Razer Kaira X Headphones Review

The Razer Kaira X for PlayStation have a nearly identical color scheme to the Sony PULSE 3D Wireless with a white headband and black ear cups. They're meant to match your PS5 console and have Razer's logo on each ear cup in blue. However, if you prefer a different design, Razer retails an Xbox-centric line of these headphones that come in colors to match your Xbox console's controller: 'Black', 'White', 'Shock Blue', 'Pulse Red', and 'Electric Volt'.

The Razer Kaira X are comfortable headphones. They're lighter than the Razer Kaira Pro Wireless, and they don't clamp on your head too tightly. Their headband also feels good, and the ear cups have a good range of motion. However, the headphones are a bit bulky.

These headphones have a sub-par control scheme. There are only two physical controls, which are easy to locate on the left ear cup. The volume wheel stops at min and max volume while the mic slider is clicky and has a red sticker to let you know when you're muted. However, there aren't any call or music-related controls.

On the left ear cup:

• Volume wheel: Adjusts the volume.
• Mic slider: Mutes and unmutes the mic.

The Razer Kaira X aren't very portable, which is to be expected for gaming headphones. They have a bulky design, and while their ear cups can swivel to lay flat, they can't fold to take up less space. You can't detach their boom mic either. In their default position, they also take up quite a bit of space, and they don't come with a case to help protect them when you're on the go.

The Razer Kaira X are well-built. They're mostly made of plastic, which feels sturdy and durable. They also have cloth padding on the headband and memory foam ear cups. There are measurement markers on each side of the headband to help you adjust them evenly. However, unlike the Razer Kaira Pro Wireless, their hinges are made of plastic, which could make them prone to damage over time.

The Razer Kaira X have fair stability. They shouldn't move around too much when on your head if you're gaming from your couch or desk. However, they can move around on your head during moderate physical activity and may fall off. Their audio cable can also snag on something and pull them off of your head.

• Razer Kaira X headphones
• Stickers
• User guide

The Razer Kaira X have a somewhat warm sound profile. They have a small bump in high-bass to add a touch of extra boom to your gameplay, which can help emphasize sound effects. However, vocals and lead instruments can sound a bit thin and dull. Unfortunately, they don't have an EQ or presets to help you adjust their sound to your liking.

These headphones have disappointing frequency response consistency. They're very prone to inconsistencies in bass and treble delivery, and you may especially notice a drop in bass if you have thick hair or wear glasses. Depending on their fit, seal, and positioning, you may experience significant deviations in audio delivery.

The Razer Kaira X's bass accuracy is great. The low to mid-bass is underemphasized, resulting in less thump, rumble, and punch in your mixes. However, a bump in the high-bass adds extra boom, which can help emphasize sound effects while you game.

Note: The response here represents the average bass response and as bass delivery can vary across users, your experience may vary.

The Razer Kaira X have great mid-accuracy. It's underemphasized across the range, although it's somewhat minor. Vocals and lead instruments are slightly thin but clear. However, these sounds are also pushed to the back of your mix.

The treble accuracy is acceptable. It's a bit uneven, and there is some mismatch between our unit's left and right drivers. The dip in the low-treble veils vocals and lead instruments. A small peak in the mid-treble makes sibilants like S and T sounds sharp.

The response here represents the average treble response, and as treble delivery can vary across users, your experience may vary.

The Razer Kaira X's peaks and dips performance is acceptable. A large peak in the high-bass adds extra boom to your mixes, although it can muddy vocals and lead instruments. A dip in the low to mid-mid thins out vocals and lead instruments and pushes them to the back of the mix. The left and right drivers are mismatched in the high mids to low-treble, so the upper harmonics of vocals and lead instruments are harsh in the left driver. An uneven low-treble affects the left driver more severely, so vocals and lead instruments are veiled and harsh. A peak in the mid-treble makes sibilants like cymbals overly piercing.

The Razer Kaira X's imaging performance is satisfactory. The group delay falls below the audibility threshold, resulting in tight bass and transparent treble reproduction. However, the L/R drivers are mismatched in amplitude and frequency response, which indicates a slightly imbalanced stereo image. There are also some peaks in the phase response's mid-bass to mid-range, which skews the stereo image to the left. It can be hard to hear with real-life content, though. That said, our results are only valid for our unit, and yours may perform differently.

The Razer Kaira X's passive soundstage performance is disappointing. The soundstage is perceived as large but not very natural or open. It also struggles to produce an out-of-head audio experience, and sound seems like it's coming from inside your head.

These headphones have a good weighted harmonic distortion performance. There's a peak in the low-treble at both normal and high listening volumes, which results in a small amount of distortion present. However, the rest of the frequency range falls within good limits, resulting in somewhat clean and pure audio reproduction.

These are the settings used to test the Razer Kaira X. Our results are only valid when used in this configuration.

The Razer Kaira X's noise isolation performance is poor. They block out almost none of the low rumbles of bus engines and do a sub-par job of cutting down ambient chatter. They do a much better job of reducing the high-pitched hum of AC units, though.

The Razer Kaira X's leakage performance is okay. Their leakage is concentrated in the mid to treble range, which sounds somewhat thin. However, if you're listening to audio at high volumes in a moderately noisy environment like an office, others around you shouldn't be able to hear it.

The boom mic's recording quality is excellent. It captures your voice well, so you sound clear, natural, and full-bodied.

The Razer Kaira X's noise handling performance is good. The boom mic can separate your voice from moderate ambient noise around you. You should be heard clearly, even if you're talking near an open window with traffic.

These headphones have a non-detachable 1/8" TRRS cable. Unfortunately, if it gets damaged, you'll need to replace the entire unit.

Regardless of the console variant, these headphones are fully compatible with PCs by plugging their 1/8" TRRS cable into the computer's AUX port.

You can connect any console variant of the Razer Kaira X to PS4 and PS5 consoles by plugging in the 1/8" TRRS cable into your controller's AUX port. They have full audio and mic support via this connection.

Since they're wired headphones, you can use any of the console variants on Xbox consoles with full compatibility.