The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If you're focused on gaming, the Razer Kraken with its excellent microphone would be a better choice as it's designed for immersive gaming experiences. However, if you're looking for versatility and portability, especially for commuting or traveling, the Soundcore Space A40 earbuds are a better fit due to their compact design, active noise cancellation, and longer battery life. The Soundcore earbuds are also sweatproof and come with wireless charging, which makes them suitable for exercise, whereas the Razer isn't suited for high-moisture environments. Keep in mind though, that the Kraken is a wired headphone, which could limit mobility, while the Soundcore A40 offers a wireless connection for greater convenience. 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 Razer Kraken
Very good for gaming
Good for TV and video
Advantages of the Soundcore Space A40
Very good for air travel
Key differences
Music
7.1/10
7.7/10
The Soundcore Space A40 and Razer Kraken are both good for music, though the Soundcore Space A40 is somewhat better.
Gaming
8.3/10
4.9/10
The Razer Kraken is very good for gaming, while the Soundcore Space A40 is poor.
Phone Calls
5.5/10
4.8/10
The Razer Kraken and Soundcore Space A40 are both poor for phone calls, though the Razer Kraken is somewhat better.
TV and Video
7.4/10
5.3/10
The Razer Kraken is good for TV and video, while the Soundcore Space A40 is poor.
Noise Reduction
6.5/10
9.1/10
The Soundcore Space A40 is excellent for noise reduction, while the Razer Kraken is only fair.
Battery
N/A
8.0 Hours
The Razer Kraken does not have a battery. The Soundcore Space A40 has 8 hours of battery life.
Cost
$50
$80
$0
$20
$40
$60
$80
$100
The Razer Kraken has a price of $50 and the Soundcore Space A40 costs $80.
"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."
"The Anker Soundcore Space A40 is an excellent deal if you want affordable noise canceling earbuds with great sound. The baseline frequency response is enjoyable, and the many EQ presets to choose from plus the ability to customize your sound profile makes it good for pretty much anyone. The noise canceling is quite good, and the many ear tips to choose from ensure a good fit for the noise canceling and isolation to do its job."
Get a great deal on the Razer Kraken or the Soundcore Space A40
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.
About Soundcore
Soundcore is a sub-brand belonging to Anker Innovations. Starting in 2014, initially marketing wireless, Bluetooth, speakers, Anker now offers an array of, budget-friendly, wireless earbuds and headphones that directly compete, especially in the Active Noise Canceling field, with other brands several times as expensive.
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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.
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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.