A comparison of specs, key information, reviews, and best pricing from top retailers
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Live Flex 3
Company ProductName Specs




Kraken
Company ProductName Specs




What we think

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The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated April 11, 2024·

If you highly value wireless convenience, better portability, and active noise-canceling for a quieter listening experience, especially when exercising or traveling, the JBL Live Flex 3 earbuds would be more suitable despite their higher cost. However, they provide poor performance for TV, video, and gaming due to latency issues. In contrast, if gaming and durability are your top priorities and you prefer a fuller soundstage with over-ear comfort, the Razer Kraken headphones offer excellent mic quality and low latency ideal for this purpose at a more budget-friendly price, but at the expense of portability and with no wireless functionality. Give Feedback

this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the JBL Live Flex 3
  • Very good for music
  • Very good for exercise
Advantages of the Razer Kraken
  • Very good for gaming
  • Good for TV and video

Key differences

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Music

8.0
Live Flex 3
Kraken
7.1
The JBL Live Flex 3 is very good for music, while the Razer Kraken is good.

Gaming

5.5
Live Flex 3
Kraken
8.3
The Razer Kraken is very good for gaming, while the JBL Live Flex 3 is poor.

Podcasts and Audiobooks

5.9
Live Flex 3
Kraken
4.7
The JBL Live Flex 3 and Razer Kraken are both poor for podcasts and audiobooks, though the JBL Live Flex 3 is somewhat better.

TV and Video

5.7
Live Flex 3
Kraken
7.4
The Razer Kraken is good for TV and video, while the JBL Live Flex 3 is poor.

Noise Reduction

8.3
Live Flex 3
Kraken
6.5
The JBL Live Flex 3 is very good for noise reduction, while the Razer Kraken is only fair.

Battery

10.0 Hours
Live Flex 3
Kraken
N/A
The JBL Live Flex 3 has 10 hours of battery life. The Razer Kraken does not have a battery.

Cost

$216
Live Flex 3
Kraken
$50
Product image
Product image

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The JBL Live Flex 3 has a price of $216 and the Razer Kraken costs $50.
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Key similarities

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Phone Calls

5.2
Live Flex 3
Kraken
5.5
The Razer Kraken and JBL Live Flex 3 are both poor for phone calls.

Build Quality

8.5
Live Flex 3
Kraken
8.5
The JBL Live Flex 3 and Razer Kraken both have very good build quality.

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How the JBL Live Flex 3 and the Razer Kraken compare to other earbuds and headphones

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Spec Comparison

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JBL Live Flex 3Razer Kraken
JBL Live Flex 3Razer Kraken

GENERAL

Price
$216
$50
Brand
JBLRazer
Release Date
June 1, 2024March 1, 2019
Form Factor
EarbudsHeadphones
Connectivity
WirelessWired

SOUND

Music Score
8.1/107.1/10
Phone Calls Score
5.3/105.5/10
Gaming Score
5.5/108.4/10
TV and Video Score
5.8/107.4/10
Exercise Score
8.4/104.2/10

PERFORMANCE

Battery life
10 HoursN/A
Wireless charging
YesN/A
Charging time
2 HoursN/A
Bluetooth version
5.3N/A
Case Battery Life
40N/A

FEATURES

Active Noise Cancelling
YesNo
Noise Reduction Score
8.4/106.5/10
Virtual Surround
YesNo
Android App
YesN/A
iOS App
YesN/A
Mic Quality
7/109/10

BUILD AND DESIGN

Build Quality
8.5/108.5/10
Comfort score
7/107/10
Size
LargeN/A
Weight (headset or single earbud)
8.8 Grams322 Grams
Microphone style
IntegratedBoom

Shopping

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Razer Kraken

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Dig into reviews and images

PC Gamer

Rob Dwiar | March 2019
"Generally the Kraken is a very comfortable headset and there’s nothing that really identifies it as anything else. All in, the Kraken performed exactly as I’d expect a premium, designated gaming headset to perform: performing well in game audio, though not quite with the same quality of those headsets further up the price scale."

Get a great deal on the JBL Live Flex 3 or the Razer Kraken

About JBL

JBL is an American audio equipment manufacturer. Owned by Harman International which is, itself, owned by Samsung Electronics. JBL markets a wide array of monitoring speakers, professional headphones and consumer market headphones and earbuds. It was founded in 1946 by James Bullough Lansing (whose initials give the company its name) and has become one of the most prolific audio companies ever. Their products were responsible for audio during the 1969 Woodstock Festival.

About Razer

Razer is an American-Singaporean hardware manufacturer aimed specifically toward the gaming market. They manufacture a very wide array of gaming laptops, tablets, phones, peripherals and, of course, headphones and earbuds both wired and wireless. Since 2016, Razer has owned the THX suite, aimed at quality assurance of audiovisual systems such as speaker sets, video game consoles and even movie theaters.

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Why trust us

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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.

By the numbers

108
Earbuds and headphones evaluated
11,340
Earbuds and headphones stats compiled
15
Proprietary Earbuds and headphones ratings developed
123,800
Recommendations made
18,570
Consumer hours saved

About the Earbuds or Headphones team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Luis Torres

Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.

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