Despite the inclusion of Bluetooth and ANC, I don’t think you’d ever replace these headphones with noise-cancelling headphones, not just because the person next to you is wondering if you’re secretly talking to the pilots. They’re so bulky and obvious for gaming that you probably won’t want to wear them outside the house. You’ll definitely get strange looks while walking the dog or working from the local coffee shop.
Comfort and fit
Photography: Brad Burke
To accommodate all of these features, the Blackshark 3 is noticeably heavier than some other headsets I’ve tested recently. The Pro version with ANC comes in at 367 grams, a full 100-plus grams heavier than the Arctis Nova 3 at 260 grams. If you opt for the non-PRO model without ANC, it’s much closer to the SteelSeries at just 270 grams, which is very appealing if you’re mostly gaming alone at home rather than in front of a crowd of fans.
That weight doesn’t make them uncomfortable, at least for a few hours at a time, thanks in large part to the ear cups, which have a nice mesh exterior and a cushioned interior. Razer says there’s a layer of pleather underneath to help with noise cancellation, but I couldn’t tell it was there, which is a good thing because I hate how hot pleather can get.
However, I miss the skid plates found on most SteelSeries headsets, which distribute the weight more evenly across the top of the headband. This can help a lot with comfort, especially during long sessions and on larger skulls. Even the similarly heavy Arctis Nova Pro, my previous upgrade pick, has a softer top-end feel.
The extra weight also means a bigger battery. I measured almost 50 hours with active noise cancellation turned off, and around 60 with the feature turned off. In practice, I only had to plug in the Blackshark V3 Pro about once a week to keep them topped up. The one time they were low in the middle of a Wow RAID NIGHT, I was able to charge them from about 4 percent to 11 percent in our 8-minute break, which was more than enough for the rest of the evening. They were a little wonky if I plugged them into my computer just to charge, but an external charger worked great while I was playing.
Best microphone
Photography: Brad Burke
I’ve been through a lot of gaming headsets, and most of them have to ask for feedback on the quality of my microphone. Some are better than others, but most are just gaming headset microphones with a recognizable, slightly tinny vibe. The moment I sat down for my week of Dungeons & Dragons gameplay, my party members noticed how sharp and clear I sounded.
