This is the comparison review of the Razer Kraken Tournament and Kraken Pro V2. Both these headsets are one of the popular in Razer’s headsets and also have a great sound quality which comes under $100. You can easily decide which one will be great for your gaming by this review.
Razer Kraken Tournament | Razer Kraken Pro V2 |
BUY NOW | BUY NOW |
PROS | PROS |
Excellent sound. Versatile design. Smart amp. Reasonable price. | Rugged, Bauxite frame. A nice, cozy fit. Decent sound. |
CONS | CONS |
Potentially buggy software. Too big for easy transport. | Sound doesn’t match more expensive cans. Fixed cable and mic. |
SPECIFICATIONS:
MODEL | RAZER KRAKEN TOURNAMENT | RAZER KRAKEN PRO V2 |
Brand | Razer | Razer |
Series | ||
Model | Kraken Tournament | Kraken Pro V2 |
HEADPHONES | RAZER KRAKEN TOURNAMENT | RAZER KRAKEN PRO V2 |
Headphones Form Factor | ||
Headphone Technology | ||
Sound Output Mode | stereo | stereo |
Frequency Response | 12 Hz | 12Hz-28KHz |
Sensitivity | 109 dB | 118 dB |
Impedance | 32 Ohm | 32 Ohm |
Diaphragm | 2 in | 2 in |
MICROPHONE | RAZER KRAKEN TOURNAMENT | RAZER KRAKEN PRO V2 |
Microphone Operation Mode | uni-directional | uni-directional |
Response Bandwidth | 100 Hz | 100 Hz |
Sensitivity | -42 dB | -38 dB |
REMOTE CONTROL | RAZER KRAKEN TOURNAMENT | RAZER KRAKEN PRO V2 |
Audio Controls | microphone on/mute, volume | |
Controls | Volume, microphone on/mute | |
DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT | RAZER KRAKEN TOURNAMENT | RAZER KRAKEN X |
Width | ||
Depth | ||
Height | ||
Weight | 11.36 oz | 11.36 oz |
FEATURES | RAZER KRAKEN TOURNAMENT | RAZER KRAKEN PRO V2 |
Features | Get total control with the USB audio controller. Turn on THX Spatial Audio for increased immersion, control both volume and bass levels, and even configure the game / chat balance. All of this at your fingertips – for gaming audio that is always perfectly customized for you. Go beyond traditional virtual surround sound. THX Spatial Audio* breaks the boundaries of defined 5.1 and 7.1 channel surround to deliver seamless 360 degrees positional audio for a more natural and lifelike experience. It also adds depth to the experience by simulating sound both above and below you for incredible gaming immersion. Never experience your game audio overpowering team communication again. The Game / Chat Balance option lets you fine-tune the right balance of what you hear. Or simply leave it in the middle for a standard mix. Equipped with large custom-tuned 50mm drivers, the Razer Kraken Tournament Edition provides a wide soundscape, from subtle footsteps sneaking up behind you to climactic explosions that blow you away. This clarity in range and deep, punchy bass is crucial in creating a lifelike immersive experience. The cooling gel-infused ear cushions reduce heat build-up, while the soft cloth and leatherette combination provides both comfort and sound isolation. Hidden indented eyewear channels eliminate pressure from glasses. The headband features an incredibly comfortable ultra-soft padding, allowing you to game for hours and forget that it’s even there. With its 3.5mm audio jack, the Razer Kraken Tournament Edition is cross-platform compatible – works with with your PC, Mac, PS4, Xbox One, Switch or even mobile devices. | To provide you with greater audio immersion, the 50 mm Razer custom tuned drivers have been designed and tuned to deliver richer audio than ever before. The unique sound signature of these impressive drivers produces crystal clear highs and rumbling lows that will put you in the middle of the action. Optimum form has been an integral focus in the design of the Razer Kraken Pro V2No matter how long your gaming sessions are, you’ll feel as comfortable as a pro. Made of Bauxite aluminum, the new and improved headband of the Razer Kraken Pro V2 is both lightweight and extremely flexible, so you get greater durability, without sacrificing comfort. Fully-retractable microphone with in-line remote for crystal clear communication. |
Expert Reviews of Razer Kraken Tournament:
By IGN
The Razer Kraken is an extremely comfortable headset, but suffers from poor sound quality from both the microphone and the speakers. While they may be built to be worn for long periods of time, they’re unfortunately not compelling enough to take your eSports skills to the next level.By Thinkcomputers
When we started this review we wondered if the Razer Kraken Tournament Edition could stand out in the $99 gaming headset crowd, which is where many gaming headsets sit. After spending some time with the Kraken Tournament Edition we feel that it does….By PCmag
Razer’s Kraken Tournament Edition gaming headset delivers strong bass performance and capable simulated surround sound for…By CGM
The inclusion of THX audio makes the Razer Kraken Tournament edition a real step forward for Razer and it’s a device that sounds as good as it…By Gameaxis
The Razer Kraken: Tournament Edition certainly is a solid set of headphones. High quality construction, crystal-clear audio, a plethora of customisation options, comfort… everything you’d usually expect from a Razer accessory.Usually.Although the…Expert Reviews of Razer Kraken Pro V2:
By Tom’shardware
The new Kraken is great value, and delivers better audio than you’d expect, but you build quality and features to save some cash.By Digit
The Razer Kraken Pro V2 improves over a few flaws with the older design and forms a worthy choice for gamers. There’s an aluminium unibody supporting the entire headset. Not only is it strong, it’s more flexible indicating higher durability. However,…By Videogamesuncovered
The Kraken Pro will continue to be a staple gaming headset for years to come with the Kraken Pro V2. For the price you’ll pay in return it will give you decent sound, a sleek retractable mic and a durable aluminium…By Criticalhit
It’s a pretty good headset for its price, and locally its price (R1299) very nearly aligns with its current US one of $80. If you’re looking for something that offers good quality but no frills, you could do far…By Gameaxis
I own the original Razer Kraken Pro headset, and while I always loved its look, I stopped wearing it because it gave me headaches from the high clamp force. I assumed that it was to compensate for its overall weight and stop it from sagging down my…
Detail Review:
INTRODUCTION:
Razer Kraken Tournament
Aesthetically, this headset almost looks like the Razer Kraken and Kraken X. In this, the sound quality and especially the THX spatial sound is also pretty good. Every feature is very nice for gaming.
