I must admit I was a bit put off by the price of this gaming headset and the lack of features. Other PC headsets such as the Logitech G35 and Senn's PC350 were priced more but came with more features and of course, a bigger brand name. But when it comes down to gaming and listening to music, you aren't really asking for a lot. The Razer Carcharias delivers what one would need to enjoy listening to music, and of course, long comfortable gaming sessions.
Out of the box, the Carcharias seems pretty normal, perhaps even a bit cheaply made. Padding is placed in appropriate places, including the headband and loudspeakers. The padding is exceptionally soft, especially around the loudspeakers where the material is felt-like. The thin plastic that covers part of the headphones may seem flimsy, but is very light. A nice mesh around the headphones is also present, and also takes away a bit of weight. A nice part of the construction is the wire that connects the speakers to the headband. It is not only quite sturdy, but also gives some range of motion without compromising that integrity. Speaking of wires, the cable for the headset itself is very lengthy (nine feet) and is braided in fiber. The mic is sturdy itself and can be turned 270 degrees. It is also bendable at the midsection to some degree.
No sense praising the construction if it isn't even comfortable, and this is the part where the Carcharias excels at. Placing these headphones on for the first time felt amazing, as if it was conforming to the shape of my head. Of course, I felt this way about many headphones at first, so naturally I decided to start up a few games (which easily lasted several hours), after which I listened to a few hours of music while studying. There was absolutely no discomfort at all after all that time. The lightweight construction and circumaural design is a real blessing to the ears. The headphones themselves are also very easy to adjust.
The audio quality for these headphones is quite exceptional, enough to justify wearing these headphones for hours. As probably mentioned, audiophiles may want to look elsewhere, but for the casual listener, the quality is more than good enough. Although the bass is quite deep ("boomy"), it does not overwhelm the treble. The highs for this headphones can be quite distinct (ie loud), and since the volume can go quite high on this thing, may be overwhelming sometimes. Much of this is perfectly suited to games, especially first-person shooters. Keep in mind that this headset does not provide surround sound, and never was intended to. You can take a look at the aforementioned models for that.
The noise-filtering mic for this headset works well. I tested it with Ventrilo, Skype, and Left 4 Dead, and others could hear me very well, with a noticeable lack of background noise from my side. I should note that I had the mic at its default positioning (no additional bending). It can be adjusted to be a bit closer or further.
Overall, the Razer Carcharias does its job as a gaming headset very well. I consider it Razer's best headset in terms of price vs performance; a step above the Mako, and better than the Barracuda and Megalodon. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys long gaming sessions and listening to music. The comfort along with its exceptional audio quality and mic justifies the pricing; just don't expect any extra features.
Side note: I also think the name for this headset is awesome. As someone who's interested in cartilaginous fishes, I don't think they could have picked a better name. Razer Carcharias Gaming Headset (Black)
This is the best voice/audio solution I've found for gaming. There's plenty of cushioning around the ears and on the top of the head. They do a superb job of distributing their weight. I have some reservations about the microphone getting loose but so far so good. If it does, I believe I can fix it with some tape. The cord is wrapped in a similar/same material that you find on new power supply cables and is very pleasant to hold.
The mic is by far the best I've ever had. It picks up my voice excellently with volume to spare. It does not bother my face at all and never hits me in the mouth.
The headphone portion of this set is also great. They produce great sound and have impressive bass all things considered. Is this audiophile quality sound? Probably not, but it's still the best sound from a headset I've ever heard. Excellent frequency response (20 Hz-20,000Hz).
Overall, an excellent headset if a bit on the pricey side. The microphone is great without compromising too much in the headphones and is probably the best sound with microphone you can get for $80. You might be able to do better with some audiophile headphones but they don't have mics :P The packaging is also beautiful. You will feel guilty throwing any of it away. - Carcharias - Headset - Microphone - Razer'
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