Razer Barracuda review

It doesn’t have active noise cancellation (ANC) or the sound quality of the Barracuda Pro, which is the top model. It does, however, have the same comfortable ear cups and headband, 40 hours of battery life, and a sleek, simple design. This makes it a surprising strong entry from Razer into the lifestyle market.

The Razer Barracuda is the middle-of-the-road model in Razer’s new line of headsets. It uses a hybrid design and set of features to target casual gamers who want a headset that can be used for more than one thing. Even though the Barracuda is a big step up from the Barracuda X, which is the most basic model.

Putting this much versatility into a headset has a lot of pros, but it also has some cons, like the fact that it can’t match the sound quality of some of the best PC gaming headsets. Still, most people who are thinking about the Barracuda range don’t care about that. What makes these headsets stand out is how simple, stylish, and useful they are.

After a week with the Barracuda in different settings, it’s clear that Razer has put a lot of time and thought into how the headset will compare to the competition. However, it’s missing some really basic features that would have taken this headset to the next level, like the fact that it can’t be folded up for easy transport.

Still, you’ll be impressed if you know what kind of sound and microphone quality you can expect from a hybrid headset like the Barracuda. Razer’s first attempt at more casual peripherals is stylish, easy to use, and has a fair amount of tech behind it.

Razer Barracuda review: Design

One of the best things about the Razer Barracuda is how it looks. If orange was the new black a few years ago, Razer shows with this headset that black is once again the new black. This elegant color is paired with a sleek design that doesn’t draw attention to itself.

You might think that Razer had given up on its gaming style if it weren’t for the glossy logos on the earpads and the neon green accent that shows when the mute button is pressed. Other than that, the headset is very low-key.

The headband and earpieces are lined with memory foam, making them very comfortable for even the pickiest users. The material-covered earpads make it much less likely that you will get too hot than with other headsets.

The earpieces fit well for us, but they haven’t been tried on people with bigger ears, who may find them too tight. There is a row of buttons at the bottom of each earpad. From back to front, the mute button, volume wheel, on/off button, 3.5mm analog headphone jack, and USB-C port are all on the left.

The SmartSwitch button is on the right. Both earpads have a microphone built into the front of them. Once you know how to use the Barracuda, the well-spaced and easy-to-understand controls make it a breeze, which is hard to do with headsets. You can buy this headphone from its official website.

Razer Barracuda review: Comfort

The Barracuda Pro has lost its identity as a wireless gaming headset because it tries to do too many things at once. Really, it’s a shame because Razer’s top wireless headset is a good one that, without the expensive additions of ANC and built-in microphones.

Could have been one of the best in its class. Without ANC, sound quality is great, battery life is among the best, comfort is good, and build quality is good. Unfortunately, the price is too high, and other dual wireless outings offer the same or more for less money.

Razer Barracuda review: Connectivity

Razer gives you a lot of cables with the Barracuda X. There’s a USB-A-to-male-USB-C cable for charging, a USB-A-to-female-USB-C cable for connecting the USB-C transmitter to a USB-A port, and a 3.5mm headphone cable for using the headset wired.

The transmitter is a small, rectangular piece of plastic, like the one on the Barracuda Pro. Razer doesn’t include a case or even a pouch with the Barracuda X, so you’ll have to figure out how to carry the cables and transmitter on your own. The clever,

Zip-up case of the Barracuda Pro might have been too much for the cheap Barracuda X, but a cloth bag would have been nice to keep everything together. This is a common complaint about USB-C transmitters for gaming headsets. They’re so small that losing them is easy if you don’t have a place to put them.

Razer Barracuda review: Noise cancelling

The Razer Barracuda sounds pretty good for most kinds of music, but the low-mid frequency response is a little wonky, making instruments with many layers sound a little less clear. In Boogie Man by Vulfmon, the lead guitar comes through clearly.

The bass guitar, rhythm guitar, and keys all get a little lost in each other, making a bunch of slightly unclear noise. You can hear the different instruments well enough if you really listen, but you have to be on the lookout for them. EQing the headset is always a simple thing to do.

Razer Barracuda review: Audio performance

Even though the Barracuda X works with a computer, it doesn’t work with Razer’s Synapse software, so it doesn’t have an equalizer or any other sound settings when it’s plugged into your computer. But if you install the Razer 7.1 Surround Sound app for Windows, you can fake 7.1-channel surround sound.

You have to sign up for a Razer account and register your headset. The app doesn’t have any other controls than a switch for the surround sound mode. EQ and other control options are usually available on headsets that offer spatial audio through Razer Synapse or the separate, paid THX Spatial Audio app.

Strangely, the Barracuda X doesn’t come with an EQ for PCs, but the Razer Audio app on your phone gives you access to a 10-band equalizer. This doesn’t give your phone simulated surround sound; it just lets you change the way it sounds.

Razer Barracuda review: Call performance

Razer says that the Barracuda’s microphone has “crystal clear pickup,” but I haven’t always found that to be true. In the last two and a half weeks, the Barracuda hasn’t been reliable. On one call, my voice came through fine, but on another, I sounded like a robot and there was static in between my sweet tones. During a couple of games of Warzone and PUBG: Battlegrounds on PC, it was pretty much the same thing. My teammates said that my microphone output was spotty at best, which made it hard to talk during the intense firefights.

Razer Barracuda review: Battery and charging

Razer says that its Pro model can last for 40 hours on a single charge, but we were able to get about 50 hours out of it with ANC turned on and the volume at a normal level. We mostly used the 2.4 GHz connection, and the battery life will be shorter if you also use the Bluetooth connection.

It has an impressive battery life, but it can’t beat the Cloud Alpha Wireless from HyperX, which has a battery life of 300 hours. Still, it’s easily one of the wireless headsets that lasts the longest.

Razer Barracuda review: Final words

The Razer Barracuda can be used to play games wirelessly. Because of their USB dongle, they have low wireless latency. Because they have Bluetooth, you can connect them to both your console and your phone at the same time. Their fit is comfortable enough for long gaming sessions.

They can play music for over 46 hours straight, and you can even change the sound profile of their warm sound with the graphic EQ and presets in the app that goes with them. Unfortunately, their built-in mic can’t tell the difference between speech and background noise, which can be a problem if you’re trying to talk in a noisy place.