Razer Kraken Pro V2
This headset is an advanced version of Razer Kraken Pro which is one of the popular selling headsets in the Razer headsets. This one also has good sound quality and extremely nice comfort which will be good for gaming.
DESIGN:
Razer Kraken Tournament
If you are familiar with the Kraken range of headsets then the design is not really going to be anything new to you. You still get the same adjustable headband with the mesh padding at the top. You get the iconic Razor style of plastic ear cups with the mesh style a closed-back design and the Razer logo. However, on the Tournament Edition, it is not backlit like the others which usually isn’t really a problem because it’s on a headset.
Razer Kraken Pro V2
This has a very simple design but it looks like a gaming headset. When you have them on, they stick out so far but I think they merge the look of the original Razer Kraken pro and then they merged them with their new Mano’war headset and that’s where these ear cups come in. On the outside, it really screams the old razor design.
COMFORT:
Razer Kraken Tournament
The ear cups are still able to swivel a small amount to fit over your ears. Then, the aluminum frame will be able to handle any reasonable amount of tension you apply to it.
Comfort-wise, you get that awesome a large ear cups with the soft gel infused cushions with a cloth and leather right combination that allows you to wear the headset for a longer period at a time without any issues. I also had no issues with my ears scratching against the inside of the drivers which is usually a problem that I have. So, if you have the same thing then you don’t have to worry about the cracking tournament edition, it’s really comfortable.
Razer Kraken Pro V2
I can honestly say it’s worth it because you get are some of the softest, deepest leather ear cups that you’ve ever seen in gaming headsets. Now, these are the exact same ones in the Mano’war. So, I can tell you that you can wear these things for hours and hours and it does trap a little heat. So, you might want to take them off because you’re going to get hot after a while but as far as comfort goes, this is probably one of the most top-notch headsets.
Now, they don’t have a whole lot of padding up at the top because although these things do look massive, they don’t weigh anything at all. So, they didn’t need to put a lot of padding at the top but at the very top it is leather material and it just simply had Razor and I really like the new logo a lot better than the old one. Underneath is just a fabric, it’s slight padding but it’s not necessary to have thick padding on this headset. It is aluminum that runs all the way through the headband and on the side on the adjustment size they’re numbered. So that you have an even balance when you put them on.
FEATURES:
Razer Kraken Tournament
You get the same 1.3-meter nylon braided cable with an inline controller that allows you to adjust the volume and a mute at the microphone. At the end of the cable, you get a 90 degree TRS combo Jack that will work on a PC, console, and other mobile devices allowing you to hear the audio and then also use the microphone.
On the USB which is THX controller, You’re gonna get a mic mute a button that lights up a radar winner muted, you get an up-and-down of volume button with 25 levels of a volume. You also get on the left side, a bass adjustment which if you want to have a bit more or less bass. Then, on the right side, you get a game and chat, a balance which is always great to have, especially when you’re playing with somebody else. Then you get the THX button in the top or right aside with that a green LED to let you know if THX is enabled.
Razer Kraken Pro V2
It is pretty plain and simple. It doesn’t have a detachable cable, so there’s not a collection of cables that came with this headset. Although, the one cable does come with is a very long extension cable with the split at the end for your microphone and a headphone output so that you can use it on PC. The cable that comes with the headphones, there is a control inline controls for your volume and your mic mute on the cable itself. Now, this headset was made to be used across all platforms, so you can use it on your PC, your Xbox, and your ps4.
These do not light up and it does not have 7.1 surround sound but if you go up to $99, you can get the chroma 7.1 model where you get the illuminating logo and you get the 7.1 surround sound.
