Razer Kaira Pro Review, Wireless, For Xbox, Review, Price
Razer Kaira Pro Wireless For Xbox
Razerthink – The Razer Kaira Pro fell like a glimpse into the future of gaming headsets. It was built to work with Xbox consoles, gaming PCs, and smartphones. Razer Kaira Is a multi-platform wireless gaming headset for the streaming era. The Razer Kaira Pro is a headset that steps up to the Xbox Series X console generation and provides a challenge. This is a challenge for everyone who comes next; try and do better if you think you are hard enough.
It won’t be easy. The Xbox-exclusive Razer Kaira Pro is good enough to leave an impression despite stopping in the five-star territory. The Razer Kaira Pro is a headset that steps up to the Xbox Series X console generation and provides a challenge. This is a challenge for everyone who comes next; try and do better if you think you are hard enough. It won’t be easy. The Xbox-exclusive Razer Kaira Pro is good enough to leave an impression despite stopping in the five-star territory.
The difference between the Razer Kaira Pro and the regular Kaira is that the former supports Bluetooth 5.0, whereas the Kaira Pro does not. That means Kaira Pro can connect to PCs, Macs, and phones via Bluetooth, but both require separate dongles to connect to the Razer Headset Setup for Xbox app on PC for full customization options. Thankfully, this headset has an excellent detachable microphone that sounds great, and the side RGB lighting has a strong visual appeal. Plus, thanks to the foam ear pads, they’re also quite comfortable.
The Razer Kaira Pro is decent wireless gaming headphones with low non-Bluetooth latency so that you won’t experience noticeable audio delays while gaming. Their boom mics also provide excellent recording quality and good noise handling capabilities, so teammates should understand you even if you are in a noisy environment. Their companion app also features various configuration features, including an equalizer for their sound and microphone profiles.
This wireless headset has excellent sound quality, a comfortable fit, a comfortable design, and helpful Bluetooth functionality, all for $150: a price that goes for a mid-range wireless gaming headset. While it doesn’t work with the PS5 or Switch, it pairs beautifully with any Xbox console, as well as PCs and mobile devices.
If there’s a downside to the Kaira Pro, Bluetooth functionality can be both a blessing and a curse. Using peripherals with PC and mobile isn’t as seamless as it might be, and your customization options are much more limited than with other Razer headsets. However, the Kaira Pro is one of the best gaming headsets for Xbox owners, especially those on the market for a wireless model.
Design
The Razer Kaira Pro is another example of how the Razer headset design changed for the better in 2020. While the company has produced nothing but big, bulky models, its latest headset is much slimmer, lighter, and easier on the eyes. The Kaira Pro features a gorgeous green-black color scheme with oval memory foam earcups and a padded steel headband. The tasteful Razer logo on each side of the device makes the headset look distinctive and elegant.
Another fluff on the Kaira Pro cap is that it distributes functionality almost evenly across both earcups. The right earcup houses the pairing and Bluetooth buttons and the mix game/chat button. You’ll find the mute microphone button, volume button, power button, USB-C charging port, and a detachable flexible microphone on the left earcup. I wish the game/chat mixer had a physical stopping point rather than an electronic beep when you hit the limit, but otherwise, it’s a perfect design.
From a construction point of view, the Razer Kaira is primarily plastic, except for the thin metal band that goes through the headset bridge. This means that the bridge is quite sturdy, but the joints are made of plastic and tend to break easily. That’s not what you want to hear when you buy a $149 headset, but that’s what Razer did here.
This headset is relatively light, weighing only 293g for the regular Kaira and 330g for the Razer Kaira Pro. The lightweight design, in addition to the memory foam padding and fabric earmuffs, really makes the headset soft and comfortable to wear for a long time. Speaking of earcups, each one comes with its own set of controls. You have the microphone mute switch, volume wheel, and power button; on the right, you have the Xbox pairing button, the chat/game volume balancer, and Bluetooth pairing button, and this is exclusive to Kaira Pro only.
