Relay NZXT The headphones themselves are nothing remarkable. It is a solid gaming headset with good sound quality, comfortable ear cups and sophisticated design. But NZXT has overcome barriers when entering the audio world. When combined with NZXT’s SwitchMix accessory, Relay Headphones become a lot more fun.
The NZXT Relay Headphones ($100) And New Zealand SwitchMix ($130) sold separately but they are designed to be used together (with NZXT Relay Speaker And Woofer). The headset plugs into SwitchMix, which plugs into your PC, and you can use SwitchMix to adjust volume with a stylish giant knob, or balance between game audio and voice chat with a simple slider.
But the headphone hangar is the star of the show. It has a built-in pressure plate switch to tell the SwitchMix mixer to change devices between your headphones and external speakers. No more fiddling with device settings in Windows, forgetting to swap outputs, and accidentally waking up your partner with your game. Simply remove the headset from the hangar and your PC will switch to using it. Turn your headphones back on and sound will come out of your speakers. It’s a dream come true—when it works.
A simple switch
The SwitchMix accessory doesn’t come with the Relay Headphones, and it costs a little more than the headphones themselves, but that feels about right. It’s quite unique. It comes in two parts: the mixer and the headphone stand.
The mixer has a sturdy yet sleek design with a large stylish knob and slider along the right edge. The bottom of the mixer has four circular rubber pegs that fit within a grid of holes on the base. It’s a nice little design touch that allows you to rotate the mixer so it’s placed in the best position for your desktop setup. The knobs and sliders are large and distinct, making it easy to adjust them without looking, which can be important when you’re trying to adjust in-game audio.
Photo: Eric Ravenscraft
The switch on the stand is easily the most attractive part of this setup, and it does this party trick in a low-tech way that’s both a boon and a bane. A small 3.5mm connector runs from the base to a port on the back of the mixer. The USB-C port on the back of the mixer runs to your computer, while two more 3.5mm ports run to the speakers and headphones (wired).
Unfortunately, this setup means that the hangar switch only works with wired headphones and can only connect to External speaker via a single 3.5 mm port. That limits the amount of hardware this setup will work on. But when it do work, it’s fun. I prefer watching videos on my desktop my speaker But please put your headphones on while I play watch out 2 with my friends. Lifting the headphones from the stand, the sound switched before I could place the headphones on my head. The word “seamless” was invented for experiences like this.
SwitchMix also functions as independent digital-to-analog converter (DAC)., although in my experience this is not a particularly notable benefit. SwitchMix supports 24-bit/96-kHz audio output, but I didn’t notice a significant difference in sound compared to plugging the headset directly into my PC.
A solid headphone
The relay is NZXT’s first solid product. The ear cushions have a smooth matte surface in black or white. I tested the white version and it looked especially stylish. The foam inside the cup is soft and comfortable, and the headphones are light enough to wear for hours without discomfort.
Photo: Eric Ravenscraft
