Have you ever spent many hours wearing headphones while gaming? Gaming headphones come in various shapes and sizes, from very small (fit in your ear) to very large (surround sound). Go to any LAN party and you’ll see what I mean. After a couple hours of playing games many headphones become very uncomfortable. It has happened to me many times where it feels like someone is driving a nail through the side of my head after using a pair for a couple hours. Recently I had the pleasure of reviewing Razer's Piranha headphones. After some extended time with them I found them to be quite good as they were very comfortable, the microphone was very effective and the sound was exquisite.

I’ve seen some pretty strange configurations in gaming headphones over the years (too many years actually). One company, who shall remain nameless, sent me a pair of headphones that had two cords. One cord was for the headphone while the other cord was for the microphone. I found this not only strange but it really was a wiring nightmare as my PC desk doesn’t need an extra set of cords laying about. For me the criteria for a headphone is quite simple: first comes comfort and then comes performance. There is no point to having a killer set of headphones that feel like you’re wearing a bag of nails on your head. Don’t get fooled by the spec my fellow gamers and try to focus on comfort. In many cases your ears can’t hear the difference in specs but your head will sure feel the difference in comfort, especially after some long sessions of gaming.

This brings me to the Razer Piranha headphones. The Piranha’s are smaller than their cousin the “Barracuda”. This is a good thing though as they feel light on your head and are easy to adjust. This is very important if you plan on wearing them for an extended period of time. Outside noise is not completely eliminated but this is a good thing . Many headphones are so big and bulky that sound from the outside is walled out. Being walled out is not a good thing as you still need to remain in contact with the real world for such things as in case the phone rings, the wife needs you to take out the trash or a semi truck is about to drive through your front living room. The Piranha's do a great job of giving providing your ears with your gaming sound while still allowing you to still keep in touch with the world outside the virtual one you like to play in.

Reminds me of the story about the tree planter who always listened to his I-pod. That's what his tombstone said after the Grizzly got him. My apologies to all Grizzly bears but I think you get my point.

The most important factor about the audio that headphones reproduce (and speakers as well) is how they sound to you. As I mentioned earlier don’t get lost in the spec war. Everyone's ear is different and what sounds good to you might not sound good to someone else. Always listen to a set of headphones before you buy them. That being said the sound quality of the Piranha's was very good. I used them not only while gaming but also while video editing, audio editing (for podcasts) and listening to MP3’s. The human ear can only hear in the frequency response range of 20-20,000 Hz. The Piranha’s range is 18 – 20,000 which is right there for us average humans. I give kudos to Razer for employing such a wide range of frequencies for such a small speaker encased in the headphones themselves. I found the sound reproduction on the Piranha’s to be very good as they had excellent bass response, the mid range was very ambient and the highs were crisp and clean.

Last but not least is the noise cancelling microphone attached to the headset. The mic is attached to the left side and is secured very well. One of my biggest pet peeves with headset/microphone combinations is when a microphone arm breaks off from the headset. I can’t tell you how many headsets I have owned over the years that have a microphone duct taped to it. The microphone’s arm for the Piranha is very flexible and it’s easy to move and position. Nobody had a hard time understanding me while gaming and most players commented on how clear I sounded. I also used the microphone for “voice over” work for videos and podcasts and the reproduction was very good.

Overall I would say this is a very good headphone/microphone set. The sound coming from the headphones was crisp, clear and fresh, the comfort level was out of this world and the microphones performance was exceptional. An added bonus for those who want to look stylish is that the Piranha’s come with funky blue Razer Logo’s that light up when you use the USB connection.

Would I recommend you give the Piranha form Razer a listen? Simply put: Hell Ya!!!