Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsOK, but if you have a refined ear, I'd stay away.
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2017
I have a love hate relationship with this set. I'm a little bit of a audiophile (AKA someone who really likes nice quality headphones). I bought these guys quite some time ago after reading and watching some positive reviews. This was my first high-ish quality pair of headphones. Now that its been awhile, my tastes and expectations have evolved and I am better able to judge these headphones for myself.
Pros.
The build quality on these puppies still impresses me even now that I have moved on to bigger and better things. Much of this headset is metal and it feels great in the hand.
Going along with the build quality, the styling on these headphones is really distinctive and aggressive. Just looking at them makes me want to use them.
Its a Razer product. While this could go in the Cons sections as well depending on where your allegiances are, many consider Razer products to be cool, gamer friendly, and aggressive.
Cons:
Lets start with the comfort of these headphones. Because of the metal, bulky looking design, these guys are not light weight. Well, I guess that's not totally true. I should say they were build with style in mind, not comfort, this makes them feel a little heavy and slightly uncomfortable for me. Keep in mind, I own a number of other mainstream headphones and headsets such as the HyperX Cloud 2s, Audio-Technica M50x, and Sennheiser 558's. All three of those headphones are more comfortable than the Krakens. I think my main complaint about the Krakens is that they are rather tight on my head. I don't have an overly large head or anything, they just squeeze rather tightly. This would be OK if the cups on the ears were soft and plushy, but they are rather firm, and they sit more on the ear than around the ear. Because of the stiff cups and the tight hold, it makes it hard to wear these for any more than around 2-3 hours. However, if you had smaller ears, then you'd probably be just fine.
Sound. Now, sound is VERY subjective, so take what I say with a grain of salt. The bass is heavy compared to my other pairs of headphones, but if your into that, than great, you might very well like these headphones. Compared to the HyperX Cloud 2s, these sound much cheaper. The sound is muddy, deep, and the highs and mids are a bit drowned out by the loose, heavy, bass. There, now that that's out of the way, I can say that if you are a casual listener, the sound quality of these headphones will probably be just fine for you, but those of you with a refined ear my be disappointed. You can download some software to Razer that allows you to adjust the sound of these headphones, but I have yet to find settings that help me enjoy the sound these headphones produce.
The number one complaint I have about his headset is the cable. Seems silly right? I can deal with uncomfortable, and I can deal with headphones that don't sound amazing, but the cable is just one flaw too many for me. I have the USB these headphones use connected to my Keyboard right now, and as I type I can hear the vibrations from the keys traveling up the cable and into my ear. Its hard to explain, but it gets very old very quickly. Alone with that, every time the cable brushes up against my clothes, it sounds like someone is running some sandpaper on the back of my headphones. The braided cabling on this headset is just not right. I think its probably too stiff, and that's what causes the sound transfer. I have dealt with similar problems in other braided cable products, but this is by far the worst, and its what keeps me from using these headphones much.
The mic is just so-so. My friends tell me I sound different using this mic, but not in a bad way. It adjusts nicely to most positions, and the ability to slide it into the headset is REALLY nice. Also, the mute button on the end of the mic is also fantastic.
That about sums these headphones up from my perspective. I want to like these headphones, and I do, but when compared to headphones that are even just 20 dollars more expensive, these just don't cut it.
