My pack of yapdogs started barking at a weird time the other evening. After screaming at them to shut up, I looked out the door and a UPS van was in the driveway. I wasn't expecting anything, and as far as I knew, my wife wasn't either. Seeing OCIA.net on the shipping label instantly told me that some geekly goodies were inside, which are always nice, regardless of what they are.



The guys at Razer must never rest, constantly coming out with new high quality gaming supplies. This time, they graced yours truly with a pair of their brand new Barracuda HP-1 Gaming Headphones.

Actually, they must have been reading my mind. My gaming headphones had disappeared, and I was thinking about getting some new ones (though I probably wouldn't have gotten something this nice).



The headphones are packaged in a very attractive box with the black and green Razer motif inside of a blister pack. They are part of the Barracuda Integrated Audio System (IAS), which consists of the HP-1 headphones and the AC-1 Gaming Soundcard. The soundcard is not quite ready for release, but hopefully they will soon will allow me to give you a review of the whole system. The headphones, though designed to be used with the AC-1 to get "the best gaming audio experience in the world today", can also be used with any soundcard, either integrated in the motherboard or PCI.

Technical Specifications from Razer's site:

-8 Discrete Drivers: 6 for Mid-High Frequency, 2 for Bass.

-Individual Channel Volume Control / 1 Master Volume Control.

-Detachable Microphone.

-6 Channel Analog Inputs.

-Eight Amplifiers contained within its volume control units.

-Output power of 330mW.

-Razer HD-DAI™ (High Definition-Dedicated Audio Interface).

-99% Oxygen-Free Cable.

Further Specs:

Frequency Response: 1.50 Hz ~ 20 000Hz

Impedance: 1.a. Front Speaker : 64ohm

b. Rear Speaker : 32ohm

c. Centre Speaker: 64ohm

d. Sub-Woofer : 8ohm

Total RMS Power Rating: 330mWatts

Cable Length: 2 meter

Connector plug: Razer HD-DAI™

HOME ..... Page 2