Barracuda x ear pads. Razer Barracuda X Review
Razer Barracuda X review: Great sounding wireless gaming headset with an obtrusive dongle
With gamers gaming across different platforms, finding a headset you can use across devices can be tricky. For the most part, wireless gaming headsets might work with Xbox, PC, and mobile, or Playstation, Switch, PC, or mobile. The latest gaming headset from Razer, the Barracuda X, falls into the latter category but will also work wired with the Xbox.
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Our Razer Barracuda X review looks at a gaming headset that works wirelessly across various platforms with a USB-C dongle. It also works in wired mode with other platforms with a 3.5mm audio jack. Read on for our full review!
Specifications
The Razer Barracuda X multi-platform gaming headset we reviewed has the following features and specifications:
What’s in the box
- Razer Barracuda X wireless gaming headset
- Wireless USB-C dongle
- 3.5mm audio cable (1.3m)
- USB-A to USB-C charging cable (1.5m)
- USB-A to USB-C extension cable (1.5m)
- Detachable microphone
- User guide
What’s included with the Razer Barracuda X wireless gaming headset.
Headset Design
Unlike other gaming headsets, the Razer Barracuda X has a more subtle lifestyle design, akin to the Razer Opus actually. Matte black in colour, the headset has a solid feeling plastic outer shell. The headband has the Razer wordmark stamped into it across the top. The underside has a soft leatherette covered foam cushion, which is fairly comfortable. Inside the headband are steel bands, making it easy to adjust for size by pulling down the ear cups.
The ear cups are oval in shape with straight long edges. The outer portion angles out slightly, and the Razer snake logo is stamped in the middle of each earcup. The earcups swivel forward a full 90° and back about 15°, which allows for a comfortable fit. On the underside of the left ear cup are your controls. From front to back, you’ll find a 3.5mm microphone port, USB-C charging port, 3.5mm audio jack, power/multi-function button, volume control, and microphone mute button. The right ear cup is devoid of any controls.
On the inside of the ear cups are the fabric-covered memory foam ear pads. They are pretty soft and comfortable, even after extended use.
One of the key considerations Razer took in designing the Barracuda X is its weight. As far as gaming headsets are concerned, it is pretty light, weighing only 250g. This makes it comfortable to wear for extended sessions, which is definitely a plus given its stated 20-hour battery life.
The Razer Barracuda X wireless gaming headset.
The microphone is pretty standard and is a simple detachable boom mic with a foam cover over the end. The 3.5mm connector has a round piece around it at the base with a flat edge, so you know which way it plugs into the headset when being used.
While the Barracuda X headset has a pretty solid design, the T-shaped USB-C dongle could definitely be improved. Honestly, though, I’m not sure how you would improve it. It is relatively slim and small at about 1 1/2″ wide, 3/4″ in depth, including the USB-C plug (a little over 1/2″ when plugged in), and 1/4″ thick. One nice thing about the dongle is that Razer has accounted for phone cases. I tried three or four different phones, each with a case on, and the dongle fit just fine each time. There will be a bit of a gap when used on a laptop, but it wasn’t something I’d be concerned about.
However, its t-shape design, quite frankly, gets in the way. In the case of mobile devices, it adds bulk to the right side of the device when using it in landscape mode, which is the case for most gaming situations. While it’s usable, it’s not exactly the most comfortable. On some laptops, the design also ends up blocking other ports. If you’ve got a smaller laptop with minimal ports, using one for the dongle can just as easily block your only other free port. Razer is aware of this and mentioned why they’d included a USB-A to USB-C extension cable.
“We built it along with the Barracuda X. The USB-C dongle needed to have this T-shape design and be slightly wider in order to make room for the internal circuitry – this enabled us to have wireless performance that reached our expectations. Smaller designs were explored but we wanted to deliver a smooth wireless performance across all 4 platforms, and this was the best balance we found. This is something that the USB-A to USB-C extender was meant to help address.”
Razer
It’s not the end of the world, though. It works, assuming you have a USB-A port, but then you’ve got a cable with a dongle on it which kind of defeats the purpose of going wireless. If you’re gaming on your mobile device in portrait orientation, it works well. If listening to music on your smartphone, it works well. It’s just gaming in landscape mode that it’s noticeable.
Design is a single section in our review format. While we’ve given the design an 85 overall, I’d give the headset itself a 9.5 and the dongle a 7.5/8. Unfortunately, if you want to use it in wireless mode, you need the dongle. If you want to use it wired only, there are better options out there.
The Razer Barracuda X wireless gaming headset’s USB-C dongle can cover other ports in some situations.
