Razer Surround Sound Test

[Mette Florida]

MyRazer Kraken headset was purchased with my own money, and therefore this review in no way officially endorses Razer or its products. The headset can be purchased from Best Buy for $52.99 or from Amazon for $52.25.

When my Logitech G930 headset started having trouble a while back, I started doing research on some good headsets to replace it with. The G930 is a very solid headphone and mic combo, offering wireless comfort with Dolby 7.1 surround sound, which is pretty awesome given its $90 asking price (when I got it, it was closer to $150). However, wireless designs, while certainly convenient (no more tripping over wires or yanking them out of the system by mistake!), sometimes have issues with signals dropping due to how the signal has to be processed and broadcast from the USB dongle to your headpiece. My G930 lasted for around three years (technically it still works), but towards the end of that period it started experiencing far more signal drops and a decrease in overall quality from time to time. I was very sad about it, but then I happened on a whim across a Razer Kraken headset while shopping in a Target store.

Finding something that would meet all those requirements takes time of course, but when I stumbled upon the Kraken, I was very pleasantly surprised. After getting tired of messing with the G930, I picked up a new Kraken and gave it a shot. So, how does it stack up?

I could not get any audio through the headset when using 7.1, it would just give me some popping or nothing at all. After trying just about everything I finally changed the System setting for the output audio format down to 16 bit, 44100 Hz (CD Quality) and then it started working with the 7.1 surround sound on.

It probably is a software conflict of some sort. U have tested it in both my Desktop and laptop and it didn't work on either. I also tried the headset on a friend desktop and it workedon the first time. A couple months later it didn't work anymore. The only workaround I am using is having the device audio improvements checkbox, in properties, checked. But it sounds very metallic that way.

Razer Tiamat 7.1 V2

The Razer Tiamat 7.1 V2 is an analog, true 7.1 surround sound PC gaming headset featuring 10 discrete drivers, five per ear cup, creating an immersive soundstage, essential for pinpoint positional audio and deep gaming immersion. Each ear cup contains a 40 mm subwoofer, 30 mm front (L/R) and center drivers and 20 mm rear and side surround drivers, working together to create highly accurate directional audio.

Included with the Razer Tiamat 7.1 V2 is a completely new Audio Control Unit, which allows gamers to set the volume of each audio channel as well as toggle between true 7.1 surround sound and 2.0 stereo audio. The Audio Control Unit also has a pass-through feature, allowing gamers with external desktop speaker setups to switch between their Razer Tiamat 7.1 V2 and their speakers at the press of a button.

For in-game communication, the Razer Tiamat 7.1 V2 is equipped with a unidirectional digital boom microphone which rotates alongside the ear cup when not in use and delivers crisp, natural voice in the heat of battle.

Equipped with an adjustable digital boom microphone for natural sound reproduction, and utilizing an in-line remote with extension/splitter cable for compatibility with multiple devices, the Razer Tiamat 2.2 V2 is a versatile cross-platform gaming headset for gamers on PC, Mac, console and mobile.

After calibrating for my HRTF -- head-related transfer function, or how a sound needs to play for you to correctly perceive its source -- it became obvious to me why I can never tell where sounds are coming from in games. I can rarely differentiate side from back and I need it to be played as if it's a lot closer than it is. Unfortunately, it still didn't help keep me alive.

The app lets you customize sound playback characteristics to match your perception of its location in space; that mapping is known as a head-related transfer function, and the result is a larger soundstage, or the area around you the sound seems to cover. You tweak the HRTF with typical custom frequency equalization profiles for different types of audio content, such as games or music. The app will soon include Windows Game Bar integration for changing settings on the fly.

In theory, the single HRTF can be tuned by different EQ profiles to cover all situations, but I found that my HRTF -- calibrated based on Razer's helicopter sound sample -- was too extreme to be equalized for the subtleties of music. The latter's soundstage expanded, but sounded as if everything was being played in a church, and vocals became too softened. Resetting to the default fixed the latter, but then compromised the former.

I'm far from an audiophile, but to me it also sounded like the app opened the soundstage by boosting higher frequencies, which made everything sound too bright for me. With the HyperX Cloud Alpha, I did perceive slightly better directionality in games like Control, which sadly didn't keep me from getting gunned down constantly, as well as for stereo recordings of shows with cacophonous songs, as in Sunday in the Park with George, and TV scenes such as the opener for the Doctor Who episode Listen.

