We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-24 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
If you want true in-ear noise isolation you can wear for hours and repair instead of replace, choose MEE audio Professional MX1; if you need an over-ear headset with a boom mic and surround sound for PC and console gaming, choose Amazon Renewed Razer Kraken Gaming.
• MEE audio Professional MX1 — biggest strength: in-ear sound isolation with a memory-wire fit that locks into your ears, plus a fully modular design with two detachable cables in the box.
• MEE audio Professional MX1 — biggest trade-off: it's a wired in-ear monitor built around music and monitoring, so there's no boom mic, no surround processing and no over-ear padding.
• Amazon Renewed Razer Kraken Gaming — biggest strength: over-ear comfort with cooling gel-infused cushions, a retractable noise-isolating cardioid mic and software-enabled 7.1 surround on Windows 10 64-bit.
• Amazon Renewed Razer Kraken Gaming — biggest trade-off: it's a renewed unit with a shorter 90-day limited warranty, and its isolation comes from sealing your ears with cushions rather than plugging the ear canal.
• Pick the MEE audio MX1 if you want maximum isolation in a tiny, sweat-resistant, repairable package for music, monitoring or commuting.
• Pick the Razer Kraken if you want one wired headset for talking to teammates and hearing positional audio in games.
The MX1 PRO is an in-ear monitor, and that single fact explains almost everything about it. A single full-range dynamic driver handles the whole frequency range — 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz — tuned for balanced output rather than a bass-heavy thump. With an 18-ohm impedance and a standard 3.5 mm jack, it's easy to drive from a phone, laptop, tablet or interface without fuss. The isolation here is physical: the eartip seals your ear canal, and MEE audio lists the noise control as sound isolation. In practice that means the outside world gets quieter because your ear is plugged, not because a circuit is cancelling anything.
The fit is the other half of the story. Flexible memory wire earhooks bend to the shape of your ears and hold the monitors in place, so they don't work loose when you turn your head or move around. You get five sets of eartips — Comply memory foam plus four pairs of silicone — and the foam tips in particular tend to seal more deeply, which matters if isolation is your priority. Sweat-resistant construction and a lightweight 22.68 g weight make these realistic for long sessions, stage use or workouts.
Who should buy it: musicians, drummers, audio people who need isolation without bulky headphones, commuters who want their ears sealed, and anyone who is tired of throwing away earbuds when a cable fails. Who should skip it: if you need a microphone on a boom in front of your mouth, if you want virtual surround for games, or if you simply don't like things inside your ears, this isn't your product.
Amazon Renewed Razer Kraken Gaming: Who It's For
The Kraken is the opposite approach. This is an over-ear headset — 322 g, aluminum frame, classic black and blue — with oval cushions infused with cooling gel and shaped with indents to accommodate glasses. That last detail is easy to overlook, but it's the difference between a headset you can wear for a long session and one that presses the arms of your glasses into your head. The enclosure is aluminum rather than plastic, which speaks to how it's meant to survive being tossed around a desk.
Audio-wise, Razer fits custom-tuned 50 mm dynamic drivers with a stated frequency range of 20 Hz to 50,000 Hz, and the headset supports software-enabled 7.1 surround sound for positional audio — with the important caveat that the surround feature is only available on Windows 10 64-bit. On PC, that means you can place footsteps and gunfire directionally. On PS4, Nintendo Switch or anything else running through the 3.5 mm jack, you get stereo.
The microphone is where the Kraken earns its "gaming" label. It's a retractable cardioid mic designed to reduce background and ambient noise, so your voice comes through clearly without a desk mic in the way, and it tucks back into the earcup when you're not using it. Inline analog controls give you a volume wheel and a mic mute switch right on the cable — no software needed for the basics. Noise control is listed as sound isolation, which in an over-ear design means the cushions seal around your ears to block some outside noise. It's passive isolation, and it won't seal as completely as an in-ear monitor pushed into your ear canal.
One thing to be clear about: this is a renewed unit sold under Amazon Renewed, and the warranty is 90 days limited rather than a full retail term. That's the trade-off for buying refurbished. Who should buy it: PC and console gamers who want one wired headset for chat and positional audio, especially glasses wearers. Who should skip it: anyone who needs the deepest possible isolation, wants wireless freedom, or would rather not deal with a renewed product and a short warranty.
• Best isolation → MEE audio Professional MX1. In-ear sealing with memory foam tips blocks more than over-ear cushions can.
• Best for gaming and voice chat → Amazon Renewed Razer Kraken Gaming. Retractable cardioid mic plus 7.1 surround on Windows 10 64-bit.
• Best for glasses wearers → Amazon Renewed Razer Kraken Gaming. The cushions have indents specifically to relieve pressure from glasses.
• Best for repair and longevity → MEE audio Professional MX1. Detachable cables and fully interchangeable parts across the MX PRO line mean a broken cable isn't the end.
• Best for long listening sessions without ear fatigue → Amazon Renewed Razer Kraken Gaming. Over-ear gel cushions sit around your ears instead of inside them.
• Best for musicians and monitoring → MEE audio Professional MX1. Balanced single dynamic driver, sweat-resistant build, and an optional path to custom-fit eartips.
• Best for one-cable simplicity on console → Amazon Renewed Razer Kraken Gaming. A 3.5 mm jack works straight into PS4, Switch and PC, with inline volume and mute.
• Best warranty coverage → MEE audio Professional MX1. One year versus 90 days limited on the renewed Kraken.
If I were buying for myself and isolation was the priority, I'd take the MEE audio Professional MX1. The in-ear seal, memory-wire fit and replaceable cables make it the more capable tool for actually shutting out the room, and the 1-year warranty is easier to live with. I'd only switch to the Amazon Renewed Razer Kraken Gaming if my main job were gaming and talking to people — the boom mic, positional audio and gel cushions are genuinely better for that, as long as you accept the renewed condition and the shorter coverage. Buy for the job you're actually doing, not the spec sheet that looks flashier.
how to noise cancelling headphones work
Active noise cancelling headphones use microphones and electronics to generate sound that cancels incoming noise, which is different from what either of these products does. Both the MEE audio MX1 PRO and the Razer Kraken rely on passive sound isolation — the MX1 PRO seals your ear canal with eartips, while the Kraken seals around your ears with cushions. Neither one is listed as having active noise cancellation.
how to use noise cancelling headphones
With a passive design like these, "using" them is mostly about getting a good seal. On the MX1 PRO, that means choosing the right eartip — Comply memory foam or one of the four silicone pairs — and letting the memory wire earhooks hold the monitor in place. On the Kraken, it means adjusting the over-ear cushions so they sit flush around your ears without gaps.
how to test noise cancelling headphones
Since neither of these has active cancellation, you're testing isolation, not electronics. Put them on with no audio playing and see how much the room drops away — the MX1 PRO should cut more because it plugs the ear canal. Then play something at a low volume and check whether you can still follow it without turning it up, which is the practical sign of a good seal.
They're built for different things, so it's not really a fair trade. The Kraken's software-enabled 7.1 surround works only on Windows 10 64-bit and is aimed at placing game audio directionally. The MX1 PRO is a wired in-ear monitor with a single balanced dynamic driver and no surround processing, but it isolates more and can be repaired part by part.
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