Electra v2 Review
I'm big into gaming and something that goes hand and hand with gaming is having the right equipment. Up until this headset I'v always used the cheap standard headset that came with my xbox or whatever cheap earphones I could find online that gave me the functionality I needed.
I always figured I could hear footsteps and people just fine so why waste money on more expensive equipment when the cheap stuff I had worked. This was fine until I realized I was spending much more money replacing these cheap products that broke every couple months. After some searching I finally came across the Electra v2 which just released a few short months prior. I couldn't find a ton of reviews about it online but I thought i'd give it a try. I already had a razer naga mmo gaming mouse I loved and figured I would try another one of razer's products, not to mention I love their design color schemes!
So here we go, my Electra v2 review! And to kick it off, let's start with a picture of the headset by itself.
Design
The Electra v2 keeps razers cool design with a sheik black/green color scheme. It has a an aluminum frame arcing over the headset which gives it a nice layered look. The headphone cushions are slightly detached from the frame adding to this style. On the inside of the headset running up the frame you can see a couple of the bright green wires giving the upper half of the headset a bit more color life. The microphone has a nice coiled look leading from it's base to the tip but one of the more distinguishable and better design features of this headset is that the microphone is actually detachable letting you wear them outside the comfort of your couch without looking like too much of a dork haha! The sides of the headset has razer's snake logo that glows bright green when plugged in, although you can set the logo to not glow in your headset settings.
While I do like the overarching style of the aluminum frame, when they sit on your head, the aluminum bar is raised quite high compared to the underneath headset making it look just a tad awkward. I'd personally prefer the aluminum frame to sit a little closer down giving it a more uniformed look instead of something almost like a hanging bridge. The actual earpads are also a bit smaller that I'd like but that's more of a personal preference. I am quite a fan of having big earpads as I think it just looks cool.
Overall, I give the electra v2 a solid 9/10 for design.
Price:
60-70$ USDComing from a guy who has never spent more than 15$ for a pair of headphones, the 60-70$ price is a big jump. However, if you compare them to a good set of music headphones it's really only a low-mid range price and I have seen several gaming headsets at a considerably higher price. For the price, they feel solid and sturdy. Compared to some of the cheap plastic headsets I'v had in the past (see picture below), they actually feel like a real headset with nice hard plastic and an aluminum frame.
The mic is probably what surprised me the most about this headset. I wasn't expecting it to feel so sturdy and well made. However, it's still not animal proof so be careful! I was unfortunate and my cat decided to turn my headset into a play toy over night while I slept. The mic was bit up pretty bad and the top cap part was starting to detach from the mic itself. Luckily, the retailer I bought it from was kind enough to send me a new replacement and now my headset gets locked up every night before bed!
The biggest problem I see with the price vs quality is it's cable! The cable is just a standard plastic cable and in my experience with my older headsets, this type of cable gets easily pulled and starts ruining the sound quite quickly. I'm not sure why they didn't go with a more expensive and secure braided/protected wire but it's certainly a worry to keep in mind. If you're looking into investing into this headset I would definitely suggest an extended warranty to be safe.
Sound
The headset has great sound with its 7.1 digital surround. Movies and other videos sound amazing and the sound feels like it's coming from all directions. It's very clear with no distortion. The headset does a really good job at canceling out other external sounds that might disrupt the quality of your audio. They have great bass and a great booming/vibration effect. While listening to my girlfriends electric dance music, it really gave a club feeling.
With razer's software synapse you can customize your EQ and levels of different sound frequencies. There are 5 adjustable audio settings including overal headset volume, bass boost, sound normalization, voice clarity (incoming), and voice volume (incoming). The mic has 4 adjustable settings; mic volume, volume normalization, mic sensitivity, and ambient noise reduction. In addition to these settings you also have a volume mixer to control the volume from all your applications, a lighting tab to turn off/on your headset razer emblem glow and a calibration tab to set up your surround needs to your own liking.
I'm going to note this next part but take it in lightly because I'm not sure if it was a problem with my headset, my computer, or my settings but when I first got the headset, the volume for in-game footsteps was very poor. Even my old cheap 15$ headset beat this out for being able to locate enemies by sound. I was able to fix this by using the Dolby Atmos for headphones spatial sound software. After installing this I could hear everything crystal clear and when switching out my old cheap headset with this new one, there was a huge difference. I could hear everything crystal clear and was able to track opponents by their footsteps and direction of their gunshots.
I'm giving the sound a 8/10, not because of the problem I noted but mostly because I have some friends using expensive music headphones and they still hear footsteps much clearer and better than I do. Even though I personally find the sound quality to be great after installing the Dolby Atmos for headphones software, I can't give it a 10/10 when I have friends watching me play and hearing small noises that I didn't pick up on.
Comfort
The biggest flaw of this headset would have to be the comfort. Maybe I just have a slightly larger head than some but I find the headset really pressing. It feels like they're always squeezing your head. The ear pads are comfortable and my ears fit inside them fine but the headset just always feels like it's clamping down on my head. The first week was pretty uncomfortable and I'm actually surprised I kept them. Wearing them for any extended period of time of 2+ hours would make my head start to throb. It does get better though! They do stretch out and start to mold to your head but it takes a good 1-2 weeks. Once they've stretched out some they won't make your head throb anymore but they'll still be a tight fit. I personally like a good tight fitting headset, just as long as it's not pressing so hard it makes my head throb!
For comfort, I give them a 6/10. The initial adjustment period is really uncomfortable and even after they get adjusted, they're still slightly tighter than most headsets you're used to.
Overall
7/10The Electra v2 is a pretty solid choice for the price range. I'm happy with the sound and clarity of the headset and think it looks really cool. For competitive gaming they're great and I don't see the need to really invest in a more expensive headset unless you're really looking to get into very high level of play. You can tell how far someone is, what story of a building they're on and where they're coming from. The headsets sound quality is certainly a huge step up from all the old headsets I used before. The cheap usb wire, comfort and sound comparison with more expensive headsets though leave a little to be desired but for as low as 60$, it's still a pretty good choice when shopping for your gaming needs.
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