Ah nuts. On this Prime Day, I think it’s time to finally admit something to myself (and you, dear reader) that’s had me in full denial: my beloved Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless Headset is drawing its last breath. One could argue the headset has been dead for three months and what I’ve been hoisting over my years every day is its slowly rotting corpse.
I got my BlackSharks in 2021 and still love them—they’re extremely comfortable, lightweight, and output better sound than any headset I’ve ever had. They gave me no issues for years, but then the small problems started accumulating. Six months ago, the glue on the right earcup started to give way. Little by little more of the cup started hanging off the speaker bed, exposing the bright yellow foam beneath the comfy cloth. Then one day the cup fell off completely, and I noticed the left earcup was on its way out too.
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Loose cups might’ve been where some decided to take the off ramp from this $200 headset. My partner certainly would’ve. The first time she saw the headset lying on my desk—one foam cup resting eight inches away from its speaker and the other one still hanging on by an almighty will to live and some surprisingly durable glue—she shook her head and shot me a knowing look of pity. But I told myself, “Eh, I can just align the detached cup with my ear every time I put the headset on for now, then I’ll superglue it back on later, or something.”
Later never came, of course. I’ve adopted a new grip style for putting on/taking off my headset that keeps the detached earcup in place. I’d accepted this minor inconvenience of enjoying what was still a very nice-sounding and comfortable headset, but then in early June, another problem: the battery stopped charging. Now it turns off in a matter of minutes if I don’t have it plugged in, which means my wireless headset is now decidedly wired.
Now I’m actually bothered. I’ve put it off long enough and it’s time to find another headset. Is it crazy that I just want to buy another pair of BlackSharks? The same gen 1 model I picked up years ago is on sale on Amazon for $129.99 right now, which isn’t a record-low price or anything, but is still $50 less than what you’ll find elsewhere.
I’d be a fool not to consider alternatives. Amazon is also running a deal on the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless, our top-rated overall wireless headset. I believe I could be happy with a HyperX too, but I’ve actually owned the wired version of this headset before. I picked one up in 2019, and within a year the fake leather earcups were chipping away (pleather really doesn’t agree with sweat). They also squeezed my big head a little too tight and would occasionally contribute to headaches. These are all problems the BlackSharks solved for me, but then again, three years.
Senior editor Wes suggested another path: get out of the gaming headset life, and become a wired headphones guy. It’s an intriguing offer as someone who doesn’t use their headset’s microphone, and senior hardware editor Jacob did recently highlight a sweet deal on his favorite Sennheiser cans, but I’m not ready to give up on wireless. Before the battery on this pair gave out, I would happily wear this thing anywhere in the apartment thanks to its impressive signal radius.
I don’t know what will be wrapped around my ears this time next week, but I know something has to change. I’m taking suggestions, but honestly, my cursor is hovering over the “add to cart” on another pair of BlackSharks. Maybe this time, I’ll store them properly on one of these: