Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed Wireless  Headphones Review

The Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed look similar to the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023. They have an all-black look with aluminum hinges. The manufacturer's logo is centered on the ear cups. There's also a non-detachable boom mic, so you can't make them look more casual. On the upside, two colorways are available: 'Black' and 'White.'

These headphones have a comfortable fit. The padding is plush and feels nice against the skin, while the ear cups don't clamp very forcefully onto your head. They don't swivel much, which can be irritating if you want to use only one ear cup at a time.

These headphones have physical controls that are easy to use and provide clicky feedback so you can tell if you've registered a command. Although the volume wheel is infinite, there are audio prompts to let you know when you've reached min and max volume. There are also voice prompts to let you know your connection type and power status, but no audible feedback indicating whether the mic is muted. On the upside, the mic button sticks out when you're unmuted.

Power button:

• Single press: Plays and pauses audio. Also answers and ends calls.
• Double press: Skips to the next track. Also swaps calls and rejects incoming calls.
• Triple press: Skips to the previous track.
• Press and hold for three seconds: Turns the headphones on and off.
• Press and hold for five seconds (while off): Activates Bluetooth pairing mode.

Mic mute button:

• Single press: Mutes and unmutes the mic.

Razer SmartSwitch:

• Single press: Cycles between different EQ presets.
• Press and hold for seven seconds (while on): Activates Bluetooth pairing mode.

These headphones aren't very portable, which is to be expected since they're gaming headphones meant to stay by your console. They're bulky, and the ear cups can't swivel to lay flat. However, this won't be an issue if you plan to leave them at home.

These headphones have a fair build quality. Like the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023, they're mostly made of plastic but have aluminum hinges and leatherette padding. The two audio cables leading from the headband to the ear cups can break if you're not careful, while the hinges are quite thin and seem prone to snapping under pressure.

These headphones have a stable fit. They'll stay in place if you're casually gaming at your desk or on the couch. However, if you're really into gaming and tend to move your head more vigorously, they'll fall off it.

• Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed gaming headset
• USB-A to USB-C cable
• USB-C wireless transmitter
• Detachable boom mic filter
• Razer stickers
• Manual

Using the 'Game' EQ, which is the default EQ, the Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed have a bright sound that's not a very conventional sound profile in gaming. They lack a lot of lower bass frequencies, so exciting gameplay sounds rather hollow. That said, higher bass frequencies still have a boomy sound but simply don't sound full. Dialogue and instruments, on the other hand, sound somewhat harsh, while sibilants like S and T sounds are piercing.

You can adjust their sound using their companion app's graphic EQ and EQ presets. These EQs can then be saved onto the headset so you can use them while gaming with a console. Users have reported that saving EQ presets doesn't consistently work; we found that switching to Bluetooth, changing the EQ preset, and then switching back to the 2.4GHz wireless mode is a workaround.

Their sound profile changes depending on whether you use Bluetooth, a wireless USB dongle, or a wired USB connection. The wired USB frequency response differs the most from the wireless connections' responses, yielding a warmer treble and significantly less weighty low-end.

The frequency response consistency is sub-par. If you wear glasses or have thick hair, you'll notice a big drop in bass as these features interrupt the headphones' seal on your head. That said, you must take the time to adjust their fit, positioning, and seal to ensure a more consistent sound each time you use them.

The bass profile's target compliance is great. However, it's uneven, with notably more high-bass emphasis than the recessed lower bass frequencies. As a result, you'll notice the thud of footsteps in games and kick drums in music, but they won't sound full, and you won't feel an immersive rumble. However, if you want to emphasize sound effects like footsteps or explosions, you'll want to use the EQ to improve the bass response.

These headphones have very good mid-range target compliance. The response is treble-tilted with a dip in the low-mids, which emphasizes the bass and treble, and thins out voices and melodic instruments somewhat. Still, the response approximates our target well enough that dialogue and instruments are present in the mix. As elements like speech or guitar solos move into higher frequencies, the sound becomes more intense, bordering on harsh.

The Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed have very good treble target compliance. Most of the range is overemphasized for a rather bright sound that's present and articulate but a bit uneven in the low-treble, so voices can sound harsh depending on the pitch. Dialogue in cutscenes, like the opening to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, sounds a bit piercing on sibilants like S and T harmonics.

