The Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed Wireless are mid-range headphones with a lot of handy features. They come with a wireless dongle for gaming on consoles but also support Bluetooth, so you can stay connected to your smartphone simultaneously. Although they look nearly identical to the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023, there are also a couple of changes, like making the boom mic non-detachable and adding wired USB support.
TheĀ Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed are fair for neutral sound. Out of the box, these over-ears have a bright sound profile, making vocals and instruments sound harsh while sibilants like cymbals piercing. They also lack a lot of thumpy bass, so mixes sound a bit hollow. You may still prefer this sound since it can help emphasize imperfections in your mix. However, you can also finetune their sound to your liking using their companion software's graphic EQ and presets to your liking. They're prone to inconsistencies in audio delivery, though, so you'll need to adjust their fit, positioning, and seal each time you use them to achieve a more consistent sound.
TheĀ Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed are alright for commute and travel, but they're still gaming headphones and have a few drawbacks inherent to their design. They have a bulky design, especially due to their non-detachable boom microphone, and they lack a carrying case to protect them on the go. They also don't block out bass-range noise like the rumble of bus and plane engines, so you'll hear everything around you. On the upside, they have a comfortable fit suitable for long listening sessions, and their continuous battery life is pretty long. You don't need to worry about recharging them often.
TheĀ Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed are gaming headphones and aren't really designed with sports and fitness in mind. They're bulky, and their boom mic can't be detached for a more streamlined design, making it easy to jostle them off your head during a tough run or workout. They also lack an IP rating for water resistance, though that's to be expected from over-ear gaming headphones.
TheĀ Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed are decent for office use. They come with a wireless USB dongle that you can use with your PC, and they support Bluetooth, allowing you to stay connected to your smartphone at the same time. They don't leak much audio at high volumes, but they can't block out sounds like chatty coworkers well, so it's easy to be distracted by the world around you. Luckily, their continuous battery life is long enough that you won't need to charge it every day or every second or third day.
TheĀ Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed are decent for wireless gaming. They have low latency using their wireless USB dongle, ensuring that your audio and visuals stay in sync during the heat of the moment, and you can even use their dongle while staying simultaneously connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth. They last over 81 hours continuously, so you don't need to charge them often, and their boom mic also offers a great overall performance. Unfortunately, their sound profile is pretty bright, and they lack bass, so you may want to put the graphic EQ or presets to work in their companion software.
TheĀ Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed are decent for wired gaming. You'll have full audio and mic compatibility with PCs and PlayStation consoles using their USB cable. Although their sound profile is quite bright, making dialogue and instruments sound harsh, you can adjust their sound using their companion software's graphic EQ and presets. Their boom mic is the stand-out star for gaming, though. It ensures your voice is clear and easy to follow, even in noisy environments.
TheĀ Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed are good for phone calls. Although these are gaming headphones, they have a boom mic that ensures your voice sounds clear, natural, and easy to follow. If there's a lot of noise where you're calling, don't worry--their boom mic can easily separate speech from background sound, so you're still easily understandable. However, the headphones themselves aren't designed to reduce ambient sound, so you'll hear a lot of what's going on around you.
The Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed come in two color variants: 'Black' and 'White'. We tested the 'Black' model; you can see our model's label here. If you encounter another variant, please let us know in the forums.
The Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed are the sibling of the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023 and support a wired USB connection in addition to Bluetooth and non-Bluetooth wireless. While not unusual for this brand, they also have a long-lasting continuous battery life of over 81 hours, which puts them well ahead of competitors like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless. Their boom mic also delivers a great overall performance, which is important if you want to communicate with your teammates or enemies. Their mid-range price point is reflected in their okay build quality, which feels prone to breakage.
Check out our recommendations for the best gaming headsets, the best wireless gaming headsets, and the best headsets for PS5.
While the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023 and the Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed Wireless have a nearly identical look, the V2 HyperSpeed offer some unique advantages. The V2 HyperSpeed support a wired USB connection, which some users may prefer, and they have lower latency via their wireless USB dongle. Their non-detachable boom mic also has a slight overall edge when it comes to performance. However, the V2 Pro have a more neutral overall sound profile, which some users may prefer.
