Customer Reviews

Razer Carcharias Gaming Headset (Black)

5 star:		(79)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I must admit I was a bit put off by the price of this gaming headset and the lack of features. Other PC headsets such as the Logitech G35 and Senn's PC350 were priced more but came with more features and of course, a bigger brand name. But when it comes down to gaming and listening to music, you aren't really asking for a lot. The Razer Carcharias delivers what one would need to enjoy listening to music, and of course, long comfortable gaming sessions.

Out of the box, the Carcharias seems pretty normal, perhaps even a bit cheaply made. Padding is placed in appropriate places, including the headband and loudspeakers. The padding is exceptionally soft, especially around the loudspeakers where the material is felt-like. The thin plastic that covers part of the headphones may seem flimsy, but is very light. A nice mesh around the headphones is also present, and also takes away a bit of weight. A nice part of the construction is the wire that connects the speakers to the headband. It is not only quite sturdy, but also gives some range of motion without compromising that integrity. Speaking of wires, the cable for the headset itself is very lengthy (nine feet) and is braided in fiber. The mic is sturdy itself and can be turned 270 degrees. It is also bendable at the midsection to some degree.

No sense praising the construction if it isn't even comfortable, and this is the part where the Carcharias excels at. Placing these headphones on for the first time felt amazing, as if it was conforming to the shape of my head. Of course, I felt this way about many headphones at first, so naturally I decided to start up a few games (which easily lasted several hours), after which I listened to a few hours of music while studying. There was absolutely no discomfort at all after all that time. The lightweight construction and circumaural design is a real blessing to the ears. The headphones themselves are also very easy to adjust.

The audio quality for these headphones is quite exceptional, enough to justify wearing these headphones for hours. As probably mentioned, audiophiles may want to look elsewhere, but for the casual listener, the quality is more than good enough. Although the bass is quite deep ("boomy"), it does not overwhelm the treble. The highs for this headphones can be quite distinct (ie loud), and since the volume can go quite high on this thing, may be overwhelming sometimes. Much of this is perfectly suited to games, especially first-person shooters. Keep in mind that this headset does not provide surround sound, and never was intended to. You can take a look at the aforementioned models for that.

The noise-filtering mic for this headset works well. I tested it with Ventrilo, Skype, and Left 4 Dead, and others could hear me very well, with a noticeable lack of background noise from my side. I should note that I had the mic at its default positioning (no additional bending). It can be adjusted to be a bit closer or further.

Overall, the Razer Carcharias does its job as a gaming headset very well. I consider it Razer's best headset in terms of price vs performance; a step above the Mako, and better than the Barracuda and Megalodon. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys long gaming sessions and listening to music. The comfort along with its exceptional audio quality and mic justifies the pricing; just don't expect any extra features.

Side note: I also think the name for this headset is awesome. As someone who's interested in cartilaginous fishes, I don't think they could have picked a better name.

This is the best voice/audio solution I've found for gaming. There's plenty of cushioning around the ears and on the top of the head. They do a superb job of distributing their weight. I have some reservations about the microphone getting loose but so far so good. If it does, I believe I can fix it with some tape. The cord is wrapped in a similar/same material that you find on new power supply cables and is very pleasant to hold.

The mic is by far the best I've ever had. It picks up my voice excellently with volume to spare. It does not bother my face at all and never hits me in the mouth.

The headphone portion of this set is also great. They produce great sound and have impressive bass all things considered. Is this audiophile quality sound? Probably not, but it's still the best sound from a headset I've ever heard. Excellent frequency response (20 Hz-20,000Hz).

Overall, an excellent headset if a bit on the pricey side. The microphone is great without compromising too much in the headphones and is probably the best sound with microphone you can get for $80. You might be able to do better with some audiophile headphones but they don't have mics :P The packaging is also beautiful. You will feel guilty throwing any of it away.

This is my second Razer headset now and they are built far too flimsy to justify the purchase. My first one had bad wires to the mic and I simply upgraded. This new one decided to only play in Monotone after 6 months and it had bad wires to the dongle. Razer use to stand for quality, and the sound is still top notch but the construction of these headphones are Chinese sweat shop quality. Buyer beware.

I decided to purchase this product after reading through a few reviews myself, and after the cord on my logitech headset snapped (due to some unfortunately accident). Having a child in the house, this headset definitely feels more stable, the cord leading from the headset to the computer is wrapped in cloth and feels more stable then any other headset I've found. The headset itself is cushioned along the inside..and is very comfortable to wear for hours on end, and the microphone seems to be holding up very nicely! For those of us who are often too quiet to be heard in ventrilo (with all options for the mic turned up to their max) the mic on this set seems to help with that. So..I give this a big thumbs up.

Before this headset, I was using the Bose Around-Ear Headphones, which offered great audio quality, though I'm no audiophile. The two issues I had with the old Bose headphones was A) Using a Microphone to talk to other players in Ventrilo while playing games with the headphones was awkward, and B) The previous Bose pair had issues right after the one-year warranty wore off TWICE. For the first pair, the stitching for the padding around the speakers started coming appart and for the second pair, the stitching came apart and the left speaker stopped working altogether. Needless to say, I wasn't going to sign up for a third pair knowing they would need replacing roughly a year from now.

Now, going from the $150 Bose headphones to this $65 Razer Headset, my first concern was the inevitable drop in sound quality that this headset would produce, and while yes, there is a drop in sound quality, it isn't anywhere near as bad as I thought it would be. Bass is only slightly less sharp and trebble in general just sounds ever so slightly more flat than the Bose headphones, and I have to actually TRY to pick out the diffrences in order to really notice. Similarly, I used the test function in Ventrilo in order to get an idea for what my voice would sound like, and my voice was nice and clear, save for a light whining noise in the background (most likely background noise being downtoned by the mic).