On your left side is where your cable goes in and this is not a detachable cable, it is stuck in the headset. Also, on your left side, you have your retractable boom mic. For a gaming microphone, the boom mic is very very good.
MICROPHONE:
Razer Kraken Tournament
As for the microphone, you still get the same retractable and bendable mic that you get on pretty much all over the Razor headsets. I tested this mic with all of the settings on just on normal or default. It is going to pick up everything like a mechanical keyboard but you do have a few other options that you can enhance on in the synapse software. So, it will be able to reduce that with the noise reduction, you have voice clarity and then also noise sound normalization. If you do that all on 50%, some of it is going to lower the quality but from my testing, it actually doesn’t sound too bad and I would definitely say that you can use this mic for all of your gaming without any issues.
If you wanted to record anything higher quality then you would want to get external condenser microphone just going to sound better but actually, for these gaming microphones which usually is really bad, this is actually pretty good.
Razer Kraken Pro V2
This headset has a boom microphone. It’s extremely clear, it’s not considered a digital microphone but it is a condenser microphone. It picks up the tones very well. It does not have like a pop filter on it, so it may pick up a lot of the P sound but overall for a microphone on a headset that is around $80 I think, the microphone on the Razer Kraken Pro Version 2 is really good.
SOUND:
Razer Kraken Tournament
Now, you still get the same 50-millimeter driver with the neodymium magnets but now again you get at that THX spatial surround sound for a much better sound immersion in games and then also in other applications. You will first need to connect the THX controller to your PC and it has its own set of controls as well. However, before you enable anything just go check out the synapse software where you will need to select the program you would like to run in THX or just enormous sound, and then you can use the button on a THX controller to enable of the surrounded goodness.
I was pleasantly surprised at how good the sound quality was. The frequency range was a good all over with no certain frequency range actually overpowering at the others which were good. Bass was also much more reasonable, so that was really good if you do want more bass you can use that THX controller with the bass switch to enhance it a bit more. However, it’s only a small amount, it’s nothing really too crazy. So, if you are one of those crazy bass people then it’s not really that crazy anymore.
I do understand that there’s a lot of people who don’t really like the virtual surround sound features. They say it doesn’t really sound as good and it kind of ruins the audio but for me honestly, it sounds way better compared to some of the other virtual 7.1 features and especially in more competitive games, it can definitely give you an edge over your opponent and in more cinematic games like RPGs, it just draws you deeper into the game world with that surround sounding audio.
Now, comparing to standard virtual 7.1 that we get on a lot of other gaming headsets or Windows sonic surround which is built into Windows that is free, THX sounds much better. The others, a certain thing does kind of haunts us around a bit but THX just pushes that that much further and really makes it sound like these sounds are coming from all around you and give you much more depth to the sound as well. You will also be able to use the Kraken Tournament Edition and the THX watching movies and music but I did find that not all really sound as good, for example, most pop and dance music. I found that stereo standard a lot of better, the 7.1 kinds of just made it not sound as clear.
However, when it comes to orchestral music which I do love with the wider sound stage, the THX really made it sound good. When I was listening to the interstellar soundtrack and also the Gladiator soundtrack, it just made me feel more alive in the music which was awesome.
Razer Kraken Pro V2
The one thing Razor’s always been known for they carry over into these, these things have intense bass. I mean, some serious bass and for me, that’s a positive. For some people, it may not be but the strength of that sounds amazing in action and first-person shooter games, idols, and stuff like that because bass like it explosions and gunshots, it puts you more into it because you’re able to feel it.
Another thing that I do want to point out is these are not really specific to gaming because you can plug this into your phone because the mic kind of hides, it doesn’t look exactly like a gaming headset that you get incredible sound with music. I mean bass obviously is upfront but I found at higher volumes, the mids and trebles come out more and at lower volumes, I felt the bass was a little overpowering in music and it all evens out and has a really incredible more fun sound.
It’s definitely not going to be for studio use or audio files. So, if you’re people that like bass, you have to at least give these a shot again not to distress bass specifically. Now, when you’re gaming the mids and trebles for some reason come out and sound on par with where the bass is. So, nothing is drowned out.
I did notice that on consoles, the volume seemed a little lower than what you’re able to push it on your PC. So, I don’t know if a Razor geared it specifically just to be for PC and not focus on consoles. Although, it sounds really good on consoles and I felt like the volume was a tiny bit low but I like it loud, I like it just booming that’s just my preference. Razer did an amazing job of these and if you have no experience with Razer, this will be a completely new experience because most gaming headsets don’t have the bass that Razer is able to do.
WHICH TO BUY?
Both the headsets have little bit differences and the price is also almost the same. These all make it harder to get the decision “which to buy”. I think, the Razer Tournament Edition will be great to buy and will be better than the Kraken Pro V2. The Tournament Edition’s sound quality is just amazing with that THX spatial sound and surround sound. So, if you want these for gaming, then definitely go for the Tournament Edition.