The only port on the headset is for the USB-C charging cable, which you can also use to connect the headset to your PC for firmware updates – but that’s about it. There’s no 3.5mm audio jack on either headset, which means you can’t run it with a cable. Last but not least, there’s a detachable ambient noise-canceling microphone that makes you sound great. To remove it, you need to pull it off; then, you can put it back on at any time by simply plugging it back in.
My only gripe here is that while the earplugs fold flat for easy transport, the loops stick out a little too much. Just shake the headset slightly, and the earplugs will move everywhere. This isn’t much of a problem when they sit comfortably on your head, but it does make it a little harder to get a good seal.
Razer Kaira Pro Convenience
Thanks to the soft, breathable earmuffs and cushioned headband, the Kaira Pro is exceptionally comfortable to wear for extended periods. I used it as my work headset for a day, then played Yakuza 0 for hours on the Xbox Series X, and never experienced any discomfort, even with my glasses on. In terms of fit, you can customize the numbered notch on the steel headband, which is a little old-fashioned but also pretty straightforward.
Performance
While the audio crackles very occasionally for reasons I can’t understand, it’s reliable enough to impress in every way. This is an excellent kit and one of the best Xbox Series X headsets overall. In terms of tone balance and overall audio quality, the Razer Kaira and Kaira Pro are in the middle of the spectrum. Essentially, this headset doesn’t focus too much on treble or bass and instead focuses on making dialogue clear. The result is a headset that sounds smooth but not dynamic, spacious, or full of detail.
They make you sound great to others, thanks to Razer’s HyperClear Cardioid microphone. The microphone does a great job of capturing your voice and radically reducing the amount of ambient noise appearing on the other end. To test it, we called someone with music playing in the background. Surprisingly, the person on the other end said they couldn’t hear anything but our voices coming through the microphone.
While the microphone is a particular highlight, the Kaira’s battery life is mediocre. Razer says the Kaira can get up to 20 hours of playback if you turn off the RGB lighting — something you’ll need Razer Headset Setup for the Xbox app to do — you’ll most likely get around 15 hours or less. Even worse, since there’s no accurate battery indicator over Bluetooth, you can’t see how much battery the headset uses until you start hearing low battery warning beeps.
Whatever you play, you get rich, full audio; 50mm Pro drivers strike an outstanding balance of lows, mids, and highs, with each easily identifiable in the heat of battle. Surround sound is just as good, and you can tell exactly where enemy fire is coming from (or how far away it is). Outriders become much more immersive with attacks that pass through them before hitting a nearby wall, for example. Even the howling winds of Europa in the latest season of Destiny 2 provide a convincing illusion of being around you. It sells a sense of place in a way the speakers on your TV can never.
Set up the free Razer headset software on Xbox, and things get better. You can change the level to your taste or choose a predefined profile (which is also available by pressing the EQ button twice) and enrich the experience far. The latter allows you to choose between an FPS mix – which is very sharp – or a bass option that offers jarring powerful gunshots. When teamed up with a chat/game balancer, the Razer Kaia Pro makes for a compelling package. Can’t hear some of your teammates during the frenzy of battle? This helps you fix it. I wish I could evangelize the HyperClear Supercardiod microphone in the same way. It’s pretty good, but not as effective as I expected. It’s not bad by any means, but we’ve seen better.
Feature
The Razer Kaira Pro’s Bluetooth functionality is theoretically one of the best things about the headset. Historically, Xbox wireless headsets have been hard to sell; after all, do you want to spend $150 on a headset that only works with one console? (Or a PC adapter for $25.) Razer provides Kaira Pro Bluetooth functionality and ensures that the headset also works with your PC, mobile devices, and streaming gadgets.
However, there is a significant problem with this setting, and there is no easy fix for it. Because of the way the Xbox wireless protocol is designed, your Xbox will start as well every time you start your Kaira Pro headset. That’s great if you want to boot your Xbox with your Kaira Pro, but a pain in the ass if you’re going to use the headset with another system. You’ll need to manually turn off the Xbox every time you turn on the headset or invest in another pair of Bluetooth headphones. There are no good choices.
