Razer Blackshark V3 Pro Gaming Headset Review – Reaching New Heights

In the satellite of gaming peripherals, seeing caller iterations of products we've seen clip and again isn't the astir breathtaking thing. But it is simply a accidental to spot bully ideas go afloat formed ones. When it deed a fewer years ago, our BlackShark V2 Pro reappraisal said it was, "a large headset for those who attraction astir their audio experience," and it decidedly proved to beryllium a contender among the amended gaming headsets retired there. With finer tuning connected upgraded audio drivers for robust dependable prime and a fig of meaningful caller features, the caller BlackShark V3 Pro makes capable of a measurement guardant to basal retired successful a crowded space, making it 1 of champion high-end gaming headsets I've utilized successful caller years.

Specifically with Razer, it besides has the luxury-style enactment with the Kraken and a much straightforward bid successful the Barracuda. Having reviewed the latest successful the Kraken V4 Pro, I felt its diagnostic acceptable to beryllium extraneous and didn't precisely warrant its ballooning terms tag. Meanwhile, the Barracuda continues to beryllium a coagulated prime among our recommended budget-level gaming headsets. But if you were to inquire maine for my afloat proposal if pricing wasn't arsenic overmuch of a concern, Razer oregon otherwise, the Blackshark V3 Pro is surely successful that conversation.

Razer BlackShark V3 Pro – Design and Features

If you've seen the BlackShark before, the V3 Pro doesn't stray excessively acold from the V2's plan principles. It sports bladed wire-like aluminum yokes that subdivision outward to besides enactment arsenic telescoping arms for adjusting the fit. The headband itself is simply a flexible aluminum wrapped successful a leatherette precocious stitched with a padded sports mesh cushion underneath to remainder comfortably atop your head. Don't mistake its unassuming look for a deficiency of quality, the BlackShark V3 is among the well-built gaming headsets retired there. And astatine 376g, it's not dense yet inactive feels lighter than its listed value due to the fact that of its attack to comfort.

Along with the oval-shaped earcups, it looks a spot similar a pilot's headset but with a slim-enough illustration and sleek rounded edges truthful it's not dense oregon bulky. The earpads are a large highlight, excessively – they're made with a dense representation foam and wrapped successful a velvety sports mesh for breathability. Since the headset doesn't person a beardown clamp force, the BlackShark V3 Pro's earpads supply comfortableness passim 5 oregon six hr gaming sessions without fatigue. And dissimilar leatherette upholsteries connected arsenic comfy headsets, the sports mesh present kept sweat astir my ears to a minimum. A small, but effectual interaction is that the innards wherever the audio drivers are person a bladed padding successful lawsuit your ears travel successful contact, which tin assistance those with bigger ears since the earpads themselves person a somewhat little profile.

Along the close earcup are buttons for cycling done antithetic EQ presets, the chat measurement premix wheel, and the progressive sound cancellation (ANC) / ambient toggle. It's a insignificant detail, but I admit however snappy the headset swaps done these settings, truthful you don't person to clasp a fastener oregon hold for the alteration to footwear it. On the near broadside is the mic mute toggle, the powerfulness button, the USB-C charging port, and the microphone jack. Master measurement is controlled by a knob that protrudes retired of the near earcup for casual access, which adjusts measurement digitally connected the level you're utilizing it on.

Pitched arsenic the "esports" lineup of Razer's headsets, the BlackShark is made with competitory gaming successful mind, but it's bully to spot that it doesn't skimp retired premium features that weren't connected erstwhile versions of the BlackShark. For one, it has a 45-degree inward swivel for the earcups, letting them beryllium a small much people astir your cervix erstwhile it's not successful usage – portion it's not the afloat 90-degrees of astir different headsets that swivel, it's bully that the V3 Pro swivels astatine all.

Other features caller to this lineup is ANC, simultaneous audio, and wired analog input. While the earthy closed-back dependable isolation is solid, the V3 Pro ANC is precise beardown astatine its highest mounting and gives it much versatility for noisy environments (although I wouldn't usage it unless I had to since it tin impact wide dependable tuning). While you'll chiefly usage the BlackShark V3 Pro with the 2.4GHz HyperSpeed wireless dongle for a super-low 10ms latency, simultaneous Bluetooth lets you instrumentality an further audio feed, which would typically beryllium convenient for those who usage this headset with a mobile device, too. And a USB-C to 3.5mm analog converter comes packed with the headset successful lawsuit you privation to plug it into a controller oregon straight into Switch audio port, for example.

While you'll spot extravagant features similar Chroma RGB lighting and Sensa haptics connected the Kraken V4 Pro, the BlackShark ever meant concern – truthful there's nary RGB, which is perfectly good for a headset since I'm not seeing it anyway. And fixed its performance-focus, the BlackShark's customization lies successful fine-tuning audio performance.

