These things are HUUUUUUUUUUGE for what they have underneath.
It's probably an overstatement because this monster of a headset isn't all it's really cut out to be.
It's produced and advertised by Razer as a "Gaming Headset". In that assumption alone there's already a misleading information. For a pair of cans to be a gaming headset they need to have good output sound as well as good input sound. It only barely falls under one of the two.
THE LOOK
Okay, like I said in my opening statement, these things are HUUUUUUGE! The shell is something I've come to love from my use of these things but otherwise, it's only there for aesthetic purposes. The headband looks thick and comfy, which it is, but it's a clever ploy for something underneath. Feeling through the faux leather encasing the headband, you can clearly note that there are two thinner bands sandwiching a plastic/metal strip. Very clever, Razer, very clever. The housing of the drivers looks to be in a HUUUUUUUUUGE plastic shell, another clever optical illusion. The cups are actually in two parts, the ball and socket like driver and ear cup housing and an outer case containing some padding for added comfort of the driver housing being pushed back to conform to your head. The hinges are nice and the cans fold up in the usual manner. The cups though do not swivel from the hinges in a rotary manner, they only fold up inwards.
THE SOUND
Punchy is the only thing I can state the sound quality with. The bass and overall reverberation of these pair are above par. Already suitable for gaming purposes leaning towards game immersive experiences like Amnesia or Silent Hill for example. The thumps and the vibrations can drive you mad if you're listening to those horror themed things, great for ambient sounds as well as defined movements. So it lives up to good gaming audio, is it good for audiphile purposes too? No. The reason for this being that they put so much of the effort into the bass they forgot about other tones, mostly the mids. Vocals from any genre as well as some defined instruments like strings and pianos are too recognizable but too soft. For gaming purposes like listening to footsteps and ambient noise it's good, but for songs, it's like turning down the volume for the vocalist or the guitarist to the lowest recognizable decibel.
THE CONCLUSION
This is a pair of Gaming HeadPHONES. yes, HEADPHONES. reason why? The mic isn't cut out to be even considered a microphone. Think of the oldest mobile phone still alive, try receiving a call from that phone. The quality of the recording module just isn't that good to be considered for gaming especially when you need to yell out specific orders to your team mates without prior misunderstanding.
The comfortability of these things is sub par. Even for an Asian with a presumably smaller head size, these things hurt in the long run. The band notches are adjustable but the tension on it is just too tense sometimes. Oh and leather, LEATHER! Gets warm quicly especially since, well, it's black. Out in the sun you're just baking your ears.
Are they worth the price point? Honestly, no. One of my earlier cans, an ATH-WS55 costs about the same price here in my country and the biggest differences are that the Electra is comfier but the AT has MUUUUUUUUCH better sound quality, although less vibrations due to the design of the units (the removable cable is one too but I don't mind cables that much since I clutter everywhere anyway).
It's probably an overstatement because this monster of a headset isn't all it's really cut out to be.
It's produced and advertised by Razer as a "Gaming Headset". In that assumption alone there's already a misleading information. For a pair of cans to be a gaming headset they need to have good output sound as well as good input sound. It only barely falls under one of the two.
THE LOOK
Okay, like I said in my opening statement, these things are HUUUUUUGE! The shell is something I've come to love from my use of these things but otherwise, it's only there for aesthetic purposes. The headband looks thick and comfy, which it is, but it's a clever ploy for something underneath. Feeling through the faux leather encasing the headband, you can clearly note that there are two thinner bands sandwiching a plastic/metal strip. Very clever, Razer, very clever. The housing of the drivers looks to be in a HUUUUUUUUUGE plastic shell, another clever optical illusion. The cups are actually in two parts, the ball and socket like driver and ear cup housing and an outer case containing some padding for added comfort of the driver housing being pushed back to conform to your head. The hinges are nice and the cans fold up in the usual manner. The cups though do not swivel from the hinges in a rotary manner, they only fold up inwards.
THE SOUND
Punchy is the only thing I can state the sound quality with. The bass and overall reverberation of these pair are above par. Already suitable for gaming purposes leaning towards game immersive experiences like Amnesia or Silent Hill for example. The thumps and the vibrations can drive you mad if you're listening to those horror themed things, great for ambient sounds as well as defined movements. So it lives up to good gaming audio, is it good for audiphile purposes too? No. The reason for this being that they put so much of the effort into the bass they forgot about other tones, mostly the mids. Vocals from any genre as well as some defined instruments like strings and pianos are too recognizable but too soft. For gaming purposes like listening to footsteps and ambient noise it's good, but for songs, it's like turning down the volume for the vocalist or the guitarist to the lowest recognizable decibel.
THE CONCLUSION
This is a pair of Gaming HeadPHONES. yes, HEADPHONES. reason why? The mic isn't cut out to be even considered a microphone. Think of the oldest mobile phone still alive, try receiving a call from that phone. The quality of the recording module just isn't that good to be considered for gaming especially when you need to yell out specific orders to your team mates without prior misunderstanding.
The comfortability of these things is sub par. Even for an Asian with a presumably smaller head size, these things hurt in the long run. The band notches are adjustable but the tension on it is just too tense sometimes. Oh and leather, LEATHER! Gets warm quicly especially since, well, it's black. Out in the sun you're just baking your ears.
Are they worth the price point? Honestly, no. One of my earlier cans, an ATH-WS55 costs about the same price here in my country and the biggest differences are that the Electra is comfier but the AT has MUUUUUUUUCH better sound quality, although less vibrations due to the design of the units (the removable cable is one too but I don't mind cables that much since I clutter everywhere anyway).
