Razer Seiren BT Review
A disappointing case of form over function
Verdict
With Bluetooth connectivity, a compact form factor and top-notch build quality, the Razer Seiren BT gets a lot of things right. Sadly, it gets one major thing wrong, it sounds pretty terrible.
Pros
- Simple Bluetooth connection
- Tiny form factor with inbuilt clip
- Quality, all-metal build
Cons
- Poor audio quality
- 3.5mm audio jack is in the wrong place
- Battery life is only OK
Key Features
- Wireless freedomThe Seiren BT’s simple Bluetooth connectivity is a big win for content creators on the go or streaming away from traditional setups.
- Impressive build qualityThe matte black all-metal body feels sleek, premium and durable for those out of home recording sessions.
- Tiny and lightWeight in at just 16.4g and no bigger than your little finger, this is one tiny microphone.
Introduction
With the surge in short-form vlog content over the last couple of years and the rapid departure of the headphone jack, it’s no surprise to see a flood of wireless mobile mics hit the market, just like the Razer Seiren BT.
Røde swung first with the excellent Wireless Go range and, now, Razer has stepped up to the plate with the Seiren BT, a Bluetooth microphone for mobile streaming and content creation. At $99/£99, the Seiren BT is nearly a third of the cost of the Wireless Go II, but price and performance tend to be closely linked with microphones and that looks to be the case here too.
Design
- A tiny overall footprint
- Premium all-metal build
- Built-in clip is a nice touch
First impressions are strong thanks to cleverly laid out, quality packaging. It’s something I’ve always found Razer does well and it instantly gave me high hopes for what lay ahead with the Seiren BT. I had a really joyful couple of minutes of exploring each discretely labelled cubby hole and discovering the prize behind the door.
I was impressed I first picked up the mic itself because, as a piece of hardware, the Razer Seiren BT is sleek, minimalistic and, above all else, tiny. At just 63mm long, 16mm wide and weighing only 16.4g, the Seiren BT is small enough to easily forget you’re wearing it, even when it’s clipped onto the collar of a thin t-shirt. The built-in clip on the back makes attaching the Razer Seiren BT to clothing a breeze and I found it’s better balanced than the similar Rode Wireless Go, which has a tendency to flip over on itself.
The Seiren BT may be small and light but it avoids feeling like a toy, thanks largely to a matte, all-metal body that feels top-end and almost like a single piece of machined metal. The frame is reassuringly solid and, while I’m not prepared to drop my Seiren BT on concrete in the name of science, I’d happily wager it’d come out unscathed if it took a tumble during a vlogging adventure.
Performance
- Poor overall audio quality
- Vocals are scratchy and harsh
- This isn’t an upgrade over built-in phone sound
Razer Seiren BT falls down at its most pivotal feature, and that’s audio performance. If it was an RPG character, then Razer has pumped all of its skill points into the design and ran out before it got to performance. No matter the situation, I just couldn’t get a sound out of the Seiren BT that I was happy with.
Razer is particularly secretive about a lot of the actual numbers that make the Seiren BT tick, the tech specs page is limited. This is a bit of a red flag. There simply aren’t many microphones worth their weight that refuse to tell you a frequency range or bit rate.
I can’t imagine the hidden numbers are flattering because the vocal performance of the Seiren BT is rough, shallow and wholly disappointing. No matter where I clipped it, the omnidirectional capsule just couldn’t produce sound good enough for on stream or in content. My voice sounded harsh and abrasive with no warmth or impact whatsoever. Comparing it to (admittedly considerably more expensive) competitors like the Rode Wireless Go II or AnkerWork M650 there’s just no contest.
Testing it back and forth with a pair of Apple AirPods Pro, I found it hard to find a difference between the two, and when recording voice notes I actually preferred the sound from my iPhone 13 Pro’s built-in microphone. If you’re looking for an upgraded sound for recording on the go, the Seiren BT isn’t the way to go.
Features
- Syncs with Razer Streaming App
- Includes a pair of windsocks
- Realtime audio monitoring via 3.5mm jack
In the box, you’ll find a pair of included windsocks for both indoor and outdoor use which is a nice bonus as well as a typically good quality Razer braided USB-C charging cable. The Seiren BT juices up in around an hour and a half which delivers up to six hours of use. This lifespan lands firmly in the ‘fine’ category, it’s enough, but I’m not impressed. You’ll also drop to just over four hours of use if you keep AI noise cancellation turned on in the Razer Streaming app.
Choosing between two levels of noise suppression is one of a notably basic number of features in the Razer app. Both are OK and will block out some irritating background noise but there’s also some friendly fire on that already lacking vocal quality as a result. There are no EQ options to help balance things out, just overall gain control which in testing I found to seemingly achieve very little.
The app also unlocks control of monitoring levels for the 3.5mm auxiliary jack, if you can use it. You’ll find it on the top of the Seiren BT, which is far from an ideal place as not only does this render both windsocks unusable, but it also means your headphones are likely to jab you in the neck. Why would you not put the headphone port on the bottom and move the charging port to the side?
Thankfully, the Razer Seiren BT’s Bluetooth connection is as simple to connect and reliable as you could want it to be. I didn’t notice any dropouts during testing and the quick connection feature to jump between multiple synced devices is a useful touch.
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Should you buy it?
If you value form over function
The Seiren BT is wonderfully small and portable with a great external build quality.
You’re looking for high-quality sound
It’s just not up to the job of being an upgrade over built-in mobile audio.
Final Thoughts
A good Razer Seiren BT could’ve provided a challenger in the market to keep the prices of this kind of wireless microphone in check. Sadly, despite typically excellent Razer build quality, the Seiren BT falls at the first hurdle for a microphone – it just doesn’t sound good enough.
There’s enough to build upon though and, if a Seiren BT 2 prototype is kicking around Razer HQ somewhere, it could be a better pick down the line should it fix the huge issue. But until then though, you’re better off looking elsewhere.
How we test
During each microphone review, we conduct a series of recording tests that include sampling audio during ideal settings, with background noise applied and in an outdoor setting (where possible), to give you the best idea of how each device performs in real-world use.
Performance tested in a variety of conditions
Tested all available features
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FAQs
It is not recommended to use the Razer Seiren BT during wet weather.
The Razer Seiren BT is compatible with iPhone 8 and above, Samsung S7 and above, iPad 6 and above, Samsung Galaxy Tab A and above, OnePlus 6 and above, Huawei Mate 20 and above with operating System iOS 13 and above, and Android 9 and above.
The Razer Seiren BT lasts for up to 6 Hours (AI off), 4Hrs (AI on), 10 hours (music playback) and has a 1.5-hour quick charge.
Full specs
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
