The Razer company is synonymous with gaming at the moment. They know who their audience is and they also know that good audio can really take their gaming experience to the next level, which makes some products really interesting. Today, Razer launched its new game headset called Nari Ultimate, which they say has "supreme wireless immersion." The main feature here are the specialized controllers in each headset that provide haptic feedback to vibrate along with the bass. But is it just a trick? Let's find out
The Razer Nari Ultimate is for:
- Players. Obviously. The motto of the company is "For players, for players". So yes, these are for players. I do not know many other types of people who want a pair of headphones that vibrate along with what they are listening to, which definitely becomes annoying with regular use.
- People who work from home. As someone who spends most of my time working at my desk from home, I thought it would be extremely useful. You can listen to music wirelessly and the built-in microphone is perfect for those weekly conference calls.
What's so special about the construction of Nari Ultimate?
The Razer logo on the side of each headset will shine subtly when you turn it on.
Next, we will discuss the connection, the battery life and the sound quality, but it is important to start with the quality of compilation. Especially in this case, because there's a lot to go through. The most prominent feature is what Razer calls Hypersense with Lofelt haptics, which provides haptic feedback to the lower end by specialized controllers in each hearing aid. It reminds me of a haptic clock I tried at CES a year or two ago from a company called Lofelt. It hit along with the bass of whatever you were listening to and, of course, the haptic comments here were made by the same company. As you may have guessed, it is supposed to add depth to the game you are playing and it allows you to feel on another level what is happening in the game for a total immersion.
Better headphones with less than $ 200
Unfortunately, it's quite unpredictable, it's particularly annoying when watching movies or videos of YouTube, since apparently every sound generates a small vibration that has nothing to do with what is happening, and when it comes to listening to music, it is sometimes fun and sometimes annoying.The haptics feel too strong, although in accordance with Razer: you can change the intensity levels in all production models of the Nari Ultimate.
These headphones have a self-adjusting headband that works wonderfully and does not feel like it is pinching the head.
Aho ra in the rest of the construction. At first glance, the Razer Nari Ultimate is huge, and it looks like it was built for battle. But then you get a little closer and you realize that your materials are not what they seem. What I thought was a rough metal turned out to be a lightweight plastic with a paint job. The only metal I could find was in the diadem, everything else is plastic. However, it is a pretty convincing job, and the plastic even feels cold to the touch like metal. This is good news because the metal would make them heavier, and if you're going to be sitting in front of a computer for hours at a time, you'll want something light. Since these are already 432g as they are, I'm glad they were not real metal, or even heavier. Still, I'm not sure how they would fare if they were crushed in the bottom of their backpack.
Razer obviously put his Chroma RGB lighting on these
The Nari Ultimate pads are equally huge and are made of a synthetic leather that is not the most convincing I've seen, and they feel a bit cheap to the touch. That said, they are super comfortable and even have hidden dips in the cushion for people who wear glasses. Attention to that kind of detail is what I'm looking for, and Razer did not disappoint here. Razer obviously put his Chroma RGB lighting on these, and when I discovered it for the first time I shook my head and assumed the worst. But, surprisingly, I really liked how the company achieved this. Like the Nommo Chroma speakers, they took a minimal approach here. The Razer logo on the side of each handset is illuminated but not super bright and is much more subtle than I expected. It's pretty good, especially in low light situations. What is not good are the two wheels of each headset that feel cheap and stuttering. The buttons are fine, but the wheels could definitely use more TLC. Moving with them is not as simple as a pair of headphones that cost $ 199.
How can you connect to them?
The Razer Nari Ultimate are wireless headphones, but that title comes with a trick. Mainly, to be able to use them wirelessly, you must connect a USB adapter to your computer or console. Fortunately, this small USB adapter can be inserted and removed from a storage place on the bottom of the right earpiece, which is super ingenious, but it means that if you want to use it with your smartphone, you can not do it. It's only for devices with a standard USB, so unless you connect the included 3.5mm audio cable (which requires the use of a dongle even if you use Razer's own phone) you will not be able to use it.
If you want to use them with any device that does not have a USB input, you will need to use the included audio cable.
While you play, one of the small wheels is one I'm also dedicated to mixing the game and the chat audio together. You can switch between the game audio and chat audio, and anywhere in between. Simply slide the wheel to get the perfect balance for you. On top of that there is a dedicated mute button, and below is the power button, which also lets you know how the battery is working depending on the color it is.
Battery Life
You'll find most of the controls on the left headset, including the 3.5mm input, the power button, the mute button and the microphone.
As far as the battery life is concerned, we were able to make it last exactly 8 hours and 22 minutes when music is constantly being transmitted from our computer. As always, we had the headphones for an output of around 85dB, which is the recommended listening level if you want to avoid hearing loss induced by noise. The charge is simple since you only need to plug in the included micro USB cable, although it is a pity that it is not USB type-C. A strange move, considering the rates of their phones through the standard as well.
Let's talk about sound
The microphone is retractable, malleable and sounds very good.
The first thing we should discuss is the quality of the microphone, because the Razer Nari Ultimate has a retractable microphone that you can use when you need it and hide when you do not need it. To get a quick sample of how it sounds in use, click on the video above.
When it comes to the quality of the sound when I listen to audio, I was torn. I'm sure it's fun while you play, but when you listen to music, the overwhelming haptics ruin it for most modern songs. A good example was in the song Run of Vampire Weekend, where due to the rotating drums and the bass line, it seemed that the headphones were constantly trembling. That said, when it works, it really works.
This function was incredibly fun while listening to the New Orleans Jazz style. During the song Trouble in Mind by Snooks Eaglin, the soft response of the headphones really made it look like he was listening to a live performance, with a soft rhythmic pounding that could easily be mistaken for a low kick in a show. That alone made it worthwhile for me, since I mainly listen to old Jazz while I work. That said, the media definitely lacked clarity, which is strange considering that part of the reason you would get this is to communicate with people while you play.
Everything sounded almost grainy and background voices in the song Stan 6LACK was hard to hear because of the noise of the haptic comments. The highs also lacked details even at great volume, with applause at the Frank Oceans pyramids disappearing almost after their initial blow. There is none of the reverberations that I am used to hearing. Everything is removed to avoid hardness, which is good if you are going to play games with the volume flown (again, do not do it).
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- The Razer logo on the side of each hearing aid shines subtly when you turn it on.
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- The microphone is retractable, malleable and sounds very good.
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- If you want to use them with any device that does not have a USB input, you will need to use the included audio cable.
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- You will find most of the controls on the left earphone, including the 3.5mm input, power button, mute button and microphone.
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- Although the filling is huge, luxurious and comfortable, the two sliding wheels of each ear feel cheap.
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- These headphones have a self-adjusting headband that works wonders and does not seem to pinch your head.
Final Thoughts
Although I am not completely convinced of the build quality of the Razer Nari Ultimate, especially at the price of $ 199, I must admit that I really enjoyed its use. Although you can use them for music (and I used them a lot for that if you can not tell), they are made to provide another layer of immersion when you play … and they do the trick. Now, to be fair: I'm not a player. I have a MacBook Pro, not a PC. And I abandoned my PS4 in favor of a Nintendo Switch. As proud as I am of my Splatoon 2 skills, I am probably not the person who will get the most out of these headphones. And yet, I still like them. Sure, they do not sound as good as you would expect when you listen to music, but if they are something, they are fun. And what is the game supposed to be if it's not fun?