Final Thoughts
When we started this review we wondered if the Razer Kraken Tournament Edition could stand out in the $99 gaming headset crowd, which is where many gaming headsets sit. After spending some time with the Kraken Tournament Edition we feel that it does. Razer has put out a quality headset that sounds amazing, is comfortable even after long gaming sessions, and you get THX Spatial Audio as well.
I was pleasantly surprised to see so much aluminum on this headset. The entire headband is made of aluminum and then in comes down and protects the two large ear cups. I’ve dropped quite a few headsets over the years and some of them exploded on impact, that won’t happen with this headset. Even though the headband is aluminum is is quite flexible. This headset is definitely on the larger side so I it is not ideal for travelling or using as a mobile headset. It is however extremely comfortable. Even after a 5-hour Apex Legends gaming session I had no stain on the top of my head or ears, that says a lot about how this headset is designed.
This definitely is one of the better sounding gaming headsets I’ve used lately. It is very clear and even when I had it turned up the sound did not distort and the bass seems just right. On top of sounding great by itself with the USB audio controller you have THX Spatial Audio, which in our testing worked quite well. It made it much easier for us to identify where enemies where coming from in games like Apex Legends, Fortnite, and Battlefield V. This tech is the real deal not some gimmicky tagline.
Talking about the USB audio controller it gives you the ability to adjust volume, mute your microphone, adjust bass level, but most importantly set a balance between voice chat and game volume. The audio controller actually installs two different audio devices on your system. The “chat” one you set to the output of say Discord and the “Game” one you of course set to your game. Now using the controller you can bump up the voice chat if you need to hear your teammates better or increase the game volume. You can do all of this without having to leave your game.
Like most gaming headsets the microphone quality is nothing to write home about, but it will get the job done. You can listen to our audio sample from the microphone here.
Razer’s Synapse software was very easy to work with and I was able to completely set my headset up the way I wanted using it. If you have more than one Razer device you can configure them all using this app.
You can actually find this headset for $77.95 at our favorite online retailer, which is a great deal! Overall ThinkComputers gives the Razer Kraken Tournament Edition a 9 out of 10 score and our Recommended Award!
Pros:
– Solid construction
– Extremely comfortable
– Great sound quality & THX Spatial Audio
– Game / Chat balance on audio controller
– Can be used on different devices (3.5mm audio connection)
– Good software
– Price
Cons:
– Microphone quality not the best
– Not that easy to travel with
