360 sound at a price that does not deter you. Razer Kraken TE - 3X YES, 3X NO

The competition on the gaming market for players is so intense that in recent times it is difficult to catch up in the next models appearing in the sale. How do you find new Razer Kraken Tournament Editions in this tangle of rivals?

With Razer's new headphones, I first came across a closed show during IFA 2018 and immediately asked for a test copy. This one came to me last month and after nearly 30 days of testing I can say that I still like them the same as when I first put these headphones on my ears.

During the month, I also discovered a few flaws that can be felt only after a longer time spent with the equipment.

Razer Kraken Tournament Edition - advantages and disadvantages

YES # 1 - Sound quality

As for headphones for PLN 399, Razer Kraken TE brings back audio reproduction, both during listening to music and during the game. The 50-millimeter drivers, reproducing frequencies in the range from 12 to 28000 Hz, sound unexpectedly clean, clear and powerful. It is largely responsible for the DAC built into the headphone controller.

They are also very susceptible to graphic correction. The predefined settings in the Razer Synapse application dramatically change the sound character of these cans. I will repeat what I wrote when reviewing the previous model, Razer Kraken V2 - it's not only good headphones for players. It's just good headphones.

In games, they show a real claw thanks to THX Spatial Audio technology. In this class it is a complete novelty - most headphones offer the highest 7.1 sound. Meanwhile, Razer Kraken TE, in compatible games, is able to provide a full 360 degree sound, comparable only with what models from Dolby Atmos offer.

I tested the headphones playing Battlefield V and the impressions were great. You can hear every murmur of stones under the feet of our opponents.

YES # 2 - Multich options

As for headphones for PLN 399, Razer Kraken TE offers a rare universality. Access to the basic functions of the headphones is primarily on the aforementioned controller.

The controller is plugged in via USB to the computer, and we connect the headphones via a 3.5 mm connector. On the controller, we can adjust the volume, work of the microphone, turn on and off THX effects, adjust the bass volume, and control the balance between the sound coming from the microphone and the audio source.

As if these settings were not enough, a deeper configuration can be carried out in the Razer Synapse software. We will adjust graphic correction there, calibrate THX effects and adjust settings for specific games.

And after disconnecting the headphones from the controller, we lose THX Spatial Audio effects, but we can easily connect the equipment to a smartphone or console. As the impedance of the cans is only 32 Ohm, practically every smartphone can handle them.

YES # 3 - Comfort

Previous models of Razer headphones have been troubled by the problem most of all around headphones: after some time the earmuffs begin to chafe the skin around the ear. Such a specifics of construction, especially those cheaper, where the earmuffs are covered with a material practically impervious to air.

Razer Kraken TE solve this problem in a very clever way. Inside the ear muffs is a cooling gel, while the inner part, which is in direct contact with the skin, is not made of eco-leather, but a heat-conducting fabric that facilitates the removal of heat from the skin.

Effect? Even after a long hours of marathon with headphones on the ears do not feel any pressure or rubbing around the pinna, but ...

NO # 1 - Comfort

... feel solid pressure at the top of the skull. For to the extent that the Razer ear was perfectly applied to the headband, not so much to the headband. The aluminum frame rigidly covers our head, while the headband is lined with a simple mesh, with a fairly small filling.

If we take regular breaks, pressure or skull scarring should not be a problem. However, with such a high comfort of ear muffs, a headband with such low comfort simply does not fit.

NO # 2 - No Chroma backlight

I know that the new Krakens are headphones designed mainly for tournaments, so flashing RGB diodes are neither necessary nor desirable here, but nevertheless I would expect lamps after Razer.

The more so that only PLN 50 more expensive Krakena 7.1 V2 have backlight, although in all other respects they give way to the TE Kraken.

NO # 3 - It's time to refresh this design

If someone put Krakena in front of me from the last two years and told me which ones are, I probably would not be able to. From the visual side these headphones do not change at all. On the one hand, it can be an advantage (a consistent stylistic line and stuff), but on the other hand it causes that from the design side Razer started quite strongly ... stand out from the competition.

Let's look at other tens of this segment - SteelSeries Arctis or HyperX Cloud II. Sure, none of them provide 360-degree audio and they do not sound as good as TE's Krakens, but they look much better visually. They are modern, slender, they do not shout, "Look how I am gaming!".

Razer Kraken TE are huge, bulky and it would be rather embarrassing to go out into the street. I would like to finally see the company's headphones that will look just as good in public communication as in front of the computer.

Take or not to take?

It depends. If you do not expect gaming headphones with exaggeratedly elegant aesthetics and you are able to come to terms with the lack of LEDs, for 399 PLN it is really difficult to buy better cans for players.

And when we add that after the Razer Kraken TE game sounds better than almost any gaming set in this class, it's really easy. Take it, definitely.

360 sound at a price that does not deter you. Razer Kraken TE - 3X YES, 3X NO