The Kaira Pro (left) and Kaira (right) have extremely similar designs. The only exceptions are for the removable mic and extra controls on the Pro.
Lori Grunin/CNET
Just in time to greet the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S when they land on your doorstep, Razer has debuted a new Kaira line of wireless gaming headsets. While both can connect to a Windows 10 PC via an optional Xbox Wireless Adapter in addition to the built-in wireless of recent generations of Xboxes, the Kaira Pro works with PCs, phones and other devices via Bluetooth 5. It also has an internal mic so you don’t have to chat with a potentially awkward detachable boom mic.
The Bluetooth connection is primarily intended for use with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate’s cloud gaming (nee xCloud) — hence Razer’s specific callout of Android phones, since Apple is less than welcoming to apps with cloud-gaming capabilities — but it worked fine with my Bluetooth 5-equipped iPhone 8 Plus, at least for the quick test I did.
Both the $150 (£150, AU$260) Kaira Pro and $100 console-only Kaira (£100, AU$170) are available now.
They share the same great-sounding headphone hardware, notably the TriForce Titanium 50mm Drivers (with neodymium magnets) and the impressive supercardioid mic that launched in Razer’s BlackShark V2 line, along with the same comfy, Flowknit fabric-covered memory foam ear cushions as the V2.
The Kaira Pro
Lori Grunin/CNET
The design is traditional and the headsets are lightweight and not too tight. The padding doesn’t extend as far down the sides of the headband as on, say, the HyperX Cloud 2 or the Corsair HS75 XB, and it doesn’t have the more adjustable suspension band design of the SteelSeries Arctis 7X. But it seems to cover the requisite head area — though that may depend on the shape of your head. The earcups fold flat for lying the headset around your neck, and I found it much more comfortable (in other words, looser around my neck) than some of the others I’ve tried recently, such as the Arctis 7X.
Unsurprisingly, the boom mic on the Kaira Pro sounds much better over Bluetooth than the internal mic; the latter sounds compressed and tinny. In casual testing, the boom mic was good at ignoring ambient noise, and I didn’t experience latency or other potential wireless-related artifacts on mobile or desktop. But I don’t yet have an Xbox (or the wireless adapter) to test with.
The Kaira doesn’t have lighting, just the green Razer logos.
Lori Grunin/CNET
It has some nice touches: It can automatically mute a game when you pick up a call — via the on-ear controls — and unmute it when you’re done. Both have dials to adjust the game-chat balance and the Xbox pairing button also lets you cycle through .
Razer rates the battery life for the Pro at 15 hours with lighting and both at 20 hours without. While you can get battery status through the Bluetooth control (at least on Windows), the equalization presets are only available with the Xbox and you can’t use Razer’s Synapse software to control it. The Bluetooth range is rated at up to 30 foot (10 meters), and it remained connected and picking up my voice through walls and to about 55 foot (16.8 meters). But your mileage may vary.
I love the flexibility of the dual-wireless headset, and the Kaira models are solid for the money. They don’t seem to stand out in any particular way, though — good or bad.
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