Razer Piranha Gaming Communicator

One of the first things people often ask when putting on a pair of headphones has to do with the comfort of the fit. The Razer Piranha Gaming Communicator fails, marginally, in that department. Why? It’s not that the ear cushions are not soft – they are; it likely has to do with the plastic band that arches across the top of the head being a little too rigid and forcing the earphones to grab on too tightly.

Honestly, after playing with the headset on for a couple of hours, the consistent pressure – while allowing the headset to shine in aural terms, was not that comfortable. Which is a major shame because the Piranha headset sports remarkable clarity in terms of delivering a deep, robust audio experience.

Before venturing forward, here are the headset’s specs:

• True-to-life audio quality with superior clarity and bass

• Adjustable, noise-filtering microphone for clearer in-game communication

• Ergonomic and adjustable earphones

• In-line remote control with convenient volume and microphone muting adjustments

• Single-sided cable for hassle-free usage

• Durable braided fiber cable protection

• Internet telephony compatible

• Compatible with most major operating systems

• Usable with CD, DVD and digital audio players (via 3.5mm minijack)

• Headphones: Freq. response: 18 – 22,000 Hz; Impedance: 32 Ohms; SPL (@ 1 kHz, 1 Vrms): 114 dB; Cable: 3.0 meters

• Microphone: Freq. response: 80 – 15,000 Hz; Sensitivity (@ 1 kHz, 1V/Pa): -38 dB; Impedance: ~2 kOhms

• Pick-up pattern: Uni-directional

The headset had two connecting resources: a USB plug and the plug-ins that are associated with the speaker and microphone jacks on the computer. This was a simple plug-and-play device that did not require installing additional software. The headset, once hooked up, was tried with a couple of different games – City of Heroes and EVE Online.

Using the headset only to deliver sound in CoH, the Piranha performed exceptionally well. The sound was bright, loud and crisp – so much so, that the adjustable volume control on the headset’s cord had to be turned down so as to not produce too much of an assault on the eardrums. Every nuance of the game, often played through a 5.1 speaker system, was heard.

EVE allows the use of voice chat and once again the Piranha delivered with voice that was not clipped in any regard and was heard clearly on the receiving end. The microphone arm can move upward to line up with the headband, but will only drop down to the 8 o’clock position (counter-clockwise), which means that you can’t set the headband back off the head too far to alleviate the tightness.

With such great sound delivered, the headset was tried with various other applications, including music and TeamSpeak. In playing music, the headset again delivered great sound with minimal volume settings. TeamSpeak proved to be of little challenge to the headset.

The outer shell of the headset is hard plastic, which accounts for some of the inflexibility, but also adds durability.

The price point of $79.99, especially when associated with the quality of sound, is another solid selling element.

The only real problem with absolutely recommending this headset is the tightness of the earphones. If there was a way to adjust the width and pressure exerted (and this might not be a problem for smaller head sizes), then this headset – considering the retail price – would be a no-brainer. Still, the proof is in the quality of the sound delivered and this headset performed remarkably.

Pros:

• The quality of the sound delivered is exceptional

• The sound sent by the microphone was cited as sharp and clear

• The cabling does not get bound up easily

• The volume controls are easily accessed and you don’t have to crank the volume to hear well

Cons:

• The pressure exerted by the earphones can become uncomfortable after several hours of play

Overall: 8.4
The headphones became uncomfortable after several hours of gaming, but there was not that sensation of ears ‘sweating’ from the fitting, but rather just the pressure consistently applied. Still, the sound quality was terrific, delivering layers from the bass underscores to the more prominent layers. There was even a sense of directional sound, though that may have been imagination. The microphone was also a solid bit of equipment. The Piranha is a solid headset that delivers great sound.