The HyperX Cloud III Wireless and the Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed Wireless have different trade-offs, so depending on your preferences, you may enjoy either one. The HyperX are more comfortable, have a significantly better build quality, and have a more balanced and neutral sound out of the box, which some users may prefer. They also have a much longer continuous playback time, but you can only use them wirelessly. Conversely, the Razer's mic offers significantly better overall performance, they have more customization features available via their companion app, and they support Bluetooth, so you can stay connected to your console and smartphone simultaneously.
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless are slightly better gaming headphones than the Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed Wireless. While both headphones are similarly comfortable, the SteelSeries are better built and support an analog connection. However, the Razer's boom mic offers a better overall performance, and the headphones have a significantly longer continuous playback time.
The Razer Barracuda Wireless have a slight edge over the Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed Wireless. While both headphones are comfortable, the Barracuda have a significantly better build quality, a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer, and their passive soundstage is a bit more immersive, though it still feels closed-off. The BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed's boom mic has significantly better overall performance, and the headphones last longer on a single charge.
The Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed look similar to the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023. They have an all-black look with aluminum hinges. The manufacturer's logo is centered on the ear cups. There's also a non-detachable boom mic, so you can't make them look more casual. On the upside, two colorways are available: 'Black' and 'White.'
These headphones have physical controls that are easy to use and provide clicky feedback so you can tell if you've registered a command. Although the volume wheel is infinite, there are audio prompts to let you know when you've reached min and max volume. There are also voice prompts to let you know your connection type and power status, but no audible feedback indicating whether the mic is muted. On the upside, the mic button sticks out when you're unmuted.
Power button:
Mic mute button:
Razer SmartSwitch:
These headphones aren't very portable, which is to be expected since they're gaming headphones meant to stay by your console. They're bulky, and the ear cups can't swivel to lay flat. However, this won't be an issue if you plan to leave them at home.
These headphones have a fair build quality. Like the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023, they're mostly made of plastic but have aluminum hinges and leatherette padding. The two audio cables leading from the headband to the ear cups can break if you're not careful, while the hinges are quite thin and seem prone to snapping under pressure.
Using the 'Game' EQ, which is the default EQ, the Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed have a bright sound that's not a very conventional sound profile in gaming. They lack a lot of bass, so exciting gameplay sounds hollow and lifeless. Dialogue and instruments, on the other hand, sound harsh, while sibilants like S and T sounds are piercing. You can adjust their sound using their companion app's graphic EQ and presets. These EQs can then be saved onto the headset so you can use them while on console. You can see a comparison of all the EQ presets here.
Depending on whether you're using Bluetooth, the wireless USB dongle, or wired USB, their sound can slightly change in the bass range. Between 40-70Hz (low to mid-bass), the wired USB connection provides more rumble and punch than Bluetooth or the wireless USB dongle. However, this is fairly minor, especially as the rest of the responses are the same.
The frequency response consistency is sub-par. If you wear glasses or have thick hair, you'll notice a big drop in bass as these features interrupt the headphones' seal on your head. That said, you must take the time to adjust their fit, positioning, and seal to ensure a more consistent sound each time you use them.
The bass accuracy is okay. The response is recessed, so your gameplay lacks a lot of thump, rumble, and punch. The overemphasis in the high-bass tries to act like a counterbalance by adding warmth and boom into the mix to make up for the otherwise hollow and lifeless sound. However, if you want to emphasize sound effects like footsteps or explosions, you'll want to use the EQ to improve the bass response.
These headphones have decent mid accuracy. The response is treble-tilted, so while dialogue and instruments are present in the mix, as they get higher in frequency, they sound honky and harsh.
TheĀ Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed have okay treble accuracy. Even though there's a dip between the low and mid-treble, both ranges are still overemphasized. Dialogue and instruments in cutscenes like the opening to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim sound harsh, while sibilants like S and T sounds are piercing.
