The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense are wired gaming headphones with a USB-A connector that offers low latency. They're part of this manufacturer's Kraken V3 lineup and stand out due to their adjustable HyperSense feature, which adds vibrations while you game. Like other headphones in this range, they have a comfortable and well-built design with customizable RGB lighting and robust sound customization features in their companion software to help adjust their otherwise boomy sound to your liking. Their boom mic also offers a very good overall performance, ensuring you're heard clearly, even in moderately noisy environments.
Our Verdict
The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense are decent for neutral sound. Out of the box and with their haptic bass feature set to 'Low', they have a warm sound profile that delivers extra boom to mixes. That said, you can adjust or turn their haptic bass feature off. You can also customize their sound to your liking using their companion software's graphic EQ and presets. However, the headphones are prone to inconsistencies in bass and treble delivery, so you may need to adjust their fit each time you use them.
- Decently comfortable and well-built design.
- Robust sound customization features and haptic bass feature.
- Prone to inconsistencies in bass and treble delivery.
- Poor passive soundstage performance.
The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense are poor for commute and travel, although they're not designed for this use. They have a non-detachable USB-A connector, so you can't use them with your smartphone unless you have an adapter. They also don't block out any of the low rumbles of bus and plane engines and have a very gamer-centric design. On the upside, they have a decently comfortable fit.
- Decently comfortable and well-built design.
- Struggles to block out bass-range noise.
- Poor passive soundstage performance.
The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense are disappointing for sports and fitness. They're not designed for this purpose and can fall off your head with moderate head movements. You can only connect their USB-A cable with devices that support this connection, so if you want to use them with your smartphone, you'll most likely need an adapter. The cable can also snag on something and pull the headphones off your head.
- Decently comfortable and well-built design.
- Mediocre stability.
- No call and music controls.
- Poor passive soundstage performance.
The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense are sub-par for office use. They have a USB-A connector, so while you can't use them with your smartphone without an adapter, you can use them with your PC without issue. They have a decently comfortable fit and can passively isolate you from ambient chatter at work. Their boom mic also lets you take calls from your office computer and ensures that you're heard clearly, even if there's ambient chatter around you.
- Decently comfortable and well-built design.
- No call and music controls.
- Poor passive soundstage performance.
The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense are wired gaming headphones, and you can't use them wirelessly.
The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense are decent for wired gaming. These headphones offer a few customization features like RGB lighting, HyperSense haptic feedback, virtual surround, and a graphic EQ and presets to tweak not only their sound but their microphone performance. As a result, you can play around with their settings to help you find your best gaming settings. They also have a decently comfortable fit, and their boom mic can capture your voice clearly, even in noisy environments. They have low latency via their USB-A connection too.
- Decently comfortable and well-built design.
- Robust sound customization features and haptic bass feature.
- Decent overall boom mic performance.
- Prone to inconsistencies in bass and treble delivery.
- Poor passive soundstage performance.
The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense are okay for phone calls. Unfortunately, they have a USB-A connector that you can't use with your smartphone unless you have an adapter. That said, you shouldn't have problems if you're making calls from your computer. Overall, they have a very gamer-centric look, but if you don't mind this, their boom mic offers a decent recording quality, and it can separate speech from background noise very well. These headphones also have a decently comfortable fit.
- Decently comfortable and well-built design.
- Decent overall boom mic performance.
- Struggles to block out bass-range noise.
- No call and music controls.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense come in one color variant: 'Black', and you can see our model's label here. These headphones are part of Razer's Kraken V3 lineup, comprising four headphones with RGB lighting and virtual surround. The entry-level Razer Kraken V3 are simple gaming headphones that lack sound customization features. A step up from these headphones are the Razer Kraken V3, which are compatible with Razer Synapse software to help you tweak their sound to your liking. The Razer Kraken V3 Pro Wireless are top-of-the-line gaming headphones. They have a wireless design, support HyperSense technology, and have an analog connection if you prefer a wired design.
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 Kraken V3 HyperSense are the next step up from the Razer Kraken V3. Although they look very similar to other headphones in this line-up, they support HyperSense haptic technology, which can help give you a more immersive and sensorial gaming experience. They have good build quality, RGB lighting, and have robust sound customization features so that you can make them sound the way you like. However, you can't use their USB-A connector with Xbox consoles, which some users may find disappointing.
