Razer Barracuda X Chroma review: shine of the times

Introduction

Just don’t have enough RGB lighting in your life? That’s not usually a problem for Razer, purveyor of all things illuminated, but its “they’re for gaming but wear ’em outside too if you want” Barracuda headset line-up has been conspicuously LED-free. Until now, that is. The Barracuda X Chroma finally brings fans the the glow-up they’ve been waiting for.

This multi-platform headset doesn’t just give your brain case an RGB recolour, either. It steps up from the entry-level Barracuda X with as much as 20 hours more battery life between charges. You pay a $30/£30 premium for it, but that still puts it at the more affordable end of the spectrum for gaming audio kit that’ll play nicely with PCs, consoles and mobile devices.

It’s not like Razer is the only gaming brand courting the casual crowd, though. Is there enough here to make it a top pick among the value-minded competition for everyone – and not just those transfixed by rainbow dazzle?

Design & build: surprisingly subtle

The Barracuda range has always leaned more casual than Razer’s pricier pro-grade headsets, and adding RGB lighting here hasn’t changed things. This is a minimalist set of cans which, when powered down and with the detachable boom mic… detached, could easily be mistaken for something like the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Sennheiser Momentum 4. There’s no way I’d wear certain gaming headsets outside of the house, but these properly fly under the radar.

You can get one in black or white colours; I’ve been testing the black version, which is mostly made from matte plastics that stay refreshingly fingerprint-free. The headband has a metal core for plenty of structural rigidity, and lots of distinct notches for finding a secure yet comfortable fit.

These are pretty light headphones, coming in some 40g less than the Bowers & Wilkins PX8 I use on the daily. At 285g they’re heavier than the Barracuda X, but not so much that you’d notice without a back-to-back comparison. The ear cups are still covered in breathable fabric, which doesn’t get nearly as sweaty as the faux leather on my usual pair of gaming cans, and they’re stuffed with plenty of memory foam cushioning. Same goes for the headband.

I wore the Barracuda X Chroma at my desk for full working days and was perfectly comfortable. Clamping force was well judged, the oval-shaped ear cups were deep and wide enough to completely enclose my ears, and the headband distributes weight evenly. The ear cups tilt and swivel, letting you lay the headphones flat around your neck – but only with the ear cushions facing outwards. Streamers wanting to show off their illuminated headset will need to remember to turn it around before putting it back on their head, or the stereo channels will end up reversed.

Features & battery: welcome to the light show

This headset’s party trick is obviously the Chroma lighting. Six zones encircle and illuminate the Razer Ouroboros logo on each ear cup in bright and colourful RGB. It’s sure to stand out if you’re streaming your gameplay online, and can just about be seen even if you’re sat face-on to your camera.

The lights can sync to any Chroma Apps-enabled games, changing colours to match what’s happening onscreen – though that would be for your viewers’ benefit, as they don’t shine so brightly as to illuminate the wider room. Colour, effects and brightness are all controllable through Razer’s various apps, but there’s no way to turn the lights off on the headphones themselves.

I know not everyone is a fan of rainbow lighting, but you feel that way you can save a nice chunk of change and stick with the regular Barracuda X, which remains on sale. It actually one-ups the newer model in one way – the Barracuda X Chroma doesn’t have a 3.5mm headphone port, so the only wired listening you’ll be doing is over USB-C.

It’s not like this headset is short on connectivity, though. The bundled wireless dongle lets it play nicely with PCs, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch consoles, handhelds like the Steam Deck, and both Android and iOS mobile devices. I like that Razer includes a dinky USB-C to USB-A adaptor, in case you’ve run out of (or don’t have) a USB-C port to plug the equally diminutive dongle into. The firm says it can deliver audio with a low 20ms latency – down from 35ms on the Barracuda X. I didn’t have the old headset to hand for comparison, but can’t fault this one for sound delivery.

For everything else, there’s built-in Bluetooth – though just the SBC codec, with no aptX or LDAC for higher quality listening.

You toggle between inputs by double-pressing the action button on the left ear cup, which toggles through the four audio presets with a short press, and activates Bluetooth pairing with a tap-and-hold. Elsewhere you’ve got a volume dial, power button, microphone mute switch and a slot for the boom mic to click into. This is also where you’ll find the USB-C port for charging, leaving the right ear cup entirely bare.

Battery life is where the Barracuda X Chroma separates itself from the Barracuda X – or it does in one sense. With the RGB disabled it’ll last over 70 hours per charge, a full 20 hours more than the entry-level headset can manage. Leave the lights on, however, and you’re looking closer to 30. I think that’s a fair compromise, and still meant I could last three full working days before needing to think about plugging in.

Interface: Phone-friendly

Naturally the Barracuda X Chroma shows up in Razer’s Synapse software when hooked up to your PC, whether wirelessly via the dongle or wired over USB-C. It’s got all the functions you’d expect, like EQ adjustment, microphone volume and talkback (so you can hear enough of yourself to know when you’re yelling to your teammates on comms), full RGB control through the Chroma app, and power saving options.

There’s also the option for 7.1 virtual surround sound, which you have to download separately. This isn’t THX audio (which Razer also owns) and only works on PC, so you’re out of luck if you’ll mostly be playing on console or mobile, but it’s a nice little inclusion if you’ve largely been playing in stereo until now.

The Razer Audio app takes over when you’re paired over Bluetooth to your phone, letting you customise (or switch off) the RGB, quickly connect to different saved devices, and activate a gaming mode for the lowest possible latency. There’s a custom EQ with 10-band equaliser here too, but no way to save multiple presets.

Sound quality: great for gaming (and most other things)

The Barracuda X Chroma uses Razer’s 40mm Triforce dynamic drivers, which are a known commodity at this point. The firm has tuned them for gaming, of course, but there are also music and movie presets that dial back the treble and ramp up the bass for when you don’t need to hear the footsteps of enemies creeping up on you, but want basslines and action film bangs to have more impact.

You don’t get active noise cancelling here – you’ll need to step up to the pricier Barracuda Pro if you want to mute the rest of the world when outside the house.

I was otherwise impressed with its delivery, creating a decently wide soundstage while gaming and preserving the sharpness of higher frequency glass shatters and bullet casings in Stalker 2. In competitive games like Call of Duty, I could pick out directionality reasonably well – though not to the same degree as with THX or other surround sound upmixing. Game mode isn’t nearly as boomy as some gaming headsets, with bass that doesn’t overwhelm even during hectic action set pieces.

The Music preset is definitely worth switching to when paired to your phone. It adds some welcome extra oomph to the low-end, without muddying the mid-range, and kicks the treble into check just enough that I could enjoy a wide range of genres without wanting to reach for the custom EQ. It doesn’t exactly punch above its weight sound-wise, but it doesn’t disappoint either. If this is where your budget caps, you’ll be happy enough with its audio credentials.

Razer Barracuda X Chroma verdict

Losing the 3.5mm wired connection is a bit of a downer, and I’d have liked to see a better Bluetooth codec offered for when streaming from a smartphone. With no ANC it’s not going to be your go-to pair for commuting, and there’s nothing really here to tempt anyone that isn’t bothered about RGB, either. But if the one thing holding you back from the regular Barracuda X was a distinct lack of lighting, this new Chroma version will be a slam dunk.

For everyone else, it’s still a good value gaming headset that looks as well as sounds the part, and can be used with your other gear too – even when you’re away from home.

Razer Barracuda X Chroma technical specifications