Bluetooth itself works great, as does the built-in Xbox wireless functionality. Installation is easy (press one button on the Xbox and another on the Kaira Pro), and the battery life is decent: 15 hours with the earmuffs on and up to 20 hours without the lights. The microphone is also what you’d expect for a mid-range gaming headset: It’s a little quiet in use but clear enough for everyday conversation.
Keep in mind that Kaira Pro does not work with Razer Synapse software on PC. That means no surround sound, no equalization profiles, and microphone volume options. It’s not an uncommon omission in console-based headsets, but it still makes the Kaira Pro feel pretty limited compared to something like the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro.
Kaira Pro can connect to both Xbox consoles via the platform’s wireless protocol and PCs and phones via Bluetooth. It has plenty of switches, buttons, buttons, and on-ear ports to facilitate two sets of connections and multiple play modes. You have the power button, volume button, and microphone mute switch on the back of the left cup. and also have a USB-C charging port, so you’ll need to use the included cable. So you have two pair buttons on the right, one for the Xbox console and another for Bluetooth. You also have a second button to customize your game-to-chat audio mix.
The pairing devices and switching between Xbox and Bluetooth are painless and straightforward. Both protocols have their buttons, so it’s as easy as pressing the right button on the headset and pressing the pair button on your Xbox, or you can use the Bluetooth menu on your PC or phone. Once paired, you can quickly connect or disconnect Bluetooth devices by pressing the Bluetooth button. That not only means you can turn off your Xbox, press a button, and get audio straight from your phone or PC, but you can also get audio from both devices at the same time; this is a pretty good bonus if, like me, you occasionally like to listen to music or podcasts while playing games.
Upfront, you also have a port for a removable Kaira Pro cardioid microphone. Despite Razer’s “Hyperclear” brand, I’d say it works as well as most wire cardioid mics I’ve tested on premium headsets in the last two years. With precise positioning, it produces clear and pressing the pair button on your Xbox, or you can use noise-free audio. Finding the sweet spot can be a little tricky, but it’s likely to work well if you don’t do it perfectly. It still captures my voice reasonably well when it’s accidentally moved from its position: It also picks up some ambient noise.
Software
On the Xbox console, you can customize Kaira Pro’s audio features and RGB lighting using the Razer Headset Setup for Xbox app. (You can also download this app on your PC via the Microsoft store). The app can give you access to a relatively large number of audio adjustments, including EQ levels for cardioid speakers and microphones. You’ll also get access to a limited amount of RGB lighting customizations, although it’s not as comprehensive as the complete Razer Chroma range for PC peripherals.
The app is quick to navigate and easy to use. Each audio-related menu has a test button that activates microphone monitoring to hear level changes as you change presets or fiddle with custom levels. You can create multiple headset profiles, including audio and lighting, so that you can create custom EQ settings for different games and scenarios.
Price
The Razer Kaira Pro is now available on the Razer website for US$99.99
Overall
The Razer Kaira and Kaira Pro are solid mid-range headsets explicitly built for the Xbox Series X and Xbox One. They offer a powerful (and detachable) noise-canceling microphone and colorful RGB lighting. Still, their plastic construction and mediocre audio performance prevent them from overtaking the new Xbox Wireless Headset as our favorite Xbox Series X headset.
Two of the biggest things Kaira does are convenient and built specifically for the Xbox. It’s easy to sync with the Xbox Series X and, thanks to the fabric earpads, it’s comfortable to wear for extended periods.
Our Razer Kaira Pro review covers the headset’s great sound, comfortable fit, and easy Xbox setup. Peripheral Bluetooth functionality is a double-edged sword, but in general, it’s a nice feature to have. And while the Kaira Pro’s customization options aren’t as rich as what you’ll find on a PC headset, they’re still acceptable for console gaming purposes.
Kaira Pro can be a tremendous cross-platform mobile console/headset: Convenient and easy to switch from one device to another. Those features only shine when the sound quality and connectivity of the headset allow it.
