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Razer BlackShark V3 Professional: one-minute overview
The Razer BlackShark V3 Professional is, because the keen-eyed may have surmised, an improve to the 2024 V2 wireless gaming headset, which provides lively noise cancellation to the proposition. Razer’s BlackShark headsets match into the producer’s vary proper on the high, by way of each options and pricing, so the modifications it makes to this mannequin are all the time an actual assertion of intent.
What’s that intent? A mixture of 1 huge addition in ANC, plus a couple of smaller tweaks that show an open ear to group suggestions. It’s odd to see noise cancellation added to a headset that options breathable cloth earcups, since ANC depends on the headset’s potential to isolate sound passively by its bodily design so as to work successfully.
In different phrases, the earcups want to dam out most ambient sound by making a vacuum round your ear earlier than the listening know-how will get concerned. It’s not exceptional, although, as AirPods Max customers will attest, and regardless of the fabric cloth’s inferior isolation properties, these up to date BlackSharks do certainly handle to tune out a great deal of undesirable exterior noise. Better of all, there’s a button on the headset that toggles between ANC on, ambient (utilizing the listening mics to actively amplify exterior noise), or ANC off.
These different small tweaks: a barely redesigned hinge connecting the earcups to the adjustable headband, which is now completed with an aluminum panel and operates barely extra easily and – the holy grail of headset options – a bodily chat combine scroll wheel, identical to SteelSeries provides to their Arctis cans.
Honestly, there wasn’t a lot improper with the present mannequin, as you’ll see from our Razer BlackShark V2 Pro review. I’ve been utilizing the V2s ever since they launched, and I’m delighted that the V3 retains all of the robust factors like unbelievable consolation, end high quality, battery life, audio, provides a few welcome tweaks, after which slaps in a giant value-add like ANC with out upsetting the apple cart. The Xbox and PlayStation variations function very related choices, distinguished solely by some inexperienced headband trim on the Xbox mannequin and a barely totally different variant of the dongle.
The one vital draw back to utilizing the BlackShark V3 Professional ANC, no matter platform, is the dongle scenario. The equipped HyperSpeed wi-fi dongle truly requires a USB cable to hook up with both a PC or console, whereas the smaller, neater BlackShark V2 USB-C dongle received’t pair with V3 fashions. So though the headset’s wi-fi, the dongle is… wired? That looks as if a little bit of an odd scenario, regardless of the improved latency that HyperSpeed brings.
Razer BlackShark V3 Professional: Worth and availability
- Checklist worth: $249.99 / £249.99 / round AU$510
- $50 greater than the BlackShark V2
- Significantly cheaper than SteelSeries’ Nova Professional Wi-fi ANC possibility
This actually isn’t an affordable headset. Then once more, the BlackShark by no means has been, and ANC tends so as to add a substantial worth premium on any headset mannequin that provides it, gaming or in any other case.
The price of blocking out exterior sound is about $50, versus the outgoing 2024 mannequin of BlackShark V2 Professional, which implies anybody contemplating hitting the purchase button has an necessary query to ask themselves: is ANC important, or would they be simply as comfortable to make use of the V2 mannequin as an alternative and benefit from the lion’s share of the identical options, for much less? V2s promote for lower than $180 now and are more likely to be discounted additional whereas shares final.
The opposite huge participant within the ANC gaming headset house is SteelSeries, whose Arctis Nova Professional Wi-fi is among the many most feature-rich and lavishly completed fashions we’ve ever seen. Priced at $349.99 MSRP, it’s a full hundred {dollars} dearer than this Razer mannequin, which nearly makes the Professional V3 ANC look like a cut price.
Razer BlackShark V3 Professional: Specs
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Razer BlackShark V3 Professional |
|
Worth |
$249.99 / £249.99 / round AU$510 |
|
Weight |
367g / 0.81lbs |
|
Battery life |
70 hours |
|
Compatibility |
PC, Xbox Collection X|S, PS5 (Xbox model), PC and PS5 (PC/PS5 model), iOS, Android |
|
Connectivity |
Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wi-fi |
|
Microphone |
16-bit/48KHz |
| Row 7 – Cell 0 | Row 7 – Cell 1 |
Razer BlackShark V3 Professional: Design & options
- Fantastically stealthy seems with immaculate stitching
- All-day consolation, regardless of the burden
- Nice suite of bodily controls
BlackSharks are constructed round an aviation-style headset design, much like HyperX’s Cloud, which was itself primarily based on the OG QPAD QH90s. That entails two oval-shaped earcups related not on the high however by way of a hinge together with every to a padded headband.
