The Razer Kraken Ultimate are decent wired gaming headphones with customizable RGB lighting. Their retractable boom microphone gives a good overall performance well-suited for gaming at home and their cooling gel ear cups help to keep you comfortable, even for multi-hour gaming sessions. Thanks to their companion software, they have a graphic EQ plus presets, as well as an adjustable surround sound feature, although we don't currently test this. However, they have a non-detachable USB cable instead of a TRRS cable, which limits their versatility as you can only use these headphones with devices that also have a USB-A port. They're also not compatible with the Xbox One.
Our Verdict
The Razer Kraken Ultimate are alright for neutral sound. While they lack thump and rumble, the rest of their bass range is overly warm and boomy while their treble sounds dark. Depending on their fit, seal, and positioning, their bass and treble delivery also varies across users. Luckily, you can tweak the way they sound using Razer Synapse's graphic EQ.
- Companion software has graphic EQ and presets.
- Closed-back design.
The Razer Kraken Ultimate are poor for commuting. They block out almost no noise like bus or train engines, and unlike many other wired headphones, they use a USB cable rather than an analog cable, so they can only be used with a device that has a USB-A port. They're also quite bulky and even though they're fairly comfortable, their large size can be fatiguing after a while.
- Cooling gel ear cups.
- Non-detachable USB-A audio cable instead of a TRRS cable.
- Bulky, gamer-centric design.
- Poor noise isolation.
The Razer Kraken Ultimate are poor for sports and fitness. They're bulky wired headphones that use a USB-A cable, limiting what devices you can use them with. Even if you've got them hooked up to your computer while you run on a treadmill, their cable isn't detachable and can easily snag on things, pulling the headphones off your head. They're also not stable enough to be worn during more strenuous exercise.
- Cooling gel ear cups.
- Non-detachable USB-A audio cable instead of a TRRS cable.
- Bulky, gamer-centric design.
- Not very stable design.
The Razer Kraken Ultimate are disappointing for office use. Although they have cooling gel in their ear cups to keep you fairly comfortable throughout the day, they isolate little background noise. If you're working in a somewhat noisy office, you can turn up the volume to tune out what's around you, but your coworkers may be able to hear some of your music.
- Great performing retractable boom microphone.
- Non-detachable USB-A audio cable instead of a TRRS cable.
- Poor noise isolation.
The Razer Kraken Ultimate are wired-only headphones and can't be used wirelessly.
The Razer Kraken Ultimate are decent for wired gaming. Since they use a non-detachable USB cable, you won't be able to use them with the Xbox One. However, they're fairly comfortable headphones with cooling gel so your ears won't get too warm, even during long gaming sessions. They also have a good overall performing retractable boom microphone and you can tweak their sound using their companion software's graphic EQ.
- Great performing retractable boom microphone.
- Customizable RGB lighting.
- Cooling gel ear cups.
- Companion software has graphic EQ and presets.
- No Xbox One compatibility.
- Poor noise isolation.
The Razer Kraken Ultimate are alright for phone calls; however, because they use a non-detachable USB-A cable, you won't be able to take calls directly from your mobile phone. Still, you'll be able to take calls through programs like Skype if you're working on a PC. They have a good, retractable boom microphone that captures voice clearly, even in moderately noisy environments. While the mic still struggles in louder places like gaming tournaments, you should still be understood. However, the headphones themselves isolate little noise and you may have a problem hearing whoever is on the other line if you're talking somewhere with a lot of background sound.
- Great performing retractable boom microphone.
- Non-detachable USB-A audio cable instead of a TRRS cable.
- Poor noise isolation.
Changelog
- Updated Jan 18, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Jun 08, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Jun 04, 2020: Early access published.
- Updated Jun 01, 2020: Our testers have started testing this product.
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Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Razer Kraken Ultimate are decent wired gaming headphones. They have customizable RGB lighting so you can color-coordinate your headphones with the rest of your Razer RGB gaming setup. However, unlike many other gaming headphones on the market, they have a cooling gel in their ear cups, and they use a non-detachable USB cable to deliver their audio. They're also not Xbox One compatible. If you game primarily on the Xbox One, check out our recommendations for the best Xbox One headsets. If you tend to game on other systems, see our recommendations for the best gaming headsets and the best gaming headsets under $100.
The Razer BlackShark V2 are better headphones for gaming than the Razer Kraken Ultimate. The BlackShark have a much more comfortable, stable fit. They have a more neutral default sound profile, which some may prefer, and their companion app is much better. You can also use them wired or wirelessly with their USB dongle. On the other hand, while the Kraken can only be used wired, they have a much better overall mic performance and a significantly better build quality.
