Razer Kraken vs Razer BlackShark V2 and BlackShark V2 X
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Overview and Connectivity
Headphone Audio Quality
Software and Virtual Surround Sound
Microphone Audio Quality
Comfort and Build Quality
Verdict
Overview and Connectivity
Left to right: Razer Kraken, Blackshark V2, and BlackShark V2 X.
The Razer Kraken, BlackShark V2, and BlackShark V2 X are all a part of Razer's wired headset offerings.
There are a lot of variations of the Kraken, but this article just refers to the base 2019 model.
The BlackShark V2 and V2 X are extremely similar. There are slight differences in design, but the main difference is the USB sound card that comes with the V2. I'll get to that.
The quickest way to tell them apart is the V2 has the green logo on the side with a black braided wire and the V2 X has a black on black logo with a green wire.
I bought my Razer Kraken for $70, my BlackShark V2 for $100, and my BlackShark V2 X for $50. Click the Amazon links to see their current pricing.
Connectivity and Controls
Holding the splitter cables on the Kraken and BlackShark V2 X.
All of these headsets have non-detachable 3.5mm cables. The Kraken and BlackShark V2 X come with splitter cables for desktop PC use.
The BlackShark V2 doesn't come with a splitter and instead comes with a USB DAC (digital to analog converter). This acts like a hardware key to access several features in Razer Synapse.
In Synapse, there is equalizer adjustment for the mic and headphone audio. More on that in a bit.
BlackShark V2 with the USB sound card.
If you have a laptop, the USB connection is very useful because on my laptop for instance, headset mics don't work with just a 3.5 cable.
The V2 X mic is non detachable, the V2's is detachable, and the Kraken's mic is retractable.
There are in-line controls on the Kraken for muting the mic and adjusting the headphone gain. The V2 and V2 X have their gain knobs on the left earcup and same with the mic mute button.
Headphone Audio Quality
This will be broken down into two sections: out the box sound, and sound with an equalizer.
Out the box
Out the box sound is what you’re going to be dealing with exclusively on consoles. Let’s start with the Razer Kraken.
The Kraken sounds quite muffled. While I was playing Call of Duty: Black Ops - Cold War with these and the V2 X, I realized there are actually a ton of subtle ambient sounds in that game. Wind blowing, echoes of gunshots, birds chirping, just a lot of small sounds.
Those are almost inaudible on the Kraken or they all just kind of blend together in a low rumble in the background. There's just not really a lot of detail on the Kraken.
Call of Duty: Black Ops - Cold War with the Razer Kraken.
Winning a Cold War game with the Kraken.
People complained about the sound of the Kraken, so Razer released the BlackShark V2 and V2 X. They sound pretty much identical out the box, but unfortunately Razer overcompensated. The detail is much improved on these in the highs and mids, but the highs are pretty shrieking and the bass is virtually non-existent.
So for FPS games, I guess that's passable for some people, but for any other games or use cases it gets really uncomfortable really quick. So for out the box performance, it's really a pick your poison:
Muffled overall sound and muddy bass with the Kraken OR
Better detail (still not amazing) with the BlackShark V2, but really hard to listen to highs.
For me, I'd go with the Kraken if I was forced to only use the out the box sound.
Sound with an Equalizer
Fortunately, PC users have things a lot better, as there is EQ software. This is where the BlackShark V2 earns its price tag.
Razer Synapse headphone audio adjustments.
The BlackShark V2 comes with a USB DAC that lets you connect the device to Razer Synapse. The EQ adjustments and effects in here are really good. I'm personally not a fan of hearing banshee screams all day, so I drop the highs and boost the bass.
This is really good for immersion and the bass actually gets stronger and more detailed than the Kraken without losing the clarity in the mids. The drivers on the BlackShark V2 can’t match up to bigger hitters like the Cloud II and Cloud Alpha when you EQ those - they have way more potential with the bass boosting and with clarity.
Still, with Synapse, the BlackShark V2 completely beats the Kraken.
The Kraken and V2 X can be EQ’d using free software for PC. Lately, I’ve been using Equalizer APO with the PEACE extension. The interface definitely feels fresh out of the 90s, and for some reason it actually breaks THX Spatial Audio if you install it wrong. It's not my first choice, but it works.
