To be clear, this is the second time I buy this headset, my first pair (purchased 2.5 years ago) started having a few issues (dongle stopped working, volume rocker became finicky, structural crack due to me stupidly sitting on them once). They still sounded amazing but I figured it was worth it to get a second pair.

Pros:

– Comfort – The most comfortable headset I have ever used and it isn’t even close. There is no compromise here, these are beefy cans with very deep ear cups. As an owner of big ears, I’m very particular about this detail; anything too shallow will produce a burning sensation on my ear lobes after about 20 minutes of wear. Not only are the ear cups deep, the materials used are stellar; faux leather cups with a velvet contact point (where the cup meets the ear), additionally covering the driver itself is another memory foam layer ensuring even more comfort. The headband is plush and well constructed with just enough clamping force to keep them relatively stable while not inducing headaches.

– Sound – Fantastic sound profile. I’m not an audiophile by any stretch, but I absolutely love the clarity at every frequency range (probably due to the tri-force driver system). Out of the box I felt the sound felt slightly flat for my liking, after about a minute of EQ modification in Synapse (the companion app) they sounded perfect. Beefy punchy bass (without too much rumble), slightly scooped mids and clear crispy highs.

– Haptics – Implementation is fantastic. They respond accurately to a set low-end frequency range and the effect is very pleasing. Whereas the Razer Nari Ultimates (predecessors with haptics) were slightly hit-and-miss in this regard, the Krakens are incredible. When listening to EDM, the experience becomes much more immersive as you actually sense the vibrations on your temples/cheeks. I have mine on the “Low” setting as that is more than enough stimulus and doesn’t add too much rumble to the mix. During gaming sessions, sensing heavy footsteps and being able to geo-locate enemy players is also a huge advantage.

– Build Quality/Looks/RGB – Subjective of course, I do like the “chunky” look however, they are also very well built (a mixture of metal and high-end plastic). The implementation of RGB is gorgeous, can be set to a cycling, breathing or static colour mode in the Synapse chroma app.

– Battery Life – Decent, especially considering the usage of haptics. I don’t feel I’m getting the advertised time, however a good 9 hours is still pretty great considering haptics being on, perhaps around 30 hours if no haptics are used.

– Wireless Audio/Wireless Range/Latency – The wireless audio definitely doesn’t feel as if it’s a compromise; I’ve tried it both wireless and with the 3.5mm audio cable and am hard-pressed to notice any difference. As for the range, nothing too crazy, I do feel I can go downstairs and get something from my kitchen while my laptop stays upstairs without much trouble which is always nice. There is no noticeable latency to speak of. Everything (especially during gaming) is instantaneous and behaves as if wired.

Cons:

– No Bluetooth connectivity – The ability to connect and seamlessly switch back and forth between gadgets is missing here, would have been a nice-to-have.

– Mic – Average, not bad and not great either. I’ve tried the Razer Blackshark v2 Pro (2023 edition) and that was by far and large the best in-built headset mic I’ve ever used. I returned them as the aforementioned ear-cups were simply not deep enough and made the headset uncomfortable for me.

– Haptics can’t be used while charging – This is a small gripe, but a gripe nonetheless.

I wouldn’t have bought these a second time if I didn’t think they were fantastic, and at 149gbp, they are offering a whole lot for the money. Fantastic and clear sound, immersive and very-well implemented haptics and they’re ridiculously comfortable. Very hard to go wrong here.