Razer Carcharias headset: unboxing and impressions
By Darren Murph 
posted February 24th 2009 2:59PM
posted February 24th 2009 2:59PM
The lengthy braided cable was slick, the in-line remote was a thoughtful touch and the headband was amongst the most comfortable we've had the pleasure of coming into contact with at this price point. When speaking with Razer CEO Robert Krakoff, he confessed that these were specifically designed to be worn comfortably for upwards of 10 hours, and we believe it. He also noted that customers were clamoring for deeper bass response in its headphone products, and yet again, it delivered in bringing the low-end to these cans. Not once did we feel the bass was magnified out of proportion, and while it's obviously designed to let gamers feel the "booms," we thoroughly enjoyed how it handled good ole rock 'n roll.
All in all, we're comfortable recommending these to PC gamers who could also use a new pair of headphones for music alone. At $79.99, these are solid enough to last you for quite some time, and the superior comfort level here is really what sets it apart. Razer may not be the first name that comes to mind when you think audio, but these are definitely worth a listen.
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Sweet, I'm actually in the market for a gaming headset. Are they comfortable for large heads?
Oh, and another question (silly lack of post editing!):
How good is the stereo imaging/sound localization on these? While I, like many gamers, like to yap while fragging, it would be nice to get great localization performance in terms of footsteps, grenade plinks, and gunfire.
These things can get HUGE. Seriously, I can't imagine someone having a head that wouldn't fit comfortably in these. Razer made the adjustment range really, really wide.
Go for one in the Audio Technica Axxx range. I have the AT A900's and they're pretty much one of the best things I've ever bought for my computer!
Them and a decent mouse is all you need to pwn ;).
i love to yap while fapping
That's funny, I was just at the Razer website and just saw these. Except at the website, the price is listed as $79.99
http://www.razerzone.com/p-197-razer-carcharias-gaming-headset.aspx
$79 is a decent price, otherwise I'd recommend Sennheisers, they make some great headsets.
Thank goodness someone had the common sense to post a link to the product. You would think a review article would include something like that.
A few questions for the reviewer (or anyone):
- The cans look like they use that foam that comes on cheap headsets. I can't stand the stuff. Is that what they are made with, or is it something else?
- Is that headband material removable for washing? I would think years of 10 hour days of gaming would make it really sweaty smelly otherwise...
suppose i'd need an adapter to use this with my 360? been looking for something solid to replace my pos plantronics.
would you like to use a razer mouse and keyboard with your 360 also? :X
Yeah, you'd need a male rca to female 3.5 adapter. I got mine at radioshack. You can always improvise and use couplers (i.e. to convert male rca to female rca, which is what i had to do) You'll also want some sort of amp (for volume adjustments mainly)
Good for listening to Hanna Montana on your iPod...
At that price you could get a pair of Denon D1001K or S headphones easily that likely blow these out of the water. The design is also nothing new, AKG has been doing this for years on their headphones, check out the K401, K501, K601, K701, or even older (and similar) K340.
A headphone "designed" for gaming is a headphone "designed" for crap. There is nothing special about a game in audio fidelity, in fact most are on the very low end as audio is one of the least focused aspects of game assets these days, rather sad.
The mainstream thoughts on audio equipment are quite horrible. Where people think Bose makes good headphones, gaming headphones are actually good, and that 5.1 headphones are worth their equivalence in snot.
This kind of elitist thinking is what makes people think that all audiophiles are c**ts and nobody take them seriously...
One thing that is special to "gaming" headphones are the mics. Noticed any good "gaming" headphone out there without a mic...??? Otherwise your statement is entirely correct...
It's not elitism, it's experience. As opposed to talking out of your ass. You can purchase clip-on mikes, so all 'gaming' really means is you're paying extra for that label.
I added this to my BeyerDynamics cans:
http://www.xoxide.com/zmmic1.html
Works perfect, I love it. Soooo much better than the Razer Barracuda's that I was using before.
Pictures of packing peanuts? Really?
"Unboxing." We aim for genuineness here.
Every retailer that ships through the post is going to package these up differently. There's no "genuineness" involved there. The actual box with pretty pictures on it is "genuine." Everything in THAT box is "genuine." Those are all great pictures. The packing peanuts are just mundane.
Seriously? You're going to bitch this much about a shot of packing peanuts? Wow.
Add velour pads to your favorite pair of headphones to make them comfortable enough to wear for hours. Unfortunately they also absorb oil and moisture so you might want to replace/wash them every once in a while!
Comfortable for hours on end eh? Any DJ's have a spin sesh with these? My headstrap broke on my current cans and after a while they start to get uncomfortable...
Yikes nevermind, didn't see the boom mic on the side. Not exactly conducive to the 1-ear mixes.
Not for DJing.
Check out this youtube video for a review of 7 DJ headphones (may 2008):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9En6Cvi9ces
How are they for folks wearing glasses? My current headphones hurt after an hour or so (they're pretty cheap).
I actually switched to contacts (years ago) and this was one my my main reasons. Trust me switch to contacts, even if you use your glasses for style it lets you buy different pairs (yes, I know people that wear contacts that wear glasses... lol).
Those are some strange unboxing pics. I barely found one with the full device in view. Just because a photo is taken at an angle doesn't mean it's artistic or practical!
I was going to say the same thing, mount that DSLR on a tripod and decrease aperture size for some focus depth.
totally agree.
Well said, chris.
They look black on Razer's website but they look almost gun metal in your unboxing. Can you buy these in different colors or are the colors just "off" on Razer's site?
Just get a pair of Grados SR60s. Best headphone for the money. Made in Brooklyn.
Looks like the AKG K601s or K702s without the 2 metal head bands. Probably doesnt sound as good though XD I will admit that for gaming, my Razer 5.1 headphones give excellent positioning.
Sold.
i love razer products. i have the copperhead gaming mouse and tarantula keyboard. both are excellent. i could use a new headset. i'm in! :D
I WANT THIS!
I actually like the peanuts shot, but the rest of the pictures are just feel too dreamy for a gadget. Using shallow DOP on almost every single picture of the product? We know you can afford a nice camera with a wide aperture, sure you must have a decent flash too, please use it!
F/1.4? (it couldn't be Telephoto macro with tripod, could it?) any one here in engadget owns a lighting tent? What type of photo equipment do you use?
Razer makes good products. but their drivers suck
No, the drivers are pretty good.
Shouldn't they be white? Or at least shouldn't the underside be white?
Really double as a pair of decent cans?
Puh-lease. Leave the sound quality reviews to audiophiles thank you very much. It definitely would blow Bose out of the water but I doubt it's near decent at all.
Maybe take pictures where the object is > 3 inches away from the camera next time. Lets us understand what it really looks like rather than this artsy fartsy shit...
Not surround? Forget about it. I've had my Turtle Beach HPA2's for going on 2 years now, they're a little frayed but they still work wonderfully, and blow stereo out of the water even for stereo sources (believe it or not). Combined with an X-Fi card, they're pretty damn close to god.
Huge fan of Razer products and I cannot wait till mines come in, I needed a new headset and these are right up my alley!
The only reason I would buy these is because they seem big. Big enough to go entirely over my ears. I have a huge problem with my ears stinging when I wear my headphones for too long.
And yes, I wear glasses.
I wouldn't mind a new keyboard.
Picking mine up for 8 bucks new!