Others by stefan @ 2011-06-20
The RAZER Chimaera Gaming Headset offers wireless connectivity for maximum liberty of movement, features large cups for confortable wear during long gaming sessions, a uni-directional microphone with a flexible mic boom and an easy to use charging dock.
At first I would like to thank Razer for offering me a sample of their Chimaera Wireless Gaming Headset for reviewing.
"Razer is more than just the world's leading brand in gaming.
We were founded in 1998 in San Diego, California by our CEO Min-Liang Tan and our President Robert “Razerguy” Krakoff in a tiny shared office with a couple other gamers. We have grown today to hundreds of employees worldwide with offices in seven cities, including San Francisco, Hamburg, Seoul, Shanghai and Singapore.
Our vision from the very beginning was to be the world's greatest gaming brand and we've set out to achieve that by designing the best gaming products that any gamer has ever seen.
We believe that truly great products are based on technology, designed with extensive human factors and user ergonomic studies and then tested by the top professional gamers. In simpler terms, our own world class scientists and engineers develop cutting edge technology in-house or with partners, design phenomenal products around core technologies – and test the hell out of them in the field with our pro-gamers before we launch them.
We are the only gaming hardware company in the world with dedicated gaming user interface research and development labs, and our technology and designs are incubated in three dedicated design centers located in facilities in California, Singapore and Shenzhen. No other company boasts of technology like we do – because we're the only guys who have what it takes under the hood.
We tell it like it is: some can pretend to co-develop products with professional gamers, but gamers don't develop technology: scientists and engineers do (and ours just happen to be gamers as well).
We develop and design our products in our own labs and then put them to the test with top professional gamers who use them in pro-level tournaments and then provide us with feedback. Then we iterate on the product, refining it with the feedback – over and over and over again. That's how it's done, that's how a Razer product is built from ground up. No marketing BS and no hype.
We pioneered the eSports movement with the world's first $100K tournament back in 2000 and we have continued to give back to the community by sponsoring top eSports athletes who give back to Razer by beta-testing our products. We remain one of the largest sponsors of eSports community sponsoring top global eSports teams worldwide.
The people that work here at Razer are gamers just like you – some amateur, some ex-professional gamers, some just play for fun, just ask our CEO who will lay the smack down on you in Quake Live or our President, who has over ten level 80's on his local server. Hell, he will even take you on a raid in the middle of the work day.
We are the same gamers who are told by the suits that we need adult supervision and we need a professional CEO or management team – and we're the same gamers who tell the suits exactly where to shove it because we like doing what we do – and we do it on our own terms.
We hope our passion for gaming speaks to you like it does to us, through our products and we hope you enjoy the competitive edge we bring to your game."
2.4 GHz Wireless Headset for Optimal Range and Freedom
The Razer Chimaera allows a wireless Xbox experience with no cables restricting your movement. The included charging dock makes countless battery swaps a thing of the past.
Extra Large 50mm Neodymium Drivers for True to Life Gaming Audio
Neodymium drivers provide high definition professional grade sound to give you true to life gaming audio. Combined with extra soft circumaural ear cups you will play in maximum comfort at all times.
Up to 12 Hours of Battery Life for Uninterrupted Gaming
The Razer Chimaeras’ batteries last for up to 12 hours, long enough for even the most extensive sessions of uninterrupted pwnage.
