Razer Barracuda X Chroma review
I know a tonne of people aren't ready to hear this but RGB lighting is now a fashion accessory, and you should get ready to see more of it. For better or worse, PC gamers have had front row seats to the development of this technology, and in this time we've seen some real rubbish. Plenty of ugly and unhelpful implementations over the years came with lights you can't turn off, battery sacrifices, and ramped up prices to go with it. Razer is a brand that might easily evoke some of these unhappy memories for many. I can say I'm pleasantly surprised that, in this case, the Barracuda x Chroma headset is a beacon to follow, rather than run from.
To help guide you through the minefield that is product naming, the Razer's Barracuda X is a slightly cheaper variation of Razer's Barracuda headset, which itself is a step down from the significantly pricier Barracuda Pro. In the X, generally you're looking at cheaper drivers and a single external mic for $100 AUD less than the Barracuda. The X Chroma is a newer iteration featuring some upgrades to the mic, battery, latency, and it's the only one to sport those fashionable outer LEDs with 6-zone earcup lighting.
The X Chroma runs at around $60 AUD ($30 USD) more than the standard Barracuda X, or around $50 (although they're on sale right now so the difference is only $10) less than the standard Barracuda. It comes in black and white, but mine has a special limited edition skin on, giving it a reflective rainbow shell.
These steps up from the X line are pretty significant, especially for gamers, and I'd say they're worth the extra cash. Both the Bluetooth and dongle connections boast a lower latency for gaming.
Type: Dynamic, closed-back
Frequency response: 20–20,000Hz
Drivers: 40mm Razer Triforce
Nominal impedance: 32Ω
Connectivity: 2.4G, Bluetooth
Weight: 285g
Price: $130 | £130 | $230 AUD
It's difficult to quantify when we're only talking about as much as 10 ms of difference. I did some testing in Overwatch 2, throwing some of
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