The Razer Barracuda Wireless are the mid-range model of the Barracuda lineup, which are hybrid-use headphones. Sitting in between the budget-friendly Razer Barracuda X Wireless and the high-end Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless, they have all the advantages of a wireless design for gaming, thanks to their low latency USB dongle, but with the added benefit of Bluetooth support for casual use. Unlike the Pro, they don't have active noise cancelling (ANC), though. Hardcore gamers will also be disappointed by the swap away from a boom mic design to an integrated mic, which doesn't offer the same level of performance.
Our Verdict
The Razer Barracuda aren't designed for neutral sound. Their warm sound profile is designed to help emphasize sound effects like footsteps in gameplay, but it can muddy and bloat vocals and instruments a bit. There's also some overemphasis from the high-mid to mid-treble, which makes vocals and instruments somewhat harsh while sibilants like cymbals are bright. Luckily, you can customize their sound to your liking using their companion app's graphic EQ and presets.
- Comfortable and well-built design.
- Companion app and software offer a myriad of sound customization features.
- Closed-off, in-head passive soundstage.
The Razer Barracuda are satisfactory for commute and travel. These headphones have a comfortable fit and are well-built. While they don't have a carrying case to help protect them when you're on the go, they support Bluetooth for a wireless experience. Unlike the higher-end model, the Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless, they don't have ANC, meaning they won't block out any of the low rumbles of bus or plane engines.
- Comfortable and well-built design.
- Over 46-hour continuous battery life.
- Won't block out any vehicle-related noise.
- Don't come with a carrying case.
The Razer Barracuda aren't intended for sports and fitness. While they have a comfortable fit and are well-built, their bulky over-ear design can move around or fall off of your head with intense head movements. They also lack an IP rating for water resistance, which is normal from over-ear gaming headphones.
- Comfortable and well-built design.
- Not stable enough for physical activity.
The Razer Barracuda are decent for office use. They have a comfortable fit, long-lasting continuous battery life, and minimal leakage, so if you like to listen to music at high volumes, you won't bother your coworkers. While they don't have ANC, they can still block out some ambient chatter, as well as a high degree of high-pitched noise like the hum of an AC unit. They also support multi-device pairing, meaning you can connect them to your smartphone and PC simultaneously.
- Comfortable and well-built design.
- Over 46-hour continuous battery life.
- Supports multi-device pairing.
- Integrated mic offers mediocre overall mic performance.
- Closed-off, in-head passive soundstage.
The Razer Barracuda are decent for wireless gaming. They have low wireless latency, thanks to their USB dongle. Thanks to their Bluetooth support, you can connect them to your console and smartphone simultaneously. Their fit is comfortable enough for long gaming sessions, they have over 46 hours of continuous playback time, and you can even customize their warm sound profile to your liking using their companion app's graphic EQ and presets. Unfortunately, their integrated mic has trouble separating speech from background noise, which can be a problem if you're talking in a noisy place.
- Low latency via USB dongle.
- Comfortable and well-built design.
- Companion app and software offer a myriad of sound customization features.
- Over 46-hour continuous battery life.
- Supports multi-device pairing.
- Integrated mic offers mediocre overall mic performance.
- Closed-off, in-head passive soundstage.
The Razer Barracuda are decent for wired gaming. You can use these headphones wired via a 1/8" TRRS connection with full audio and mic compatibility. Their warm sound profile helps to bring out sound effects like footsteps while you game, but vocals and instruments can seem a bit harsh and bright. Luckily, if you're on PC, their companion software offers robust sound customization features like an EQ and presets. Unfortunately, their integrated mic has a mediocre overall performance and struggles to separate your voice from ambient noise.
- Comfortable and well-built design.
- Companion app and software offer a myriad of sound customization features.
- Integrated mic offers mediocre overall mic performance.
- Closed-off, in-head passive soundstage.
The Razer Barracuda are okay for phone calls. Unlike most gamer-centric headphones, they have an integrated mic instead of a boom mic. This kind of mic sits far away from your mouth. As a result, speech recorded sounds a bit thin and lacking body. Your voice is still clear and understandable, though. Unfortunately, the mic has trouble separating your voice from moderate ambient noise, and your voice could be lost if you're calling from a busy area. Luckily, the companion app offers a mic noise cancellation feature to help make your voice sound clear.
- Comfortable and well-built design.
- Supports multi-device pairing.
- Integrated mic offers mediocre overall mic performance.
Changelog
- Updated Jan 18, 2024: The following test groups have been updated following TB 1.6: Wired Connection, Bluetooth Connection, and Wireless Connection (Dongle). There have also been text changes made throughout the review, including to the usages and product comparisons to match these results.
- Updated Jan 17, 2024: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.6 , which updates how we measure latency. We've updated and renamed the following test groups: Wired Connection, Bluetooth Connection, and Wireless Connection (Dongle). We've also added new codec latency measurements and provided an audio sample of recorded latency.
- Updated Oct 06, 2023: We've added a comparison between these headphones and the Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed Wireless in Recording Quality.
- Updated Jan 25, 2023: We've retested 'Gaming Mode' latency on PCs in the Bluetooth test and have updated our results. However, there hasn't been a change in the scoring of this test.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Razer Barracuda come in one color variant: 'Black', and you can see our model's label here. If you come across another variant of these headphones, please let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Razer Barracuda are the second in Razer's three-tier Barracuda lineup. They're hybrid headphones designed to be versatile enough for gaming and casual use. Sitting between the Razer Barracuda X and Razer Barracuda Pro, they lack a boom mic but support Bluetooth. That said, unlike the higher-end Pro model, they don't have ANC and do a poor job of blocking out sound passively. However, for gaming headphones, they offer a lot of customization, and their discreet design makes it easy to use them anywhere you go.
Check out our recommendations for the best gaming headsets, the best wireless gaming headsets, and the best headsets for PS5.
The Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021 are the budget-level variant of the Razer Barracuda Wireless and have fewer overall features than their mid-range counterpart. While both headphones are comfortable, the Barracuda are wireless headphones that also support Bluetooth. They're better built, have a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer, and they can access THX Spatial Audio, which can help create a more immersive gaming experience. They have longer continuous battery life and have companion app support. However, the Barracuda X have a better mic performance as the boom mic can sit closer to your mouth than the Barracuda's integrated mic.
The Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless are a step up from the Razer Barracuda Wireless. While both headphones look nearly identical and are similarly comfortable, the Pro have leather padding instead of cloth and come with a hard carrying case to protect them when you're on the go. They also have an excellent ANC system to help block out background noise when you're on the go. Their integrated microphone also does a better job of capturing your voice. However, you can use the mid-level Barracuda wired via 1/8" TRRS.
The Razer Barracuda Wireless are better gaming headphones than the Razer BlackShark V2. The Barracuda are wireless headphones that support Bluetooth and come with a USB dongle that ensures a low latency gaming experience. You can still use them wired via 1/8" TRRS and have a better build quality. However, the BlackShark V2 are wired-only headphones. They have a boom mic that does a better overall job of capturing your voice clearly. You can also use them via wired USB.
Whether the Razer Barracuda Wireless or the Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed Wireless are better depends on what you use them for. While both headphones are comfortable, the Barracuda have a significantly better build quality. While they both share Bluetooth, wired USB, and wireless USB audio, only the Barracuda support analog audio. The BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed's boom mic has significantly better overall performance, and the headphones last longer on a single charge. However, the mic can't be detached, which makes them more suitable for gaming and phone calls rather than commuting.
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You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
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