Razer’s new soundbar aims to turn your desk into a home theater

Razer has increasingly gone from being a specialized gaming accessories maker to becoming a more lifestyle brand. In addition to the keyboard, mouse, headset, and controller, you can buy Lots of chairsbackpack and even a wearable air purifier. But with the recent expansion into different aspects of the “gamer lifestyle,” there’s always been one glaring shortcoming: home theater. Namely, the speaker – a particularly unpleasant absence because of that Razer released a way back to the soundbar in 2014. Now the company is back in that space with a new innovation $250 Leviathan V2.

The original Leviathan was a small 5.1 Dolby Digital soundbar with 5.1 channels: two full-range drivers, two tweeters, and a subwoofer. The slightly diminutive V2 takes the lead with its THX spatial sound and 7.1 channel. Those are two full-range drivers, two passive radiators, two tweeters, and a downward-facing subwoofer. Bluetooth has been appropriately upgraded from v4.0 to 5.2 and switching between multiple devices is even easier. In fact, during my hands-on time with the speaker, it was essentially seamless, with the touch of a button.

The most notable change to the Leviathan is the addition of Chroma RGB lighting, so the soundbar’s look and feel can be made to match the rest of a user’s Razer setup using the same. software such as its keyboard, headset and mouse. The nice thing about it is that the device itself is not decorated with logos or glowing edges; The color is limited to the bottom of the speaker so it’s like mood lighting.

The highlight of the Leviathan V2 is the spatial sound, which makes it possible for gamers to track movement by listening to it, something headphones do well and soundbars often fail to do. But many players don’t like to wear headphones and for some reason – maybe they find the headphones uncomfortable no matter how much padding the manufacturer adds, or maybe they prefer to keep their ears open so they can Listen to real-world sounds like a doorbell or a crying baby.

Razer also admits that people often spend more time in front of computers, even watching their favorite TV shows and movies on the screen, but without a sound system to support it. And that’s where I noticed the biggest difference with Leviathan V2. I got to see some gameplay footage and a couple of movie trailers with it, which is nice and loud with explosive bass. It certainly made the idea of ​​turning my computer into a home entertainment center a lot more appealing and I can’t wait to get started on it at home so I can have a more complete experience. with your favorite PC titles and find out if it really is a better way to play games.