Razer Blackshark V2 Hyperspeed review: Premium quality, budget price

The Razer Blackshark V2 Hyperspeed is a comfortable and impressive gaming headset, offering premium features at a lower cost.

There are a bewildering array of gaming headsets on the market today, and if you are operating on a budget then it’s difficult to justify the price of some premium models. The Razer Blackshark V2 Hyperspeed offers the premium feel without the damage to your bank balance – and does it all wirelessly.

Key Specs

• Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB-C, 2.4GHz
• Driver diameter: 50mm
• Frequency response: 12Hz – 28KHz
• Weight: 280g
• Compatibility: PC, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Smartphone
• Features: External volume dial, wireless functionality
• Price: $129.99

Design

At first glance, the Razer Blackshark V2 Hyperspeed looks remarkably similar to its more expensive sibling, the Blackshark V2 Pro. The oval ear cups, metal adjustment clasps, and chunky volume dial all strongly resemble the Pro. It is only upon picking up the headset that the difference becomes clear.

The shell of the headset is made of very lightweight plastic, but despite this, the headset feels solid in your hands, probably due to the metal frame underneath. Despite being a wireless headset, and therefore fitted with a battery and wireless transceiver, the headset is remarkably light. You can forget you are wearing a headset at all. Razer has not cut down on the battery to achieve this, though, as the battery can last for an impressive 70 hours of use.

The ear cups are covered in leatherette instead of the breathable fabric of the Pro. This is a bit of a shame since leatherette does perish over time and becomes a flaky mess, but this is one of the few areas where the budget nature of the headset is apparent.

The microphone is not removable and is very noticeable with its bulbous foam cover. Having to move it out of the way when not in use is a bit of a nuisance – a far cry from the convenience of being able to tuck the mic safely away as with headsets like the Razer Kraken.

Despite being made by the king of flashy RGB gaming devices, the Blackshark is surprisingly understated, with only a fairly small and discrete Razer logo showing off its pedigree to the outside world.

Features

The volume control dial is a great feature. It’s easy to find and requires no fiddling to get it to work – unlike the controls on some headphones and headsets – and has a nice click through each audio level. The other controls are almost as easy to use, with a power button, mic mute, and volume dial on the right. The left side provides access to the Razer Smart Switch button, which lets you switch between different pre-set sound profiles. These are fine, but honestly not that useful in most situations.

The headset can connect using Bluetooth, but also via 2.4GHz wireless using the included dongle, or you can even plug it in via USB-C. The included USB cable is a bit short, however, so it is more useful for charging the device than as a viable means of connection – unless you sit very close to your PC.

Performance

The Razer Blackshark is hardly an audiophile-level device, but it still sounds excellent. It really delivers in the mid-range, and manages great clarity and sharpness on the top-end, though the bass could stand to be a little punchier. It still offers some great sound regardless of what genre of music you are listening to, or the type of game you are playing.

In games such as Dead By Daylight the headset provides an excellent sense of atmosphere, as the environmental sounds and ambiance were very well translated into my ears, providing vital clues for when it was time to start running. This partially has to do with how well the headset fits to provide excellent sound isolation, despite not being an active noise-cancelling device. Similarly in Path of Exile, everything sounded clear, with the jungles of Act 2 sounding particularly lush – at least until the plummeting ursa dropped onto my head.

The microphone also performed extremely well, with an impressive lack of popping, and it filtered out extraneous background noise without the need for any additional software.

Verdict: 4/5

The Razer Blackshark V2 Hyperspeed is not without its flaws, and there are some notable compromises made to bring it down into the budget range. That said, it remains a remarkably capable headset that can punch above its weight class and deliver a clear and comfortable near-premium experience for a more affordable price point.

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