Wireless Headset
Circumaural Design with 50mm Driver Units
Volume & Mic Control Buttons on the Headset
Detachable 2.5mm Microphone Cable
Dimensions: 200mm(W) * 204mm(H) * 88mm(D)
Headphones
Radio Frequency: 2.4GHz
Wireless Range: 33ft / 10m
Frequency Response: 20 - 20,000 Hz
Impedance: 32O at 1kHz
Sensitivity (@1kHz, 1V/Pa): 105dB +/- 2dB
Drivers: 50 mm, with Neodymium Magnets
Batteries: 2 AAA Batteries (Up to 12 Hours Battery Life)
Charging Time: 3 Hours
Microphone
Frequency Response: 130 - 10,000 Hz
Sensitivity (@1kHz, 1V/Pa): -42 ± 2dB
Signal-to-Noise Ratio: >55 dB
Pick-up Pattern: Uni-directional
Xbox 360®
Composite Cable (or Component HD AV Cable)
PC
3.5mm Headphone and Mic Cables*
Available 3.5mm Headphone Jack
Available 3.5mm Microphone Jack
* 3.5mm headphone and mic cables required and sold separately
RAZER really know how to make a beautiful packaging for the products they make and the Chimaera Wireless headset is not different; the product can be found in a medium sized cardboard box, with a plastic transparent mold on the frontal side, so we can see how the headset does look without the need to unseal the box:
On the same side, some of the main product features are listed:
The top left corner holds the information that this product is fully compatible with the XBOX 360 consoles:
On one of the box sides, we can find some drawings that tell us how to connect the headset to the XBOX 360 controller, but also how to make the connection directly to the XBOX 360:
The 5.1 version of the RAZER Chimaera is also available and by looking at the features we can decide right away which model is right for us:
On the other lateral, we can find a product description written by the “Razer Guy” himself and we also get a small presentation of the Xbox 360 controller (RAZER Onza Tournament Edition, which we previously reviewed):
On the bottom of the box, we can find the package contents list:
The back of the box gives us some more information regarding the product features along with photos and here we can also find the technical specifications:
The package is fully sealed, the same way as we have seen on the previous product boxes by RAZER:
By lifting the first cardboard layer, we can locate the area where some of the accessories are stored:
The product documentation and the rest of the bundle can be found in two separate boxes:
The bigger box holds the well known black envelope inside it:
On the back of the envelope, we can find an “Open” sign:
Here is what we will find here:
-Cult of RAZER information
-Master Guide
-Quick Start Guide
-RAZER stickers
On the Cult of RAZER card, we can find information on how to sign-up to be part of the team:
Detailed product and installation information can be found inside the Master Guide:
For the ones that are in a hurry and want to start gaming right away, we can proceed and open the Quick Start Guide:
The nice RAZER stickers can be placed on our favorite gaming device like the desktop PC, our laptop and so on:
The smaller box has some pictograms on the outside which tell us what we can expect to find here (a battery, connectors and a power plug):
Here is what we can find here:
-RCA cable
-2.5mm to 2.5mm Stereo Cable (for the XBOX Live Connection)
-AC adapter
-2x AAA Rechargeable Batteries
The power adapter is rated on the output 5V, 1A:
Here is how the power jack plug from the adapter does look:
The rechargeable batteries that are shipped with the headset are made by GP, Nickel-metal hydride and are rated 970mAh, 1.2V:
The charging dock is the place where the headset can be placed when not used, not only for recharging the batteries, but also to conserve space on the table; when in operation, the headset communicates wirelessly with the dock:
The charging dock has two activity LEDs; the top one signals the charging status (off when the headset is not placed on the dock, red when charging and green when charging has been completed) and the second one stays lit red when the dock is powered and idling and will turn green when the dock is turned on; during the sync operation, the second LED will flash both red and green, until the sync operation has been completed:
On the frontal side of the dock we can also find the RAZER logo:
In the back, we can find the Standby (on/off) button, the Sync button, a MIC out jack, the Audio In jack and the Power jack:
The top of the charging dock is the place where the electrical contacts are located:
Most of the bottom of the dock is covered with rubber material, to avoid scratching the surface it will stay on, but also to avoid slipping on the table:
In the center, we can find another sticker, with the code name, power rating and some serials:
While inspecting closely the bottom rubber, we can find the well known Razer saying, “For Gamers, By Gamers”:
The Chimaera headset has some design differences that we haven't seen on the previously tested models from other manufacturers:
