Since its launch, the Kraken model has seen many branches, including the ordinary green version, the black version, the 7.1 version, and the recent gold version of E panda. The most important one is the alloy version launched this time. It has the effect of "we stay together" in terms of stacking materials and selling price, and can be called the most important "new product" in Razer audio.
This article is from: Chiphell zach9999|
Specification analysis
characteristic:
Made of aviation grade aluminum
Specially tuned 40mm neodymium magnet drive unit
Manual assembly
Comfortable and versatile design
Closed ear muffs provide the best sound insulation
Folding ear muff design
Hard carrying case for easy carrying
With 6.35mm audio adapter
Interchangeable audio cable system with an audio cable with an on-board microphone
headset:
Drive unit: 40mm neodymium magnet
Frequency response range: 20 - 20000 Hz
Impedance: 32 Ω at 1kHz
Sensitivity (@ 1kHz): 100dB ± 3 dB
Input power: 30 mW
Approximate weight: 390 g
Microphone:
Frequency response range: 50 - 10000 Hz
Signal to noise ratio: 60 dB
Sensitivity (@ 1kHz, 1 V/Pa): - 38 ± 3 dB
Polar pattern: omnidirectional
System requirements:
Audio usage: equipment with 3.5mm or 6.35mm audio interface
Audio+microphone: the device with 3.5mm audio+microphone combination interface (Razer Kraken Forged Beihai giant demon alloy version can be compatible with Apple iPhone, HTC, BlackBerry devices, and can work normally on smart phones and laptops with native 4pin TRRS audio+microphone combination interface. Razer does not guarantee the working performance after being transferred through a third-party detachable adapter.)
From the above parameters, I can see only a few, others are automatically filtered:
Aviation aluminum - gorgeous material, blinding the dog's eyes, but you have to wear it on your head. After all, I'm not Tony Stark, and I'm a little worried about the fragile cervical spine;
Manual assembly - note that not all are manual. I do not doubt the details of Razer, but I doubt the accuracy of aluminum alloy parts;
Approximate weight: 390g - same as 1
Appearance analysis
The Kraken alloy version is known as all hand assembled and meticulously carved.
Note that it is manual assembly, not all of them are handmade. Don't misunderstand Razer. Maybe some things are really brilliant when they are handmade throughout the whole process. But I still trust the machine more for the cutting and fine processing of aluminum alloy. So, if Razer says that this earphone is handmade, I may feel uneasy when I don't see the real thing.
This time there is no green on the overall package, which is very unusual~~there is no other color, all black, white and gray. ▼
Of course, it also has a metal style, which is more tall. ▼
Kraken is still the same Kraken, and the suffix beside it becomes Forged edition. ▼
It is also a large black box with the upper and lower covers buckled together, and the surface of the box is wrapped with materials similar to carbon fiber stickers. ▼
In the middle is the black razer logo. ▼
The earphone body is placed in the attached portable bag, which is similar to the practice of 2B earphones. Most high-end portable earphones today are like this. ▼
The contents are as follows: box, headset, two wires, 6.5 adapter, manual sticker and other printed materials. ▼
If shell changing is the most popular thing of peripheral manufacturers - game peripheral manufacturers, to be exact - then this time Thundersnake is playing high and high. The control of aluminum alloy texture, the polishing and carving of details, and the connection and proportion of various materials can be regarded as the best, which is not an exaggeration.
Aluminum alloy chassis, aluminum alloy keyboard, aluminum alloy mouse, peripherals play until now, there are not too many hard indicators on the parameters to toss around, the appearance is also difficult to adjust, then what should we do? We still have materials to play with. ▼
The aluminum alloy of the Mac is a model in the industry. I believe that the reason for the razer is limited to the earphone construction - because the blade has been made, why not—— It's not as comprehensive as that, but the alloy Kraken takes out a single component and sees it all. Every step can be seen from the logo cutting, matt treatment, leather matching and front line details.
The fixed part of the unit connection is made of matte material, much like the back of MBP and iPad. ▼
The basic structural distribution of Kraken is maintained on the side. The middle logo part is made of frosted material, except the edge ring and logo itself are polished. It seems that this is a clever combination of two textures on one piece of aluminum. ▼
In different light, different textures reflect different visual effects. ▼
The black mesh surface makes the unit appear to be open. In fact, on the contrary, the mesh surface should only be used for decoration. ▼
Earmuffs are imitation leather, not leather, which is also mentioned in the parameters. The thickness and comfort should be better than the 7.1 version. ▼
After removing the earmuffs, you can see the relevant model labels. ▼
The whole earmuff is almost made of all aluminum alloy, including the upper cover. ▼
It comes with a very fine hard portable bag, whose surface is also leather, and has reserved a fixed clip for headphones inside. Compared with ordinary portable bags, it has an extra layer of insurance. I believe this is also to avoid unnecessary friction caused by internal shaking - aluminum alloy will not break, but you should pay attention to bumps and scratches.
The other side is attached with a pay off pocket. In addition to the elastic closure, it is also closely matched with a Velcro. The seal can be directly stuck to lock debris, further avoiding shaking and friction. ▼
Let's briefly compare kraken 7.1. ▼
In addition to replacing the telescopic rod with full metal, its width has also been greatly increased. ▼
The green printing is removed from the beam and the steel printing effect is adopted. The texture and thickness of the leather are greatly improved. ▼
The unit is replaced with aluminum alloy as a whole, not only the outer cover, but also a solid mass of aluminum...... ▼
The left side is the alloy ear pad, and the right side is the 7.1 ear pad. You can clearly see the improvement of texture, thickness, and even workmanship. ▼
Wearing analysis
The original wearing comfort of Kraken is ideal, but the wearing method of alloy version is not changed. The thick large aluminum alloy fixed unit is more secure than the original plastic version. If it is not afraid of surface scratches, I think it should be OK to knock nails with it.
