The Razer Barracuda X ($99.99) has ranked among our favorite budget wireless gaming headsets for some time due to its strong audio quality and flexibility, courtesy of a bundled USB-C transmitter. On paper, the $249.99 Barracuda Pro should be superior in every way, since it takes the Barracuda X’s design and adds active noise cancellation (ANC), Bluetooth connectivity, and THX Spatial Audio. However, Razer decided to make the Barracuda Pro look more “street-friendly” by building its microphones into the earcups instead of using a detachable boom microphone like the Barracuda X and most other Razer gaming headsets. Because of that, voice quality takes a big hit. Its performance also doesn’t reach that of the pricier SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless ($329.99), which adds unique features like dual batteries and a base station that can connect to two USB devices at once. The Barracuda Pro is ambitious, but it trips up a bit too much to justify the price.
(Photo: Will Greenwald)
Stealthy and Comfortable
The Barracuda Pro shares the same understated design as the Barracuda X, eschewing the green-highlighted and occasionally light-up circular earcups of the Kraken line for simple, oblong, all-black, flat-backed plastic earcups reminiscent of the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones. The earpads are pleasantly soft, faux-leather-covered memory foam paired with padded leatherette wrapping around the top of the black plastic headband. It’s quite comfortable, and it feels a bit more substantial than the similar-looking Barracuda X.
The only big signs of this being a Razer gaming headset are subtle, glossy-black Razer logos on the cups' backs, a stylized Razer name embossed into the top of the headband, and the tiniest bit of green on the mic mute button when it’s unmuted.
Speaking of the microphone, that’s one of the biggest changes in the Barracuda Pro’s design over the Barracuda X or standard Barracuda. The traditional boom mic is gone, replaced by small slots along the front edges of the earcups that hide the headset’s built-in, beam-forming mics. The left earcup also holds a USB-C port for charging, power and mic mute buttons, and a volume wheel along the bottom and back. The right earcup bears a multi-purpose source-switch/ANC button just below the hinge.
The headset comes with a sensibly designed hard-shell zip-up carrying case. It holds the headset itself with the cups folded flat, and features a compartment in the middle with a magnetic panel that keeps it shut. The compartment holds both the USB-C-to-USB-A charging cable and the USB-A-to-USB-C extender that lets you connect the USB-C transmitter to a USB-A port. A tiny pouch in the compartment holds the transmitter itself. This is a welcome design element, because these tiny transmitters are easy to lose when they don’t have a dedicated place to store them. The cables also have snap-closed rubber straps for keeping them neatly together when they aren’t being used, another nice touch.
Wireless Connectivity and Razer Synapse
The Razer Barracuda Pro is a wireless gaming headset compatible with PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Android devices with USB-C ports, along with Bluetooth for any compatible devices. The headset can’t play audio from both the transmitter and Bluetooth at the same time, but you can quickly switch between wireless sources by double-pressing the ANC button on the right earcup. Although the Barracuda X and Barracuda have 3.5mm connection options, the Barracuda Pro lacks wired connectivity.
You’ll get the most customization options and features on PC with the Razer Synapse software running. It enables THX Spatial Audio simulated surround sound, and provides 10-band EQs for the headphones and microphones, along with volume normalization and voice clarity features for both, and bass boost for the headphones.
The Razer Audio app for Android and iOS enables a 10-band EQ with a few different presets for the Barracuda Pro's headphones when using it with Bluetooth, along with a low-latency gaming mode and a Do Not Disturb mode that blocks calls when connected to the USB transmitter. THX Spatial Audio isn't available over a Bluetooth connection with the mobile app, though.
The Mic Problem
Razer’s headsets tend to have excellent boom microphones, and it’s surprising to see the Barracuda Pro rely entirely on in-cup microphones. The mics aren’t terrible for what they are, but they simply don’t perform as well as a well-positioned boom mic directly in front of the mouth. Test recordings sounded slightly fuzzy and distant, not quite as muffled as headphone pinhole mics, but still not as clear as the mics on the Barracuda X or Kraken V3 Pro. My voice sounded slightly clear through the mics when I enabled and turned up the Voice Clarity feature in the Synapse software, but even then it wasn’t as good as a high-quality headset boom. We recommend serious content creators and streamers to use a USB mic or better for the best results.
