Customer Ratings & Reviews

Wireless is all the rage, but it doesn’t always deliver the performance you can get with a wired headset. With the Blackshark 2, Razor built a very versatile, comfortable, and quiet headset with the only downside being the 6 foot wire connecting you to your device. Overall, it’s a great set up to use with a very well designed microphone, great comfort, and good earphones. Gamers, virtual students, and virtual workers will all find something to like with this wired headset. Let’s start with the microphone. I’ve used various headsets over the years for voice recognition and for communication. Noise cancellation has always been key for voice recognition. It’s now becoming more important as I share my workspace with my wife and children all day. Razer provides the Blackshark with the clearest microphone I’ve ever used. My voice recognition has never been more accurate. Callers have complimented me. You can feel comfortable using this to record podcasts. Comfort is important if you’ll be wearing this headset all day. Again, this scores well. Earpieces envelop your ears blocking out sound while sitting comfortably on pads as soft as my cat’s feet (though much thicker). Despite all the padding, there is ample room for my eyeglasses. My head does not feel pinched at all, even after wearing the headset for a couple of hours. Despite lacking active noise cancellation, it’s hard to hear anything happening more than a few feet away. What’s a headset without good sound? You get decent all around sound quality, but I wouldn’t call it world class. They deliver a very balanced soundscape which is mildly rich in detail. Razer packages the headset with a USB soundcard. This allows you to customize some of the spatial audio features. Using the soundcard, the soundtrack I was listening to (Star Wars 9) seemed just a little bit brighter and more open. It won’t be confused with true 7.1 immersive sound. The sound card also reduced the volume of the microphone quite a bit. For clear communication, I preferred plugging it into my PC's headphone jack. Gamers will find the side mounted mute button very handy. It can quickly be used to keep your reality from disrupting your friends. When it’s time to pack up and go, the microphone unplugs from the headset for easy portability. The wire cannot be detached from the headset for replacement. You should therefore be sure to take care of the wire carefully when slipping it into the included carrying case.

I’ve never been one for multiplayer gaming, let alone conversing with strangers about how bad I am at FPS games. Just getting that out of the way so you know this review is based on audio into your head only, not audio out to your clan. Razer is a well known brand in gaming peripherals, especially headsets, and their stuff has always been respected by my friends. I’ve never owned a headset from them until now, which I bought for early morning gaming or movie watching while my family sleeps (try to watch a horror movie at 6:00am using only subtitles and single digit volume….its the worst!). The Razer Blackshark box advertises THX spatial audio and Triforce 50mm titanium drivers with a big picture of a cushy headset and rainbow foil embossed lettering….it caught my eye to say the least. Out of the box you get a headset with ultra soft squishy not quite memory foam but very comfortable pads on both ears and over the top of your head. This makes for a trifecta of comfort as you get a solid fit, zero pinching or that pinpoint sweating area where hard plastic covers skin, and isolation chamber like quiet when nothing is playing into the set. I hooked the wire into my game controller and was immersed in the background music that plays from the start screen. Wow! The sound on these is fantastic! I was playing “Control” which is a 3rd person action game featuring lots of mysterious noises, many echoing halls and rooms, monsters and fighting….it's got plenty of room for a headset to shine. While the box advertises spatial audio I didn’t ever really pick up a simulated 3D sound vibe but the sound is crystal clear without being overpowering like when you go from dialogue to action and the volume jumps to deafening levels in other headsets or speakers. I tried a movie next and was equally surprised as it seems to give better audio output than my TV speakers when I watch at normal volumes with the family. Highly recommended for movie watching especially! It also features a mute button, if you were playing online and needed to answer your kid or significant other's question privately, volume knob, and a port for the detachable mic. As the box suggests its a deep black with bright zombie green accents in the wires/logo. Besides the main attraction, inside the box you also find a cloth carrying/storage bag, a detachable microphone, a USB dongle (the sound card mentioned on the box) for PC use, a sheet of stickers, an instruction manual in various languages, and a thank you note from Razer which gives you details about the awesome gear you just bought. It's all just bonus stuff to me but it really makes you feel like the company appreciates your purchase. One concern I have is with the wire itself. It's a thin cloth braided cord which is almost string-like in its flexibility and I have no idea how it holds up to being bent accidentally or on purpose. It feels like most bends will be OK but severe ones may damage the headset and it's not like just replacing a cheap pair of headphones. There is a rubber tie attached for cord management and I would encourage everyone to use that instead of the age old “wrap it around the headset” strategy. If you like good sound and gaming (or movie watching in the wee hours) I would ask why you aren’t buying these already! I love them, they’re fantastic, and I’ve no doubt that online competitive gamers or streamers will get anything less than top notch mic performance.