The Razer Nari Ultimate Wireless are better performing gaming headphones than the Razer Kraken Ultimate. The Nari Ultimate can be used wired as well as wirelessly, they're slightly more comfortable, and they have a more bass-heavy sound that some gamers may prefer. They're also compatible with the Xbox One via their analog cable. However, they don't have the longest-lasting battery, especially when compared to other gaming headphones. The Kraken Ultimate, on the other hand, have an adjustable surround sound feature, and their boom microphone performs better overall. Since they're wired, you don't have to worry about battery life, either.
The Razer Kraken Ultimate are slightly better wired gaming headphones than the Razer Kraken V3. While they're both decently comfortable and well-built, the Ultimate have a dedicated button for surround sound, a more natural and out-of-head passive soundstage, and their boom mic offers better overall performance. However, the V3 leak less audio at high volumes.
The Razer Kraken Ultimate are slightly better gaming headphones than the Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense. While both are comfortable and well-built, the Ultimate have a more immersive passive soundstage. Their mic also has a better recording quality. However, the V3 HyperSense have a haptic bass feature that adds extra thump and rumble to your gameplay, and their mic has somewhat better noise handling.
The Corsair HS60 are better-wired gaming headphones than the Razer Kraken Ultimate. The Corsair are slightly more comfortable, and they have a better-balanced sound profile. They also use a TRRS cable as well as a wired USB dongle. However, the Razer have a slightly better performing boom microphone, and their surround sound is more adjustable. On the downside, they only use a non-detachable USB cable so they're also less versatile for casual use.
The Razer Kraken Ultimate are slightly better-performing gaming headphones than the Razer Kraken Tournament Edition. While they look almost identical, the Kraken Ultimate have RGB lighting as well as cooling gel ear cups, which help to keep you comfortable during long gaming sessions. They also have a better-balanced sound profile with a touch more bass. However, they use a non-detachable USB-A cable instead of a standard TRRS cable, which limits their versatility and connectivity to other gaming systems. On the other hand, the Kraken Tournament Edition have better controls, and their boom microphone has better noise handling. They also have both a USB cable as well as a TRRS cable.
The Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2019 are much better wired gaming headphones than the Razer Kraken Ultimate. The Astro are more comfortable, have better controls that you can tweak on-the-fly, and they have a slightly better build. They have a more consistent frequency response, and their detachable boom microphone has a better overall performance. However, the Razer have an adjustable surround sound feature.
We've upgraded our Headphones Test Bench to 2.0! This update brings several key changes to our tests and usages, making it easier than ever to interpret our sound results based on your personal preferences. You'll also find a brand-new interactive graph tool featuring multiple targets (including our own!) for you to explore and compare.
For a full breakdown, check out our changelog, which includes detailed commentary from our test designer explaining the rationale behind our update.
We'd also love to hear your thoughts: your feedback helps us keep improving, so join us in the comments!
Test Results
The Razer Kraken Ultimate have a similarly bulky, matte black look as the Razer Kraken Tournament Edition. However, this time around, they've added customizable RGB lighting around the ear cups, which is nice if you like a splash of color. They definitely look like gaming headphones though and while the microphone is retractable, the tip is still visible when fully retracted.
The Razer Kraken Ultimate are fairly comfortable headphones. They have large, oval ear cups that fully encompass the ear, and their ear cushions are made with cooling gel, so you shouldn't get too warm while wearing them. Although they're big, bulky headphones, they don't put a lot of pressure on the head. However, some may not enjoy having so much of their head covered by these headphones.
The Razer Kraken Ultimate have disappointing and quite limited controls. They have a button for activating surround sound and when on, the light next to the button lights up white. There's also an infinite volume wheel but it doesn't give you any feedback when you've reached the minimum or maximum volume. The boom microphone has a mic-mute button directly on it. When you press it, a red light on the microphone lights up to let you know you're muted.
Like most gaming headphones, the Razer Kraken Ultimate aren't very portable. They're very bulky, and they can't fold or swivel to lay flat. They also have thick ear cups which can further take up space in your bag.
The Razer Kraken Ultimate have a good build that's sturdy, thanks to their metal frame and solid plastic design. They feel dense enough to survive a couple of minor drops. The cooling gel in the ear padding and the thick braided cables give them a more premium feel as well.
These headphones are barely stable on the head. They won't move around if you're gaming on the couch but they can sway or fall off your head if you're using them while doing even light physical exercise like running. As they're wired headphones, their audio cable can also get snagged on something and pull them off your head.
