Razer announces new premium Barracuda Pro headphones with ANC, huge 50mm drivers, THX amplifier, and HyperSpeed Wireless
Razer’s new premium noise-canceling headphones offer everything for hardcore gamers or those who want to listen to music while commuting.
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Razer’s new Barracuda Pross should be at the top of your list for those looking for do-it-all over-the-ear headphones. The new premium $250 headset is aimed at gamers who also want to use their headphones outside the house, where blocking external noise is critical when listening to music.
The Barracuda Pro features some of the best technology Razer has yet put into headphones, including a new THX Achromatic Audio Amplifier powering massive 50mm TriForce Bio-Cellulose drivers. Toss in built-inTHX Spatial Audio, dual-integrated noise-canceling microphones, Type-C charging, and a healthy 40 hours of battery life, and you have the complete package. All of that is put into a toned-down all-black headphone design that won’t draw attention to your head.
According to Razer, THX’s new Achromatic Audio driver delivers “… ultra-low distortion, improved signal-to-noise ratio, a greater dynamic range, better power output, and more detail and clarity for music lovers.”
Giving flexibility is Razer’s famed HyperSpeed Wireless with SmartSwitch. In normal talk, these headphones have a 2.4GHz wireless dongle for ultra-low latency connections and Bluetooth 5.2 for your phone or other devices. By hitting a single button (SmartSwitch), users can toggle on the fly between the two wireless technologies. That also means you can be connected to two devices simultaneously (though both are not active), letting you jump between devices with a touch of a button.
The beauty of the Barracuda Pro comes down to using the HyperSpeed 2.4GHz dongle for your PC during a gaming sesh and then falling back to Bluetooth 5.2 when you leave the house with your phone. The ANC supports three levels of active noise suppression, selectable through the companion Razer Audio App.
You could also use that 2.4GHz dongle with Valve’sSteam Deckmaking these an excellent choice for mobile gamers who want the best of everything.
In the box, you get a high-quality hard-shell zippered case with storage for the Type-C charging cable, a dongle extension, and a place to stow that 2.4GHz dongle.
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Barracuda and Barracuda X
Rounding out the announcement are the Barracuda ($159.99) and Barracuda X ($99.99), with the latter being a refresh adding full Bluetooth support, Razer SmartSwitch Dual Wireless, and doubling the battery life to 50 hours on a single charge.
See myprevious review of the Barracuda Xfor more context.
The Barracuda X drops down to 40mm drivers and 7.1 surround sound compared to Barracuda Pro and Barracuda.
The regular Barracuda, as inferred by pricing, sit in between the Pro and X with sizeable 50mm drivers, SmartSwitch Dual Wireless (2.4GHz and BT), and 3.5 analog, THX Spatial Audio (up from 7.1), but lacks the Pro’s THX Achromatic Audio Amplifier or Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) Technology.
If interested, all three headphones are now available fromRazer.comand authorized retailers starting today.
We’ll have a full review of the Barracuda Pros in the coming week to see if it makes our lists forbest gaming headphonesandbest noise-canceling headphones.
Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer,podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.
