Razer Blackshark V2 Pro für Playstation und Xbox

Let’s dive deeper: Razer BlackShark V2 Pro for PlayStation and Xbox

The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro gaming headset for Playstation and Xbox is basically identical in construction to the PC version that we tested earlier. Like this one, these are available in black or white and come with a wireless dongle (“Hyperspeed Wireless”), USB-A to C charging cable and an attachable, bendable microphone with pop protection.

Design & wearing comfort of the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro for PlayStation and Xbox

The headphones we tested with the PS5 weighed approx. 320 grams. The large round ear cups and suspension give this headset a slightly retro look. The extremely soft and thick memory foam headband distributed the weight comfortably on the head without applying too much pressure. Together with the breathable, almost 2cm thick memory foam ear pads, this ensured you could wear it for hours of enjoyment without pressure discomfort – even if you are wearing glasses. Heat build-up was also kept to a minimum, and as with the previous model, it is possible to replace the 6.2 x 4.2 centimetres ear cushions.

The pod suspension and speaker pods are made of plastic, and the delicate-looking metal suspension can be seamlessly adjusted for size adaptation. With an extension length of approx. 3.4cm on both sides, the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro offers sufficient space for even the largest of heads.

The large ear cups are liable to pick up rubbing noises from hoodies; this is drowned out by “action in the ears”, but it can be annoying in quieter sections or when listening to music.

How good is the handling of the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro for Playstation and Xbox?

The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro for PlayStation and Xbox does not have many controls, so the learning curve is not particularly steep, and operation is quick and easy. The power button on the left ear cup switches the headset on/off, a seven-second press puts the BlackShark into Bluetooth pairing mode, while the button above it mutes or arms the microphone. The large seamlessly variable rotary control on the side takes care of the volume and this is conveniently positioned. However, as with these headphones’ PC counterpart, we have some criticism for the inverted control: normally, you would turn the volume up clockwise and down anti-clockwise. This is how it works with mixing consoles, amplifiers and other gaming headsets – with the BlackShark V2 Pro, it’s the other way around.

On the right ear cup, there is only one button. This switches through the EQ pre-sets “Game”, “Movie”, “Music” and “Custom” or – after three seconds of pressing – the “Pro-Tuned FPS Profiles”. These EQ pre-sets, which are customised for specific games, can then be switched through. According to the manufacturer, the FPS audio profiles were developed in collaboration with elite e-sports professionals such as Hakis (Alliance) and Shotzzy (OpTic Gaming) and are designed to fulfil the demanding requirements of competitive console gaming.

Razer Audio App for iOS and Android

Thanks to the connection with the app, the Razer Blackshark can be adapted to suit your own needs. The Razer Audio app can show you the battery status and offers an EQ with several pre-sets (“Music”, “Game”, “Film”, “Custom”, “Apex Legends”, “Call of Duty”, “Fortnite”). The last three e-sports pre-sets can be fine-tuned but cannot be saved with these new settings.

You can activate “Do not disturb” in the app to block wireless calls while gaming. You can also switch on the latency-reduced gaming mode, as well as microphone monitoring, which here is called Sidetone.

Connecting via Bluetooth

Equipped with Bluetooth version 5.2, the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro for Playstation and Xbox transmit with the codec standards SBC and AAC. While using the HyperSpeed dongle, the Razer headphones cut the audio connection, but calls are passed through – unless you have deactivated this in the app. Once the call has ended, these over-ears switch back to HyperSpeed mode. Therefore, it is not possible to make a simultaneous connection, including mixed media playback.

How good is the HyperClear super wideband microphone?

The flexible, unidirectional microphone with a 9.9 millimetre diaphragm and a frequency response of 100 Hz to 10 kHz performs very well. Speech intelligibility was always impeccable, even if we were unable to fully comprehend the manufacturer’s technical specifications in our test recordings. In addition to a number of pre-sets, the manufacturer also provides a custom EQ in the app, which allows the frequencies 31 Hz, 63 Hz and 16 kHz to be boosted or cut. As expected, the Spectrum Analyser in Ableton Live showed hardly any audible changes at extreme settings. The useful signal dropped sharply above 10 kHz.

The system also allowed you to hear a steadily increasing background noise when your own voice was turned up via Sidetone (“microphone monitoring”). Fortunately, only the wearer hears this noise and our recordings were correspondingly clean.

The sound of the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro

Straight out of the box, the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro sounded sober and unspectacular. The manufacturer dispenses with a hyped bass and emphasises the mid and treble range. If you turn the headset all the way up, the upper mids and highs get a boost, but this can sound a little bit too cutting to the ears (e.g. Neneh Cherry’s “Buffalo Stance”). If you don’t want this, you can counteract it with the custom EQ, which is fortunately stored directly on the headphones.

The different EQ pre-sets “Game”, “Movie” and “Music” were a good starting point and worked well in practice, even if they did not always fit one hundred per cent. However, you cannot directly fine-tune these pre-set sound curves, which are customised to their respective purposes.

The headset performed very well when playing games on the PlayStation 5, such as Horizon Forbidden West or Cyberpunk 2077, as it supports the Sony Tempest 3D Engine. In terms of sound, the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro realised Aloy’s gaming world well on the PS5, even if the gaming headset was not able to reproduce the more subtle “micro noises” as precisely as an Audeze Maxwell can. The headset also did not play particularly loudly.

For films or music, speech intelligibility and details were well realised, but the reduced bass lacked depth. The equaliser can be used to compensate for this to some extent, but you can tell that the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro was primarily created for competitive gaming.

The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro in practice

The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro connected quickly: Plug the HyperSpeed dongle into a free USB-C port on the PS5, call up the sound settings and briefly check that everything fits.

A double tap on the Profile/EQ button quickly and reliably switched back to Bluetooth. If the phone rings, you can make calls comfortably via the headset unless you have activated “Do not disturb” in the app. Calls are then not passed through.

The caller on the other end of the line confirmed very good voice quality during calls, with neither sharp sibilants nor a lack of naturalness in their own voice.

However, switching back and forth was a little annoying: If you’re gaming and want to quickly adjust the custom EQ, you have to switch to BT mode with a double press. The Razer Audio app then searches for the headphones for a few seconds before presenting the app interface. You can then fine-tune your settings. Double-click to switch back to wireless mode with the settings you have just made. This was not particularly elegant, but at least it worked reliably.

Conclusion

With the Blackshark V2 Pro for PlayStation and Xbox, Razer presents a powerful gaming headset for e-sports. Thanks to special FPS profiles, you can increase your perception during games in order to hear opponents earlier and react faster – with only three implemented game pre-sets; however, this offer seems a little meagre. The Razer smartphone app doesn’t allow you to make a lot of customisation, but the gaming headset saves these directly on the headset – however, jumping back and forth between the app and PS5 is a bit annoying in everyday use and requires a little patience.

This was not a high-end headset in terms of sound, and it was somewhat unbalanced for our taste, but the Blackshark V2 Pro’s EQ helps you to realise your ideal sound. Speaking of which, we did not like the inverted volume control much, but Razer hits the mark in terms of wearing comfort and the quality of the HyperClear super wideband microphone.