One other thing I will mention. There is no included headphone case or an immediately apparent way to store the dongle or detachable microphone when not in use. However, after a few weeks of use, I ended up sticking the dongle in the USB-C charging port on the headset to avoid misplacing it. Unfortunately, this only works if you’re not currently charging the headset.
Ease of Use
The Razer Barracuda X gaming headset is super simple to use. Plug the dongle into a free USB-C port, use the included USB-A to USB-C extension cable, or the included 3.5mm cable. Next, press and hold the power button to turn on the headset, and you’re good to go. No additional software is required regardless of the device. I tested it on various smartphones, a couple of Windows 10 laptops, Windows 11, and the Nintendo Switch with the dongle, and it worked as one would expect each time.
In addition to being used to power on the headset, the power button also adds some limited functionality. While powered on, you can press it once to play or pause the current track, accept an incoming call, or end a current call. Pressing it twice skips to the next track while pressing it three times skips to the beginning of the current track or the previous track.
While no software is required, you can snag the Razer THX Spatial Audio app to add 7.1 surround sound functionality while using this headset on a Windows device.
Sound Quality
The Razer Barracuda X uses 40mm Razer Tri-Force Drivers and not the 50mm ones the company uses in other headsets. Unless you really listen and go back and forth from one to the other, you’ll be hard-pressed to notice a difference. On that note, gaming on a mobile device is much better with this wireless gaming headset. Dongle positioning aside, games like Call of Duty: Mobile definitely improved, as is the case when using an actual headset. I didn’t notice any delay in audio, and being able to more accurately track footsteps or hear the direction gunshots were coming from helped my game.
The fabric covered memory foam ear pad on the Razer Barracuda X wireless gaming headset.
Music listening was just as enjoyable. When using my Spotify test playlist, the highs, mids, and lows were pretty balanced, with perhaps just a bit extra on the bass end of things, which I don’t mind. Tracks like “bad guy” by Billie Eilish to Massive Attack’s “Unfinished Symphony” and even classical tracks like Beethoven’s “String Trio in C Minor” sounded great.
Microphone Quality
Depending on the games you play, decent microphone quality is a necessity. With the Razer Barracuda X, the microphone is decent enough. Depending on the platform used, I did get a couple of Комментарии и мнения владельцев that I sounded a bit hollow but could be heard clear enough for in-game or video chat communication.
Battery Life
Being a wireless gaming headset, long battery life is also a consideration. Razer claims up to 20 hours of battery life on a single charge. During our testing, we were able to hit close to that with no issues. Once dead, it takes just over 2 hours to recharge the headset fully.
Price/Value
With an MSRP of US99.99, the Razer Barracuda X wireless gaming headset is pretty reasonably priced. If you’re gaming on multiple systems and like having a wireless setup, you really can’t go wrong with a Razer product priced as this headset is.
Wrap-up
Dongle design aside, the Razer Barracuda X is a decent-sounding wireless gaming headset that works with just about every platform. It is also lightweight, has great battery life, and is very reasonably priced.
Razer Barracuda X. Review
The 99 Razer Barracuda X is the company’s latest budget wireless offering, and knowing the stiff competition in that price bracket, Razer has wisely opted to make it a multi-purpose device. The Barracuda X. thanks to its nifty USB-C dongle. will connect with your PC, mobile devices, Nintendo Switch, and the Playstation consoles right out of the box. It also has a 3.5mm jack if you have devices that still support it.
For that price, my expectations are always tapered. But after using the headset for the past several days, I can’t help being impressed with what Razer has done here. It pairs best-in-class comfort with a fun and lively sound profile that punches far above its weight. It’s sheer versatility and value easily elevates it to the top of its price category.
Design and Features
The Barracuda X is a spitting image of the Razer Opus, a lifestyle Bluetooth headset the company released sometime last year. The decision to copy the design makes sense because Barracuda X is also pitched as a music and mobile gaming headset, one which you will presumably wear outside, and the muted black design helps it being less of a standout in public.
The only difference between both the headsets. besides Opus’ THX certification and pleather cushions. is the use of a slightly cheaper. and lighter. plastic on the Barracuda X. This doesn’t mean the headset is any less sturdy (although we cannot yet comment on its long-term durability), and while it lacks the sophisticated looks of the Opus, it still feels well built despite its all-plastic body.
The one big advantage it gains out of using lighter plastics is that the headset only weighs 250g, making it supremely comfortable around your head. Razer has managed to tweak the clamp force just right where the headset has an almost feather-like touch without being too wobbly. Over the course of the review, I have worn the headset for multiple 4-5 hour long sessions, which includes playing games, listening to music, and watching movies, and I have no complaints. The headset simply disappears on your head and you scantily feel its presence only when you are moving your head around a bit. For comparison’s sake, if the HyperX Cloud II is your benchmark of a top-tier comfortable headset, the Barracuda X meets that and possibly surpasses it in many ways.
