Razer Seiren V2 X review: recommended for streaming

When we were writing this review of the Razer Seiren X V2, we thought a lot about the other desktop microphones we have tried. The Seiren X V2 feels great right out of the box. It’s well made, and the new design feels more modern than the tube-shaped case of the original Seiren X.

It looks like the great Blue Yeti, which has been one of the best microphones for streamers and podcasters for a long time. The new pill-shaped design looks stylish and modern, with a simple USB-C plug on the back and a simple button and dial on the front.

The Razer Seiren X V2 looks great, but it doesn’t perform as well as it looks. Even though it’s easy to set up and use, it’s not much of an improvement over its predecessor. It still has a 25mm condenser in the microphone head and the same frequency response, sample rate, and single “supercardioid” polar pattern. Since the V2 X costs the same as the first Seiren X.

The bitrate is higher and the sensitivity is a little bit better, but the average user won’t notice these changes. More importantly, the low base means that unless you lean close to the mic or buy a boom arm, the Seiren V2 X doesn’t pick up enough sound without turning up the gain, which makes background noise louder. Also, there is no pop filter included, which is a shame.

Specifications

Razer Seiren V2 X review: Design and features

The Razer Seiren Mini is small and comes in the brand’s Mercury and Quartz (white and pink) colour schemes, but the Seiren V2 X is only available in the classic Razer black. Luckily, the dark finish on this case isn’t like the black metal finish on Razer’s Blade laptops, so it doesn’t always get fingerprints. The mic won’t move around on your desk because the base has a weighted metal disc with a sticky foam pad on the bottom.

The base is made of a ball and socket, which lets you tilt the mic head about 30 degrees in any direction. The whole outside is made of plastic, but it’s pretty tough and has a nice matte finish that doesn’t make it feel cheap. The mic head is a woven metal dome, which feels much better than the original Seiren X’s perforated surface.

On the front, there is a single button to mute the mic input (which lights up bright Razer green when the mic is hot and a dimmer red when muted) and a textured plastic dial to control the microphone gain. We thought the dial was a bit small and stiff.

When you press the mute button, it works fine and doesn’t make any noise that the mic could pick up. Around the back, there is a 3.5mm headphone jack for listening to audio while it is being recorded, as well as a USB-C port for connecting it to a computer. The included cable is six feet long and braided to make it more durable, which is great. You can buy this microphone from its official website.

Razer Seiren V2 X review: Sound quality

The Razer Seiren V2 X is slightly better than the first-generation Razer Seiren in terms of specs. The drivers are still 25mm, and the sample rate is still 48kHz. The only pickup pattern is still supercardioid. But the bitrate has been changed to 24-bit. The frequency response is still 20–20,000kHz, and the sensitivity is still 35dB, but the Max SPL can now reach 120dB.

The ratio of signal to noise is now 105 dB instead of 85 dB. That’s a lot of numbers to say that this is mostly the same microphone capsule as the first generation, but the signal it sends to your device should now be cleaner and more accurate. If you had to pick one feature to focus on, it would be the higher the higher SPL. This means you can play louder than you could on the first-generation Razer Seiren X without worrying about distortion.

When we tried out the Razer Seiren V2 X on my desk using its out-of-the-box settings, we got a fairly flat, shallow, and echoey version of my voice. It was a little better than what you might get from a really fancy headset microphone like the Asus ROG Delta S, but a lot worse than the full and sultry voice we our used to with my Blue Yeti.

Razer Seiren V2 X review: Performance

We recorded it into GarageBand and compared it to other mics we’ve tried. Here, the signal is clear and crisp because the mic is better at picking up high-mid and high-frequency sounds than low-mid and midrange sounds. This doesn’t make things sound thin or brittle, but even when you’re close to the capsule, you’ll get less low-frequency response from the mic.

We wish the mic’s volume knob for headphones was post-gain, but it’s not. This means that if you record into your computer using any software and use the headphone jack for low latency, the signal you send to the computer doesn’t match what you hear. For example, you might hear yourself loud and clear through your headphones, but you might be sending no signal, a weak signal, or a signal that is distorted

When we turned off the analogue gain limiting and the high-pass filter, the Seiren V2 Pro sounded a bit more focused on the high-mids than the Apogee Mic Plus, which costs $350. The Seiren V2 Pro also sounds a little brighter and crisper than the $100 Rode NT-USB Mini, which is another desktop USB option.

Even though the Seiren V2 Pro definitely delivers on clarity—your audience should have no trouble understanding you—it seems to sacrifice a transparent tone to do so, as both the Apogee and Rode mics have signals that sound more natural and less sculpted.

Razer Seiren V2 X review: Software

Both devices connect to Razer Synapse, but only the V2 Pro’s software has a high pass filter option. We didn’t think it did much to stop fan noise, so we didn’t use it. It might be good for keeping other low-frequency sounds in. As a warning, we wouldn’t recommend getting either of these mics for the software. When we first got the Seiren V2 Pro, the software didn’t work at all, so we couldn’t use my mic until we got rid of Synapse from my computer.

We came back to it later and tried it again, but it’s still not very good. The software is meant to work as a mixer so you can change the volume of different audio sources on your PC for your stream, recording, and audio monitoring mix.

This isn’t really groundbreaking technology that you can’t already do with OBS or Voicemeeter, but since Elgato’s Wave Link software got a lot of attention from a few big content creators, Razer probably thought it needed to do the same.

Razer Seiren V2 X review: Price and availability

Razer just updated its line of USB microphones, and the Seiren V2 Pro is made for creators, vloggers, and streamers. It costs $149.99, which is about the same as most of the other models we test. It has a high bit-depth and sampling rate, low-latency monitoring, and a clear, crisp signal.

Razer’s Synapse software only works on Windows, which is a bit of a bummer since many people who make content use Macs. Mac users can’t use important features like analogue gain limiting and the high-pass filter without Synapse. Even so, the Seiren V2 Pro is a pretty good product, though Windows users might get more out of it.

Razer Seiren V2 X review: Final words

Razer’s Seiren V2 X microphone doesn’t have much more to offer than the Seiren X besides a new look. The only improvement in terms of hardware is that it handles your audio signal better. Even so, the sound is still not very good unless you have a boom arm and speak at the right volume or turn on the analogue gain limiter.

To turn on that limiter, you have to use the Synapse software, which isn’t very easy to use and spends most of its time on a Stream Mixer feature that isn’t very useful. Plus, even if you don’t want to use it, the Stream Mixer feature requires that the microphone add a lot of extra outputs to your Windows Sound Settings, which you’ll just have to ignore.

FAQs

Is the Razer Seiren V2 X good for gaming?

Streamers are everywhere; in order to stand out among them, you need clarity that can cut through the noise. Be heard with the Razer Seiren V2 X, a USB microphone that is ideal for any streaming setup and comes packed with all of the technology necessary to bring your voice to full, vibrant life.

Is the Razer Seiren V2 X good for singing?

Because of this, it is fantastic for any kind of vocal-based recording; if you are just starting out as a streamer or podcaster, the Razer Seiren V2 Pro is going to be a lot of fun for you to use. In addition to that, it offers a much wider variety of gameplay options than this does.

Is Razer Seiren a good microphone?

We think you should do it! Excellent value considering the condenser’s quality. The quality of the sound is comparable to that of a Rode NT-USB in most respects. The build quality is on par with what one would anticipate from a Razer product.