Seeing as I've just bought a headset that rivals my old $150 Bose headphones in sound quality and a mic that offers similar voice quality for less than HALF of what I payed for my old Bose headphones alone, I'm incredibly happy with this purchase. Razer's products just seem to hit home with me, as I've also bought a Deathadder a while back and love it.

The only real drawback I can think of is that while this headset does go around the ears, and is VERY comfortable, it doesn't really "seal" around the ears, so it's pretty likely that sound leaks from the headset and others can hear if you use them at high volume. I don't have a problem with that, seeing as I use them while alone anyways, but this may matter to some.

After fumbling through several other cheap headsets I finally decided to spend a little more to get something quality without going overboard on price. I've traditionally been very happy with Razer products so as opposed to going with a Logitech, Turtle Beach, etc. I went with the Razer Carcharias. The first thing I noticed was the level of comfort. These ear cups are large enough to surround and hug your ears no matter how large they are. The material, though a dust magnet, surrounding the ear cups are amazingly soft. If I had to describe it, I would call it a felt towel. The padding on the top band of the headphones are large and plus. The overall weight of the headphones is pretty light adding to the overall comfort.

The mic is quite small and cannot be adjusted in length. It can be adjusted in angle though (Up and down, even far enough if you want the mic on the right and also fore and aft). I am still fumbling with voice settings in Ventrillo to get it to work consistently while voice-activated. It works phenomenally on Skype. Like with any headset, once you switch you're going to have to spend some time readjusting your audio settings for your mic, so it's to be expected.

Like other reviews have noted, the bass is essentially non-existent. It's equivalent to a stock pair of iPod earbuds. It's not really a deal breaker for me as I have used headphones with too much bass and it ended up giving me a headache. I have yet to find a decent headset that provides good bass for under $100, so if the bass is an issue definitely invest in a higher end headset.

Can most people make due with a cheaper headset? Yes.
Sound Quality? Average for a sub $100 headset.
Comfort? The most comfortable sub $100 headset I've used, which definitely makes it worth it's price.

this headset is AMAZING. incredibly comfortable around the ears for hours of gaming...even with glasses, super soft cusions around ear and on headband, great mic quality...no complaints so far. And as an added bonus, the cables are bound in a rope-like material....and thats just awesome :)

Good quality build, fair price for what you get.

Excellent for Skype, very good music quality (not audiophile quality, but very listenable)

Comfortable, easy to wear for headphone of this type.

Thumbs up

For the last couple of years I've been meaning to purchase a good set of computer headphones. Since I was used to listening to my Logitech Z-2300's when it didn't bother people around me, switching to headphones was always a disappointment since the quality was so much lower ( I have a pair of Zune v2 ear buds I was using up until now for both my iPod and my computer ). After listening to higher end headphones like the Sennheiser HD 595's I had convinced myself that that was the kind of money I needed to pay to get good quality sound out of headphones. Then I found the Carcharias.

This isn't some preachy "This is the best headset in the world" review, because it's not. I still think the HD 595 sounded WAY nicer than this, mostly because of the bass clarity which is due to the larger drivers. However, for $60 - $80, I am confident that this is easily the best headset available. Actually, this is probably the best headset below $120, and absolutely NOTHING about this headset is cheap, except the price of course. Here are the major selling points for the headset after listening to the headset for a few weeks.

- First off, this is easily the most comfortable headset I have ever worn. I loved the HD 595's when I wore them, and they were extremely comfy, but the larger drivers mean more weight. The Carcharias have a perfect weight and balance to them, and never feel precarious or awkward at all.

- The headphones, although by no means expensive, easily hold their own against cans that cost $50 - $100 more. The treble is great, very clear and never screechy. Midrange is balanced and perfectly suited for games, movies, etc. Bass is a little lacking in my opinion, but for a set of headphones as light, low-priced and comfy as these, it's really hard to expect more. There's nothing wrong with the bass, it's just that it would be nice if the bass kicked just a little more. Then again, my comparisons are dinky ear buds and a killer set of speakers, so maybe you won't find them lacking at all. Heck, if you're used to normal ear buds, these are heaven in comparison. :]

- The mic picks up sound perfectly and rotates so it can be worn either way. Not much else to say about it, it works and it works well. Infinitely better than the desktop mic I was used to.

- Finally, small details: The presentation, fit and finish, and style are all top notch. Nothing is gaudy or overdone, and the headset as a whole exudes class. Very nice looking, extremely comfy, extra long 6 ft. braided headphone/microphone cable with inline volume adjustment and microphone mute. Headphones put almost NO pressure on your head, making them comfy to wear for hours on end.

Overall, the ONLY flaw is the slightly lacking bass, and even that is hard to knock it for at all since the headphones sound so dang good overall. I have no problem giving this the full 5/5 stars, and it definitely earned them. Fantastic headset overall. If you're in the market for one and don't want to pay more than $100, this is THE headset to get.

Also, sorry I kept referring to the Sennheiser HD 595's so often, but those are the pinnacle of headphones I've heard, so everything gets compared to them and these stood up pretty dang well. Excellent work Razer.

Pros: Very, very comfortable design, Over ear headset
Cons: Mic Boom is virtually unadjustable, personally they feel kind of loose against my head, I wish they were tighter.

This is a decent headset if you need comfort. The audio isn't spectacular though, it claims to have "deep bass" but I'm still waiting for it to show me. If you need comfort and can find these on sale, buy them, if not, look elsewhere.