Razer BlackShark V3 Pro – Software and Battery Life

The communicative of Razer Synapse remains the same; a finicky bundle suite with excessively galore moving parts, but works good capable to bring retired the champion successful your peripheral. It's beauteous important to person truthful you tin marque tiny adjustments to get the astir retired of the headset, and erstwhile it's working, Synapse is casual to fig out. Customization mostly lies successful EQ settings, which are important to getting the astir retired of the BlackShark V3 Pro. Synapse has built-in profiles for the astir fashionable competitory games – Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, and Call of Duty Warzone. It's not astir arsenic robust arsenic SteelSeries, which has hundreds of built-in profiles for games, but it's elemental capable to marque your ain adjustments on the 10-band frequencies. This is besides wherever you alteration THX Spatial Audio connected PC, and it runs connected its ain acceptable of EQ settings that you tin alteration here. (You tin besides usage Tempest 3D audio connected PS5 and Windows Sonic with Xbox arsenic good arsenic Dolby Atmos, if you person a license).

Other settings see ANC / ambient sound power strength, simultaneous audio mix, audio enhancements (like bass boost and vocal clarity extracurricular of EQ), and a slew of microphone tweaks. Features similar sidetone to perceive your ain dependable and sound gross levels are present successful summation to adjusting the microphones 10-band EQ. All settings are saved onto the headset itself truthful you'll person your preferences adjacent if you don't person Synapse moving oregon usage it connected a antithetic platform.

Battery beingness remains coagulated with the BlackShark V3 Pro, rated for 70 hours similar the erstwhile iterations. Many factors provender into the existent artillery beingness you get, similar however overmuch you usage ANC, HyperSpeed ultra-low latency, oregon simultaneous audio. From my experience, I got astir 50 hours of full usage from a afloat complaint implicit the people of a afloat week earlier it dipped beneath 20% (according to Synapse). Considering I utilized HyperSpeed anytime I was playing games and utilized ANC sparingly during the workday, this is much than capable successful my publication and not excessively acold disconnected Razer's ain claims.

Razer BlackShark V3 Pro – Sound Quality and Performance

A gaming headset is thing without due dependable performance, and from utilizing the BlackShark V3 Pro crossed antithetic applications, I'm blessed to study that dependable prime is 1 of the wide highlights of the headset. Such is expected for a premium-level headset successful the $250 range, but adjacent past I was impressed with its punchy, yet balanced dependable and its spatial audio performance.

The BlackShark V3 Pro isn't precisely bass-heavy similar the Kraken V4 Pro oregon Audeze Maxwell, but it's a well-balanced headset connected the default EQ settings that inactive has bully bass response. It gives a spot much wiggle country for the audiophile types to tweak it to their liking, offering flexibility for circumstantial games. Personally, I took the bass up a small spot and treble down since I wasn't excessively blistery connected the flimsy harshness and recovered a bully cosmopolitan illustration for euphony and games.

I played respective rounds of Call of Duty: Warzone connected PlayStation 5 and swapped betwixt the illustration specifically made for Call of Duty and my ain EQ tuning – regardless, I felt similar I had a wider soundstage, helping definite audio cues basal retired much prominently. Sure, this mightiness supply a competitory edge, but for me, the much enjoyable audio acquisition was much important for a crippled that tin get audibly cluttered and busy.

In Counter-Strike 2 connected PC, I bounced betwixt the custom-made illustration and my ain and felt precise competitory successful some modes. My ain EQ gave a much earthy dependable portion inactive letting maine pinpoint footsteps, gunshots, and force actions similar reloading to springiness maine the borderline erstwhile making important tactical decisions successful ranked matches. In a implicit 180-turn, playing thing similar Deltarune connected the Nintendo Switch 2 is simply a overmuch antithetic benignant of acquisition wherever the layered soundtrack came done beautifully adjacent with the high-pitch of its chiptune-esque soundfonts.

That positional audio and wide dependable prime speaks to the adjustments Razer made to the plan of its 50mm audio drivers, which sanded disconnected distortion and brought retired the finer details successful some games and euphony – and I'm not definite if I was capable to afloat accidental that astir erstwhile Razer headsets.

Having reviewed truthful galore headsets astatine this point, the microphone sometimes feels similar an afterthought. Given that being capable to pass intelligibly done in-game chat, you don't needfully request standalone mic quality, but it's bully that the BlackShark V3 Pro's is amended than astir adjacent astatine the premium level. In Audacity recordings, my dependable came done reasonably cleanable and lukewarm without overmuch of that "digitization" you perceive connected lesser mics, rivaling the Audeze Maxwell and SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro, 2 of which we often recommend. Oddly, though, the BlackShark V2 Pro's mic was noticeably person to the prime of a standalone mic, truthful portion I'd telephone the V3 Pro's a flimsy downgrade, it's inactive nary slouch – a insignificant disappointment, if anything.