Some people may like a specific device that does a particular task, but I’m the kind of guy who loves a thing that works on everything. Hell, my car key starts my car, opens up freshly packed board games, and even shows me how many two Rand coupons I’ve won off of some scratch-and-win cards.
So, when the opportunity came up to check out the Barracuda X Chroma wireless multi-platform headset from Razer, I jumped at the task because having one headset for my PC, PlayStation, phone, laptop, and Claw sounds like a world I want to live in.
For anyone who isn’t fully aware of where the Barracuda headsets fit in the Razer line, they are geared towards gamers on the go. They usually feature wireless connectivity options and won’t work via a connected cable. The headsets are also generally lightweight, comfortable and have excellent battery life.
The Razer Barracuda X Chroma comes with all of these handy features, but adds a little more colour to your ears, an upgraded microphone to the Barracuda X, and has a little more oomph in the tank to power up said colours.
Now, I don’t like to end reviews with negatives, so I will throw them in right here.
Generally speaking, I quite like Razer’s software. It feels like properly made software that works with the hardware quite well. Lately, I feel like there are just way too many things to install, though. To control the headphones, the RGB, and enable the 7.1 surround sound option felt like more steps than signing a loan for a new house. I need to install Razer Synapse to monitor and control the headphones, Razer Chroma to change up the RGB on the ear cups, and download a third app to activate the 7.1 surround sound. I must also register the headphones for warranty and wait for Razer to send me a key to activate the software. Then I had to struggle with Windows for half an hour just to recognise I had a 7.1 surround sound device connected, and, to be quite honest, I didn’t even feel like I enjoyed it enough to warrant the hassle.
Also, on a more personal preference level, I would’ve preferred if the headset cups touched each other when closed. In my mind, it just makes for a neater, tighter, packed-up design for throwing the headset in my bag on my way to work or perhaps when travelling. The Barracude X Chroma does that lie-flat ear cup thing, which works great in a box, but feels more breakable when in a bag.
Ok, negative rants over, let’s move on to the things I do like about the headset.
First off, I like what comes in the box. There’s a USB-C to USB-C charging cable, obviously, a neat little bag to keep your headphones in on the go and, my most favourite of all, a USB-C dongle. Why is this my favourite of all? Because it lets me connect the headphones without any hassle to any device I use.
Tiny, little, USB-C only laptop? Check.
iPhone? Check.
Desktop PC? Check.
MSI Claw? Check.
Toilet from Japan with seat warmers, Google Home and Spotify built-in? Probably.
To add to this ease of use, the Barracuda X Chromas are also quite comfortable and very lightweight on the head. Featuring foam cups and a foam headband, my preferred choice over the “letherette” cups, and weighing in at only 285g, they sat nicely without bother for hours on end. The headband also has quite a lot of flex to it, and the twisting ear cups mean it will fit most people’s heads.
In terms of sound quality, the Barracuda X Chroma provided a decent, latency-free (as far as I could tell) audio experience. Whether I was watching a movie on my phone or attempting to shoot a chicken in Fortnite, I was happy with the audio capabilities. The Audiocheck test showed the headset range sat between 20Hz on the low end and 18kHz on the high end. Pretty much covering the human hearing range.
This brings me to the 7.1 surround sound fiasco. Before I installed what felt like the 15th app for these headphones, I didn’t think I needed the extra surround sound capabilities. When it was turned on, however, was another story. The sound did feel more, well, surrounding. In multiplayer gaming, I find it a bit distracting, but in solo games, where you really want to engross yourself, or in watching series and movies, the 7.1 surround sound really shines. Perhaps I was a little too annoyed at the whole process of getting the surround sound to work, but at the end of it all, I was more than happy enough without it.
The microphone works pretty well, and I always love ones that are detachable. It is Razer’s HyperClear Cardiod Mic, which tends to capture the voice in front of your face quite well without any background noise. I did find it a little softer than my standalone microphone, but that was nothing a little tweaking couldn’t fix.
As for the ARGB on the side, it’s cool if you like that kind of thing. During a few online meetings, my gamer colleagues did find it distracting. Also, it’s not like you can see the lights yourself unless you’re some sort of fish. If you want ARGB on everything, sure, it’s a plus. Otherwise, it’s just another feature that you could turn off to utilise the headset’s 70-hour battery fully and only end up charging it once a week. In any case, the headset features a 6-zone light strip that can be customised to your liking in countless ways thanks to Razer’s Chroma Studio.
Overall, the Razer Barracuda X Chroma is a nice pair of headphones. If I had to disregard the time spent getting the software up and running and just think about the listening experience, I’d colour myself happy. I loved that I could just plug them into any device I use and they worked instantly. Sure, the apps make things more customisable, and it’s great that these options exist, but I like simple, and these headphones did simple well, too. Costing almost R3,500, though, I do think they are a little on the pricey end. If they ever got closer to the R2,500 mark, I’d say pick them up in a second.