When you get the hang of it, you can get the V2 X sounding just like the V2 with Razer Synapse. Honestly, I've plugged the V2 X into the Razer DAC with the same settings I had the V2 on and they sounded identical. I'm pretty sure the exact same drivers are in both so you're really paying for the software.
The Kraken can be improved by boosting the highs and mids, but it will never be as clear as the V2 and V2 X - those just have better drivers inside.
Long story short, I prefer the Kraken out the box. But the V2 and V2 X demolish the Kraken with good EQ adjustments.
Surround Sound?
Virtual surround sound on stereo headphones is a dank meme.
Real surround systems are good, but trying to filter in gimmicky effects with either THX Spatial Audio or the Razer 7.1 surround sound app won’t help in-game performance or immersion at all. It just ruins the audio and makes it sound hollow.
Microphone Audio Quality
The Razer BlackShark V2 X has the best mic, next is the Kraken, and way in last is the BlackShark V2.
The Kraken and BlackShark V2 X sound quite similar in tone. They’re nasally and not very full which is really standard headset mic quality. The V2 X gets the edge because it has a quieter noise floor even at a higher gain on my PC than the Kraken. Also it's a bit less sibilant (harsh s sounds) than the Kraken.
The BlackShark V2 seems like it should be the clear winner with all the settings you get to change in Razer Synapse. There's an equalizer and a ton of really sick filters.
The problem is the USB sound card compresses and muffles the audio. So the fact that you're even able to adjust your mic in Razer Synapse means you plugged it into the DAC and ruined the audio already.
Testing the BlackShark V2 in Razer Synapse.
You can try to mess with all these filters to try to get it back to sounding like the V2 X, but even with vocal clarity, EQ changes, ormic boost, there’s nothing here that can undo the damage to the mic audio from the sound card. HyperX has the same issue with their Cloud II and Cloud Alpha S sound card ruining the mic audio.
The background noise rejection on all three of these mics isn't great, but I'd say the V2 and V2 X do a slightly better job than the Kraken. The V2 lets you use an ambient noise reduction filter which technically works, but your audio cuts out pretty hard and the overall quality dips even lower.
So again mic quality in order: V2 X, Kraken, then V2.
Comfort and Build Quality
I don't actually find any of these headsets to be particularly comfortable. Especially when compared to other devices on the market like the HyperX Cloud II and Logitech G Pro X.
The Kraken is really bulky, doesn't seal quite right, and the softness is just ok. The cloth-like padding on the V2 is bit annoying, to me anyway. The outside of the V2 X is actually fake leather and if they had that for the inside too that would probably give it the advantage. I’m not quite sure of the material on the inside of the V2 X.
Ear cup of the V2 X.
As for build quality, the Kraken is all plastic while the V2 and V2 X are mostly plastic with thin metal adjustment frames.
So comfort and build quality is kind of a toss up here. They're all about a 6/10. Maybe I give the win to the V2 and V2 X because they have a better seal than the Kraken and the gain knob is more convenient to reach.
Verdict
If you're playing on console, you're gonna be stuck with the out the box sound of these devices, so I recommend the Razer Kraken. But only if you can find it really cheap like $50 or under. There are a lot better options when you go higher than that.
On PC, I recommend the BlackShark V2 X. Why the V2 X over the BlackShark V2?
Razer BlackShark V2 vs BlackShark V2 X
BlackShark V2 (left) and BlackShark V2 X.
In a previous article, I recommended the V2 over the V2 X, because the software really does make a night and day difference. The V2 and V2 X both sound pretty bad out the box, but you can make them sound way better than the Kraken with an equalizer. I still stand by that.
But after seeing the V2 X go on so many sales (I’ve seen it as low as $44 at some places), I’m not sure you need to spend all that extra money to use Razer Synapse when you can use free software like Equalizer APO.
If you’re into official hassle-free software and THX Spatial Audio, or you’re buying it for someone else then I respect it and go for it. But if you’re getting it for yourself, you can save a lot of money by just getting the V2 X and using free EQ software.
Amazon Listings
Razer Kraken: https://amzn.to/3DP5Axo
Razer BlackShark V2: https://amzn.to/3vAICoi
Razer BlackShark V2 X: https://amzn.to/2Sx3qQk