Check our recommendations for the best gaming headsets, the best headsets for PS5, and the best wired headphones.
The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense are the next step up from the Razer Kraken V3. While both headphones have a similar build quality and use USB-A connectors, the HyperSense have an adjustable haptic feedback feature, which helps give you a more sensorial gaming experience. Otherwise, they both have the same customization features, RGB lighting, and very good microphone performances.
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 Razer Kraken V3 Pro Wireless are the wireless variant of the Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense. While both headphones are decently comfortable and well-built, the V3 Pro have a more neutral sound profile, a better passive soundstage performance, and low wireless latency. You can also passively use them with a 1/8" TRRS cable. The HyperSense have a USB-A connector, which some users may prefer.
The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2020 are more versatile gaming headphones than the Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense. You can use the BlackShark V2 Pro wired or wirelessly, depending on your preferences. They're more comfortable, have fairly low non-Bluetooth wireless latency, and are have better frequency response consistency. However, the Kraken V3 HyperSense are better built and have an adjustable haptic bass feature that adds extra thump and rumble to your gameplay. Their mic also has a better recording quality.
Depending on your preferences, you may prefer either the Razer BlackShark V2 or the Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense. The BlackShark V2 are more comfortable, have a more immersive passive soundstage feature, and support a 1/8" TRRS connection as well as a USB-A connection. However, the V3 HyperSense have a haptic bass feature that can make your gaming experience more sensorial, their boom mic offers a better noise handling performance, and the headphones feel better-built.
The Razer Nari Ultimate Wireless are better gaming headphones than the Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense. While both headphones are well-built and have similarly boomy sound profiles, you can use the Nari Ultimate wirelessly with low latency, are more comfortable, and have a more immersive passive soundstage. However, the V3 HyperSense have more robust virtual soundstage features.
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 V3 HyperSense look like the Razer Kraken V3 with a nearly all-black design. The ear cups have metal grilles and Razer's logo in the center. If you prefer a flashier look, the logos have customizable RGB lighting that you can adjust to your liking in the companion app. That said, the headphones only come in one color variant: 'Black'.
The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense have a decently comfortable fit. They have a similar design to the Razer Kraken V3 as their ear cups have faux leather padding with a cloth-like material interior. There's also some leather padding in the middle of the headband to help keep you comfortable during long gaming marathons. Unlike the Kraken V3, we didn't experience as much clamping force over time, either. That said, they have a bulky design, and their ear cups have a poor range of motion.
Update 02/03/2022: We originally reported that these headphones didn't have any additional controls. However, this was a mistake, and we have changed Additional Controls from 'No' to 'Haptic Bass'.
The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense have sub-par controls. The control scheme is very similar to the Razer Kraken V3, with a volume wheel and a mic mute button on the left ear cup. The mic mute button is indented to let you know when you're muted, and it clicks in place. Unfortunately, the volume wheel doesn't have notches to let you know when you've reached min or max volume.
Like the Razer Kraken V3 Pro Wireless, these headphones also have a HyperSense button on the right ear cup. It allows you to toggle the haptic feedback between low, medium, high, and off. This button is also clicky, and it makes a chime when pressed.
Like most gaming headphones, the Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense aren't very portable. They have a bulky design, and they can't fold or swivel to lay flat to reduce their footprint. They also don't come with a carrying case.
These headphones have a good build quality. They feel better built than the Razer BlackShark V2 and Razer Kraken V3 X with a mostly plastic build, a thick braided audio cable, and a metal headband to help reinforce their build. There are also markers on the headband to help you know the height when you're adjusting it. That said, their audio cable isn't detachable, so if it gets snagged on something, they could pull the headphones off your head and damage them.
The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense have mediocre stability. They can easily fall off your head with moderate head movements. Their non-detachable audio cable can also snag on something and pull them off your head. That said, they shouldn't move around if you're using them for gaming in front of your computer or console.
The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense have a similarly warm sound profile to the Razer Kraken V3. A bump in the high-bass adds extra boom, which can help bring out sound effects like footsteps. At the same time, dialogue and lead instruments sound clear and accurate. These headphones have an adjustable haptic bass feature. While we did a sweep with each of the levels, there wasn't much of a difference between the 'Low' and 'Medium' levels. As a result, our testing was done with this feature set to 'Low'.
The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense have middling frequency response consistency. Like most gaming headphones, they're prone to inconsistencies in bass and treble delivery due to their fit, seal, and positioning on your head. You may especially notice a drop in bass if you have thick hair or wear glasses.
