Comfort and Fit
I use my computer for many things and lying in bed watching movies for hours is one of them. The RAZER Piranhas allow me to do so comfortably without having to take a break. In fact, while I write this review, I am listening to music and I really don’t even notice that I am wearing the headset. My ears don’t get sore and red which other headsets have done to me in the past. Damn you past headsets!
The adjustable ear pieces make it easy to adjust them to the size of my head and to where it sits comfortably on my ears. The earcups also pivot for extra comfort. The ear pieces are constructed with a soft cushioning that allow it to assist in blocking out a bit of outside noise, even though they are not over the ear, but rather, sit on top of the ear. All these things togethter definitely help out when you’re gaming for hours trying to down that final dungeon boss, or if you’re like me, lying in bed watching movies.
The microphone can pivot 90 degrees, allowing it to be placed out of the way when not in use. The arm of the microphone (or boom) is a bit more flexable then the rest of the headset. This allows you to bend the microphone closer to your mouth while you are speaking. This is also nice because it gives a better chance of the microphone surviving when its being transported between LAN parties or other such events that might require the use of a headset.
Connectivity
Connections to your computer are accomplished via the two mini jacks: One for sound and the other for the microphone. As mentioned earlier, there is also a third cable that is USB, but don’t let this fool you: The RAZER Piranha does not have an external sound card built in. The USB plug only serves to illuminate the blue LEDs that are on built into each ear piece and the inline volume control. I guess the Eye-Candy is useful for stunning your buddies during a LAN party.
Gaming and Audio Performance
The RAZER Piranha Gaming Communicator was designed with gaming in mind but more specifically for game genres such as RTS or MMOs (World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, etc) that can have you in front of your computer for hours. Being a World of Warcraft player I took its first test drive among the other players in the lands of Azeroth and asked for their feedback on the qualityh of the sound coming from my microphone. People reported that they could hear me clearly while I was speaking which is a good sign. Of course, the other factors that you will need to consider is the internet connection speed you have, what the players on the other end have as they listen to you, and congestion on the network.
Another aspect I like about the headphones is that while playing World of Warcraft, I could hear small environmental noises that I would normally not have heard with my external speakers. This extra ambient sound takes gaming to the next level. Also, because you are wearing a headset, you don’t have to worry about bothering your neighbours with excessive in game noise.
The next test was to see well the microphone worked while on VoIP calls using a freeware program called X-Lite. We use X-Lite at work when we are away on business to connect to our VoIP servers to make locals calls. Calling people with the RAZER Piranha Gaming Communicator went quite well and people on the receiving end of my calls were quite impressed with the voice quality, even though I was calling from another country.
Again, I’m a real movie buff so the final test was to see how well it increased my movie viewing experience. All I can say is that the audio reproduced from the RAZER Piranhas in the movies I watched was better than any other headset I have tried. Dialog comes through clearly as well as any ambient movie noises from explosions, cars whizzing past to dragons breathing fire.
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