Among all gaming headsets, there is one that stands out from the rest; the Kraken. While many tries and emulate this icon, none can compare to its undeniable distinctiveness. The company behind this icon agrees with popular opinion—if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. Over time, different versions of the Kraken have been released in order to accommodate various needs and wants for consumers, such as tournament editions or even an ultimate version for those who want what they want when they want it.
All in all, this headset offers excellent audio quality at an affordable price. With its sleek design and comfortable build, it comes as no surprise that Razer has already made a name for themselves with the newest addition to their line-up: the Kraken X Lite.
Though inexpensive, it still packs a punch. Take a look at what makes this headset so strong for being cheap in our Razer Kraken X Life Ultralight Gaming Headset review below! Competing headsets can be found in the Logitech G Pro X and HyperX Cloud Orbit S reviews, respectively.
Design and Build Quality
The Razer Kraken X Lite does an admirable job at taking some of the best features from its predecessors and adapting them to a slimmer and lighter frame. Though it doesn’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to technology, it still has all the qualities you would expect from any good gaming headset. For example, they are durable, comfortable and they sound fantastic whether you’re playing League of Legends or watching Netflix on your laptop.
This headset is compatible with most devices with headphones jacks. These include PCs, phones, tablets, all consoles and even the Nintendo Switch. The main difference between this model and the last one is that this one uses a 3.5 mm four-pole connector, which enables users to communicate as well. A built-in mic will also allow you to chat on your phone or laptop without needing an adapter if necessary.
As for the aesthetics, the whole sleek design never lets me down. The grills, hinges, and logo of this headset are all one color – there is no Chroma or RGB effect. It is also impressingly lightweight, weighing only 230g thanks to its plastic frame.
Everything about this headset is made from plastic. Not only does the frame itself use plastics, but so does the spring-loaded hinges. Hinges come with markings for adjusting the size of the headband, which was a nice touch. Though they could have chosen to go with an aluminium band instead of plastic ones—we’re not too concerned if it will still be comfortable enough though!
Razer Kraken X’s left earpads feature a volume dial and a mic mute button. A smaller version of the Kraken X, the Kraken X Lite doesn’t have those controls. The mic cannot be removed and cables are rubberized which are also always connected. This design trend is common among products in this cost range.
Unboxing Experience
Razer has stayed true to its established signature colors of black and green for years now. Though the signature green tends to be less prominent nowadays – it can still be seen in products just by looking closely enough. The unique packaging retains the original color scheme of black and green while also retaining their prestigious logo – which is a surprisingly drastic difference from other high-end products out there (like what we saw in our HyperX Cloud II Wireless Review).
We’ve got a wide selection of images for you to peruse! First up is the console compatibility page, followed by an in-depth feature overview. And if you open up the box, take note of our For Gamers, By Gamers brand on top.
More Razer Products: Razer Viper Ultimate Review
Finally, the headset was nestled in its brown cardboard container, which was packaged with other pieces of paper as well. The package contents were as follows:
- Razer Kraken X Lite headset
- A 3.5mm splitter cable
- User Manual
- Download code for 7.1 surround sound software
Microphone Quality
The Razer Kraken X Lite mic can only pick up sounds from directly in front of it so there is less risk of picking up noise interference. Unlike the HyperX Cloud Alpha S, this headset has its microphone built-in which means that the design doesn’t need to take into account how this would look when worn on top of a person’s head. When gaming, people want clarity and feedback – which this mic provides quite well with its high quality audio recording capabilities.
The sound quality of this microphone is vastly improved over previous models. The only downside to this microphone is that there isn’t an option for adjusting the volume through Razer’s software. That being said, there are many ways to modify the sound via laptop settings or external programs such as Audacity and Sound Forge.
That said, we’ve heard better microphones than this one. Sure, it has some compression going on; and it may not be rich or refined enough for those with the most discerning taste. Nonetheless, vocals sound crisply articulated when singing through it; which means no distortion even at high volumes.
It does lack some high-end features, such as Chat Mix and Side Tone, but that was expected given its price. All in all, this microphone is perfect for when you want to talk to your team mates or even use Discord!
Comfort
While there are some problems with the plastic frame, one of them being durability; we still find comfort in knowing that the Kraken X Lite does a great job at feeling good on our heads. It’s one of the most comfortable headsets available for gamers and for anyone who might want to use it for regular everyday activities.
Though the cups don’t have a swivel, they are able to tilt far back enough for any head size. The adjustable hinge ensures that the headset will conform well for anyone who uses it- including those with larger heads who need more space to accommodate them. Comfortable earcups using light memory foam cushioning as well as an artificial leather headband make this one of the most comfortable headsets I’ve ever worn.