The bass accuracy is decent. With HyperSense set to 'Low', they have adequate thump and rumble. That said, they pack a lot more punch and boom, which can help emphasize sound effects in your gameplay. However, this can also really muddy tracks.
Note: The response here represents the average bass response. Bass delivery can also vary across users depending on the headphones' fit, seal, and positioning. Your experience may vary.
The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense have excellent mid accuracy. There's some overemphasis coming from the bass range into the low-mid, which muddies mixes. While the mid-mid is flat, the high-mid is slightly underemphasized, weakening vocals and lead instruments.
These headphones have satisfactory treble accuracy. It's fairly underemphasized across the range, so dialogue and lead instruments are veiled and lack details. Sibilants like cymbals are also very dull and lispy.
Note: The treble response here represents the average response. Treble delivery can vary depending on fit and positioning, so your experience may differ.
The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense's peaks and dips performance is good. The dip in the low-bass weakens their thump and rumble, while a peak in the high-bass adds extra boom, which can also muddy your mixes. A dip in the low-treble can veil vocals and lead instruments. The mid-treble is uneven, so sibilants like S and T sounds are alternatingly dull and piercing.
The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense have a decent imaging performance. Their weighted group delay falls below the audibility threshold, resulting in tight bass and transparent treble reproduction. The L/R drivers are also well-matched when it comes to amplitude and frequency response, which helps ensure a balanced and stable stereo image. However, there's a high phase mismatch. The low-mid is louder in the right driver, and it's audible with real-life content. The small peak in the high-bass is very hard to hear with real-life content. That said, our results are only valid for our unit, and yours may perform differently.
The passive soundstage performance is poor. Their soundstage seems natural but small, and sound seems like it's coming from inside your head rather than from speakers placed in the room around you. Due to their closed-back design, their soundstage also is perceived as closed-off. If you're looking for closed-back gaming headphones with a more immersive passive soundstage, check out the Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019.
These headphones are compatible with THX virtual surround. You can choose from the following modes: 'Game Mode', 'Movie Mode', 'Music Mode', and 'Custom Mode'. Each mode changes the speaker modeling set up to better suit that genre of audio. That said, you can also calibrate each mode to best suit your tastes or create a new mode. You can select which app uses which audio mode or let the program automatically set itself.
The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense have a decent weighted harmonic distortion performance. There's a peak in the low to mid-treble at normal and high listening volumes. However, this can be hard to hear with real-life content.
These are the settings used to test the Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense. Note that we also tested the haptic bass feature on 'Low'. Our results are only valid when used in these settings.
The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense's noise isolation performance is disappointing. Like most gaming headphones such as the Razer Kraken V3, they don't block out bass-range noise like bus and plane engines. That said, they do a better job of reducing ambient chatter and can cut down high-pitched noise like the hum of an AC unit.
The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense have a good leakage performance. The leakage is spread across the range. As a result, it sounds full-bodied, especially in comparison to in-ear headphones. However, if you're listening to audio at high volumes, escaping sound shouldn't be too noticeable in a moderately loud environment.
The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense's boom mic has a satisfactory recording quality. Speech sounds natural, but it lacks body and openness.
The microphone's noise handling performance is very good. It can separate your voice from moderate ambient noise around you. If you game in a noisy environment, your teammates should have no problem hearing you clearly.
The Razer Synapse software is great. Thanks to its 10-band graphic EQ and presets like 'Bass Boost', 'Sound Normalization', and 'Voice Clarity', you can customize their sound to suit your tastes. You can also turn on and off THX Spatial audio, select which modes use which programs, and calibrate each mode to your liking. The software offers robust microphone controls too. You can turn on and off the voice gate as well as sidetone and adjust the mic using a 10-band graphic EQ and presets like 'Volume Normalization', 'Voice Clarity', and 'Ambient Noise reduction'. You can also customize the RGB lighting's brightness, color, and effects or turn this feature off if you prefer.
The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense come with a non-detachable USB-A cable. Like the Razer Kraken V3, it has very low latency, which makes them a suitable choice for gaming.
The Razer Kraken V3 HyperSense are fully compatible with PCs via their USB-A cable. However, you can't use them in any other way.
You can connect these headphones to PS4 and PS5 consoles with full compatibility via their USB-A connector.