I’ve been testing headsets for a lot too a few years at this level, and I’ve discovered this earcup measurement and design typically provides the perfect consolation and passive noise cancellation. So when it’s manufactured to a excessive customary like this and completed with a beneficiant wedge of reminiscence foam, you’ve acquired a recipe for long-term consolation.
Some folks don’t get on with the hinge design. Whereas different headsets provide a notched sensation whenever you regulate the headscarf and even present you measurements which you can reference, these BlackShark V3 Professionals, like their ancestors, don’t have any of that. Personally, I’ve all the time discovered {that a} bit pointless – absolutely it’s faster and simpler to regulate till you’re feeling comfy, fairly than dialing in a prescribed quantity?
It’s true that the skinny telescopic aluminum poles that allow you to regulate for measurement have historically been a bit stiff to function, and to me it appears like they’re smoother on this mannequin. That might simply be the brand new headset impact, although.
The end is often immaculate, as per Razer’s requirements. The stitching on the higher leather-based portion of the headscarf seems like an Italian sports activities automotive’s inside, the imprinted Razer emblem working alongside the highest is pin-sharp, and so are the gloss end Razer logos on the matte earcups. There’s a brand new aluminium plate on the hinges for these V3s, completed in an engraved spiral design, which breaks up what was beforehand a plasticky-looking part with a little bit of added shine. They most likely don’t deliver the burden down, however regardless of its 0.81lbs/367g being in the direction of the heavier finish of the market, discomfort isn’t a problem as the headscarf and earcup cushioning, along with the headset’s clamping drive, work collectively to stop something digging in.
I’m such a giant fan of the right-hand earcup’s bodily controls. Firstly, there’s a button that cycles by three ANC modes: on, off, or ambient, and never even my Bose QC45s provide that a lot management over ANC, so effectively achieved for that, Razer.
Second, I all the time discover a chat combine wheel helpful, so its addition to the BlackShark V3 Professional ANC is a particularly welcome one for me. Streamers would possibly like to listen to a small quantity of their combine audio simply to test they’re not muted, and personally, I discover it helps to control my talking quantity for in-game chat.
There’s additionally an EQ cycle button, which I by no means, ever use. Some folks would possibly. Not less than it’s positioned in order that I by no means hit it by chance.
The one vital damaging is an everlasting one: the equipped HyperSpeed dongle wants a USB cable to be related to it. The USB-C dongle for the V2 gen received’t pair with these V3s, so HyperSpeed dongles are the one possibility. This received’t impression your enjoyment of the headset’s options, but it surely appears like a wierd answer, a little bit of a stopgap till Razer releases a HyperSpeed dongle that plugs instantly into your system. Till then, grit your enamel and brace for some cable spaghetti emitting out of your PC or console.
Razer BlackShark V3 Professional: Efficiency
- ANC works effectively, if not completely
- Booming however exact sound
- Absurd battery life
Let’s get into the headline addition to this V3 iteration of the BlackShark Professional: lively noise cancellation. Seeing ANC on a gaming headset’s spec sheet is a latest phenomenon, most likely as a result of the areas the place we play video games are typically quiet within the first place. However there are eventualities when it may come in useful: doubling up as work and gaming headphones, taking part in on a cellular system on public transport, or, for the only a few gamers expert sufficient to search out themselves in such a scenario, taking part in an esports match in entrance of a crowd.
Till the Worms Armageddon aggressive scene blows up, the one use case I’ve for ANC is when utilizing a headset with a cellular system out on the planet, significantly on a aircraft. I have to disclose that I haven’t used the BlackShark V3 Professional ANCs on a aircraft but, however I’ve taken them on practice journeys and on walks, utilizing the Bluetooth reference to my telephone.
The listening mics do their job effectively, negating lots of ambient noise in each conditions. Nevertheless, the draw back to utilizing material cloth as an alternative of pleather across the earcups is that in case you actually pay attention out for it, you may hear the ANC making tiny changes each time your headset’s place modifications barely. Which it does, as a result of that breathable cloth doesn’t ‘stick’ the headset in place like pleather does. You actually should pay attention out for it, however the sound of low frequencies adjusting is perceptible as your headset shifts.
I don’t discover {that a} main subject. ANC is a giant value-add for me, however not as a result of I must drown out sound whereas gaming. As an alternative, it provides to the BlackShark V3 Professional ANC’s versatility, as a smartphone headset, a night-time telephone session buddy, or a research assist to assist me focus.