The only point of contention here will be the material used on the ear cushions. The headset uses Razer’s ubiquitous flyknit ear padding which is a little rough and might prove to be ‘scratchy’ for some users. The plus point of the flyknit material is that it is breathable and generates less heat but it does feel a bit itchy around the ears during the initial use. This is a subjective matter entirely, so if you have used Razer’s flyknit-equipped headset before, and don’t like it, the Barracuda X may not be for you. Thankfully, the ear pads are removable so you can easily change them if you manage to find compatible ones.
Ergonomics-wise, the headset has enough stretch and height to fit larger heads. The ear cups can swivel as well, but oddly enough they rotate outwards instead of inwards, so letting them rest around the neck can get a little weird and cumbersome.
Wireless headsets in this price category (and even at the 150 range) are mostly only equipped with a USB-A wireless dongle that offers limited compatibility with devices. The Barracuda X on the other hand sports a small thumb drive-size USB-C dongle that can be attached to any compatible device to receive audio, be it your PC, Playstation consoles, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices. It also has a USB-A to USB-C adapter if you prefer the old-school method of connectivity, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack when you run out of battery or want to connect with the Xbox consoles. The setup is reminiscent of the Steelseries Arctis 1 Wireless which was released a few years ago, and it’s the only other gaming headset that I know of that offers such a configuration.
While the USB-C dongle works well, I would have also liked Bluetooth connectivity to round out the perfect combo of compatibility options. The dongle. because of its size. sticks out like a sore thumb on mobile devices, which might interfere with your grip while playing games or be incompatible with cases or third-party accessories that you might be using. Bluetooth would negate all of those problems, but I also understand that Razer had to keep the cost in check, so I hope the next iteration of the headset finds a way to have both USB-C and Bluetooth wireless connectivity.
Performance
The best way to describe the Barracuda X’s sound profile would be “fun”. It uses Razer’s 40mm TriForce drivers that the company claims are specifically built so that they can tune the highs, mids, and lows separately. The previous iterations of the drivers on other Razer headsets offered mostly flat characteristics, with more FOCUS on accurate, analytical sound for online gaming, than something for overall enjoyment. They also featured THX certification that demands strict tuning, which usually results in a flat sound profile.
The Barracuda X is the complete opposite of that. With no THX certification to adhere to, Razer has cranked the bass to 11, tuning the drivers to be more lively and fun than focusing on catering to online gaming. And after reviewing nearly a dozen gaming headsets over the past year, all of them featuring weak low-end performance, the Barracuda X’s punchy bass performance is a welcome change. I am not sure why manufacturers are scared of adding more bass to their headsets. a finely tuned driver can carry both low and high-frequency performance with ease.
So, the Barracuda X is fantastic for music listening, with mostly every genre rendering with speed, precision and clarity. The drivers lends itself well for games and movies, as well, although I would not expect too much from it in terms of soundstage and positioning. Both of these elements are present to some degree, but they aren’t as articulate as some other gaming headset we have tried before. In Apex Legends, the headset performed admirably well, giving a nice ‘thump’ to all low-end frequencies, while bringing out the necessary clarity for footsteps and gunfire. You can mostly certainly hear approaching enemy footsteps, but they could have been slightly more clearer.
The powerful bass threatens to drown out the other frequencies at times, especially the mids during action sequences, but manages to stave itself off from bleeding into them by a lot. Razer’s tuning for the headset is easily my favorite iteration of the TriForce drivers, and I hope they base their other gaming headset off it in the future.
Finally, coming to the microphone, the headset uses a detachable Razer CardioID boom mic that provides sufficient clarity although the voice is muffled and soft. Razer claims the mic is tuned to suppress background noise but as you can hear from the sample below, it doesn’t truly cut out my mechanical keyboard. The mic has no sidetone functionality, which is rather unfortunate as it is quickly becoming one of the key features for a gaming headset.
Battery Life
Razer claims 20 hours of battery life for the headset, which is around what we got as well. Since the Barracuda X doesn’t connect with the Razer Synapse software, there is no way to check your battery status, so you are entirely reliant on the small LED indicator on the headset. When it goes from solid blue to red, that means the battery is low, and when it is blinking, that means the battery is about 10% or below.
The Verdict
Razer has managed to get the perfect trifecta for a great gaming headset: sound quality, comfort and versatility. The sound profile is exciting with a thunderous bass while offering excellent clarity in the highs and mids. This is by far my favorite Razer gaming headset in a while, and will be my daily driver for quite some time. At 99, the Razer Barracuda X is at the top of its game.
