The Razer Kraken Tournament Edition are decent gaming headphones. They have a great microphone for online gaming and have a great gaming software app, which the very similar Kraken Pro V2 lacked. They come with a nice dongle that gives you control over bass, volume, and THX surround sound, on top of having a mic-mute switch. However, they sound just okay, and are very bulky and won’t be for everyone. On the upside, they are well-built and, thanks to their wired connection, users won’t have any delay when watching video content or playing video games.
Our Verdict
Okay for neutral listening. The Razer Kraken Tournament Edition have a decently extended, deep, and punchy bass, but it is overpowering and boomy, and also prone to inconsistencies across different users. They have a decent mid-range, though it's a bit muddy and cluttered, which makes vocals sound a little thick. Also, their treble lacks some presence and detail, making the overall tone of these headphones dark and bass-heavy. On the upside, you can easily EQ them inside their PC app.
- Sturdy and durable build quality.
- Great microphone.
- Good app support.
- Bulky design.
- Poor isolation.
- Bass delivery varies significantly across users. Sensitive to glasses.
Sub-par for commuting. While you won’t ever have to worry about a battery life thanks to their wired connection, these headphones are very bulky and don’t block out ambient noise like engine rumbles. A lot of noise will seep into your audio when using these in public transit.
- Sturdy and durable build quality.
- Great microphone.
- Good app support.
- Bulky design.
- Poor isolation.
- Bass delivery varies significantly across users. Sensitive to glasses.
Not designed for sports. These headphones are pretty massive and trap a lot of heat inside the ear cups, which will make you sweat more than usual. They also fall very easily off your head with movement and won’t be usable for this use case.
- Sturdy and durable build quality.
- Great microphone.
- Good app support.
- Bulky design.
- Poor isolation.
- Bass delivery varies significantly across users. Sensitive to glasses.
Sub-par for the office. The Razer Kraken Tournament Edition do a decent job against ambient chatter and A/C systems, but their overall noise reduction isn’t great. Their sound quality is also very boomy and cluttered, which isn’t ideal for listening to your favorite tracks while working. On the upside, you won’t ever have to worry about the headphones dying on you, but they might not be ideal for everyone with their wired connection.
- Sturdy and durable build quality.
- Great microphone.
- Good app support.
- Bulky design.
- Poor isolation.
- Bass delivery varies significantly across users. Sensitive to glasses.
This wired gaming headset can't be used wirelessly.
Decent for gaming. Their microphone is really good for online games and people will hear you very clearly. Their app is also a great gaming software that offers good control over the headset. However, their sound quality is boomy and cluttered, and could be overdone for some, especially in games with explosion sounds. On the upside, you won’t have any latency when playing games.
- Sturdy and durable build quality.
- Great microphone.
- Good app support.
- Bulky design.
- Poor isolation.
- Bass delivery varies significantly across users. Sensitive to glasses.
- Sturdy and durable build quality.
- Great microphone.
- Good app support.
- Bulky design.
- Poor isolation.
- Bass delivery varies significantly across users. Sensitive to glasses.
Changelog
- Updated Oct 14, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Dec 02, 2020: We've updated the USB Audio test results.
- Updated Sep 18, 2020: The 'Analog/USB Audio Latency' section in the 'Wired' box was updated to reflect the recorded latency on PC while using the analog to USB dongle.
- Updated Jun 04, 2020: We fixed the Room Effects test result in the App Support box.
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Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Kraken Tournament Edition is a very similar headset to the Kraken Pro V2 but sets itself apart with the useful dongle that offers good control over volume, amount of the bass, and channel mixing. Overall, they might not be the best gaming headset out there due to their very boomy sound. We suggest taking a look at our recommendations for the best gaming headsets, the best gaming PS4 headsets, and the best gaming headsets for PC.
The Razer BlackShark V2 are better wired gaming headphones than the Razer Kraken Tournament Edition. The V2 are more comfortable and have a better-balanced sound profile, which some users may prefer. However, the Kraken are better built and have a better overall performing boom mic.
The Razer BlackShark V2 X are better wired gaming headphones than the Razer Kraken Tournament Edition. The V2 X are more comfortable, have a better-balanced sound profile, which some users may prefer, and their boom mic does a significantly better job of recording your voice. However, the Kraken are better built.
The HyperX Cloud 2/Cloud II are better gaming headphones than the Razer Kraken Tournament Edition. They are more comfortable, are also better-built, and feel more solid thanks to the metal frame of the headband and hinges. Their sound quality is also superior, although you can’t change the EQ inside the app like you can do with the Razer headphones. The HyperX are also a bit more outdoor-friendly since you can detach the microphone. Their overall design isn’t as bulky as the Kraken.
The Razer Kraken Tournament Edition is a better gaming headset than the Razer Kraken Pro V2 thanks to its USB dongle, which offers multiple controls and access to the Razer Synapse app. They are practically built the same and sound the same way, but app support is definitely a major difference. With the Tournament Edition, you get an EQ, presets, calibrated surround sound, channel mixing, and many features to control volume and your microphone.
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