Their peaks and dips performance is satisfactory. The response has some deviations, which means the headphones struggle a little to control their sound profile across the range. The dip in the bass somewhat impacts the punchiness of bass frequencies, while the peak that follows adds a bit of extra boominess. A minor dip in the low-mids thins out dialogue and instruments a little. The rest of the mids have minor deviations that can cause voices and melodic instruments to sound slightly boxy, closed-off, or harsh, depending on the pitch. The low-treble range has a narrow peak that somewhat overemphasizes articulation, while the dip that follows weakens clarity. The rest of the upper frequencies have peaks and valleys that can sound piercing or a bit dull on sibilant sounds like S and T. A prominent peak in the high-treble adds extra brilliance and air to the sound, though this depends on your hearing's sensitivity.

There have been a couple of Razer products with poor imaging, which can indicate the brand's overall quality control and ergonomics. That said, imaging varies from unit to unit. Our unit's L/R drivers are well-matched in group delay, which results in tight bass and transparent imaging. They also have well-matched phase, amplitude, and frequency response, which helps accurately place sound objects like footsteps in the stereo image. While there's a small peak in the phase response's high-bass, it's hard to hear with real-life content, especially since the bass range is already recessed.

The Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed's passive soundstage performance is poor since they have a closed-back design. As a result, they struggle to create an open, spacious, and natural soundstage.

These headphones are compatible with THX when connected to your PC via a USB dongle or wired USB. It offers speaker modeling, which can create a more immersive gaming experience and even improve positional accuracy. However, it's important to note that this feature's performance highly depends on how a game is mixed. Each game is mixed differently, so your settings for one game may not give you the same audio experience as another one.

The weighted harmonic distortion performance is satisfactory. There's a peak in the low to mid-bass at moderate listening volumes, but this can be hard to hear with real-life content, especially as the headphones struggle to reproduce bass. The right driver also has its own spike at moderate volumes in the low to mid-mid, while both drivers have another peak at moderate and high volumes in the low to mid-treble. As a result, audio won't sound the clearest or purest.

These are the settings used to test these headphones. Our results are only valid when using these settings.

The Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed's full range noise isolation performance is middling. They're gaming headphones, so they don't have active noise cancelling (ANC). As a result, they rely on their passive capability to block out sound. They do nothing to reduce the rumble of car engines from an open window. They do a better job of cutting down ambient chatter but are best suited to blocking out high-pitched noises like dish clatter.

In common scenarios, their noise isolation is poor. Their passive isolation mainly tackles high-pitched noises, attenuating a bit of the bright clatter from your office or home kitchen, but not enough to block it out completely. Meanwhile, traffic and nearby chatter are hardly reduced.

The leakage performance is very good. Although the bulk of leakage is in the mid-range, which sounds somewhat full, it falls below the noise floor of an average office. You can crank up the volume without others hearing it.

The boom microphone offers excellent recording quality. Your voice sounds clear, natural, and easy to follow.

The noise handling performance of their boom mic is great. Even when gaming in a noisy environment, your voice will sound clear and distinct from background sound.

The Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed's battery performance is excellent. The manufacturer advertises up to 70 hours of playback time, and we measured over that at 81 hours. That said, their charge time of four hours is quite high. Battery life varies depending on use, though. They support audio while charging, but you can only use USB audio, so you won't be able to use Bluetooth. Even though you can use them wired, you need to turn them on for them to work.

Razer Synapse software offers robust control over your audio experience, from a 10-band graphic EQ and presets to game profiles so that you can use specific settings for certain games and mic settings like voice gate, vocal clarity, and mic side tone. You can also access THX Spatial Audio control if you're looking for a more immersive sound, as well as manage your volume and LED indicator controls. Some users have found the app unstable and a drain on their PC's resources.

These headphones come with a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging them. Unlike the cables that come with the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023, the included cable offers full audio and mic compatibility, and its low latency keeps lip-synching issues to a minimum.

The Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed have very good Bluetooth connectivity. You can connect these headphones to your smartphone via Bluetooth while staying connected to your console via the wireless USB dongle. Bluetooth for gaming isn't recommended, though, as they have high latency, causing your audio and visuals to fall out of sync. Some devices compensate for latency, though.

These headphones have outstanding non-Bluetooth wireless connectivity. They have low latency, so your audio and visuals stay in sync during the heat of intense gameplay.

The Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed can connect to Bluetooth-enabled PCs with full audio and mic compatibility. They also have full audio and mic support via wired USB and wireless USB dongle.

These over-ears have full audio and mic compatibility when connected to your PlayStation console over wired USB or when using the wireless USB dongle.

These headphones come with a wireless USB dongle. It has a port so that you can connect the USB cable directly if you want to use a wired USB connection.