The peaks and dips performance is fair. The response has some deviations, which means the headphones struggle to control their sound profile. A peak in the high-bass adds boom to audio, while a dip in the low to mid-mid thins out dialogue and instruments, nudging them to the back of the mix. A peak in the high-mid to low-treble also makes dialogue and instruments sound harsh. A large peak in the mid-treble makes sibilants like cymbals piercing.
There have been a couple of Razer products with poor imaging, which can indicate the brand's overall quality control and ergonomics. That said, imaging varies from unit to unit. Our unit's L/R drivers are well-matched in group delay, which results in tight bass and transparent imaging. They also have well-matched phase, amplitude, and frequency response, which helps accurately place sound objects like footsteps in the stereo image. While there's a small peak in the phase response's high-bass, it's hard to hear with real-life content, especially since the bass range is already recessed.
The Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed's passive soundstage performance is poor since they have a closed-back design. As a result, they struggle to create an open, spacious, and natural soundstage.
These headphones are compatible with THX when connected to your PC via a USB dongle or wired USB. It offers speaker modeling, which can create a more immersive gaming experience and even improve positional accuracy. However, it's important to note that this feature's performance highly depends on how a game is mixed. Each game is mixed differently, so your settings for one game may not give you the same audio experience as another one.
The weighted harmonic distortion performance is satisfactory. There's a peak in the low to mid-bass at moderate listening volumes, but this can be hard to hear with real-life content, especially as the headphones struggle to reproduce bass. The right driver also has its own spike at moderate volumes in the low to mid-mid, while both drivers have another peak at moderate and high volumes in the low to mid-treble. As a result, audio won't sound the clearest or purest.
These are the settings used to test these headphones. Our results are only valid when using these settings.
The Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed's noise isolation performance is poor. They're gaming headphones, so they don't have noise cancelling (ANC). As a result, they rely on their passive capability to block out sound. They do nothing to reduce the rumble of car engines from an open window. They do a better job of cutting down ambient chatter but can isolate you from a lot of high-pitched sounds like the hum of computer fans.
The leakage performance is very good. Although the bulk of leakage is in the mid-range, which sounds somewhat full, it falls below the noise floor of an average office. You can crank up the volume without others hearing it.
The boom microphone offers excellent recording quality. Your voice sounds clear, natural, and easy to follow.
The noise handling performance of their boom mic is great. Even when gaming in a noisy environment, your voice will sound clear and distinct from background sound.
The Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed's battery performance is excellent. The manufacturer advertises up to 70 hours of playback time, and we measured over that at 81 hours. That said, their charge time of four hours is quite high. Battery life varies depending on use, though. They support audio while charging, but you can only use USB audio, so you won't be able to use Bluetooth. Even though you can use them wired, you need to turn them on for them to work.
Razer Synapse software offers robust control over your audio experience, from a 10-band graphic EQ and presets to game profiles so that you can use specific settings for certain games and mic settings like voice gate, vocal clarity, and mic side tone. You can also access THX Spatial Audio control if you're looking for a more immersive sound, as well as manage your volume and LED indicator controls. Some users have found the app unstable and a drain on their PC's resources.
These headphones come with a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging them. Unlike the cables that come with the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless 2023, the included cable offers full audio and mic compatibility, and its low latency keeps lip-synching issues to a minimum.
The Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed have very good Bluetooth connectivity. You can connect these headphones to your smartphone via Bluetooth while staying connected to your console via the wireless USB dongle. Bluetooth for gaming isn't recommended, though, as they have high latency, causing your audio and visuals to fall out of sync. Some devices compensate for latency, though.
These headphones have outstanding non-Bluetooth wireless connectivity. They have low latency, so your audio and visuals stay in sync during the heat of intense gameplay.
TheĀ Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed can connect to Bluetooth-enabled PCs with full audio and mic compatibility. They also have full audio and mic support via wired USB and wireless USB dongle.
These over-ears have full audio and mic compatibility when connected to your PlayStation console over wired USB or when using the wireless USB dongle.
These headphones come with a wireless USB dongle. It has a port so that you can connect the USB cable directly if you want to use a wired USB connection.