The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro has a lot going for it, with generous battery life, comfortable ear cups, and solid audio quality. But it’s the headset’s design that I can’t quite get over. I don’t normally obsess over how headphoness look—it’s not like I can see them on my head, after all—but these manage to be stylish in a way that made me care.

This latest version of the BlackShark headphones line is a wireless variation of the previous BlackShark V2 headset. The headset can connect via a USB-A dongle to your gaming PC or PS5, and it can pair via Bluetooth to mobiles devices. A convenient button makes it easy to swap between these two, so you can pause your game to answer a call without taking off your headset. When this headset first came out, there wasn’t an Xbox variation, but earlier this year Razer let fans of Microsoft’s console in on the fun. You’ll look damn good while you’re listening.

Accidentally Retro

The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless has a striking design from its angular wire rods to the large volume knob jutting out of the left ear cup. The latter is particularly a choice. Plenty of gaming headsets have a volume dial, but it’s usually embedded into the earcup itself. This one is so prominent that it’s impossible to miss, and I kinda like it?

It took me a while to figure out why I felt so positive about this design. The wiry frame and giant knob aren’t what I picture when I think of stylish design. Then, it hit me. The BlackShark V2 Pro reminds me of those old headphoness every school in the '90s had. Those things had uncomfortable rubber, utilitarian wire headbands, and just barely enough material to cover the speakers in each ear cup. They were, by all accounts, awful headphoness. But my God, they had style.

Similarly, the BlackShark V2 Pro feels like you could pick it up 10 to 20 years from now and still think “Oh yeah, this is cool.” The angled wire rods extend down to thicker tubes housing a rotating hinge, with the ear cups set between them. It gives the headset a professional, yet fashionable aesthetic that I vibe with.

For reasons I can’t quite explain, the fact that the volume knob sticks out when it really doesn’t have to is what makes me love it. Other headset manufacturers spend so much effort on minimal designs with low-profile buttons and dials—having this one sticking out so prominently makes it feel attractive just by virtue of its boldness.

Convenience and Comfort

It doesn’t hurt that the volume knob is convenient and thoughtfully designed. It’s an infinite dial, so you can rotate it as far as you want in either direction, with very subtle clicks to provide feedback on how far you’re turning it. In lieu of a physical stopping point, an audio cue plays when you reach either the maximum or minimum volume.

The audio quality is solid, but it’s the bass tones that really stand out. Out of the box, the lower tones are emphasized, which can be handy in some competitive games to help you hear enemy footsteps and other important sound cues. In my opinion, it’s a little too bass-heavy for general media listening, but it’s great for gaming.

While the aesthetic design might remind me of '90s elementary school headphoness, wearing the headphoness does not. The foam on the ear cups is soft and comfortable, and they don’t put much pressure on the sides of my head. The inner cavity is spacious, so I never feel like my ears are getting squished.

They’re so comfortable that I was able to wear them for hours while listening to music as I worked. Or, more often, when I put music on for five minutes, paused it, then forgot I was wearing the headphoness for two hours.

And the BlackShark V2 Pro can run for a lot of hours. It might not have the longest battery life we’ve ever seen, but it still beats most gaming headsets we’ve tested. Razer rates its battery life at 70 hours on a full charge, though in my testing it usually lasted a couple hours longer than that.

The headset charges via a USB-C port on the left ear cup. In the box, Razer has included a USB-C to USB-A cable for charging, as well as an additional USB-A extension cable. I appreciate this little touch, because it means I don’t have to choose between having a charging cable that’s long enough or having a ton of excess cable cluttering up my desk.