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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want featherweight, ear-fit comfort for music and calls on the move, choose Audio Technica ATH-EQ300M; if you need a full-size gaming headset with spatial surround, a detachable mic and a USB DAC, choose Amazon Renewed Razer BlackShark V2.
These two are barely the same species of product. One is a 20 g ear-fit headphone that clips onto your ears and disappears. The other is a 9.24 oz over-ear gaming headset built around 50 mm drivers and THX 7.1 spatial audio. Your decision comes down to what you actually do with your ears all day — and, with the Razer, how you feel about buying renewed.
• Audio Technica ATH-EQ300M — biggest strength: an ultra-thin housing and a 20 g build that make it one of the least noticeable things you can put on your head, plus a wide 16 Hz–24,000 Hz frequency range.
• Audio Technica ATH-EQ300M — biggest trade-off: it's a wired 3.5 mm ear-fit headphone with no noise control, no mic boom and no surround processing. It's for listening, not for competitive gaming.
• Amazon Renewed Razer BlackShark V2 — biggest strength: THX 7.1 spatial surround, Triforce Titanium 50 mm drivers and a detachable Razer Hyperclear Cardioid mic, all fed through a 3.5 mm jack or the included USB DAC.
• Amazon Renewed Razer BlackShark V2 — biggest trade-off: it's over-ear, 9.24 oz, renewed rather than new, carries a 90-day limited warranty, and its THX Spatial Audio only works on Windows 10 64-bit.
• Who each pick is for: the Audio Technica is for commuters, students and anyone who wants light, wired everyday listening. The Razer is for PC, PS4 and Switch players who want immersion and voice chat.
The ATH-EQ300M is an ear-fit headphone in the old-school sense: a rounded earpiece that rests at the ear rather than sealing into the canal. Audio-Technica pairs that shape with an ultra-thin housing and a total weight of 0.7 oz (20 g). In practice, that's the whole pitch — you forget you're wearing them. The 1.2 m cord is long enough to reach a pocket or a laptop on a desk without yanking, and the 3.5 mm jack plugs into basically anything with a headphone socket.
Who should buy it: commuters, students, office workers in quiet-ish rooms, and anyone who finds in-ear tips uncomfortable or over-ear cups hot. The lack of noise control is actually a feature for some people — you keep an ear on traffic, announcements and coworkers. Who should skip it: gamers who need directional audio, anyone who wants a microphone for calls or streaming, and people who want isolation from a noisy train or open-plan office. This headphone doesn't try to block the world out. It just plays music while you're in it.
Amazon Renewed Razer BlackShark V2: Who It's For
The BlackShark V2 is the opposite philosophy: a wired, over-ear gaming headset with a titanium-finished enclosure and serious processing behind it. The headline feature is THX 7.1 Surround Sound, which Razer describes as going beyond standard 7.1 directional cues to place audio more accurately around you. For anyone playing shooters, that's the difference between hearing a footstep and knowing which doorway it came from.
The drivers are the other half of the story. Razer uses Triforce Titanium 50 mm drivers split into three parts, each tuned separately for highs, mids and lows. That's a real design choice, not marketing filler — it's how the headset keeps footsteps crisp without flattening explosions into mush. The frequency range is listed as 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.
Comfort gets real attention too. Razer specifies cooling gel-infused cushions designed to prevent overheating and pressure build-up, which matters because a 9.24 oz headset that runs hot is a headset you take off after an hour. The detachable Razer Hyperclear Cardioid Mic is tuned for a focused voice pickup area, and you can tweak it further through Razer Synapse 3. Detachability is underrated: pull the mic off and it's a plain pair of wired headphones.
Compatibility is where you need to read carefully. The headset connects over a 3.5 mm jack, and the bundle includes an audio-enhancer USB DAC. But THX Spatial Audio is only available on Windows 10 64-bit. On PS4, Switch or a Mac, you get stereo over the 3.5 mm jack. One more thing: this listing is Amazon Renewed, which means a pre-owned unit that's been inspected and backed by a 90-day limited warranty rather than a full new-unit warranty.
Who should buy it: PC gamers on Windows 10 who want spatial audio and a proper boom mic, plus console players who mainly need a comfortable wired headset with good stereo. Who should skip it: anyone who wants something pocketable, anyone on a Mac or newer Windows build expecting THX, and anyone who'd rather not deal with a renewed item and a shorter warranty window.
• Best for all-day comfort → Audio Technica ATH-EQ300M. At 20 g with an ultra-thin housing, it wins on pure wearability; the Razer counters with cooling gel cushions, but it's still a 9.24 oz over-ear.
• Best for gaming immersion → Amazon Renewed Razer BlackShark V2. THX 7.1 spatial surround and Triforce Titanium 50 mm drivers are built for positional audio.
• Best for voice chat and streaming → Amazon Renewed Razer BlackShark V2. The detachable Hyperclear Cardioid Mic with Synapse 3 tuning has no equivalent on the Audio Technica.
• Best for commuting and portability → Audio Technica ATH-EQ300M. It folds into a small faux-leather case and runs off any 3.5 mm jack.
• Best for wide frequency response on paper → Audio Technica ATH-EQ300M. 16 Hz–24,000 Hz beats the Razer's 20 Hz–20,000 Hz, though the Razer's advantage lies in spatial processing, not raw range.
• Best for easy amplification → Audio Technica ATH-EQ300M. At 20 ohm it's trivially easy to drive; the Razer's USB DAC is there to unlock its software features.
• Best for console and cross-device flexibility → Amazon Renewed Razer BlackShark V2. PC, PS4 and Switch are all supported over 3.5 mm, just without THX on the consoles.
• Best if you want a brand-new item with a full warranty → neither is a clear win. The Audio Technica is new; the Razer is renewed with a 90-day limited warranty, so weigh that against the feature set you're getting.
My Verdict
In my opinion, most people torn between these two should buy the Amazon Renewed Razer BlackShark V2 — but only if gaming is the job. The spatial surround, the 50 mm Triforce drivers and the detachable mic are things the ATH-EQ300M simply cannot do, and no amount of lightness compensates for that if you're playing ranked matches or talking to teammates.
Not universally — they solve different problems. The Razer wins on gaming features: THX 7.1 spatial surround, 50 mm Triforce Titanium drivers and a detachable mic. The Audio Technica wins on weight (20 g), portability and a wider listed frequency range (16 Hz–24,000 Hz). Pick by use case, not by brand.
Yes, over the 3.5 mm headphone jack. What you won't get there is THX Spatial Audio, which Razer limits to Windows 10 64-bit. The USB DAC handles the audio enhancement on PC.
No. The data sheet lists noise control as none and there's no microphone. It's a wired 3.5 mm ear-fit headphone with media controls on the cord only. If you need voice chat, that points you to the Razer.
This listing is Amazon Renewed, so the unit is pre-owned and inspected rather than new, and it carries a 90-day limited warranty instead of a full manufacturer term. Check the current price on Amazon before deciding, and make sure your PC runs Windows 10 64-bit if THX Spatial Audio matters to you.
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