Razer and RGB lighting: they simply belong together. So it’s all the more surprising that the manufacturer has so far dispensed with the bright color accents in its Seiren microphone series. Until now, because now they are launching a new condenser microphone that is not only supposed to improve the sound, but also sets the color accents. Our Razer Seiren V3 Chroma test clarifies how good it sounds and looks.
Technical data
| Product: | Razer Seiren V3 Chroma |
| Connection: | USB Type-C |
| Microphone diaphragm: | Condenser |
| Frequency response: | 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz |
| Sampling rate: | 96 kHz / 24 bit |
| Polar pattern: | Cardioid |
| Sensitivity: | -34 dB (1 V/Pa to 1 kHz) |
| SNR: | 96 dB |
| Dimensions: | 211 mm x 91 mm (height x diameter) |
| Weight: | 474 grams |
| Connections: | USB-C; 3.5 mm jack |
| Special features: | RGB lighting; multifunction sensor |
| Price: | € 144.99 * |
Razer Seiren V3 Chroma review: design and workmanship
- Simple, unagitated design
- Robust workmanship
The Razer Seiren V3 Chroma comes in a compact black and poison green box containing just a few components. The box contains a microphone, metal stand and fabric-covered USB-A to USB-C cable, as well as instructions. The microphone is therefore quickly assembled.
Visually, the V3 Chroma is strongly reminiscent of its predecessors such as the Seiren V2 Pro (our test) and relies almost entirely on a robust and high-quality black metal housing. It is around 21 centimetres high and weighs 474 grams – the build quality is excellent.
The front is adorned with the manufacturer’s logo, below which we find a rotary control that can be used to adjust the gain, for example. The condenser capsule is located behind the perforated top, with the RGB lighting shining through the holes.
The so-called muti-function tap-to-mute sensor is located at the top. A sensor button that not only mutes the microphone, but is also responsible for various settings. At the back, we find a USB-C port and a 3.5 mm jack connection for connecting headphones if you want to listen to the microphone directly.
The threaded connection on the underside is protected by a rubber cap. The Razer Seiren V3 Chroma can be screwed onto a boom arm here if you don’t want to use it in the holder provided.
This allows the microphone to be positioned precisely thanks to two robust metal screws. We are already familiar with this feature from the Seiren V2 Pro.
The RGB lighting of the Razer Seiren V3 Chroma
- RGB lighting in 10 zones
- Extensively customizable
- Control directly on the microphone
The most obvious new feature of the Razer Seiren V3 Chroma is, of course, the Razer Chroma RGB lighting that gives it its name. As soon as you plug in the microphone, you’re ready to go. You can choose from a wide range of effects, which can of course be synchronized with your setup or what’s happening on the screen.
Customization is possible in a total of 10 zones, which means that the Razer device has a lot more to offer compared to the HyperX QuadCast S (our test), for example.
The sensor on the top or the Razr Synapse app can be used to adjust the lighting. A double tap on the sensor lets you switch between different effects or illuminate the microphone to match the currently set gain.
A number of effects can be set within the app and you can even create your own light patterns. The brightness can also be adjusted here. However, if you don’t fancy the lighting, you can simply activate it completely.
Another practical advantage of the RGB lighting is that it immediately indicates when the microphone is muted and informs you if you are speaking too quietly or too loudly, for example, resulting in unsightly clipping. For RGB fans and streamers who like it colorful, this is of course a very nice addition.
Practical test and setup of the Razer Seiren V3 Chroma
- Impeccable plug-and-play connectivity
- Beginner-friendly use
- Touch operation somewhat imprecise
The Razer Seiren V3 Chroma is ready for immediate use thanks to plug-and-play connectivity. Set it up, connect the cable and off you go. Then, of course, you just have to make sure you select the right audio source in the sound settings.
The setup is much simpler than with the V2 Pro, as only sources for the microphone and headphone connection are created here. This means that the Seiren V3 Chroma naturally offers fewer options for demanding streamers or creators, but meets most requirements with what it offers anyway.
The microphone is operated via the touch sensor, which has various functions. A single tap mutes or unmutes the microphone. Tapping twice switches between the chroma effects, tapping three times switches the lighting off.
If you press and hold the button for three seconds, you can increase or decrease the microphone gain and headphone monitoring volume using the rotary control on the front. Pressing and holding for ten seconds resets the Seiren V3 Chroma to factory settings.
The operating concept seems well thought out, but the operation could be a little more reactive. Double and triple tapping in particular, as well as pressing and holding, are not always recognized accurately and with a slight delay.
