When I first saw the Razer Kraken Kitty V2 Pros’, I thought that they were a bit gimmicky, but when I sat down with a pair of bunny ears on my head and really thought about it, Razer has actually made an incredible set of headphones for streamers and cosplayers, and they’ve made it well.
The Razer Kraken Kitty V2 is probably one of the best-sounding headphones I’ve ever had the privilege of wearing. I couldn’t start this review without immediately blurting that out. The sound is rich and full. It’s loud and impactful without cutting out any of the mid-tones, and I honestly enjoyed listening to them for everything, from music to gaming and, most especially, video. In fact, the sound from the Razer Kraken Kitty V2 was so good that when I put my personal set of headphones back on, I thought they were broken because of the immediate drop-off in richness. The Razer Triforce Titanium 50mm Drivers and the THX Spatial Audio are put to good use on these headphones.
Since these headphones were designed for streamers, Razer has put in some extra effort on the comfort side of things. Most streamers are sitting in front of their cameras for hours upon hours, and they need that comfort. Usually, I’m not a fan of the leather-style cups that many headphones come with these days, but the hybrid leather and fabric cups on the Razer Kraken Kitty V2 Pro were great. They didn’t have that plastic feel, and I didn’t profusely sweat into them, making them a hot mess of slippery itchiness.
In terms of gripping onto your head, the Razer Kraken Kitts V2 Pros’ have taken a page out of the book of the head crabs from Half-Life 2. The headphones clamp down tightly onto your head, and when you remove them, it feels like you’re stepping outside for the first time in weeks. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not done uncomfortably, it’s just a pretty tight grip that some may not enjoy.
While it’s all good and well that these headphones are extraordinary when it comes to sound, the real reason you’re interested in buying them is because of the ears, so let’s talk ears. The Razer Kraken Kitty V2 Pros don’t only come with kitty ears as the first edition did. Instead, you now have a choice of three different cute-imals. You can be a kitty, a bunny or a cuddly little bear. All three sets of ears work precisely the same as the other in terms of RGB lighting, and they are hot-swappable and individual, so if you want to be some bear-bunny hybrid, you can do that too.
Razer has included the headset in their streamer companion app as well. This means you can have viewers interact with your headphones while live on stream, from flashing the lights in the ears when someone subscribes to changing up the colour for some other event. It’s a neat little feature that makes the viewer feel more involved and, in turn, will improve your stream as a whole. The app runs simultaneously with Razer Synapse, so you won’t have to disconnect them from one app to use them on the other.
Another nifty feature is the Cosplay mode. You can pre-program the lighting effects on the Razer Kraken Kitty V2 Pros and then plug them into a power bank via USB to have the lights shine on while you’re out and about. The headphones are not usable as anything other than a fashion item in this mode, but it is a neat little add-on for those who do enjoy their cosplay.
You know by now that I don’t enjoy having a microphone attached to my headphones, and I’m glad the mic on this headset is detachable. It makes a lot of sense because of things like the cosplay mode, but for those who use a separate microphone. This being said the microphone is Razer’s own Hyperclear Cardioid Mic, and it sounds great while still eliminating quite a bit of background noise.
The only, sort of, downsides I had with the Razer Kraken Kitty V2 Pros were: A) I prefer my headphones wireless. Having the ability to quickly turn around, stand up from my seat or pick up my toasted sandwich from the floor is something I enjoy, and B) they can be seen as quite pricey. Both the black and the quartz pink version comes at around R4,299. While this may seem like quite a bit for some headphones, to me, it feels like these would be more of an investment into your streaming platform than just a pair of headphones.
All in all, the Razer Kraken Kitty V2 Pro is a fantastic pair of headphones no matter how you slice it. The excellent quality from the sound it provides to the device itself is top notch and the plethora of cool features that it contains is unmatched from any other headset. Yes, they are costly, but these feel like they’re worth it.