I have had these headphones for a month now and I love them. They are a great overall pair for the $100 price range. Pros: Sound is great, the surround sound is really immersive. They are very comfortable, the ear pads are comfortable against my head and I can easily wear them for 6 hours at a time and not get any pressure pain or discomfort. The mic clarity is good. Cons: Not sure if I got a weird pair or if it's all of them, but the cord constantly wraps itself up. Almost like it is getting tangled on itself, which results in the cord being short. Every few days, I have to unplug them and unravel the cord (which doesn't take more than 20 seconds) and then plug them back in. The bass isn't spectacular in these headphones. It isn't bad, but it doesn't compare at all to other headphones I have had. You won't notice much normally but I listen to dubstep a lot and the sound is just ok for that heavy bass music. Overall I would definitely recommend. 4 stars instead of 5 only because of the two cons I listed. I feel like both of those could be made possible in $100 headphones.

========================================================= Bottom Line Upfront: The Razer Blackshark V2 is exactly what it appears to be: a lightweight, well thought and executed headset with a clear gaming focus. It won’t break the bank – and the added USB sound card really gives it much appreciated flexibility when jumping from different PCs or laptops on the go. No, its, not perfect – but it is totally worth the price and is a quality piece of kit to add to your gaming set up. ========================================================= Detailed Observations after a regular usage: =================================================== >>> Exterior Design thoughts: ====================================== Starting with the physical design of the headset – it definitely “gamer centric” with its two Green “Razor Serpent” logos on the exterior of each earcup - and will not be confused with a high end / premium styled headset that cost upwards of $200 out there. I personally would have liked to see those logos light up or have some kind of RGB element to them – but I can wholly appreciate the “muted gamer” aspect these manage to pull off – plus I imagine that would have added to the overall cost of the unit as well (if they ever found a way to put that option in there without raising the price that would be awesome though). It still manages to feel solidly built where it counts, particularly with the knobs and switches for volume and mic muting. The headband stitching and material seem durable and quality on top of that as well. I am not a fan of the hardwired/non removable cable that leads into the earcup – I would have preferred something modular that I can replace, or would not be subject to strain/wear and tear when traveling with them in my bag/backpack. It would also have been nice is the earcups offered some kind of rotational adjustment so that they could be folded flat against my chest, or storage/travel as well when not in use. The wires that support the up and down adjustment seem sturdy enough – but I would like to have a thicker gauge of metal used for added reassurance of “durability” over the long haul. >>> Earcup padding and fabric thoughts: ===================================== The fabric Razer uses for the earcups is simple, but functional. Its soft and has more than enough ventilation holes -without feeling scratchy against me skin. Razer says the BlackShark V2 has memory foam – but in my personal experience this can be pretty vague since there are essentially what I consider to be 2 types of memory foam products out there..either the “classic” – slow forming, quicksand feeling – “heavy” memory foam from the TV mattress commercials where someone places their hand on it … OR … the newer “lighter” memory foams that are blended with other foams to “breath better” and rebound faster. The Blackshark V2 definitely has the latter – which helps the whole set to have a light feel, without giving me a “head trapped in vice” feeling that I have gotten from other headsets in the past. I still would have preferred the “classic” heavier memory foam in the cups, even if it added extra weight and reduced breathability – but I think that would have also helped reduce background noise when the headset is on as well. The headset still does a good job of blocking ambient and background noise – but I wouldn’t say it was “stellar” in that regard. I don’t believe the earcups are removable for washing, and I did not see anything in the product literature/instructions that says it could be removed -so that really is some I am concerned with. I keep saying I travel a lot – because I do – and I like being able to clean my things after heavy usage. Sweat, dirt, grime builds up quicker and I worry that this may be an issue further on down the line. >>> THX Spatial audio: ==================================== For the record I have never been overly found of “spatial audio” effects in headsets. Having owned and tried a couple of these “spatial audio” styled headset recently and in the past -I am still not overly impressed OUTSIDE of gaming applications. I repeat…OUTSIDE of gaming applications. While gaming – the THX spatial audio delivers on its promise of immersive enhancement all the way. Playing Fortnite, I could clearly and distinctly hear the directional location of gunfire and footsteps with it on, and saved me from elimination on more than one occasion while indoors and in certain environments by accurately letting me gage where people where sneaking around to try to get the drop on me. All that being said – THX spatial audio is not so great on anything else. Often distorting to altering music and movies in a way that was not natural to my ears. Fortunately, it is a simple couple of clicks to turn it off in Razer’s Synapse software – and you can go back to enjoying excellent sounds from all the other non-gaming applications. Closing thoughts: ================= Razer has been part of the gaming scene for what seems like forever to me…since I was back in high school…literally 20 years ago. That being said, I can say that they have consistently brought new, innovative products, devices and peripherals over those couple of decades. Some of those products didn’t deliver on expectations, while others far exceeded expectation and helped to push the industry forward. I am happy to say that the Razer Blackshark V2 (with the included USB soundcard in use) safely falls into the latter of those two in that comparison… and truly delivers on what a gaming focused headset should do – while not requiring a car payment sized investment as part of the price of admission. I think the part I honestly found that made the difference was the USB soundcard dongle. While you can use the headset without the USB soundcard as just a regular 3.5mm plug/input - that's not what made this headset special to me. I jump from my Gaming laptop, to my ultra-portable laptop, to a friend’s laptop – and then back to my home gaming rig … all the time. Having the ability to have a consistent, good sounding headset – that didn’t make me feel like my head was in a vice – wasn’t something I initially thought I would appreciate until after using it for a bit. The Razer Blackshark V2 delivers on all the basics, adds external USB sound card functionality, and seems well built for under $100 MSRP. Yeah – it could offer some nicer included goodies and design choices - and even some additional RGB lighting – but wouldn’t hold it against it. What I would say is that the non-removable ear cup covers/foam is disappointing to me personally – and affects my rating of the product the way I use it significantly. Interesting things to note: =========================================== - The headset/USB cables are all braided, helping to reduce tangling, reduce cable noises while gaming and look legit in any setup / desk setup - The included “Storage/Carrying” bag is a nice thought – but it is a little on thing side and not made of the most durable fabric. It caught a ton of pet hair in my use, and it managed to act as a dust and crumb magnet in my bag when I transported it – these things may not bother/apply to you - I liked the little mic imprinted on the exterior casing of the removable microphone. Little things like that make me feel like Razor is actively trying to make sure people face the wrong end of the mic to face - You NEED to download and install the Razor Synapse software to unlock ALL of the features of the mic. Everything from Custom EQs, Spatial sound modifications, to microphone recording enhances are tucked away inside – and really help the Blackshark V2 punch above its weight - I like having the detachable mic in the Blackshark V2 headset V.S. having it built in adding more bulk and making it non user serviceable as well. I did not use the microphone heavily – but when I did, I never had any distortion or recording issues with my teammates or while in any games - I have mixed feelings about the tactile volume “knob”. I like how I can turn up/lower the volume quickly and easily by feel alone from “off”position all the way to the to 50% - and to 100% positions – but I can’t feel that just a normal sized knob, with maybe “off”-25%-50%-75%-100% positions would have been more appreciated by me - since I don’t need to fine tune from 50% -100% - but rather 75%-100% (as complicated as that all may sound)