Talking of versatility, because the V2s had been launched, Razer up to date their firmware to permit simultaneous 2.4GHz wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity, that means you may take calls out of your telephone whilst you play in your PC or console. One more value-add.
Like its predecessor, the mannequin is available in PC, PS5, and Xbox variants, each additionally appropriate with PC, with solely minor beauty variations and one compatibility distinction (the Xbox model works on all platforms, the opposite two not so) between them – some inexperienced trim and a special dongle on the Xbox model, principally. Setup is straightforward on each consoles, and new to this gen, you need to use them wired whereas they’re charging on consoles, too.
Not that charging is an particularly frequent activity. The spec sheet offers these 70 hours of life on a full cost when utilizing a 2.4GHz wi-fi connection, which is a rare determine. Based mostly on my 12 months of heavy utilization with the V2s, the 70-hour declare held up long-term, so I’ll have an interest to see what impact the ANC has on the V3’s battery efficiency over the approaching months. All I can say at current is that 70 hours is appropriate out of the field.
I don’t suppose the mic’s been up to date this gen, not less than not so far as I can inform. The identical removable design returns, with a giant foam pop protect, respectable noise suppression, and a well-rounded sound. Within the final 12 months, I’ve been utilizing the V2s, folks on Discord all the time requested if one thing was improper with my mic after I used a special headset for testing. The consensus this time? It sounds… the identical.
Let’s point out the driving force sound high quality, because it’s the underside line of any gaming headset. It’s been a very long time since Razer and its contemporaries used to artificially increase the low-end frequencies to make the whole lot you listened to sound like a bone-rattling motion movie. Trendy gaming headsets provide a a lot flatter EQ response, which provides you quite a few advantages, from versatility to specific audio articulation. It additionally signifies that headsets from totally different producers sound much more like one another than they used to, however nonetheless, the BlackShark household has ‘a sound’.
It’s exact and flat, however with an authoritative thud to the bass response when it’s actually wanted. You possibly can, after all, tinker with these properties by way of the EQ presets and Razer’s Synapse software program, however I discover software program EQ tends to introduce a digital artifice to the sound that’s all the time counterproductive.
The underside line is that they sound improbable in each setting. Like their predecessor, the V3 Professional ANCs are an entire bundle that’s laborious to search out fault with.
Ought to I purchase the Razer BlackShark V3 Professional?
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
Razer BlackShark V3 Professional: additionally contemplate…
Is one thing fishy concerning the Razer BlackShark V3 Professional to you? Contemplate these wi-fi alternate options.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Razer BlackShark V3 Professional |
Steelseries Arctis Nova Professional |
PlayStation Pulse Elite |
|
Worth |
$249.99 / £249.99 / round AU$510 |
$349 / £329 / AU$649 |
$149.99 / £129.99 / AU$239.95 |
|
Weight |
0.81lbs / 367g |
0.75lbs / 339g |
0.76lbs / 347g |
|
Battery life |
70 hours |
36 hours |
30 hours |
|
Connection kind |
Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wi-fi (HyperSpeed dongle) |
Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wi-fi |
Wi-fi (PlayStation Hyperlink by way of dongle), Wired (3.5mm audio jack), Bluetooth |
|
Compatibility |
PC, Xbox Collection X, PS5 (Xbox model), PC and PS5 (PC/PS5 model), iOS, Android |
Ps 4/5, PC, Nintendo Change, iOS, Android |
PS5, PlayStation Portal, PC, Mac |
How I examined the Razer BlackShark V3 Professional
- Over per week of strong use on PC, PS5, and cellular
- Desktop station and noisy environments field-tested
- Consolation and battery life had been evaluated by way of long-term utilization and prolonged play periods, audio by way of music, and in-game sound
There are two methods to check the effectiveness of lively noise cancellation outdoors the lab: one is to watch the distinction in a quiet house, and the opposite is to go someplace noisy. I did loads of each throughout testing, on commuter trains and walks by the park, in addition to at my good, tranquil desktop PC setup.
I put the BlackShark V3 Professional ANCs by their paces in direct comparability to the V2s, throughout a number of consoles, and in a choice of video games, together with Death Stranding 2: On the Beach on PS5, Far Cry 5 on Xbox, and my previous favourite, MotoGP 25 on PC, in addition to a variety of music too.
My typical play periods lately are a few hours every, however I additionally logged some longer periods to check out the long-term consolation, and used the battery from full cost all the way down to full depletion, utilizing each wi-fi modes and the total suite of ANC choices.
First reviewed July 2025