I transition between different pieces of audio equipment on any given day. I listen to music with my earbuds, but they always fall out when I talk, so for meetings I tend to go without. If I’m in a loud setting and need to speak in a virtual meeting, I reach for my old, reliable headset for its higher-quality mic, but I often sacrifice call quality in non-gaming environments. And when I’m gaming, I love my light-up kitty-ear headset, but I don’t necessarily want to wear that at a coffee shop or in a professional setting. Which is why the new Razer Barracuda V2 Pro is made for people like me. It’s an elegant, multipurpose headset that does the job, no matter what the job is.
Working 9 to 5
Photograph: Louryn Strampe
The Barracuda V2 Pro feels more like a good pair of over-ear headphones than a traditional gaming headset. During my testing period, I regularly listened to music with it. It sounds clear and balanced—there’s a bit of quality loss in the lows and highs, but it’s still perfectly acceptable, and the hybrid active noise canceling (ANC) is fantastic. Press the Multifunction button to cycle between ambient, ANC-on, and ANC-off modes. Hold it to activate your voice assistant or customize it in the Razer Synapse Windows/Mac software or Razer Audio smartphone app. (Customizations include cycling ANC modes, adjusting volume via Bluetooth, or using your voice assistant, so you can choose what each button press does.) You can tweak the EQ in Razer Audio and cycle between presets—Movie, Music, Game, and Default—with the press of a button. Press the same button twice to cycle between connectivity modes, including Bluetooth, HyperSpeed Wireless, and Simultaneous Listening. You can also go wired with the included cable.