Pros: -Bass doesn't sound like the other Razer headsets (they are too extreme, muddy, dull thud IMO). They did a good job on the bass this time. -THX Spatial makes a HUGE difference. The footsteps are WAY more pronounced and directional. I'm surprised they beat my Astro A50s for gaming. When I use the Astro A50 they sound more soft pronounced. -ANC is there but it's not really there, it's like a medium ANC without the sacrifice. -These are LIGHTER than I was expecting by a LOT. Very comfortable. -Mic sounds louder but not as crisp as my Astro A50s, but it's still clear -Feels more durable than I was expecting considering 2 adjustable wires on each ear. CONS (Compared to Astro A50, which isn't really fair since it's a $299 headset): -Music on this isn't bad, but it doesn't sound like a concert hall like sound where it just flows everywhere perfectly. -Movies on this isn't bad, but it's missing one of the sounds. Was watching a movie with swords and you hear the ringing more distinctly on the Astro A50s than the Razer Blackshark V2. I would prefer watching movies on the Astro A50s. -Really hard to adjust, need to probably break them in FINAL THOUGHTS: I am pretty sure these headsets are designed for eSports first with such an amazing pronounced sound for competitive games. They do an above average job on movies and music too and will definitely give the HyperX $99 a run for the money (I think these are actually better than the HyperX but I can't shake off that it doesn't sound like a concert hall for music). Overall I plan to use these as my main headphones for games and on the go, as $99 you can't go wrong. For music and movies I think I'll stick with the Astro A50s (although it's still good for movies and music, I'm just spoiled by the theater-like concert hall sound on the Astros). If you are looking for a gaming headset for competitive eSports, this is a no brainer. Again, for music and videos it's still amazing don't get me wrong, I'm just spoiled by the Astros A50.