The attitude of Razer can also be seen from the number of connections. All aluminum materials from the inside to the outside should be used as long as they can be used. Not only metal should be used, but also the width and thickness should be in place. The most important thing is that the damping should be excellent, not only materials.
In addition to length adjustment, the folding mode is also retained, which is convenient to take back the portable bag. The hinge part is also all metal, and retains the elasticity when folding, with good hand feel. ▼
There is a groove on the inner side of the connecting rod, which acts as a sliding rail and a fixing function. It is more certain that there is no shaking. It is necessary to know that the aluminum alloy does not shake and does not combine too tightly and dryly. If it is not oiled, it will take some thought. ▼
The embossed leather headband, however, is not genuine leather. Its thickness and softness are no less than those of the general version. The wiring is still strict and even. ▼
The wires of earphones are pluggable. Two earphones are attached, one is common 3.5, and the other is attached with a microphone. In addition, aluminum element is indispensable to these earphones... ▼
After inserting the wire, rotate and lock it, and leave a section of reinforcement at the outlet and inlet of the aluminum alloy to prevent the wire from excessive bending and protect the connection. ▼
The leather cushion has also been upgraded, with increased softness and thickness. ▼
Auditory analysis
In my opinion, Razer's audio team is very "alternative". From the beginning of the launch of audio products, Razer has not adjusted their so-called game headset sound too extreme, without isolating the mid frequency, peeling off and hardening the feeling of low frequency. Maybe that kind of game headset should be prefixed with "FPS" game headset. When it comes to killer whales designed based on man devouring sharks, it is more completely pure earphones (I didn't call them music earphones), and then to toothed whales - step by step, Razer seems to be walking in a logical way on the way of "taking off the microphone".
So how much progress has been made, or what changes have taken place? When it comes to the Beihai giant demon, the problem can be interesting again - most successful audio manufacturers have their own tuning style, perhaps because of the decision-makers, perhaps because of laziness... I prefer the team's understanding of the sound. Only some poor manufacturers or shanzhai factories will have no rules on this issue, one earphone is the same. Razer's voice seems "unhealthy" to me, but it has always solidified a style and has not changed all the way. It is fresh and straightforward, and the low-frequency is fast and powerful but blocky. The extension at both ends of the high and low ends is not very prominent, but it is also not excessive. This is its characteristic.
The model of Beihai Giant Demon also did not leave this orbit. The same middle and low end earphones have different preferences. Razer's voice is not as elegant as that of Japanese, nor as serious as that of old European brands, nor as enthusiastic as that of the United States. But you must rely on a style, perhaps between Europe and the United States, which is definitely not compatible with that of Japanese.
This is still true for the top "alloy version of Beihai monster" of Razer. But don't forget, this is a luxury character with an official price of 2599. If the voice is the same as that of ordinary Kraken, I will scold everyone... You know, there are many dazzling choices in this price, and none of them are fuel efficient lights. It is obviously not enough for players to spend this price just to get a sci-fi style antenna baby headdress
The result is good, and it is still interesting - in the case of a portable device with a sound card of about 1000 yuan being pushed directly, it is more durable than some all-in-one computers, and even has a better analysis... This can only say that the equipment I have is limited, and I can't give more possibilities, but one conclusion is easy to get - easy to push.
Its sound is not beautiful, but it is hard and not rough. Compared with the ordinary version, its analysis is better. I don't know whether the diaphragm has been replaced or just the function of the cavity. The sound is obviously clearer, the sense of line is far better than the ordinary Kraken, the sound field is still weak, and the extension of both ends is still not in place, But it has the taste of a tepid fast food similar to the two B earphones - it can be eaten, and the taste is OK when eating, but you can't eat every meal.
In the game, although this kind of partial block tuning is very helpful, I think it does not deliberately target FPS positioning tuning, so to be honest, its help for positioning is not much greater than that of ordinary Kraken, and thanks to better sense of line and analysis, you cannot ignore this improvement... In short, it is a waste just to become the third eye in the game. On the other hand, sound details and better medium and high frequency performance make this alloy version more appealing when playing games and watching movies, such as more detailed sound effects, better background music, etc.
summary
The basic growth path of game peripherals manufacturers as earphones is from "emphasizing game pertinence" to "emphasizing versatility". The reason is very simple - earphones are earphones. With the maturity of their own audio technology, the transformation from a single game to tuning, to "accurate and balanced sound" is an inevitable path for most mature manufacturers, and Razer is no exception.
In addition to targeting the snake fans, the appearance of Beihai giant demon alloy version is believed to let everyone see Razer's determination in the audio field. Whether it is cooperation with E-panda or alloy version, it is obvious. With the rise of portable music, earphones have changed from simple listening devices to a "digital toy of jewelry+music playing". This type of earphone naturally has its reasonable position, but is the 384g weight a bit unfriendly? I don't mind using materials and workmanship as best as I can, but I still need to wear it on my head after all... Maybe an aluminum alloy iPhone can save your life if it is put in your pocket, but there are bullets or shrapnel flying towards your head. I must have a greater chance of survival than you if I wear it.
