Razer is a company used to presenting new products quite frequently, and the CES at the beginning of the year is as always an excellent opportunity to hit the market with interesting news. On this occasion we are not talking about a new product in the strict sense of the term but about a re-edition of a pair of headphones that we have already treated extensively exactly one year ago. These are the Razer Kaira Pro for Xbox, a set of headphones created for the new Microsoft consoles (but also fully functional with the “old” Xbox and Xbox One X characterized by excellent sound quality, excellent materials and an assembly that leaves little to chance, in perfect Razer tradition.
The similarities are evident and you can also see them from the unboxing video that you find in this review in which we compare them. Apart from some details on the fabric of the pavilion covers and the differences on the front of the coloring, we are essentially faced with two headphones that are practically identical to each other, also on the front of the inputs on the two pavilions and of the controls present, which are really many.
In the lower part of the right pavilion we find the key for pairing the Bluetooth: once associated, this key also acts as a multimedia key for music tracks, acceptance of calls or recording of voice messages. Below it is the wheel that balances the volume in game with that of the voice chat, while further down is the button that controls the various equalization profiles and pairing with Xbox or PC and another button absent on the Xbox version for haptic feedback, but we’ll get back to that shortly.
Moving to the left side there are even more slots and controls: in addition to the charging input in USB-C format and that of the detachable microphone, we find a tiny diaphragm for the integrated microphone to be used on the move, the general volume wheel, the microphone mute, battery status indicator and power button. On the left side there are so many controls and a certain dexterity is needed to get used to finding what you need.
The charge indicator is characterized by three colors, green, yellow and red depending on the remaining battery life, an aspect that can be inferred from an audio tone played when switching from one charge level to another. The power button also allows you to cycle between the various lighting modes of the pavilions that can be changed for color and effects: on the two shells on the outside there are in fact two backlit Razer logos which, even via the Xbox app, allows you to intervene on coloring. The features are therefore several and designed to give the user as many possibilities as possible in terms of use between consoles, PCs and mobile devices.
Also as regards the fit there are no differences whatsoever except for a small detail related to weight. The fit is excellent: the movements of the head have very little inertia and even after a few hours of use they “feel” very little, without tiring at all. The fit is also excellent thanks to the 90 ° rotation of the pavilions and the loop that compresses the headphones without causing discomfort. The fact that you have no cable, unless you are using them in charging, helps a lot to forget you have them on your head.
Between the two models, the materials that cover the two pavilions change slightly and in our view also the density of the foam that rests on the temples: that of the Kaira Pro Xbox is slightly less dense and for this reason it tends to return a greater sensation of lightness, but it is a very faint impression that tends to vanish immediately. The difference, on the other hand, is much more marked as regards the fabric: the leatherette is excellent in winter but we have the feeling that the more breathable fabric of the Xbox version is more suitable in that context. Small details that however do not shift the level of evaluation excessively one way or the other (unless you live in a hot or cold place all year round).
As for the audio quality, one might expect that even in this case there are no differences whatsoever since neodymium magnets are practically the same with the same impedance values, frequency response and sensitivity. This is not entirely the case since this model is equipped with a sound feedback solution inspired by the feedback present in joypads inspired by the return of force of steering wheels and pedals. Inside the pavilions there are two devices calibrated on the bass response that return a vibration depending on the channel played (right or left) but also in the upper and lower part of the pavilion itself. This is a solution designed to involve the player more, especially in the most excited moments of the action, especially explosions or similar situations that Razer’s intention should give an extra gear to the gaming experience.
We confirm that any use outside the gaming sector sees in the haptic feedback that can generate some perplexity in particular with music since it tends to disturb the perception of bass. The feedback can be deactivated but above all adjustable on three different levels of intensity. We have ranged through the various musical genres and the medium and high settings are absolutely to be discarded since the haptic feedback literally beats on the temples like a blacksmith of the past, quickly annoying.
Instead we have to say that we found ourselves very well listening to music rich in bass such as funk, bossa nova, modern pop or even metal at the lowest setting. This does not bother but greatly enriches the fruition to the point of making you almost perceive the vibration of the stringed instruments. A truly remarkable experience that puts these headphones in a category of its own for audiophiles but also for Gamers and is the environment in which they give their best.
The most demanding settings are certainly suitable for very demanding situations full of explosions that almost make the headphones jump on the head at the most extreme volumes: in addition to the usual Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Ghosts of Tsushima that have rendered spectacularly on PS5, we have put these Kaira Pros to the test with a title that makes sound a fundamental element of gameplay such as Escape of Tarkov. The tension of the shootings takes on a completely different dimension, but it is above all the perception of the most subtle and distant noises that really make the difference between life and death and these Kaira have behaved in a magnificent way, to the point of not making you hear the difference with higher class wired products.
If you disable the haptic feedback, these Kaira Pros sound exactly like the Xbox One X version on PS5: an excellent quality for a Wireless device, capable of ranging very well between various genres without particular distortions or uncertainties. We repeated exactly the same tests as you can read them in the review of the first version without finding any differences whatsoever in both gaming and music playback. As then, the possibility of installing the Razer audio app on the mobile phone allows separate control of the headphones with four equalization profiles (amplified, bass, FPS and the default one) which can be recalled via a button on the left ear cup complete with a voice warns which profile is set. The last is a customizable profile via the smartphone app. Even the response and the quality of the microphone are absolutely identical, for a very high quality level.
The other substantial difference compared to the Xbox version is the presence of a Wi-Fi dongle with USB-C input designed specifically for connection to a smartphone among the most recent models to support this standard. This allows you to stay connected to your PC, PlayStation 4 or 5 or even a mobile console to play games or even watch a movie and have the ability to receive and manage calls on your mobile phone without removing the headphones. We tested the functionality and it’s really great for those who want to avoid putting on and taking off their headphones all the time. For those who do not want to be disturbed because perhaps a particularly difficult boss is approaching, on the app there is also the possibility of changing the calls from a mobile phone, an operation that can also be done by disconnecting the supplied dongle.
Our endurance tests are lower than Razer claims in the specs which point to a maximum of twenty hours of use with Chroma effects and Haptic Feedback activated and a maximum of fifty with just the audio in the headphones. We stopped at sixteen in the first case and thirty-eight in the second, more than enough for constant use without being constantly attached to the charging cable. During our test on more than one occasion the volumes were high so it is reasonable to think that with a more peaceful use it is possible to reach the values declared by the manufacturer.
Defects to report? The extra due to haptic feedback translates into about forty grams of extra weight which, however, does not change the fit and comfort. We would have liked very much instead that the headphones could also work as a wired device on a PC, since there is already a USB-C connection for charging and without a doubt it would not have been complicated to make them visible to the operating system with a simple connection of the USB cable. It is also true that the Razer catalog is full of devices of this kind, but given the price of these Kaira Pros, and above all their multi-platform vocation, an extra effort could also be made.
Speaking of price, the button is, as usual, a sore point since it is a Razer product if the Xbox version costs 130 euros, the one in our test equipped with haptic feedback and the dongle for using the via a smartphone is close to two hundred. EUR; a very high figure that could discourage many PlayStation users from investing. Fortunately, Razer’s vast catalog runs to the aid of those who want to give up haptic feedback by offering the “smooth” version of these Kaira at the same price as the Xbox one. The choice is yours on how to proceed if you are among the lucky owners of a PS5 and your needs are for a high-level wireless product.
#Razer #Kaira #Pro #PS5 #Review #sounds