Razer BlackShark headset worth it?

[ConnerArkell]

So a while ago I was in the market for my first high quality over-ear headset for around $150. Actually that's a bit of a lie because my first decent gaming headset were turtle beach px21 which were pretty good for $60 at best buy but we will leave those out for this review.

 

And in case you were wondering, I am using this headset to listen to music while I am writing this review at my school.

Now we have to remember that these are not studio monitors so you are not going to get a flat frequency sound signature. These are meant to be an all-around gaming headset for your average PC or ps4 gamer.

 

Let's start with the outside. Well first off they are a very attractive headset and that is partly due to the "old school" helicopter pilot design some would say with Razer's own little twist. The construction on the headband is metal which is solid enough that it won't break but at the same time it's not crushing your head. The sides are made of rigid plastic to cover the drivers and the cord is rubber with a 3.5mm jack on the end but do not fear PC users because there is a headphone and microphone splitter out of the box for expanded compatibility. Also the headband and ear cups are memory foam but it’s not very dense so I’m not too sure as to how long it might last.

 

In the box you also get a little plug that is used for the detachable microphone which honestly isn’t the best quality like any other headset, if you were game streaming I would recommend something more like the blue yeti. And actually one of the best parts of the headset is that you can detach the mic because that allows me to use these on a daily basis without looking like an idiot.

 

Now let’s get to the sound quality which was actually surprising.

So I have been using this headset for gaming and daily use for about a year now for day to day gaming use and music listening.

 

Now for most of my gaming I was using Razer surround which is a virtual 7.1 Dolby surround driver that takes over you exiting driver on you computer and amps up the base and changes the speaker settings from stereo to 7.1 surround and the rest of the spec of this program you can find on Razer’s website. I will say that the feeling was fantastic in any game I played. The surround sound really came in handy playing games like Arma 3 and Counter strike Hearing all the helicopters and footsteps all around me I was all around impressed with the performance of just virtual 7.1 surround sound.

 

Now music listening is very much the same story. I’m a bit of a bass head myself and these headphone satisfy. I wouldn’t call it beats by Dre bass levels just because if you try to max out your bass in your computers audio settings, it does get cut-off quite often so I just recommend leaving the stock bass settings because even that is still enough to rock your head with some good dubstep.

Although I wouldn’t use the world “clear” around these headphone because that’s not really not best way to describe them. For example I use Sony Vegas for editing my YouTube videos and some things are partly muffled and hard to hear just because of the amount of bass. But again, for music listening it’s just the right amount.

 

Another great thing about the music listening experience is there is plenty of highs and mids so over all a very balanced music listening experience.

So… final thoughts. Overall a great headset compared to much expensive options and I Highly recommend this option

[paprikman]

Please, don't put words "razer" and "worth it" in one sentence.

[Swndlr]

Razer

 

 

Good review tho, I guess

[Notree]

Its all subjective. I personally returned blacksharks cause they sound like shit imo. :lol: They go onsale all the time for half price. And they sell refurbised ones for $40.

[flexluthor]

I'm sorry to be blunt but just about everything that Razer sells isn't worth it (especially audio devices). If you give them a leeway here and there, probably their only good product is their mouse but let me remind you that it's overpriced and has a bad build quality. The only reasons that you would buy their mouse is due to its shape since mouse really just depends on the ergonomics as every decent mice's sensor can accommodate anyone's needs. But I'm starting to think that the razer's ergonomics are just a placebo of razer owners to try and justify their purchase, then again they really could be comfortable with it but I'm leaning more with the former.

[Curufinwe_wins]

Yea Razer products generally are very bad for the price. The Naga is/was arguably a notable exception (more from a lack of true competition than from its own merits) but even there is pretty much a niche product.

[XTankSlayerX]

I would aay no.

Unless you plan on keeping it for less than a year it's not worth it.

Even for 40 bucks, my ear cushions ended up breaking by the year mark.

Not only that but i told Razer support, they took so long to try and ship me new replacements...

THAT MY WARRANTY RAN OUT.

*cries*

On the other hand, Hyper X clouds are absolute gold!

[captain cactus]

What is this doing in the Tech news and reviews section?

[kuddlesworth9419]

What is this doing in the Tech news and reviews section?

It's a review. We don't get enough.

[doubleagent214]

I disliked how muddy the sound sounded at first, but it's great if you like DAT BASS! I also love the design and quality of them. Oh Razer, please update the drivers for 2016. I could use a new pair with more color choices. More so after my sennheisers broke and my kraken pros stolen

 

[doubleagent214]

PS. They should have been priced the same as the kraken pros out the gate, and I believe that razer missed the mark on pricing them so high. 120+ USD price hurt these guys alot. 

[bobhays]

It's a review. We don't get enough.

The section is for reviews from news sites. The member reviews section is for posts like this. Personally don't mind it being here i'm just saying there's a section for it.

 

EDIT: I guess it was moved to the proper section.

[kuddlesworth9419]

The section is for reviews from news sites. The member reviews section is for posts like this. Personally don't mind it being here i'm just saying there's a section for it.

 

EDIT: I guess it was moved to the proper section.

What's the difference a review is a review. All good reviews are useful. If anythign these are more so because they are written by the average joe effectively. 

[bobhays]

What's the difference a review is a review. All good reviews are useful. If anythign these are more so because they are written by the average joe effectively. 

You completely missed the point. He asked what it was doing in the tech news/reviews section because there is a section specifically for member reviews. I'm not saying it's not useful or not a review. I'm saying that there is a section for this (which is where it is now).

[kuddlesworth9419]

You completely missed the point. He asked what it was doing in the tech news/reviews section because there is a section specifically for member reviews. I'm not saying it's not useful or not a review. I'm saying that there is a section for this (which is where it is now).

My fault I was going to make a point but I checked something and I am wrong.