I have used many a different headset for my PC. I genuinely can say these are my favorite. My only dislike is that they're closed back over ear's. I prefer open back can's so I can hear things around me if needed. That aside these are fantastic. Sound quality... Where to begin? They do everything well, gaming, music, movies, you name these will drive it. There's plenty of highs and a whole lot of bass. I didn't make use of the mic a whole lot, but it works great. It's by no means a replacement for a dedicated mic. I've been using them for not quite a week now and through various games from Apex, Warzon, Forza Horizon and so many others and they have delivered so far, and awesome and immersive experience. The Razer Synapse software that prompts to install upon connecting the USB sound card has a lot of customization options from the EQ to different THX audio profiles. It does help in games like FPS titles. Forza though, man that just sounds awesome and it's really immersive with hearing sounds around you. It definitely makes a difference when trying to place where opponents are. I was pleasantly surprised and taken aback at the quality and quantity of the bass. These things get loud and really really boomy. They do great for music and a variety of it from rap/hip hop, rock and even classical. If you're in the market for a fantastic pair of headphones for gaming, these are pretty hard to beat. They remind of when the Hyper X Cloud 2's dropped but these are better, especially considering the price. I do have one concern with them and that's the hinges that connect the ear cups to the headband. They don't at all feel flimsy, but I question their longevity being thin metal bars. You definitely don't want to try and flext these or be rough with them. Time will tell, but I think they're gonna hold up fine. Like I said, it's just a concern, not con at all.

Excellent headset! It's very lightweight, doesn't hurt or get heavy after long gaming sessions, and the noise cancelling is reallyyy good. I have a large head and normally headsets are snug or uncomfortable, but this one fits so nicely. I've had all different types of headsets over the years, and this one is absolutely the most comfortable and lightweight. I highly recommend it.

The Razer BlackShark V2 Wired Gaming Headset offers a solid audio experience for various gaming platforms, making it a versatile choice. The sound quality is good, with clear mids and highs, although the bass can be a bit overpowering at times. The build quality is decent, but the ear cushions could be more comfortable for extended gaming sessions. The detachable microphone performs well, providing clear voice communication. While it's a good all-around option, it falls short of being exceptional, leaving room for improvement in terms of comfort and bass management.

Most comfortable headset I’ve ever owned! Sounds amazing! Also, the usb sound card will,work with most headphones, the sound card also installs THX Virtual surround on your pc. You can buy the software directly from Razer or THX on their websites, so it’s an added bonus for sure. Now my desktop speakers sound even better. Can’t think of a better headset at this price point! If I had to say something negative, I was disappointed that the Razer logo doesn’t light up at all! Razer products without RGB, is like McDonald’s with no fries! Lol

Such a comfortable mic! And it has great features with a downloadable program, I have to wear it with one muff off or I won’t be able to hear because of its immersive sound quality! Great build quality aswell!

Actually very nice and comfy. Easy to use and what i wanted out of a headset. Also quite loud and very good bass. Not the greatest headset money can buy but one the best wireless headsets i have gotten. Also it being lightweight keeps me from damaging it amd makes it better altogether.

Jumping from the Razer Kraken TE to this headset was a huge help for me gaming. Although the loss of the game/chat balance annoyed me at first, it wasn't really that big of an issue. And the volume dial on the earcup is very smart. You won't accidentally lower your volume unlike the one the Kraken had. The clamping force this headset has is more than what the Kraken offers. Extremely light and comfy. Plus the great sound and microphone quality.

Really comfortable headphones, the cups are soft and hug your face. I can hardly hear anything around me when wearing these headphones. Only thing that is annoying is the software , you have to figure out the vocal clarity stuff and adjust the volume so you’re loud and not quiet in teamspeak and programs like discord. Other than that great headphones. Was worried about them being too bassy for games like Warzone but if you turn off THX audio you’ll be fine. I hear all the foot steps.

