Razer Piranha Gaming Communicator Review

Introduction:

Headsets are a hard thing to shop for. Unlike a graphics card, which has a definite speed and feature set, headsets are pretty subjective. Yes, you usually see the dynamic range of the headset, if they are closed or open ear, and if they have an inline volume control. After that, however, you get some features that you really have no idea what effect they will have. Does it really matter if the connector is gold plated? What does having a neodymium magnet driver mean? And are these features worth an extra $30 or $40? That makes reviews like this one essential tools in aiding you with your purchase decision, and I will do my best to help you out. Headsets are very helpful in a lot of situations, and more and more games have built-in VoIP support, which makes it even easier to communicate and strategize with your teammates. A headset should be in every gamer's toolbox.

The Razer Piranha headset boasts several features that everyone should like. Some of these features are the 18-22,000 Hz dynamic range (well outside the human audible range), the ability to use it with either 1/8th inch inputs/outputs or USB, and an inline volume control. Some other features that it boasts are braided fiber cable protection, 32 Ohm impedance, and a single-sided cable for "hassle free usage." These are the features that make people wonder if they're really necessary or not. Let's take a look at how the Razer Piranha stands up to some testing, and see if these specs really make for a great product.

Closer Look:

The packaging that the Razer Piranha Gaming Communicator comes in is a sleek black with a picture of the Piranha and its glowing blue tri-snake that most Razer fans are familiar with. Note that he logos will only illuminate when the headset is connected via USB, not via the headphone jacks.  The package is initially wrapped in a plastic cover to protect the cardboard box, but somewhere along the line, my package got torn into, which even the plastic could not stop. There was obviously some kind of shipping issue, and it was a little disappointing.

The back of the box lists the features of the Razer Piranha headset in almost a dozen languages. The downside of having so many languages is that the type is very small and would be hard to read if you didn't have the best vision. If I had to take a guess at what size font it is, it's probably around 5 or 6. When you open the box, the headset slides out and is presented nicely in a plastic/felt package. The only downside to this type of packaging is that the only way to remove the headphones is to cut the package.

Pulling the headset out reveals that the cable is long enough for almost anyone's use, measuring three meters in length. The end of the cable splits into three different wires; one for usb, and two 1/8th inch jacks for audio in and out. Use of the USB connection is optional, and provides power to light the Razer logos on the sides of the headphones and inline volume control.  The glow is a nice, soothing blue that will really make you stand out at a LAN party or when your friends come over.