The app works by setting itself as your default Windows audio device, and you select the specific output within it. I never got it to work on one laptop (the Dell XPS 15 9500), though that system has an admittedly complicated configuration. I did set it up easily on the Razer Blade Studio, but even there the app was sometimes glitchy; for instance, the stereo test never worked for either of my headsets.

Windows' audio configuration can be somewhat of a crapshoot, though, so it's not clear where the configuration problems lie. And in some cases, that $20 may make more sense going to a slightly better headset or one with 7.1 sound built in -- an inline switch for jumping between stereo and surround isn't that much of a burden. The auto switching may make it a good choice for using with wireless models, however.

While the Razer BlackShark V2 headset costs $99.99, the BlackShark V2 X brings the price down to $59.99. You keep the basic hardware from the V2 while losing extra bells-and-whistles, like the USB sound card and detachable mic. This one's aimed at providing the best gaming headset with 7.1 virtual surround sound at a relatively low price, especially for Razer.

As gaming hardware becomes more ostentatious, with fancy aluminum, RGB lighting and more, it's sometimes good to have hardware that just does its job. That fits the Razer BlackShark V2 X. However, you should think twice before carelessly packing throwing these in a bag for a trip.

In 2012, Razer introduced the gaming community to the BlackShark. At the time, the BlackShark stood out. It was a conglomeration of black plastic and silvery metal with a neon Razer green cable. it didn't look comfortable, instead leaning heavily on utilitarian designs. In fact, Razer said it based the design on aviator headsets used by helicopter pilots. That only added to the mystique.

The Razer BlackShark V2 X is a more subtle, low-key design. It fits right in with current gaming headsets, cast in black matte plastic. There's no RGB, and even the Razer logo is in a slightly offset black. The only dash of color here is that neon green cable, which Razer does a slightly better job of hiding this time around.

The headband and inside of the earcups are covered in a soft leatherette, while the part of the earcups that rests on your face are standard fabric. The earcups themselves use a light memory foam that compresses easily, meaning they'll rest on your head nicely. I could see the fabric absorbing sweat, and during my testing, it was good enough.

I'm not a huge fan of the way Razer decided to attach the drivers to the headband. The company landed on a metal fork design with an exposed wire. The metal forks don't feel that sturdy; I gave them a bit of flex to test them, and they could probably be bent, similar to a good coat hanger. There's no swivel to them either, and I feel like this headset is going to get bent if it's packed away for travel. Likewise, the exposed wire feels like it could get caught on something and torn.

Speaking of wire, the 4.2-foot cable is wrapped in some soft plastic-like material, not the braided version that you'll find on the BlackShark V2. The included mic splitter extension cable is made from the same material, and there's no USB sound card with this model.

The left earpiece has the flexible Razer HyperClear Cardioid mic, which cannot be removed. There's also a mute button and volume control on the headset itself. I prefer volume controls on the cord itself, but that's a feature that Razer added to the pricier BlackShark V2 instead.

Razer touts its new Triforce 50mm drivers, which are designed to act like three different audio drivers in a single unit. The idea is treble, mid and bass should sound more distinct, leading to more audio clarity and a richer experience. Dropping into some K-pop, I could definitely feel the lower thumps of the bass, but there was a little muffling on the high end out of the box. I also found there was a bit of clarity lost in the spoken dialog while watching the Tenet trailer.

The BlackShack V2 X comes with a single 3.5mm plug, meaning you can use it with most modern devices outside of your gaming PC, including the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and mobile phones. Virtual 7.1 surround sound is limited to Windows 10 (64-bit). You'll need some sort of USB connection in order to use the Razer Synapse software or 7.1 surround sound app, which doesn't come in the box. I used a Turtle Beach Atlas Edge Audio Enhancer to connect the BlackShack V2 X via USB for surround sound testing.

The 7.1 surround sound app did work. This is a separate download, activated via a code that comes with the headset. However, Razer Synapse software didn't see the BlackShack V2 X as one of its headsets. This prevented me from using the Razer Mixer to change the sound profile of the headset.

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