Especially when switching between the chroma effects, the microphone was a little bitchy in the test, but after two or three attempts it always worked in the end.
Sound quality of the Razer Seiren V3 Chroma
- Up to 96 kHz sampling rate
- Full, warm sound
- Very gain-hungry; needs to be positioned close to the mouth
The Razer Seiren V3 Chroma uses a condenser microphone with a supercardioid polar pattern and is therefore ideal for frontal discussions with one person, while ambient noises such as mouse clicks or similar are filtered out quite well.
The microphone covers a frequency band from 20 Hertz to 20,000 Hz at a quality of 24 bits and a sampling rate of up to 96 kHz, which can also be set to 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz on the Wunch software.
The sound of the Seiren V3 Chroma is already impressive at 48 kHz. However, the microphone is very gain-hungry. Even positioned around 20 centimeters in front of the mouth, we are too quiet at a gain of 75 percent. So either move closer or increase the gain.
In doing so, a constant, albeit quiet noise becomes perceptible in the background. However, this can then be compensated for using the switchable high-pass filter.
A bit of fiddling is therefore necessary at first. Once this is done, however, the sound of the Razer Seiren V3 Chroma is convincing. The basic sound is pleasantly warm and rich in detail, especially at 96 kHz.
At lower settings, the sound is slightly more subdued, warmer and more compressed, while the bass in the voice is brought further to the fore. This sounds pleasant and gives the microphone the characteristic “radio speaker sound”, although the acoustics at 96 kHz are more in line with reality.
In combination with the high-pass filter, with a little time for positioning, a really convincing sound can be achieved that is in no way inferior to the V2 Pro. Of course, a high-quality XLR microphone conjures up even more nuances. But for a USB microphone, the Seiren V3 Chroma sounds really convincing.
Only the digital gain limiter and the automatic gain control (Auto Gain), which can be activated in Synapse, did not convince us. The former feature is intended to limit the maximum gain in order to prevent clipping and peaking, which worked quite well.
Auto-Gain, on the other hand, which automatically increases and decreases the gain by up to 3 dB depending on whether we are speaking too loudly or too softly, did not work completely reliably during the Razer Seiren V3 Chroma test.
Especially as we had to set the gain above the 90 percent mark anyway to achieve a full, loud sound from a distance of around 10 cm. But then the microphone sounds really good, as the following test recording proves.
App connection: Razer Synapse
- Clear software
- Coherent, not too complex, range of functions
Razer Synapse is of course used as a companion app, in which the Razer Seiren V3 Chroma is immediately recognized and set up. Three tabs for the microphone are then revealed here.
In the “Microphone” section, we can define basic settings. These include gain, monitoring volume, sidetone, sampling rate or high-pass filter and other amplifier settings. Stream Mixer, on the other hand, allows the microphone and playback to be mixed together and the volume to be adjusted separately.
Under “Lighting”, we can then adjust the brightness of the RGB lighting, change the color of the gain indicator and make other settings. A tidy interface in which even newcomers will find their way around quickly and easily.
Razer Seiren V3 Chroma test: Conclusion
With the Razer Seiren V3 Chroma, the manufacturer delivers a USB microphone with a convincing sound that should also impress beginners thanks to its plug-and-play connectivity. Even if you don’t make any further settings, you get a pleasantly clear and warm sound that allows you to start chatting, podcasting or streaming straight away.
Nevertheless, the mic offers enough reserves to satisfy even the most demanding tastes with a little time, patience and the right positioning. In direct comparison, the Series V2 Pro reproduces even more tonal nuances and allows for more in-depth settings. However, the new model should be perfectly adequate for most requirements.
The convincing RGB lighting naturally cuts a fine figure “on air” in videos and streams and can be adjusted down to the smallest detail, as is typical for Razer. However, as gain-hungry as the microphone is, it must always be seen in the picture for the ideal sound. Because it really needs to be positioned close to the mouth.
The touch control should also work a little faster and more precisely. The RRP is of course set quite high, as is typical for the manufacturer, but the Razer Seiren V3 Chroma also delivers a coherent overall package.
If you are at home in the Razer cosmos and are looking for a convincing microphone with RGB lighting, you will undoubtedly find what you are looking for with the Seiren V3 Chroma. However, alternatives such as the Endgame Gear XSTRM (our test) sometimes offer a little more for the money.
Razer Seiren V3 Chroma
Workmanship
Recording quality
Features
Value for money
90/100
Attractive and sonically convincing USB microphone with convincing workmanship, which leaves little to be desired apart from the somewhat imprecise touch operation.
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