I didn’t notice the headbands at all. All the controls are easy to reach, but it was a little hard to distinguish between each of the buttons only by touch. It’s easy to pull the microphone out and replace it when you are done with it. As comfortable as they are, the earpieces are not very breathable and I found my easy getting quite warm the longer I was using them. Functionality: As I already mentioned, Razer provides limited functions to Apple products, but it does have full features on Windows machines. I connected the headset using the 2.4Ghz receiver and the system set it as my input and output sound device. I downloaded Razer Synapse, the hub for all of Razer’s products, to my Surface Pro and it immediately detected the headset and gave me the option to select THX Spatial Audio in stead of the standard stereo. Then I unplugged it and connected it via Bluetooth to my iPad and was able to still enjoy the spatial surround sound feature. Razer Synapse stores settings directly into the device’s internal memory so customizations will still be accessible — even when you plug it into a different device. I learned about this little trick not too long ago with a different set of headphones and given Razer’s OS restrictions, I wasn’t sure if it would work with the Kraken’s but it did. Operation of the headset — aside from the customizations you get with Synapse — is pretty standard. You turn the headset on by pressing and holding the power button located next to the USB-C port. I noticed that it went into pairing mode right away, but you can switch the connection method by double clicking the SmartSwitch button on the left ear piece. There are only two buttons on that side of the headset and the other is the game chat/balance button, which is much longer. I still found it a little hard to discern which button was which just by feel so it would be great if there was a raised bump on it or something like that to make it easier. I love that the headset has an extendable microphone that can also be retracted when necessary. It seemed to work well and adjusting the sidetone within Razer Synapse also made it possible for me to hear myself talking in the microphone. This setting also carried over to my MacBook Pro when I switched input devices. I have been very impressed by how easy it is to switch devices by just clicking the SmartSwitch on the earpiece. Sound Quality: With the THX Spatial Audio enabled, I was incredibly surprised about how wonderful everything sounded. I watched the opening five minutes of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, which has a wide array of sound effects and advanced sound design layered together. This is something I use to test sound quality with headphones and there were some sounds that came through much cleared than they do on other headphones. Then, I listened to the soundtrack from the Charlie Brown Christmas, which is a much older recording and it was still very clear and well-defined. Finally, I listened to tracks from Wicked (the film version) and was shocked how much the reverberation on certain notes came through. The sound quality is pure and you have the ability to fine-tune your settings in Synapse. I think the Kraken headphones are well worth the investment. They are comfortable, built well and since settings save to the device itself, as long as you have the ability to use Synapse, you can use them on multiple devices and still have the same type of sound experience no matter what device you are using.

Out of the box these things had over 60% of battery power ready to go. With that being said, I initially thought that they were cheaply made, from all of the plastic in the build. However, after trying them on, I was greeted with a lot of comfort. For a person who wears glasses at least 19 hours a day, it is very imprtant that I have comfortable headphones on, because the last thing I want to are my glasses digging into my temples. These are very comfy. Set-up is really simple. Just plug in the dongle and it will be noticed immediately, or just simply turn on your bluetooth and pair them. The dongle is primarily for use on my PS5 and Switch I just pair to via bluetooth to my PC and smartphone. As with are all Razer headphones, you can't auto switch from phone calls to PC like other brands. But if you've use Razer headphones before, you are probabaly used to the by now.The box holds the Kraken v4s, a dongle, and the very nice braided cables. One for charging and other for linking your heeadphones to the dongle. The sound quality is up there with my favorite Razer headphones. And tthey sound great on phone calls and during gaming. I could hear directional footsteps while play COD BO6.( It didn't help my K.D. ratio too much, because I'm terrible. Lol!) But seriously, I do feel like I had a slight advantage over my usual sessions.The headphones also have the retractable boom mic, which is pretty cool to be able to hide that when needed and then there's the mute indicator light on the mic to remind you that you are muted. The RGBs are a cool touch when gaming, but will be a battery drainer, so you might want to go into the software and turn that off. The breathable fabric style ear cups are the game changer, though. This allows me to game comfortably for hours without overheating my ears. Yes. No sweat. Although, they do sound great and feel comfortable, I do take points off for the constant RGB and bluetooth switch over. But for the price, these are really good headphones. IMO.