Review: Razer Kraken 7.1 Chroma

by Ryan Martin on 13 April 2015, 16:00

Tags: Razer

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qacqdx

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Conclusion

The Razer Kraken 7.1 Chroma suits the needs of gamers who enjoy a bass-heavy sound signature, customisable RGB lighting and virtual surround sound.

The Razer Kraken 7.1 Chroma retails for £90 ($100) which makes it a much cheaper alternative to true 7.1 surround sound gaming headsets such as the ASUS STRIX 7.1 or Razer Tiamat 7.1, both cost upwards of £150. That said the Razer Kraken 7.1 Chroma is still an expensive gaming headset and gamers should expect a lot from it given the fierce competition in this price range. Notably, the Kingston HyperX Cloud can be had for around £60 while non-gaming headsets that deliver an excellent gaming experience, like the Superlux HD668B and Takstar HI2050, are under half the price of the Kraken 7.1 Chroma.

Given the premium price of the Kraken 7.1 Chroma it needs to deliver more in the key areas of comfort, sound quality and functionality. With respect to comfort the Kraken 7.1 Chroma would benefit from less clamping pressure, thicker headband padding and slightly larger ear-cups. In the department of sound quality Razer should consider tuning down the bass to allow gamers to pick out those key audio cues in the mid-range frequencies.

Finishing off with functionality the Razer Kraken 7.1 Chroma shames most of the competition with the Synapse software that allows for extensive audio and microphone customisation all the way down to choosing stereo or virtual surround at an application-specific level. Yet some of the functionality decisions of the headset itself, such as the decision to not provide an inline control, hinder the overall experience.

As a gaming headset the Razer Kraken 7.1 Chroma suits the needs of gamers who enjoy a bass-heavy sound signature, customisable RGB lighting and virtual surround sound. The overall quality of the Kraken 7.1 Chroma isn't up to the same standard as Razer's mice and keyboards but this headset is still a popular choice among many gamers.

The Good
 
The Bad

Innovative microphone storage
Excellent software
Customisable LEDs

 
Overpowering bass
Lack of headband padding
Flawed cable design

HEXUS where2buy

The Razer Kraken Chroma is available to purchase from Scan Computers*.

HEXUS right2reply

At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.

*UK-based HEXUS community members are eligible for free delivery and priority customer service through theSCAN.care@HEXUS forum.



HEXUS Forums :: 4 Comments

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lol add coloured lights raise price add hock to complete rgb range ..
Nothing says quality sound like flashing LEDs all over your headphones.
Needs more strobe lights and mlg horns for sure
Son had a pair of these. Couldn't wear them as they hurt his ears. I inherited them but they hurt mine as well. Poor design - not everyone has small ears!