The Razer Kraken Ultimate have a sound profile that depends on how they fit on your head. Their position, seal, and whether you have glasses or thick hair can all affect sound delivery. Once properly fitted to your head, however, they have a bass-heavy sound that lacks detail. While some gamers may prefer this boomy sound, their balanced mid-range ensures that they're still suited for a variety of audio genres. You can also customize their sound profile with their graphic EQ plus presets via their companion software.
The frequency response consistency of the Razer Kraken Ultimate is disappointing. As the overall frequency response depends on fit, seal, and positioning of these headphones, once you achieve a good overall fit, you should get a more consistent frequency response each time you use them.
The bass accuracy is alright, but its delivery can vary across users. Due to their underemphasized low-bass, they struggle to produce satisfying thump and rumble. At the same time, the rest of the range is over-emphasized, which adds punch and body. Some users may find the high-bass overwhelming as it can make your mixes overly boomy and muddy. This bass accuracy performance represents the average response and your experience may vary.
The mid accuracy of the Razer Kraken Ultimate is very good. There's still a little bit of overemphasis carried over from the high-bass which can make your mixes a little muddy or cluttered. However, the rest of the response is fairly flat and even, ensuring the accurate reproduction of lead instruments and vocals.
The Razer Kraken Ultimate's treble accuracy is good but its delivery can vary across users. It's slightly underemphasized, which makes your mixes slightly darker, dull, and lifeless. However, it's still fairly even enough that it shouldn't be too noticeable. However, this treble accuracy performance represents the average response and your experience may vary.
The peaks and dips performance of these headphones is very good. There's a long peak in the bass range that adds warmth and boominess to your audio while a slight dip in the mid-mids can further push back lead instruments and vocals into your mix. There's also a couple of large peaks and dips in the mid to high-treble range, which can make some sounds in this range both overly bright while at the same time, other sounds are dull and lifeless.
These headphones have an acceptable imaging performance. There's a couple of very small peaks in the bass range but this shouldn't be noticeable to most listeners. In terms of driver matching, the L/R drivers of our test unit are decently matched in amplitude and frequency response. They show a noticeably large mismatch in phase both in the high-treble, and it may hurt the coherency of the stereo image. It shouldn't have too much of a negative impact on the placement and localization of objects like voice and footsteps though. However, these results are only valid for our unit and yours may perform differently.
The passive soundstage is passable. It's somewhat large but it sounds unnatural and is still somewhat perceived as coming from inside your head. As they have a closed-back design, their soundstage won’t be as open-sounding as open-back headphones either.
These headphones have a THX virtual surround feature that you can adjust through their companion software.
The weighted harmonic distortion of these headphones is good. There are a couple of minor peaks in the right ear at max volume but they likely won't be noticeable to most listeners. Otherwise, the range is within good limits, even at higher volumes.
These are the settings used when testing. Our results are only valid when these headphones are used with these settings.
The Razer Kraken Ultimate's noise isolation is poor. They don't block out any bass range noise like bus or train engines and they struggle to reduce background chatter. On the upside, they do a slightly better job of cutting down high-frequency noise like A/C units or fans, which is nice if you're gaming indoors during a hot summer.
The Razer Kraken Ultimate's leakage performance is unremarkable. Their leakage is mostly concentrated in the mid to treble range and sounds fuller than that of in-ears and earbuds. However, it isn't as loud as that of open-back headphones. Still, if you're listening to audio at a high volume, those around you may be able to hear it, even in a moderately noisy environment.
The Razer Kraken Ultimate has a retractable boom microphone.
The boom microphone has a great recording quality. It does a better job of recording your voice than the Razer Kraken V3, and speech sounds full, natural, and clear. You shouldn't have any problem being understood.
The Razer Kraken Ultimate's boom microphone has good noise handling. In a moderately noisy environment, it should be able to separate your voice from background noise. Although it still struggles a bit in more chaotic environments, your voice should still be heard fairly clearly.
The Razer Kraken Ultimate are wired-only headphones and don't have a battery.
These headphones are compatible with Razer Synapse software. It has a graphic EQ as well as presets for you to tweak and you can even adjust their surround sound feature and mic level. You can also set up different color patterns for the headphone's RGB lighting, which is nice.
These gaming headphones are wired-only and don't have Bluetooth support.
These are wired-only headphones.
The Razer Kraken Ultimate use a braided USB-A cable instead of a TRRS cable so they can only be used with devices that have a USB-A port.