These headphones offer many benefits for people who wear glasses. These are designed to be more comfortable than most competitors, with an outer diameter of 90 x 97mm and an inner diameter of 40 x 68mm. This padding should make it easy for you to find the right fit, but keep in mind that this depends on your head size.
Nevertheless, it does not detract from the comfort factor at all. The pressure applied is just right- not too tight for you to feel fatigued after long periods of use nor too loose so that sound leaks in or out. Besides its light weightiness, sleek design and minimal clamping force – it also has many qualities which make it stand out as a highly affordable headset; with us being unable to find fault in any way whatsoever considering its cost.
Performance and Sound Quality
Moving on to sound quality, the clarity is surprising. When setting the volume wheel to max, you can play these loudly without any distortion. To those who listen to their music loud or game while being noisy- they’ll be thrilled with this one. With onboard audio they’re powerful yet clear; they can get incredibly loud too.
This can provide ample volume for anything you need- phones, PCs, and even a Nintendo Switch (though there are some exceptions). If you’re looking to use it with a PS4 controller however, then there is one catch: while the sound is significantly louder than before, there isn’t much room left. This may be due to the type of controls being used, but regardless of what it was caused by- there’s no way around this problem. Using an Xbox controller solves this though; thankfully.
With 40mm drivers inside this headset, the sound is even more impressive given its price-point. Surprisingly, it balances out much better than any other Razer headsets we’ve heard before. It has an unsurprisingly strong emphasis on bass and treble–a lot of emphasis on treble–which makes sense considering that this is a gaming headset.
The highs are very detailed and emphasized. Compared to other headsets, the bass is slightly more subtle and refined. If you’re looking fort The highs are detailed while the lows are subdued. Compared to other headsets, they lack the deep and rich bass sound- but despite this they maintain a balanced mix of trebles and mids so long as you take time to appreciate them. They carry this trait over wonderfully when listening to music, providing unmatched clarity and detail regardless of what type of genre you enjoy listening to- it’s just important not to expect perfect sound quality from these headphones, even though they could achieve it technically speaking.
The soundstage has a surprisingly good quality to it. Although, it’s not very wide, so someone who wants something like that would probably prefer another set of headphones or speakers than the ones offered here.
hat deep low end sound, these won’t do justice to your ears—but if you look past them (which would be difficult), there will still be an excellent balance between audio clarity and bass treble. This carries over beautifully when listening to music too—no matter what type of genre you’re into, it’ll all sound amazing with this headset; just don’t expect true audiophile quality out of them.
7.1 Virtual Surround Sound
To help create a realistic surround sound experience, Razer provides you with a digital download code for an included simulation of 7.1-channel surround sound. With this new designation, you are able to adjust the roomyness and surround sound effect according to your liking. It sounds much better than what Razer has offered before!
Note that simulated 7.1 surround sound will only work on PC via the software application. This feature does not carry over to consoles or phones. It impacts the audio interface on the PC, not the actual headset itself.
On a related note, you should also check out the Razer Tiamat v2 2.2 Review over at Headphone Reviews if you’re looking for another great headset by Razer.
The quality and benefits of virtual 7.1 surround sound are still debated. It may broaden the soundstage a little and make everything more expansive, but positional audio is not significantly better. In some cases, you will receive better positional audio, but there may be an impact on the overall sound quality. A perfect option would be one that widens the soundstage while retaining great positional audio without interfering with the quality of the sounds.
So, the Kraken X Lite falls right in between being great and not-so-great. In certain games, it works really well; while in others—not so much. It definitely helps with positioning, but depending on which audio engine the game uses, it might cause problems by messing up how clear the sound is or how loud it comes out. Although this can be a bit annoying at times because of its inconsistency, we would still say that it’s pretty decent considering what you’re paying for it all.
Razer Kraken X Lite Ultralight Gaming Headset
Pros
- Impressive lightweight design
- Superb comfort for the price
- Incredible overall value
- Good audio quality
- Decent 7.1 surround
Cons
- Plastic build quality
Conclusion
For gamers looking for an affordable option, this headset from Arctic Sound makes a lot of sense. For the price, it has surprisingly good sound quality; it even beats out some higher-priced competition like the Corsair HS50 and HyperX Cloud Stinger, which we reviewed before. But there are also many other affordable options out there—such as headphones from Kingston or Audio Technica – that offer a similar experience at lower prices.
With so many budget headsets available, it is difficult to find one that suits your needs best. Currently, the Razer Kraken X Lite is one of the most popular options. For those who want some features of a high-end headset but don’t want to pay top dollar, this headset will serve you well. It also comes at an incredibly affordable price while still being able to produce high quality sound without weighing you down or feeling uncomfortable during use, which we think makes it worth considering for any gamer out there.