The headphones come with black padded fabric covers and the microphone is built in the left cup:
On the outside of the left cup we can find the RAZER logo, along with the microphone mute and power On/Off button:
The other cup comes with a sound mute/sync button:
The microphone is unidirectional, with a frequency response between 130 and 10000Hz. When it is placed in vertical position, it is being muted automatically; its body is flexible so it can be placed in the position of our choice:
The padded headband is split in two, to allow some space for the electrical contacts through which the charging occurs:
On the back of each cup, we can find volume control buttons (one for the MIC and one for the sound volume):
A port is present on the left cup for connecting to the XBOX 360 controller with the provided cable:
The headband is extendable, with 10 settings available on each side:
The top side of the headband comes with the RAZER logo:
Let's inspect a little the battery compartment; by following the instructions from the manual, we can find that the outer side of the right cup is removable; after its removal, we can find the location where the batteries must be inserted:
On the back of the removed plastic cover, we can find another sticker, with the product code name, the power rating and a serial number:
Here is a closer look on the battery compartment:
After powering on the dock, we can see that the power presence LED lights up:
If the dock is turned on, the LED will turn green:
On the first use, we can leave the headset to charge completely, until the battery indicator will turn green:
For testing the Chimaera Stereo, the Titanium HD sound card from Creative was used, well known for its very good performance in games, but also when listening to high quality audio material.
I have first started Call of Duty MW2, multiplayer; the bass effects did not seem as powerful as on other headsets like the Arctic Cooling Arctic Sound P531 (a good aspect here because with those headsets if we keep listening at high volume levels, our head might start hurting a bit, just after the first half an hour of gaming).
While listening to FLAC high quality audio content this headset did not disappoint and had similar frequency responses to the TRITTON AX 720 from Mad Catz; the AX 720 had the disadvantage, however, of being wired, so it does not have the same liberty of movement.
For testing the microphone audio quality, I have used Skype, first with its "Echo/ Sound Test Service" and after that I have started a conference for about an hour; during this time the person on the other side had no problem hearing me, loud and clear. The placement of the microphone when docked is optimal and the auto-mute feature is present as on the previously tested ROCCAT Kulo.
The volume modifier placed on the headset proved to be very useful, because we can access it in a snap even in intense gaming action scenes.
Chimaera Stereo was tested in a room with a wireless router turned on (2.4Ghz operating frequency); with the World of Warcraft wireless headset, at random times, I was getting interruptions of the audio signal; with the RAZER Chimaera I did not experience similar issues while watching TV shows on my computer, for about two hours.
RAZER Chimaera uses AAA rechargeable batteries, not built-in so no extra service from the manufacturer is needed when they become non-usable. We simply can open up the headset and swap the batteries with some new ones. RAZER even says that we can use the Chimaera to recharge AAA batteries from other devices too. Also, for battery life conservation, the Chimaera will turn itself off after about 10 minutes, if no audio signal will be detected.
The headset dock has a shiny black plastic surface, which automatically means that it's a dust and fingerprint magnet, but there is nothing a soft wipe cloth cannot fix.
RAZER has also launched the 5.1 version of the Chimaera, which is capable of Dolby surround sound processing, has preset EQ settings and features Digital Optical connectivity. The 5.1 model also functions on the less congested 5.8GHz wireless band. It is pretty clear that the 5.1 version functions without problems with the PS3 (however, we cannot connect the MIC to the console); the Stereo version can be connected too, but not directly to the PS3, but to the 3.5mm audio jack output of our TV.
For the future revisions of the Chimaera, I would prefer the headset to have a rubberized finish on top and on the sides for a nicer feel, but also the inclusion of the 3.5mm cables, since the product is fully compatible to use with PC. Also, in case we do not want to use cables, RAZER can provide an USB wireless dongle, which can communicate with the headset directly and we'll use this way the dock only for charging purposes.
The Stereo version of the Chimaera can be found in stores for about 125 Euros.
I would like to thank again to RAZER for making this review possible!