STACK #251 September 2025

GAMING FEATURE

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What is Razer Synapse? If you like to get into the nitty gritty of adjustments, then Razer’s Synapse app is your friend. You can create personal EQ profiles on top of the five that come straight out of the box, engage custom settings for big titles such as Fortnite and Call of Duty , and more.

Trusted by esports pros the world over, with Razer’s new BlackShark V3 Pro they’ve given us their most advanced wireless esports headset yet. Words Amy Flower BLACK MAGIC

• The Razer BlackShark V3 Pro Wireless ANC Esports Headset is out now

overhead - on Windows 11 delivers impressively nuanced directional in game audio. This means better awareness – be it footsteps behind you, or an incoming raid from above – as well as an overall more impressive sound bubble to revel in. The audio quality extends to the microphone, too. The Razer Hyperclear full band boom features a large, 12mm capsule for grabbing every little detail. Plus, it’s detachable for those times when you just want to listen, be it a music session at home, or on the daily commute. With connectivity, there are four choices at your disposal – two wireless, and two wired. You can play tethered via the included USB cable, or a supplied USB-C to 3.5mm cable. Wireless options are Razer’s impressive HyperSpeed Wireless Gen 2 via the included 2.4GHz dongle, which promises industry leading speed and reliability and latency as low as 10ms, or fuss-free Bluetooth. As for play time, gamers can expect up to a massive 70 hours of play from a single four hour charge, and even six hours from just a 15-minute top-up. Charging happens via an included braided USB-A to USB-C cable. A brilliant connectivity feature is simultaneous audio, meaning that you can receive audio from two different wireless sources at once – so even in the heat of battle you don’t need to miss an important call.

T he big new drawcard with this latest entry in the BlackShark series is hybrid ANC – active noise cancellation. Ideal for blocking all outside distractions and keeping you completely in the zone, there are four levels, all adjustable in Razer’s handy Synapse desktop software or the Razer Audio smartphone app. Even with this top-line new feature, the BlackShark V3 Pro weighs in at just 367 grams, a relative lightness that adds considerably to the comfort factor. Furthering this are ultra-soft dual layered flowknit memory foam cushions wrapped in leatherette that keep your ears nicely snug, and offer strong sound isolation, working in tandem with swivelling earcups. Don’t mistake lightness with a lack of durability

BlackShark V3 Pro delivers. The SmartSwitch button can cycle between EQ and connectivity modes, the ANC button allows you to cycle ANC settings, and a configurable roller allows audio control such as game/ chat balance, mic monitoring, and even very cool in-game footsteps boosting. These join your staples, such as an easily accessible volume knob, mic mute, and power on/off. You can have all the features in the world, but without top sound quality they’re a waste. Thankfully there’s no issue there with the BlackShark V3 Pro, as inside sits a pair of Razer’s proprietary TriForce Bio-Cellulose 50mm Gen-2 drivers. These three-part units are designed to tune high, mid, and low audio

Why Hybrid ANC is best Together, external and internal facing microphones provide the best noise cancelling performance, surpassing that of other ANC formats such as feedforward – which only has an external facing mic – and feedback, which relies upon an internal facing microphone.

frequencies individually, to deliver clear and powerful sound and, coupled with a new diaphragm design and increased magnet

though, for the BlackShark V3 Pro is built to take the sort of pounding that esports headgear can often get, with a steel reinforced headband and solid metal height adjustment sliders. Physical buttons are always desirable, and the

size, they certainly do! As for the sound itself, advanced 7.1.4 THX surround sound audio capability – that’s seven channels at ear level, one for bass, and four for

74 SEPTEMBER 2025

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