Testing:
There is no software needed as these use the standard headset jacks most computers have. The only exception is the before mentioned USB connection used solely for illumination. Therefore testing will consist of analyzing the
Razer Piranha Gaming Communicator for things like comfort, and performance in music, movies, voice chat, and gaming.
Comfort:
I did find myself spending more time than usual adjusting this headset. The ear cups are smaller than what is found on many other headsets in the same price range. Therefore, unless properly adjusted they could cause pain to your ears after a short period of time, although I was able to overcome this through multiple adjustments. I suppose to be fair I should also mention that I do have a somewhat oversized head.
Music:
While listening to various MP3 files using WINAMP I found that this headset didn’t provide the full range that I was hoping. Overall the Piranha did sound good, but I found the set not to be as rich as I had hoped. Despite my attempts to adjust the equalizer, the lows seemed to wash out the highs.
Movies:
Similar to my music experience, I found the Piranha to be adequate but lacking the clarity my desktop speakers exhibit. The sound wasn’t bad and it did not make the movie any less enjoyable to watch, but I suppose I had hoped for a more accurate sound from this headset.
Voice Chat:
I used the Piranha for Teamspeak where I found the microphone worked excellent. I will have to admit that I had accidentally muted my microphone on several occasions. The microphone mute switch slides to the on and off positions very easily which made the set obnoxious at times. There is a clip on the back of the in-line control, so when used and clipped to clothing this was no longer an issue. Overall the microphone on this set proved to be well made and the best I have used thus far.
Gaming:
Gaming is where this headset shined. While the Piranha is not a surround sound headset, it did exhibit a great stereo environment. Using Call of Duty 4 as my latest game of choice, I put the Piranha through a long gaming session. Unlike my experiences in music and movies, I immediately noticed that there were a few details in my game I had been missing. The sound was excellent considering its stereo 2.1 output. It proved to be rich and on my untrained ears appeared to be accurate. Making explosions, bullets, and footsteps sound more lifelike than any of my previous headsets. Using this headset I found it was easy to determine an enemy’s location through sound. I found myself having an advantage over previous headsets sneaking up on unsuspecting enemies.
