SteelSeries Arctis 5 vs Razer BlackShark V2
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Overview and Connectivity
Headphone Audio Quality
Microphone Audio Quality
Comfort and Build Quality
Verdict
Overview and Connectivity
Both the SteelSeries Arctis 5 and Razer BlackShark V2 are wired headsets. The mic on the BlackShark V2 is detachable, while the Arctis 5 mic is retractable. Headphone volume controls and a mute button are on the left earcup of both headsets.
Both devices can be connected to a PC or PS4 controller using the 3.5mm headphone jack. The optimal PC connection is by the included USB DAC since this acts as a software key to access either SteelSeries Engine or Razer Synapse.
Arctis 5 Game/Chat Mix dial.
The Arctis 5 has a game/chat mix knob, while you’ll have to adjust those volume levels in your computer’s audio mixer on the BlackShark V2. The Arctis 5 also has customizable RGB lighting effects with SteelSeries Engine if you’re into that type of thing.
I bought my SteelSeries Arctis 5 for $80 and my Razer BlackShark V2 for $100. Click the Amazon links to see their current pricing.
Headphone Audio Quality
Warzone with the Arctis 5.
The Arctis 5 sound is clear and textured - by gaming headset standards. The mids and highs are clean, and they don't get too harsh. There is a noticeable lack of bass, especially out the box.
Some competitive players won't care about this, but the out the box sound isn't really that pleasant for other media consumption.
Black Ops - Cold War win with the BlackShark V2.
With the BlackShark V2 you won't exactly be missing audio cues, but a lot of subtle sounds will blend into the background. The separation of ambient sounds isn't quite there, and when listening to music with a lot of different instruments, they don't all stand out individually.
If you do end up getting the BlackShark V2, I recommend increasing the 4KHz range volume with Razer Synapse when playing FPS games to hear footsteps better.
While the BlackShark V2 does have more bass out the box (which can be boosted even further with Razer Synapse), the Arctis 5 drivers are simply better.
With the SteelSeries software, you can EQ the Arctis 5 to have stronger, fuller bass than the BlackShark V2 without distorting and the surround sound effect is pretty cool. You can EQ the Blackshark V2 as well, but the device just doesn’t have as much potential with it.
The Arctis 5’s EQ (and lighting) settings save to the game/chat mixer itself so you can use your custom settings with the PS4, PS5, or Nintendo Switch. The BlackShark V2 settings do not save to the DAC.
Of course, the virtual surround sound is not going to help you win any games - it really just makes audio sound more full. In contrast, Razer's THX Spatial audio, just gives a bit of a boost to highs and makes everything a bit louder. Not really fun to use at all.
Microphone Audio Quality
The SteelSeries Arctis 5 mic is significantly better than the Razer BlackShark V2’s. Both sound pretty thin, but the amp in the Razer DAC is worse, so there’s audible compression making the mic sound muffled.
Comfort and Build Quality
Both the Arctis 5 and BlackShark V2 are made of plastic, but the BlackShark V2 has thin, metal adjustment brackets. I took the ability to quickly change the fit of a headset for granted… until I used the Arctis 5.
Maybe if you’re into the ski-goggle band style, this will work out for you, but I found it quite annoying and time consuming to take the whole headset off and fiddle with the band just to make it looser.
Neither device is really that comfortable, but the BlackShark V2 has less clamping force, a better seal for passive noise reduction, and it’s easier to adjust the fit. The headband has far more flex than the Arctis 5’s brittle plastic, so the win in both comfort and build quality goes to the BlackShark V2.
Verdict
I recommend the SteelSeries Arctis 5 over the Razer BlackShark V2. The Arctis 5 has definitively better sound than the Razer BlackShark V2, but do be aware of the shoddy build quality as the thin plastic is not very durable.
However, if you’re into any sort of bass at all, I would skip both of these. The HyperX Cloud II or Cloud Alpha paired with third party EQ software will give you a much more immersive experience than both of these devices. But if you don’t care about bass, the Arctis 5 will be excellent.
Product Listings
SteelSeries Arctis 5: https://amzn.to/38Aawrw
Razer BlackShark V2: https://amzn.to/3vAICoi
