Having a good pair of headphones can give you a much more immersive experience, whether you’re listening to music, watching a movie, or playing a game. As it turns out, they can also play a big part in keeping you alive by deflecting an incoming bullet. At least, that’s what seems to have happened to a Reddit user going by the name Enough_Dance_956.
In a story shared earlier this week, the 18-year-old Reddit user claims that on Wednesday morning a bullet came in through their bedroom window and hit the head strap on the headset – which is apparently the original Razer Kraken, as clarified in one of the comments – while the user was wearing it. The bullet was then deflected towards the wall and landed on the user’s bed. The story is told in bits and pieces across different comments, but the bullet allegedly came from a block away, and it was a stray bullet that wasn’t meant to hit the user. If you’re curious, the story happened in California.
The original post includes pictures that show the damage done to the headphones as well as the window, and a separate post includes pictures of where the bullet hit the wall as well as of the bullet itself. With it being April 1st, it’s only natural to question the validity of the story, but the pictures do seem to line up with the story told by Enough_Dance_956.
The bullet apparently perforated the soft cover and padding of the head strap on the Razer headset, but it was deflected by the metal on the inside and came out on the other side of the strap. While it’s hard to say whether a plastic construction would have had the same effect, it’s fair to expect that any other solidly-built headset would have offered similar protection. Still, it just goes to show how a well-built product can save your life in the most unexpected of ways.
In another comment, the Reddit user says that Razer reached out and offered to replace their headset. However, the user turned down the offer, saying they only meant to express their gratitude to Razer.