HARDWARE REVIEW

Razer Kraken Pro V2 Gaming Headset Review

by Luke Walsh, September 6th, 2017

The original Kraken was a stable headset for many gamers but the mid-range headset designed for eSports was at an affordable price for the gamer who is looking above the budget headset line. The Kraken V2 as the name suggests improves upon its sibling with 50mm drivers and a move away from the plastic frame to an aluminium body.

Build wise, the Kraken Pro V2 is a pretty solid combination of materials, The Kraken Pro v1 was a little bit too plastic-y but when it was released most headsets were. Their latest variant is simple and sleek thanks to the aluminium frame which makes it not only light at 322g but sturdy, and if you were a fan of the varied colour offerings, there’s still bright green, black and white to choose from. Bulky and LEDs are common in gaming but these are only a little bulky but they’re not the sort of headphones you’ll probably wear in public but as a device designed for eSports, you can let them off.

At the top of the headset is a leathered type material for the headband with the Razer logo embossed into it and underneath is a small piece of foam for comfort. Sitting on top of my head for a while I failed to notice any discomfort from the headband, which is quite loose compared to other headsets. There are plenty of options for resizing the headband and you should be able to find the right degree of tightness, allowing you to game for extended periods.

The round ear cups are fairly large and provide a snug fit without being too tight causing you to get the dreaded pressure headache. If your ears are on the larger size, you can also swap them out for interchangeable oval-shaped ear cups which provide a longer vertical coverage. They do cost an additional £20 though on the Razer website.

Over the ear style headphones always run the risk of not being very breathable, more so when they are layered with leather or vegan-friendly “leather”. In a warm room, the Kraken Pro V2 ear cups can get a little warm after some time making them a bit sweaty.

As the Pro V2’s are aimed at competitive gamers I thought I’d try them out in Overwatch. In game, the sounds were much clear and louder making it easier to distinguish where the enemy was coming from. This isn’t so much an issue in Overwatch where the action is much quicker but heading into Battlefield 1, hearing footsteps over the sound of gunfire is a skill you won’t ever take for granted.

The 50mm drivers which are 10mm bigger than those in the original Kraken pack a decent punch at the lower levels in games. This makes explosions and low thundering noises really powerful adding a lot of additional enjoyment in games without drowning out the mid-range or high sounds. Sound quality is also decent for movies, creating quite even balances between background music and speech. Listening to music is quite common when playing video games and the Pro V2’s will handle most genres with the 50mm drivers being able to produce some solid bass.

The microphone is flexible, retractable and Omni-directional similar in design to the SteelSeries Siberia headset range, being able to sit neatly within the ear cup when not being used. Extremely useful as you won’t need to worry about losing it, and it looks much neater than the flip down or detachable designs.

During games, the mic picks up great voice chat maintaining a nice balanced level without being muffled or picking up lots of background noise. If you have a mechanical keyboard though, you’ll probably still get people whining about your typing. It doesn’t come with any pop guard due to it having to sit within the ear cup but when I was using it, no one ever mentioned any negative comments about the sound.

You probably won’t use the microphone for a podcast or singing if that’s your thing but for gaming, the microphone is clear and crisp for everyday gaming needs. There’s also an inline mute button which I always prefer on headsets and never understand why they are not a default choice for all headsets.

Synapse makes another introduction here with the Kraken Pro V2 being adjustable within the suite of different options. The Pro V2 does not have actual 7.1 Surround Sound built in but the Razer Synapse does allow you to enable a virtual 7.1 plugin and a load of different pre-sets depending on your audio needs. There’s also the usual other options such as Bass Boost, Sound Normalisation and Voicer Clarity.

Overall the Kraken Pro V2 is well designed, has sturdy components and is a great sound for a video games headset at a reasonable price and will last you. Although it’s a bit on the bulky side, it doesn’t look tacky but could be more breathable. The sound quality in-ear and through the microphone will do fine for most gamers, both competitive and casual.