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I’m Begging You To Avoid This Razer Headset

I know it’s perhaps too early to declare something the most disappointing headset of the year. It’s only July. There’s still a little over five months for tech companies to release questionable gaming items. But the missteps of this particular product are so frustrating and the company’s legacy so steady that the only thing which could outdo it in the disappointment department is a headset that doesn’t produce audio at all.
Back in the spring, Razer launched the new Kraken V3 X gaming headset. Any time they add a version number to one of their products, I’m expecting something big, because it usually means that it’ll have a brand new design or some paradigm-shifting features that warrant the marketing hype.
The Kraken V3 X bucked this trend. It isn’t an improvement on any of the products it follows, and it isn’t the best headset Razer sells in the $69 price range. In fact, it might be the worst headset they have on the market right now.
Here are all of the reasons why the Kraken V3 X is both the most disappointing headset of the year, and one of the most disappointing tech products I’ve ever used.

Mediocre Sound Quality
The sound of the Kraken V3 X lands with a damp, soft, unimpressive thud. The bass is boomy and indistinct. The midrange is warm, bland, and frustratingly lacking in detail. And the treble is so sucked out that everything just sounds wrong and lame.
This headset marked the debut of the 40mm version of Razer’s “Triforce” speaker driver, which up until this product had been a mark of good audio quality. Put on any of the Blackshark V2 headsets, or Razer’s Xbox-exclusive Kaira, and their 50mm “Triforce” drivers will instantly wow you with their impressive sound.
I thought perhaps that these smaller versions were just a dud, but right now I’m in the middle of reviewing the Barracuda X that my local Best Buy put out early, which uses the same speakers. It sounds much better than the Kraken V3 X, with the…