Recommended for quality and comfort and sound. Audio sounds are crisp and precise easily recognized in all direction of sounds very comfortable wearing headset for long periods at a time light weight but durable as long as they are treated properly this headset can be used with other gaming consoles even the ps5 console highly recommend going with this headset

So, to start with, the headset is initially striking to look at. The neon green on matte black motif is understated just enough to avoid being "too much", and it looks pretty great. The build feels solid and premium, and the padding is comfortable. The headphones feature a detachable microphone (keyed so that it can't rotate on it's own when plugged in), which is a nice option when you're not speaking. It also features a volume control knob and mic mute button, all on the left earphone casing, with the right side being devoid of any sort of controls. Everything being in one spot is kind of nice. Both the volume and click-to-mute button are right where they feel like they should be, intuitively. You raise your hand to turn a knob, and it's where you expect it. If you reach up like you're going to grab the earphone, the mic mute button is right under your thumb. Little things like this speak to the high quality design of the device. The headphones are a bit weighty, but not enough that they started to feel uncomfortable during long gaming sessions, and they muffle ambient sound fairly well just being on. The headphones are driven by a USB sound card in dongle form, and use a 3.5mm miniplug. Other headphones will work with the dongle, but I didn't test this, and expect that there might be some loss of functionality. The Blackshark v2 does work like standard headphones, however, when plugged into another device without issue. The headphones do require that you install Razer's Synapse 3 software on your computer to use THX Spatial Audio modes. You can configure these modes globally or per-application and the software allows you to create custom modes of your own. Mostly these modes just allow you to adust the positioning of each of the 7 virtual speakers. The software appears to use less than 100mb of memory and is surprisingly efficient. I've only ever caught it using about .3% CPU time and only occasionally (for reference, the silly software that drives my dynamic RGB lighting in and around my PC demands about 6-7% of my CPU cycles if I leave it running). In the application, and when specifically listening for it in game, these channels are obvious. However, in most of the games I played, once I was engrossed in gameplay I stopped noticing precisely whether that sound to my left was left-forward or left-backward. This may just be me. The audio quality of the drivers in this unit are superb, however, and have a great dynamic range. I'd have no problem using them instead of my Sennheiser 660s (which I do not normally use for gaming). As far as the microphone goes, I had no complaints about quality or clarity, and a few of the people I regularly play with noted a significant improvement over my old set, without me asking. All in all, I feel this is an excellent gaming headset, even if the 7.1 audio feels a bit superfluous once you get sucked into the game, but again, that might just be me. I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking to step up your audio game. I was provided this product through Best Buy's Tech Insider Network for the purpose of writing an unbiased review.

The five star review isn't necessarily based off of quality, but rather best headphones overall for the value. I've used the PS4 Platinum headset, Sony MDR-7506 for audio recording and production, as well as other turtle beach headsets and in-ear headsets. Now, of course there are headsets out there for $150+ that are better, but this one comes in at just around $100 with easy to use software to control almost everything you will need. Comfort: Very light, easily adjustable, no slip, and can wear comfortably for hours on end. Design: Plastic and foam, so feels very toy-ish, but, once again, it's a $100 headset. Also pretty bulky, so not the most aesthetically pleasing if you stream/ are on Zoom; Microphone is detachable and can be bend, but sound quality is slightly radio sounding. Can be plugged in via 3.5 mm jack OR soundcard, which jack is plugged into. (Soundcard is USB connected to device) Software and Sound: Sound is fully immersive and practically sound-cancelling. Software allows you to choose which directions you want sound coming from, change the frequencies depending on the game, and has real-sound/ bass boost options. Personally, I just got my first PC and did not want to spend much on headsets right now, so this was the perfect choice. If it weren't for the software and soundcard, it would most likely get a 3/5 or even 2.5 since the default sound is not the best.

I'm not a Big Gamer, but I know what I like and I like this headset! Lightweight, but doesn't feel flimsy - Headstrap and cushions fit firmly, but not unpleasantly tight, like some others I've tried - Sound quality is excellent and does not break up or wash out at high volume (think Doom!) - Not 'cheap', but not crazy-expensive, either Hits the mark dead center, I think!

I've been generally pleased with the headphones. When I first got them I had an issue where the audio and microphone wouldn't both work at the same time but eventually I discovered that it was an issue with the USB port on my PC and it worked fine on another USB port. I was able to chat with Razer technical support pretty late in the evening (10pm EDT) to track down the issue and their tech support was friendly and helpful. I'm not audiophile so I can't tell a big sound difference between my old cheaper headphones and these, although I haven't had any complaints about hearing me through the microphone like I had with my old headphones. From mask shopping apparently I have a large head, but I had no trouble adjusting it to fit my head well, although the cups are smaller than my old headphones so there's less ear clearance. It doesn't seem like my ears get hot any faster than my old headphones but I still definitely take them off for short breaks after an hour or two. I like the notch in the middle of the volume control so that you can find 50% volume by feel after setting it a little higher or lower temporarily. I found the spatial audio kind of distracting in League of Legends (since it is 3rd person isometric) but turning it off for just that game was easy to do.

Good quality sound. Light weight and good volume control. They sit comfortably.

Nice headset for gaming, lightweight, durable and nice price good sounds