Razer Blackshark Expert 2.0 Gaming Headset

This is a review of the Razer Blackshark  Expert 2.0 Gaming Headset. I am a gamer first and headphones have always been one of those peripherals that I neglected. It has only been recently that I found out how much having a good headset can increase the awareness, entertainment, and general playability in games.
First off let go over the Razer Blackshark Expert 2.0 Gaming Headset and see what visually it has to offer. Razer put out two versions of this Blackshark. One for the release of Battlefield 3, and  one set with their color scheme. We are going to look at the Blackshark headset with Razer’s color schemed headset. The differences between them are orange wires and the words “Battlefield 3” on the top of the headband.

If you haven’t seen the Razer Blackshark Expert 2.0 Gaming Headset yet then all you need to do it think about the headset a pilot of a helicopter or airplane wears. A quicksearch on Google of helicopter headsets will reveal that they are indeed inspired by them.

Construction:                                                                                     

First off, I will admit I have a large head. To get my ears comfortably rest in them I have to slightly fold my ear into the cup. After a few times I did not notice but it can be uncomfortable with long gaming sessions or watching movies. I assume this isto do with the size of my ears, but for a person with smaller ears then these could fit completely fine and dandy.

The weight, materials, and general feel of the Razer Blackshark Expert 2.0 Gaming Headset is up there with any headset on the market. With a metal chassis you don’t have that cheap plastic feel. The boom microphone cable is interlaced with a metal arm. Between those two things the Razer Blackshark does not ever feel they would break easily.

Adjust-ability and Comfort:

With the Razer Blackshark Expert 2.0 Gaming Headset there is not any wobbling or moving once you fit them for yourself which is fantastic considering all the ways Razer has left for the user to adjust them. The headband on the Razer Blackshark Expert 2.0 Gaming Headset has two thumbscrews to let you move this piece up or down. The actual cups can move back and forth, and tilt side to side. The boom microphone on the Razer Blackshark Expert 2.0 Gaming Headset is detachable and in the box comes an attachment to place where the boom microphone is if you want to leave it off. The boom microphone on the Razer Blackshark Expert 2.0 Gaming Headset does allow you to change where you want the actual microphone so you do have a lot of adjustment room also depending on the user. As far as the wire to connect to the computer is 3 feet long and comes with an extension of another 3 feet. The Razer Blackshark Expert 2.0 Gaming Headset does not have any inline volume controls so this will have to be done though your computer.

Installation:

Since the Razer Blackshark Expert 2.0 Gaming Headset do not have any controls on the actual headset it is just a matter of connecting them to your computer using the correct inputs. The Razer Blackshark Expert 2.0 Gaming Headset does not need a USB port to power them so that helps if you are limited on the USB ports you have to use.

Noise cancellation:

Razer Blackshark Expert 2.0 Gaming Headset’s circumaural ear cups provide a good amount of noise cancellation. They are not perfect but if you have them over you ear all the way then sounds around you are very softened where I could only hear my keyboard and a couple faint sounds going on around me.

Sounds:

If you are watching movies, listening to music, or playing a game these have pretty good sound for not being surround sound. The bass is well above average and are the mid-ranges are adequate. When using the microphone they have good clarity for people listening to me and did a good job of not catching every sound going on around me either.

Would I recommend these to a gamer?

Yes I would as a very good starter set if you can find them cheap enough. Amazon has them at their listed price of $129.99 so they may not be in the budget of the budget gamer. They are very well built so unless something tragic happens the construction will make them last for years.

Personal Overview:

The Razer Blackshark Expert 2.0 Gaming Headset is a nice set if you find them for the right price. I have used them daily for the past couple weeks at the time of this review. I do not have any major complaints other than they can become uncomfortable on my ears after a few hours because of the size of the cups. I like the quality to play games, watch movies, and listen to music but I wouldn’t recommend them for anyone that is an audiophile since they work best for gaming and do not have surround sound built into them.

Specs from Razer’s website: