Philip Lanzafame takes a picture at the Glendale Sunrise Rotary Club Memorial Day ceremony at Forest Lawn-Glendale, Monday, May 31, 2021. (Photo by Michael Owen Baker, contributing photographer)
Glendale firefighter paramedic and US Army Veteran Keith Mayberry plays the bagpipes at the Glendale Sunrise Rotary Club Memorial Day ceremony at Forest Lawn-Glendale, Monday, May 31, 2021. (Photo by Michael Owen Baker, contributing photographer)
David Viar, Superintendent/President of Glendale Community College, presents the keynote address at the Glendale Sunrise Rotary Club Memorial Day ceremony at Forest Lawn-Glendale, Monday, May 31, 2021. (Photo by Michael Owen Baker, contributing photographer)
Glendale Police Department Color Guard presents the flags at the Glendale Sunrise Rotary Club Memorial Day ceremony at Forest Lawn-Glendale, Monday, May 31, 2021. (Photo by Michael Owen Baker, contributing photographer)
A flag hangs from Glendale Fire Department trucks at the Glendale Sunrise Rotary Club Memorial Day ceremony at Forest Lawn-Glendale, Monday, May 31, 2021. (Photo by Michael Owen Baker, contributing photographer)
Lilit Avetisyan, second from left, sings the national anthem at the Glendale Sunrise Rotary Club Memorial Day ceremony at Forest Lawn-Glendale, Monday, May 31, 2021. (Photo by Michael Owen Baker, contributing photographer)
Attendees at the Glendale Sunrise Rotary Club Memorial Day ceremony at Forest Lawn-Glendale, Monday, May 31, 2021. (Photo by Michael Owen Baker, contributing photographer)
Attendees at the Glendale Sunrise Rotary Club Memorial Day ceremony at Forest Lawn-Glendale, Monday, May 31, 2021. (Photo by Michael Owen Baker, contributing photographer)
Rita Boccuzzi, right, takes a video with her mother Anna D’Amore at the Glendale Sunrise Rotary Club Memorial Day ceremony at Forest Lawn-Glendale, Monday, May 31, 2021. (Photo by Michael Owen Baker, contributing photographer)
David Viar, Superintendent/President of Glendale Community College, presents the keynote address at the Glendale Sunrise Rotary Club Memorial Day ceremony at Forest Lawn-Glendale, Monday, May 31, 2021. (Photo by Michael Owen Baker, contributing photographer)
A flag hangs from Glendale Fire Department trucks at the Glendale Sunrise Rotary Club Memorial Day ceremony at Forest Lawn-Glendale, Monday, May 31, 2021. (Photo by Michael Owen Baker, contributing photographer)
A dedication tag hangs from a flag at the Glendale Sunrise Rotary Club Memorial Day ceremony at Forest Lawn-Glendale, Monday, May 31, 2021. (Photo by Michael Owen Baker, contributing photographer)
Rachel Lemoine, 7, takes a picture at the Glendale Sunrise Rotary Club Memorial Day ceremony at Forest Lawn-Glendale, Monday, May 31, 2021. (Photo by Michael Owen Baker, contributing photographer)
A flag hangs from Glendale Fire Department trucks at the Glendale Sunrise Rotary Club Memorial Day ceremony at Forest Lawn-Glendale, Monday, May 31, 2021. (Photo by Michael Owen Baker, contributing photographer)
The sobering sound of remembrance and patriotism echoed at Forest Lawn-Glendale on Monday, May 31, as the nation’s war dead were remembered.
The outdoor ceremony — in the presence of local dignitaries and a “Field of Honor” — 1,000 flags to honor the dead — rekindled such events throughout Southern California, which were impacted by the pandemic last year.
That tradition nationally is said to stem from the aftermath of the Civil War, when in May 1868, Gen. John Logan, the national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, proclaimed it in his General Order No. 11, where he sought a day to remember the fallen with flowers strewn on graves. It was originally called Decoration Day, according to MemorialDay.org.
A tradition began to grow, with more formal recognitions in several states. By the aftermath of World War I, the day became not just about honoring the Civil War dead, but Americans who died in any war.
Congress sealed it in the National Holiday Act of 1971, establishing the day on the last Monday of each May.
The event was organized by the Glendale Sunrise Rotary Club, in conjunction with Forest Lawn.
All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers.If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.
Anyone who works from home on a regular basis knows this all too well: Laptop speakers just don't cut it most of the time.
Sure, for a Zoom call or the occasional YouTube video, they'll get the job done. But for jamming out to music or streaming your favorite TV shows or movies, a real set of desktop speakers goes a long way. At just $40 and with a cool design, strong bass, and the simplest setup imaginable, the Creative Pebble Plus is a strong contender to round out audio on your home desktop.
Futuristic orb aesthetic • Bassy • room-filling sound • Quick and easy setup • Incredible value
Cable clutter
The Bottom Line
Creative Pebble Plus is an excellent budget option for anyone who wants to enhance their home desktop audio setup, as long as cable management isn't a turnoff.
Visually, the Creative Pebble Plus speakers are hard to miss. You'll get two black orb-shaped 4.5 x 4.8 x 4.5-inch satellite speakers with a flat base for stability and concave speakers, so there's no question which side is the bottom and which is the front. The right-side speaker has a self-explanatory volume dial on the front and a high/low gain switch on the bottom. Enabling that increases the speakers' power draw to output higher volume and better bass. The left-side speaker, on the other hand, looks exactly the same but has no controls on it whatsoever.
That right speaker does even more heavy lifting because there are four (!) cables coming out of the back side. One connects to the left speaker, one to a USB connector for power, one to a shorter AUX cable to connect to the laptop, and the last to a longer AUX cable that connects to a 5.9 x 7.7 x 8-inch down-firing subwoofer.
Introducing four cables to a desktop is going to create headaches for just about anyone, especially someone like me who isn't the best at cable management. Port placement on your laptop can make this even more annoying; the headphone jack on mine is on the left side, so I have both the right speaker cable and the shorter AUX cable snaking behind the laptop's display. It's just too much for me, especially as someone who likes to put things other than a laptop on my desk.
Cable annoyance aside, Pebble Plus wins a lot of points with me by being incredibly simple to set up out of the box. It's literally plug-and-play, as you connect the speakers to a laptop via USB 2.1 and AUX ports, rotate the volume dial clockwise to turn them on, and you're good to go. As long as your desktop has a USB 2.1 port, you don't need to worry about power outlets at all. If it doesn't, Pebble sells a $20 power adapter, which admittedly makes cable management slightly worse and drags down the value a bit.
Assuming the best port circumstances, it just takes a few seconds to get rolling with your favorite tunes or podcasts. No need to install weird proprietary software or anything like that. As long as you get the cable mess sorted out, these are attractive little speakers that don't look like they cost only $40. The best part is they don't sound like it, either.
Full sound with the full setup
Not ideal
Image: alex perry / mashable
There are a few different ways you can use Pebble Plus, but to get the most out of these speakers, you should really make use of both the subwoofer and the high gain mode.
The subwoofer is just a big black box that doesn't really fit visually with the rest of the package, but place it under the desk and you'll never need to think about that. The speakers do work without it, but its additional bass output makes a big difference. The entire setup is honestly pretty weak without the subwoofer.
High gain mode isn't as essential as the subwoofer, but it does add a nice punch to volume and bass levels. This adds enough to the overall package that I can't really think of any reason to turn it off besides a desire to not piss off your neighbors. Even then, they should just get better taste in music, right? Anyway, one oddity here is that Creative's website says you need the aforementioned power adapter to get the maximum high gain output because the speakers can't draw enough power otherwise. In other words, using high gain mode without the adapter is good, but the best experience theoretically comes with the adapter.
Since I didn't have the adapter, I can't say whether or not it makes a big difference, but I can say it's not necessary at all. Creative Pebble Plus pumps out very high-quality audio for the price, thanks to deep bass and rich higher elements of the sound. The speakers are respectful to whatever you're listening to, producing room-filling audio that elevates the subtler nuances of a song even at a higher volume.
For some reason Duran Duran's "Hungry Like the Wolf" sticks out from my testing. The percussion comes through with a satisfying crunch, the left/right stereo balance is just right, and the overall experience made me appreciate that song even more than I already did. What a bop.
The one "flaw" I found with the sound — and it's a very forgivable one — is that the speakers don't really produce omnidirectional audio at all. You need to be sitting in front of them to really enjoy whatever you're listening to. Considering how the average person sits at a desk, that shouldn't be a problem.
Unbeatable price
There's no getting around it: $40 is an incredible steal, considering the overall sound quality and inclusion of a subwoofer. These aren't the only decent desktop speakers that cost less than $100, however, but most of them don't come with a subwoofer, and it's hard to imagine many of them sounding better than this.
Alternatives include:
TaoTronics desktop soundbar ($40), which is just one speaker that can connect via Bluetooth for added convenience
Cyber Acoustics CA-3602FFP ($40), a similar two-satellites-and-a-subwoofer setup that looks less cool, but includes a separate control pod for volume
Sanyun SW102 ($38), two wired satellites with 360-degree audio but no subwoofer
I haven't personally spent time with those other speakers, but based on how great Pebble Plus sounds, I'd be hard-pressed to consider any of them over Creative's offering. Plus, I just think orbs are cool.
Worth it even with the cable mess
Creative Pebble Plus is an unbelievable bargain at $40 with excellent, deep audio output thanks to the addition of a subwoofer and a high gain mode. These speakers make working from home more fun, and the fact that you can go from unboxing them to using them within 60 seconds is a huge bonus.
Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of cables and that does hinder my opinion of the speakers to a degree. Adding four cables to a desktop that usually has one at most on it is a real drag. Different people have different levels of tolerance for cable management, so your mileage may vary, but that's a pretty major issue for me.
Even with that in mind, Creative Pebble Plus provides excellent desktop audio for an absurdly affordable price. These little sound eggs pack quite a punch as long as you make use of the subwoofer and the high gain switch. I apologize in advance to your neighbors, though.
When you have four top chefs and Dos Hombres founders Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad fame, you know you have a winner! Aventura’s JW Marriott Turnberry Resort’s world-renowned Chef Michael Mina is a regular at the festival, with his concepts Bourbon Steak, Pizza & Burger by Michael Mina and Stripsteak Miami serving as go-to favorites for both South Florida locals and visitors alike. This year, Mina was joined by the powerhouse brother duo of Chefs Bryan and Michael Voltaggio for a truly eclectic dining extravaganza. Bryan Voltaggio, a James Beard Award semifinalist, is known for his modern American cuisine, while the Michelin-starred Michael Voltaggio adds voltage to high-class cuisine. Mina and South Florida favorite, Executive Chef Gabriel Fenton, currently at the helm of the always-packed Bourbon Steak at Turnberry Isle Miami, hosted the Voltaggio brothers and offered festival-goers a unique dining experience, creatively paired with cocktails featuring Dos Hombres Mezcal, that encompasses both classic tricks and new treats for one night only.
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May 31, 2021 at 09:32PM
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JW Marriott Turnberry Resort hosts four top chefs and one electric for South Beach Food and Wine Festival bold dinner experience - Miami's Community Newspapers
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What Vizio’s mid-range M512a-H6 lacks in Wi-Fi connectivity, it makes up for in big, exciting, room-filling sound. Slated to ship in July for a list price of $450, this 5.1.2-channel M-series soundbar from Vizio is easy to set up, offers plenty of discrete audio adjustments, and delivers immersive Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sound courtesy of upfiring drivers.
Now, a sub-$500 soundbar like the M512a-H6 (which Vizio calls an “M-series” soundbar, sitting between its high-end P-series and budget-priced V-series models) will necessarily mean settling for some compromises—in this case, no Wi-Fi support, which means you’ll have to do without AirPlay 2 and Chromecast functionality, as well as support for native audio streaming. The good news is that you can add a voice assistant by connecting a smart speaker via a 3.5mm jack or Bluetooth, a nifty feature that’s new to Vizio’s 2021 soundbars. If you really want a Vizio soundbar with Wi-Fi abilities, check out the $999 Elevate, which connects to Wi-Fi and supports Chromecast streaming.
This review is part of TechHive’s coverage of the best soundbars. Click that link to read reviews of competing products, along with a buyer’s guide to the features you should consider when shopping.
Specifications
The Vizio M-Series M512a-H6 is a 5.1.2-channel soundbar, meaning it has physical drivers for the left, center, right, left surround, and right surround channels (the “5” in the “5.1.2” designation), as well as a wireless subwoofer for low-frequency effects (the “.1”) and two upfiring drivers for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X height cues (the final “2”).
The main soundbar unit houses a total of eight drivers, including a 2.19-inch full-range driver and a 0.79-inch tweeter for each of the left, center, and right channels, while the left and right height channels each get their own three-inch upfiring drivers.
Those two upfiring drivers bounce sound off your ceiling to produce Dolby Atmos and DTS:X height effects, an easier and more affordable alternative to installing height speakers in your ceiling. A ceiling that’s too high, too low, or vaulted could blunt the effectiveness of the upfiring drivers; in that case, you could turn on DTS Virtual:X, a virtualized 3D audio mode that doesn’t rely on upfiring or in-ceiling speakers. We’ll discuss Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and DTS Virtual:X more in the performance section.
Moving along, the wireless subwoofer gets a 6-inch driver, while the two surround speakers each get a 1.61-by-2.22-inch full-range driver. In all, that’s 11 drivers for the entire system.
Vizio didn’t supply detailed dimensions for the main M512a-H6 soundbar housing, but measuring it with my tape measure, it came out to roughly 40 x 4 x 2.6 inches (WxDxH). That’s relatively wide for a soundbar, stretching almost the entire length of my 55-inch LG C9 OLED. And when it’s sitting in front of the TV, it’s tall enough to block a sliver of the screen. In comparison, the 9.92 x 8.3 x 11.69-inch (HxWxD) subwoofer (Vizio did give us the measurement specs for that component) is fairly compact as far as wireless subwoofers go.
Besides simply plunking the soundbar in front of your TV, you can also mount it under the TV, and Vizio has helpfully included mounting screws and brackets for both the main soundbar unit and the surround speakers, along with a mounting template. You also get a generous cable kit, including an HDMI cable (which not all soundbar manufacturers bother to put in the box), along with an optical cable, a 3.5mm-to-3.5mm cable, a stereo RCA-to-3.5mm cable, and four cable ties.
Inputs and outputs
In the left rear cavity of the M512a-H6 are two HDMI connectors, one of which is an input while the other serves either as an output or an HDMI eARC interface. That gives you two options for connecting the soundbar to your TV via HDMI: one, you could connect a video source (such as a streaming video player, a Blu-ray player, or a game console) to the HDMI input, and then send video and audio to your TV via the HDMI output (4K HDR passthrough is supported), or two, you could connect all your video sources to your TV and then send audio down to the soundbar via the HDMI eARC interface. Because the M512a-H6 supports eARC, you’ll be able to send lossless audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio to the soundbar via HDMI, provided your TV also supports eARC.
Besides its HDMI connections, the soundbar comes with an optical (Toslink) input, a USB-A port (which only supports the playback of MP3 and WAV audio files), and a 3.5mm auxiliary jack.
A final input on the M512a-H6 deserves special mention: a second 3.5mm jack dedicated to connecting a smart speaker, such as an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot. You can also connect a smart speaker to the M512a-H6 via Bluetooth, ideal for Google Nest speakers (like the Nest Mini) that lack 3.5mm output jacks. Once connected, you’ll be able to channel your voice assistant and any other audio from the smart speaker through the soundbar’s drivers. The soundbar will also lower the volume from its active video input when you use the smart speaker’s wake word, making it easier to hear the voice assistant’s reply. Pretty cool, but remember that while you can hear a smart speaker through the M512a-H6’s drivers, you won’t be able to use voice commands to control the soundbar itself.
Ben Patterson/IDG
A second 3.5mm jack (labeled “AUX VA”) in the rear of the M512a-H6 is dedicated to connecting a smart speaker, such as an Amazon Echo. You could also connect a smart speaker that lacks a 3.5mm output, such as the Google Nest Mini, to the soundbar via Bluetooth.
Setup
So, let’s get this out of the way: The Vizio M512a-H6 doesn’t support Wi-Fi at all, which means no audio casting via Apple AirPlay 2 or Chromecast, no native support for streaming music services, and no way to control the soundbar’s settings via your phone. On the bright side, it means you won’t have to deal with connecting the M512a-H6 to your home wireless network, a process that (for me, at least) has been a headache with other Vizio soundbars.
Instead, you can jump straight to placing the soundbar in front of your TV (or, as I mentioned earlier, mounting it under your TV) and powering it on with the included power cord. Next, you’ll need to connect the subwoofer’s power cord (so no, the subwoofer isn’t completely wireless) and decide where to place it—which, in the case of Vizio soundbars with wireless surround speakers, requires some strategizing.
Rather than wirelessly connecting to the main soundbar unit or plugging into a separate wireless transmitter, the M512a-H6’s surround speakers plug into the wireless subwoofer. (That’s a common design for Vizio’s 5.1- and higher soundbars, by the way.) That means you’re faced with a couple of less-than-ideal placement options for the subwoofer: either next to your sofa, thus simplifying cable management but potentially placing the sub too close for comfort, or in a more traditional spot behind your TV, which means you’ll need to string cable for the connected surround speakers across your floor. The good news is that Vizio has been generous with the actual speaker cables, which are each roughly 30 feet long, and they’re also thin enough to hide under a carpet. In the end, I opted for a subwoofer spot that most users will likely choose out of convenience: next to the sofa, about three feet away and a foot or so from the wall.
Once the pre-paired main soundbar unit, subwoofer, and wireless surrounds are powered up, they should all connect to each other automatically; that’s how it worked for me, anyway. There’s also a manual pairing process if the automatic pairing doesn’t work properly.
Buttons, remote control, and indicators
On top of the main Vizio M512a-H6 cabinet are buttons for power, input, Bluetooth (which you can press and hold to enter pairing mode), and volume up/down—nothing unusual here.
Ben Patterson/IDG
The top of the Vizio M512a-H6 comes with buttons for power, volume, Bluetooth, and input select.
The M512a-H6’s remote comes with a single-line, backlit LCD at the top, which lets you scroll through settings and options such as trimming the speaker levels, adjusting the surround balance, testing the drivers, and switching surround modes. While the backlit display is handy for using the remote in the dark, you’ll still need to memorize the position of the various EQ, Level, Setup, and Effect buttons, which are not backlit. Luckily, you can easily find the prominent volume and mute controls, which sit beneath a four-way navigational pad, by touch.
Ben Patterson/IDG
The M512a-H6’s included remote comes with a single-line backlit LCD,
On the left edge of the M512a-H6’s front panel is a column of 10 LEDs that serves a variety of functions. For example, it can display the main volume level, as well as show you the level of individual speakers and channels as you’re adjusting them. A secondary light at the base of the column can glow different colors depending on the detected audio format—for example, green for Dolby Atmos, white for Dolby Audio, and amber for DTS. The main column of lights dims after a few seconds as does the secondary light, and I never found them distracting while viewing.
Sound modes
The Vizio M512a-H6 comes with your typical sound modes, including Movie, Music, Direct, and Game. Besides the main audio modes, there’s also a Surround Mode that can disable the surround speakers and remix the audio for the remaining drivers (there are plenty of users who simply never use the surround speakers, I’m told), and you can also deactivate Height Mode to switch the height drivers off (if, for example, your ceiling isn’t suitable for upfiring drivers).
If you do decide to nix the surround or height speakers, you can turn on DTS Virtual:X, an audio processing technology that (as I mentioned earlier) can fool your ears into thinking they’re hearing height and surround cues without the need for height or surround speakers. Now, one might ask why would you bother paying extra for a soundbar with height and surround speakers if you don’t plan on using them. That’s a good question, but apparently it happens, and in that case, DTS Virtual:X—which sounds reasonably good, but not as good as using actual height and surround drivers—is there if you want it.
Besides the audio, surround, and height modes, there’s a DTS TruVolume setting that narrows the dynamic range of the sound, ideal for taming the sounds of explosions or other loud effects, while a night mode dials down low-frequency effects for late-night viewing. There’s no one-touch voice control, but there is a Dialogue Level setting under the Level menu on the remote.
Performance
I tested the Vizio M512a-H6 using a wide range of video sources, including the UHD Blu-rays of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Blade Runner 2048, which both have Dolby Atmos soundtracks; the 4K Blu-ray of Apollo 13, which features DTS:X sound; the standard Blu-ray of Titanic, with DTS-HD Master Audio tracks; and the iTunes versions of Top Gun and 1978’s Superman, which each have Dolby Atmos sound. Besides movies, my wife and I also binged-watched more episodes of TheWest Wing and Younger than I care to count. For most of my movie and TV testing, I stuck (unsurprisingly) with the Movie, Surround, and Height modes all enabled.
As for the M512a-H6’s overall performance, well… wow. We’re talking big, bold, aggressive audio with great dynamics, plenty of pop, clear dialogue, and lots of boom—perhaps too much boom, which is an issue I’ve encountered on other Vizio soundbars with subwoofers that sit next to the sofa.
In the Battle of Hoth sequence in The Empire Strikes Back, the sound of cascading snow showers as an Imperial Walker toppled to the ground triggered some nice height cues, as did the ice pellets falling from a collapsed ceiling in the Rebel base. I also loved how the M512a-H6 sounded during the Apollo 13 launch sequence, with the exhaust from the towering Saturn V rocket seeming to billow above and around my ears, along with a sharp pop as the tower jettisoned from the top of the spacecraft. The dogfight with Viper in Top Gun was a sonic showpiece, with the jets thrillingly soaring over the mountains and roaring into the frame. (I should note that my wife, normally not a soundbar fan, gave me a slack-jawed look during this scene, and pointedly said: “This soundbar’s good.”) Finally, dialogue sounded clear and natural during The West Wing and Younger, while incidental music cues sounded warm and lively without being pushy.
Now, before I sound too gushy here, I should point out that the Vizio’s bass response can be a little much at times. I remedied this by dialing back the subwoofer level nearly all the way, which still yielded a solid punch without veering into overly boomy territory. Of course, another option would be to move the subwoofer further away from the sofa (I placed the sub about three feet away) or across the room behind the TV, which (again) means you’ll have to deal with the speaker wires. But in my case, a little tweaking of the subwoofer levels did the trick.
Bottom line
Vizio’s M512a-H6 soundbar delivers powerful, vibrant sound for a reasonable price, complete with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support, an easy setup process, and plenty of adjustments for tinkering with audio settings—which is a good thing, considering the soundbar’s tendency to push the bass into boomy territory. You will have to settle for no Wi-Fi or casting support, however, which is par for the course when it comes to $500-ish soundbars.
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Designed to compete with the best gaming headsets, without breaking the bank, Razer’s Kraken V3 X combines a comfortable ear cup design with strong audio output, an excellent microphone and software that greatly enhances the experience. This $69 set of USB cans are thumpy thanks to Razer’s patented Triforce 40mm drivers while offering a dash of RGB style in-the-ear cups.
Razer Kraken V3 X Specs
Driver Type
40mm neodymium magnet
Impedance
32 Ohms
Frequency Response
12 Hz - 28kHz
Microphone Type
Cardioid Hyperclear Unidirectional
Connectivity
USB Type-A (PC)
Weight
0.6 pounds (285g)
Cord Length
USB Type-A cable: 6 feet
Lighting
RGB on Earcups
Software
Razer Synapse and 7.1 Surround Sound
Design and Comfort of Razer Kraken V3 X
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Though it’s made from lightweight plastic, the Razer Kraken V3 X feels very sturdy. The unit’s Hybrid-Fabric memory foam ear cups are succulently soft and the headband is highly adjustable, fitting comfortably on my obnoxiously large head. When I plugged it in, the three-headed snake logo on each ear cup illuminated in RGB.
On the left earcup, you will find the flexible Razer Hyper Clear cardioid microphone, which is quite bendy, with a volume knob and a mute button. The Razer Kraken V3 X is fine to wear for long periods of time as they do not tend to get very hot or warm with long usage, unlike many other over-the-ear styled gaming headphones I have previously reviewed.
Audio Performance of Razer Kraken V3 X
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
The headset uses a pair of 40mm Triforce drivers that are designed by Razer and they pump out thunderous distortion-free bass and sweet sound throughout the audio spectrum. From sweet, warm, throaty lows, to angelic highs, the rich sound on the Razer Kraken V3 X surprised me.
First, I went to Youtube to listen to Busta Rhymes' "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See," because the thick bold bassline would be an excellent test of the Kraken V3 X’s capabilities. The unit came through with flying colors as they pushed out clear, loud, thunderous bass that Thor Odinson would be proud of.
My favorite moment came while listening to Earth, Wind & Fire’s "September." At the beginning of the song, the Razer Kraken V3 X reproduced the softer tones of the finger snaps and guitar melody sweetly. When the horn section takes over with its powerful rhythm, the Krakens proved they were audio titans.
The Razer Kraken V3 X also has plenty of gaming prowess. While playing Borderlands 2, the 7.1 spatial surround sound helped me hear some creeps off to my right and I was able to turn around swiftly with my sniper’s rifle and blow a villain’s head off before he could roast me with a flamethrower. The sound of explosions was exquisite when I shot out a barrel filled with chemicals, taking out three enemies.
After I was done with Borderlands 2, I decided to knock some heads and so I launched Batman Arkham Knight and again the spatial sound software helped me as I heard footsteps to my left and I bataranged a would-be attacker. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing the bone-crunching punches, and then my favorite sound, the thruster on the Batmobile firing, was bombastically reproduced, as it launched me across off a bridge and onto a rooftop.
To test the movie viewing experience, I watched Avengers Infinity War via Disney Plus. The audio captured the thunderous bass and every nuance so well that it sounded like it did when I watched this film in an IMAX theater.
During the scene where Starlord is feeling insecure about Thor’s presence and starts deepening his voice, I picked up the subtle difference in tone from the moment when Chris Pratt starts his impression. Every fight scene and explosion was so realistic. When Iron Man is battling Thanos and he roots his armor’s feet and then double punches Thanos and he slams against the debris, I literally could hear individual rocks fling off and land elsewhere.
Microphone on Razer Kraken V3 X
The Razer Kraken V3 X comes with Razer’s HyperClear cardioid microphone, which has a rated frequency response that ranges from 100Hz-10Hz with a sensitivity of -42dB. It’s very flexible and bendy and really does a nice job when recording audio.
I took part in an afternoon Google Meet, and everyone said that my voice came in loud and clear, my natural deep timbre was nicely picked up by the microphone and when I made an appearance on my friend’s baseball podcast, he commented that the mic had an excellent pickup and recorded very nicely.
Features and Software of Razer Kraken V3 X
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The Razer Kraken V3 X is a solid performer on its own but, I highly, recommend you download Razer’s Synapse software which will allow you to configure the RGB lighting effects, create lighting profiles, and adjust the volume.
The real winner here is Razer’s 7.1 Surround Sound download; it is the game changer and takes the sound quality up many notches. The normal audio performance as previously mentioned is solid. However, the truly thunderous, high-quality audio that makes these cans worth their weight, is when the unit is paired with the software. They go from sounding like $69 headphones to sounding like a pair of $200 headphones.
Bottom Line
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
For $69.99 you get an excellent pair of sounding headphones, especially if you remember to download Razer’s 7.1 surround sound software. Yes, they’re plastic, but they're very stylish with the RGB lighting adding a little panache and flair. The Kraken V3 X is also super lightweight, the hybrid cloth and memory foam cups will cradle your ears in soft comfort.
With the excellent microphone performance, you will be able to bark orders out to your friends during games or even host a podcast with crystal clear audio. If you don’t mind spending a bit more money and want a headset with a 3.5mm jack, you should consider the HyperX Cloud Alpha, but if you want a high-quality, affordable USB gaming headset, the Razer Kraken V3 X is a great choice.
