Razer Blackshark V2 Pro review: Super hearing at a solid price

Most wireless gaming headsets worth their salt are priced between £80 and £350. That’s a hell of a range, and while it’s generally fair to say that the more you spend, the better you’ll get, at a certain point the returns diminish with each additional pound spent.
 
That puts the Razer Blackshark V2 Pro wireless gaming headset at the top of the heap, for my money. At £180 – and sometimes dropping as low as £150 – it’s simply the best combination of price, sound quality and flexibility available. That’s especially true if you like to game across multiple formats, although it’s undoubtedly best on PC.

Razer Blackshark V2 Pro review: What do you get for the money?

Before we go any further, it’s important to note that much of the price of entry is for the wireless connectivity that the Pro version of the headset offers. The non-Pro edition is wired and comes in at around £100, but otherwise offers identical sound quality with the same 50mm drivers. Essentially, you’re paying an extra £80 for wireless support, so do ask yourself whether you actually need that. PC gamers who sit next to their computer might well decide they don’t.  
That extra money pays for the wireless functionality, which includes a generous built-in battery that will last you 24 hours between charges, and a USB dongle that gives your PC or console a way to connect to the headset via Razer’s HyperSpeed 2.4GHz connection.
 
While that impressive connectivity means latency becomes a non issue, it does come at the slight expense of flexibility. Without Bluetooth, you can’t connect the Razer Blackshark V2 Pro to your phone without the bundled 3.5mm cable – something you’ll also need to use if you have an Xbox thanks to its proprietary wireless tech, and the undocked Nintendo Switch/Switch Lite, which lacks a USB port for the dongle. With the docked Switch, PS4 or PS5, however, you just plug and play as you would with a PC.

Razer Blackshark V2 Pro review: What’s it like to use?

In short, the Razer Blackshark V2 Pro is a treat to use. Not only do the 50mm drivers offer superb sound quality for music, films or gaming, but it’s also brilliantly designed. The memory foam cushioning on the cups both passively blocks out noise and ensures that the headset can be comfortably worn for extended periods, although it can get a bit hot in summer. It’s also easy to control, with a big, reassuring volume knob on the side for easy adjustment, although weirdly turning it all the way down doesn’t mute things entirely.
 
The boom mic can be removed, which is handy in terms of keeping the thing out of your face when you’re just listening to music. The headphones also look quite normal, with no aggressive RGB lighting thankfully. That’s good if you want to take them for a walk with your phone – though once again, recent iPhone users need not apply, because you’ll need a wired connection.  
While the plug-and-play dongle means you can move your headset between consoles, the headset really comes alive on PC, where the Razer Synapse software allows plenty of customisation and THX Spatial Audio is offered on supported games. There aren’t many of these around – think the likes of Doom Eternal and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare – but where support is offered, the virtual surround sound is pretty impressive. If it’s not to your tastes, as a 7.1 headset, the Razer Blackshark V2 Pro also supports spatial sound via Windows Sonic (free), Dolby Atmos (paid) and DTS Sound Unbound (paid). 

Razer Blackshark V2 Pro review: What isn’t it good at?

There are a few drawbacks, but there are good reasons for most of them. You can’t fault Razer for needing a wire on Xbox (that’s Microsoft’s problem) or not choosing the widely supported Bluetooth when its own wireless solution offers lower latency where it counts. 

If I’m being hyper picky, the choice of micro-USB rather than the newer USB-C for charging is a little disappointing, but given the 24-hour battery life and included cable in the box, it really is nitpicking. Additionally, if you’re someone who does most of their gaming on Nintendo Switch Lite, then the USB-C dongle of the Asus ROG Strix Go 2.4 might be more appealing. 

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Razer Blackshark V2 Pro review: Should I buy it?

 
As I said at the start of the review, you can pay nearly double the price of the Razer Blackshark V2 Pro for wireless headsets such as SteelSeries’ Arctis Pro or the Astro A50, but for most people’s needs the Razer Blackshark V2 Pro will be more than enough.

It’s comfortable, lightweight and has superb sound quality. The drawbacks, such as they are, are pretty minimal, and I’m struggling to think of a better headset at this price. The Logitech Pro X Lightspeed Wireless comes close at £190 – and probably has the best microphone I’ve used – but the lack of 3.5mm jack means it loses out in terms of flexibility.
 
In short, you can buy the Razer Blackshark V2 Pro with confidence, but do ask yourself if you really need the wireless functionality, given the virtually identical wired version is so much cheaper.