(Photo: Will Greenwald)
Unimpressive ANC
Razer added active noise cancellation (ANC) to the Barracuda Pro, which means microphones pick up outside noise and the circuitry inside the headset generates sound waves that cancel out that noise. The Barracuda Pro is fairly effective, but it doesn’t come close to the noise-canceling performance of high-end noise-cancelling headphones like the Bose QuietComfort 45 or Sony WH-1000XM5, and also lags behind the ANC on the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless.
In tests, the Barracuda Pro dampened but didn’t eliminate the whine of my air conditioner or laptop fan. In a noisy coffee shop, the headset similarly softened the somewhat loud music but didn’t block it out as well as the aforementioned headphones or headset. It rendered an already fairly quiet office almost silent, but at that point there weren’t many distractions to eliminate anyway.
Solid, Tweakable Sound
The Barracuda Pro is capable of fairly powerful bass, especially in the lows-and-highs-boosting Music EQ preset with Bass Boost turned on. The bass synth notes and kick drum hits get palpable low-frequency power, coming close to rattling the head. At maximum and unsafe volume levels, the thumping doesn’t distort the headset at all.
Music seems to generally benefit from the Music EQ setting. The sculpting brings out the resonance in the lower frequencies and the string texture in the higher frequencies from the opening acoustic guitar plucks in Yes’s “Roundabout.” The default, flat EQ setting sounds full, but it loses a bit of the crispness from the strings. When the track properly kicks in, all elements come through clearly, with the guitar strums, drums, and vocals getting plenty of attention (a bit more attention with the Music EQ) without overwhelming the bassline.
Despite the strong bass in “Silent Shout,” the Barracuda Pro’s performance shows some weakness in the lower frequencies when playing The Crystal Method’s “Born Too Slow.” The backbeat sounds punchy in The Crystal Method’s “Born Too Slow,” but a bit hollow with the default EQ. However, with the Music EQ with Bass Boost turned up, it gets a good thump. The Barracuda Pro still doesn’t offer a head-rattling, subwoofer-like experience, but it’s strong. The sculpted highs come out a bit harsh in the already-harsh track, however.
Oddly, the Barracuda Pro doesn’t offer access to an EQ over Bluetooth, but its audio profile sounds closer to the Music EQ than the default one with a Bluetooth connection. It offers more bass and crisper highs than the flat EQ does when connected over the transmitter with Synapse running. This doesn’t seem to be an issue of the simulated surround processing, either, since the audio profiles in both simulated surround sound and stereo modes sound similar.
Hear Your Surroundings
The THX Spatial Audio simulated surround sound enabled on the Barracuda Pro by the Synapse software works quite well. In Satisfactory, the sounds of machinery accurately panned as I turned around, giving me a generally good sense of directionality. Ambient nature sounds and the low-key and soothing soundtrack come through clearly, while the whirr of engines in vehicles and manufacturing machines sound both full and appropriately harsh. Fortnite sounds similarly good, with solid directionality courtesy of THX Spatial Audio. I got a strong sense from where gunfire originated, and the shots sounded punchy.
An Ambitious Leap That Falls Short
Priced at $249.99, the Razer Barracuda Pro is less expensive than the $329.99 SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, while offering dual USB/Bluetooth wireless connectivity, active noise cancellation, and a companion app with many customization options. However, it doesn’t quite hit the high bar that its rival sets. Most disappointingly, its microphones aren’t only less clear than the SteelSeries headset, they’re less clear than the excellent boom mics on more affordable Razer headsets like the Barracuda X. You could also forego the ANC and Bluetooth and get the boom-equipped Barracuda X ($99.99) for less than half the price, or pick up the JBL Quantum 800 ($199.95) and get virtually all the same features as the Barracuda Pro, with RGB lighting and a solid boom mic.
Still, the Barracuda Pro is a headset worthy picking up, as its multiple connection options, well-designed carrying case, and good audio quality (featuring effective spatial sound) make it an appealing option for gamers who are often on the go.
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Pros
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Powerful, balanced sound
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Effective spatial audio
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Useful carrying case
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USB transmitter and Bluetooth connection options
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Cons
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In-cup microphones don't sound nearly as good as a boom mic
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Weak noise cancellation
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Expensive
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Lacks wired connectivity
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The Bottom Line
Razer's Barracuda Pro headset offers active noise cancellation, strong spatial audio, and Bluetooth and wireless USB connectivity in an easy-to-carry package. Without a boom mic, though, its voice quality isn't particularly powerful.
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