Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed Wireless  Headphones Review

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, and more closely resembles SoundGuys.com's Studio Curve. They lack a lot of lower bass frequencies, so explosions in gameplay sound rather hollow. Plus, their sound signature may tire you out over long periods of time due to the relative high-frequency emphasis.

You can adjust their sound using their companion app's graphic EQ and EQ presets. These EQs can then be saved to the headset, allowing you to 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 disappointing. If you wear glasses or have thick hair, you'll notice a significant drop in bass, as these features can interrupt the headphones' seal on your head. That said, they produce a relatively consistent sound on the same individual between wears, provided you take some time to ensure a good fit.

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 from explosions. If you want to emphasize sound effects like footsteps or explosions, you may want to use the EQ to bump up the bass response across the board.

These headphones have great mid-range target compliance. The response is tilted upward 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 can become more intense, bordering on harsh.

The Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed have remarkable treble target compliance. Most of the range is overemphasized, resulting in a rather bright sound that's present and articulate but slightly uneven. Voices can sound harsh depending on the pitch. Words like 'Stormcloaks' in the opening to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim sound a bit piercing on sibilants like S and T harmonics.

Their peaks and dips performance is satisfactory. The frequency response has some deviation from the headphones' otherwise bright sound signature. The dip in the bass somewhat impacts the punchiness of bass frequencies. The mids are mostly smooth, reproducing vocals and instruments naturally. Smaller peaks and valleys throughout the treble range can cause certain bands to 'jump out' from others, rendering, at times, shouty vocals or dull sibilants, culminating in a pronounced peak that adds air to whistle notes.

The headphones have excellent L/R driver matching. There aren't any noticeable issues in the overall amplitude mismatch. However, you may notice mid-range frequencies shift slightly to the right in test content, like sweeps, due to both phase and frequency response mismatch in the affected region.

While this headset scores badly in group delay performance, issues present on the graph are indicative of relative phase shifts in neighboring frequencies, which cause destructive and constructive wave interactions audible in the frequency response. In practice, you won't notice any 'looseness' in bass reproduction, but you may pick up on reduced emphasis in the transition from the low- to mid-bass.

The Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed's PRTF doesn't really resemble that of our benchmark angled speaker setup, though it does indicate the headphones interact with your pinna somewhat, providing spatial cues.

The headphones have great harmonic distortion performance. Most people won't notice the slightly elevated levels of bass and treble distortion, though trained listeners may be able to distinguish timbral coloration in a controlled ABX test with a familiar test track and a second pair of headphones.

These headphones get plenty loud via their Bluetooth connection, so you should be able to EQ them with adequate headroom using a 3rd party app on your mobile device.

These headphones are compatible with THX when connected to your PC via a USB dongle or a wired USB connection. 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 provide the same audio experience as another.

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

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 the minimum and maximum volume. There are also voice prompts to inform you of your connection type and power status, but no audible feedback indicates whether the microphone 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 designed for gaming and intended to stay by your console. They're bulky, and the ear cups can't swivel to lie 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

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, such as 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 provides robust control over your audio experience, featuring a 10-band graphic EQ and presets, as well as game profiles that allow you to use specific settings for certain games and mic settings, such as 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 it has high latency, causing your audio and visuals to fall out of sync. Some devices, however, compensate for latency.

These headphones have outstanding non-Bluetooth wireless connectivity. They have low latency, so your audio and visuals stay in sync during 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 features a port, allowing you to connect the USB cable directly if you prefer a wired USB connection.