I'm experiencing extremely low microphone input gain with my Razer BlackShark V3 Pro on macOS. People on calls consistently tell me they can barely hear me.
This is my third BlackShark V3 headset. The first one had a faulty mute button. The latter two had this low input gain problem.
I've done quite a bit of troubleshooting and have reproduced the problem across multiple Macs and connection methods.
My setup / results:
Razer BlackShark V3 Pro
Headset firmware: 1.3.2.0
Tested on both an M1 MacBook Pro and an M5 MacBook Pro
Microphone input volume in macOS is set to 100%
The microphone level is still extremely low
Reproduced in multiple applications
Same behavior on both Macs
Bluetooth testing:
On my M5 MacBook Pro, macOS detects the headset as BlackShark V3 Pro.
When using Bluetooth, system_profiler SPAudioDataType reports:
BlackShark V3 Pro:
Default Input Device: Yes
Input Channels: 1
Manufacturer: Apple Inc.
Current SampleRate: 16000
Transport: Bluetooth
Input Source: Default
Bluetooth information confirms the expected HFP/SCO headset connection:
BlackShark V3 Pro:
Minor Type: Headset
Services: HFP AVRCP A2DP GATT ACL SCO
Initially I suspected this might be related to macOS Bluetooth/HFP behavior.
However, I then completely removed Bluetooth from the equation.
USB testing:
I had the Mac forget the Bluetooth device entirely and connected the BlackShark V3 Pro directly using a USB cable.
The microphone input was still just as quiet.
Therefore, the problem is not limited to Bluetooth/HFP. I can reproduce the low microphone gain over a direct USB connection as well.
Phone testing:
The important difference is that when I connect the same headset to my phone, the microphone input level is normal.
So far:
M1 MacBook Pro -> Very low microphone gain
M5 MacBook Pro -> Very low microphone gain
M5 via Bluetooth -> Very low microphone gain
M5 via USB cable -> Very low microphone gain
Phone -> Normal microphone gain
This makes a defective microphone capsule seem unlikely.
Possible firmware connection:
My headset is currently running firmware 1.3.2.0.
A teammate has the same BlackShark V3 Pro and does not have this microphone problem. His headset is running firmware 1.1.2.0.
That gives us an interesting comparison:
My BlackShark V3 Pro:
Firmware 1.3.2.0 -> Microphone extremely quiet on Mac
Teammate's BlackShark V3 Pro:
Firmware 1.1.2.0 -> Microphone working normally
I've also found other BlackShark V3 Pro owners on the Razer forums reporting extremely low microphone levels, sometimes only around 5–10% input even with microphone volume set to 100%. There are also reports of microphone gain becoming extremely low following later firmware updates.
Given that:
The issue occurs on two different generations of Apple Silicon MacBook Pro.
It occurs over both Bluetooth and direct USB.
The same headset microphone works normally when connected to a phone.
Another BlackShark V3 Pro running older firmware 1.1.2.0 does not have the problem.
Other V3 Pro owners have reported very low microphone gain with newer firmware.
I'm wondering whether there was a microphone gain / DSP / USB audio change somewhere between firmware 1.1.2.0 and 1.3.2.0, particularly affecting macOS.
Could Razer please investigate whether this is a known firmware issue?
I'd also like to know:
Is there a newer firmware that specifically addresses microphone input gain?
Is it possible to safely downgrade the headset from 1.3.2.0 to 1.1.2.0 for testing?
Were there any microphone gain, DSP, AGC, USB audio, or Bluetooth microphone changes between those firmware versions?
Is there a way to adjust the headset's hardware microphone gain independently of Synapse?
I'm happy to provide additional macOS/CoreAudio diagnostics or perform additional A/B testing if it would help isolate the issue.