Others by stefan @ 2017-01-27
Razer has recently launched an updated version of the original wireless ManO’War headset, now compatible with more devices by featuring an analog stereo interface. Thanks to the included USB audio adapter, the product can deliver 7.1 virtual surround for a more immersive experience and while the chassis of the product looks about the same, it is even lighter than its wireless variant.
At first we would like to thank Razer for offering us their ManO'War 7.1 Gaming Headset for testing and 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."
Advanced 7.1 virtual surround sound engine
The Razer ManO’War 7.1 comes equipped with a proprietary 7.1 virtual surround sound engine designed from the ground up to immerse you deeper into the game. Experience true-to-life positional audio as the USB adapter processes audio at ultra-low latency and modulates the audio source to simulate an impressive 360? surround sound experience.
Powerful drivers and sound isolation for immersive gaming audio
The Razer ManO’War 7.1 offers high fidelity gaming grade audio through its extra-large 50 mm custom-tuned drivers. A closed ear cup design with plush circumaural padding creates superior sound isolation so you can focus on the game without being distracted by ambient noise.
In-line controls and fully retractable microphone for easy access
Control game volume and mute the analog MEMS microphone with the in-line remote without fumbling in the middle of battle. Flexible and fully retractable, the microphone boom not only pulls out from the left ear cup as you need it, but also gives you the freedom to adjust it to your exact needs for crystal clear communication.
Cross-platform compatibility
The Razer ManO'War 7.1 is compatible with PC, Mac, Xbox One* and PS4
*Xbox One Stereo Adapter may be required, purchased separately
Headphones
Frequency response: 20 - 20,000 Hz
Impedance: 32 ? ¬ at 1 kHz
Sensitivity (@1 kHz): 118dB
Input power (Max): 30 mW
Drivers: 50 mm, with Neodymium magnets
Inner ear cup diameter: 60 mm / 2.36 in
Connection type: 3.5mm Analog
Approximate weight: 332 g / 0.73 lbs
Microphone
Frequency response: 100 – 10,000 Hz
Signal-to-noise ratio: > 55 dB
Sensitivity (@1 kHz): -42 ± 3 dB
Pick-up pattern: Unidirectional
System Requirements
PC / Mac with USB port; PlayStation ® 4 ; Xbox® One*
Windows® 10 / Windows® 8 / Windows® 7 / Mac OS X (10.9 and higher)
Internet connection for driver installation
At least 100 MB of free hard disk space
* Xbox® One Stereo Headset Adapter may be required, sold separately
Not long ago, we had the chance to check out the Razer ManO’War wireless headset, which was featuring a small USB 2.4GHz dongle, 50mm drivers, controls on the chassis, Chroma lighting effects but also 7.1 surround sound thanks to the Razer Surround engine. Recently, the manufacturer has revised the model by converting it to a wired state, so it is lighter (no internal batteries) and can operate on many other devices than the previous thanks to the analog interface.
The Razer ManO’War 7.1 headset is shipped inside a medium-sized cardboard enclosure, with a photo of the headset on the top cover:
On one of the box sides, the manufacturer lists the full product technical specifications, along with the package contents and hardware requirements:
Some of the product main highlights can be also observed on the bottom area of the packaging:
After unsealing the box, we were able to lift the top cover, which reveals some Razer resources from the web, but we can also take a look on how the product looks like through the transparent plastic layer:
As documentation, we will receive a small product manual:
Here Razer is describing the main ManO’War 7.1 headset components, along with the usage modes:
Of course, we will also receive a set of nice Razer stickers:
As mentioned before, the new revision does no longer sport a wireless interface, but the overall design was preserved:
We can see right from the start the large cups ManO’War 7.1 comes with and it houses large 50mm drivers with Neodymium magnets:
For the first level of customization in terms of comfort, we have rotatable cups, which can be adjusted as needed:
The headset ships with circular leatherette ear pads and optionally we can go for the oval-shaped ones. The closed ear cup design is making sure to isolate exterior noise in order to create an immersive experience inside games or movies:
On the wireless model, we were used to experience Chroma lighting on the exterior of the ear cups and to be more precise, the Razer logo. The analog version is missing this feature, but the logos along with the exterior cup design remain the same:
The left cup houses a retractable microphone that sports a frequency response between 100 and 10000 Hz, a SNR > 55 dB, but also a sensitivity (@ 1kHz) of -42 dB; its pick-up pattern is unidirectional:
We can adjust the microphone shape as needed in order for it to pick up optimal audio signal:
The headset headband does feature a layer of memory foam that is covered with black leatherette:
On the inside of each lateral headband side, we will find the left/right channel guidance; also, the headband can be adjusted manually from both sides in order to gain a perfect fit:
The top area of the headband also features a discrete Razer logo:
Unlike the wireless model, the ManO’War 7.1 does feature an in-line remote and with its help, we can mute the microphone or adjust the volume thanks to the wheel:
The braided cable does end up with a 3.5mm analog jack plug:
As a bundle, we will also receive an analog jack cable extension; all connectors are hold plated, in order to achieve optimal contact:
If you remember, we are reviewing a virtual 7.1 surround model; via stereo cables and no other accessory, this is practically impossible, unless you have a dedicated sound card of your own. The final bundle component of each headset is the Razer USB 7.1 sound card, which works along with the Synapse software:
On the back side of the adapter we will get to see its power rating:
The USB connector does feature a custom green Razer color scheme:
On the back of the sound card we will get to see the combo microphone/headphone jack port:
When the card is activated, a red LED will light up on top:
Right after we have installed Razer Synapse, logged in and connected the USB sound card to our computer, the headset will be immediately recognized. The familiar interface comes with several main menus, the first one being Calibration for fine-tuning the 7.1 virtual surround sound effects:
A wizard is there for us in order to complete the process:
Next, we will get to see the Audio menu, where we can manually adjust the headset Volume, enable Bass Boost feature, Sound Normalization or Voice Clarity; the function of each is well explained inside the GUI:
The Microphone comes with its own set of adjustments: we can set the microphone volume, enable Mic Monitor, Volume Normalization, adjust the Mic Sensitivity or enable Ambient Noise Reduction:
The Mixer menu does allow us to adjust the system-wide volume level, but also per-application. For each application, we also have the option to select 2.0 Stereo or 7.1 Surround output:
The last menu is EQ, where we can make adjustments on eight different bands:
Several EQ presets are also available:
After installing Synapse, we did complete the 7.1 virtual surround setup thanks to the included wizard and we went ahead with the testing, by listening to some YouTube videoclips, several music tracks but also some TV shows. The sound signature is pretty much the same as we have seen with the wireless model, which means that using it with the default settings the headset is quite balanced on all frequencies. Synapse allows in-depth configuration with settings such as Bass Boost, Sound Normalization, Voice Clarity but also microphone-related options.
The 7.1 virtual surround has a good precision in games thanks to the Razer software solution and if we need a different sound signature, we can always work with the EQ settings. If we put the USB sound adapter aside, we can also use the headset with other devices such as a PC sound card (requires an appropriate adapter), smartphones, tablets, laptops with microphone/headphone combo ports and so on; in this case, the sound quality and signature will also depend on the source.
ManO’War 7.1 has lost the Chroma capabilities, but is 43 grams lighter, an aspect that makes it more comfortable during longer gaming sessions. When gaming in multiplayer, it is also handy to communicate with your mates, so we have tested the microphone during several sessions on Skype: we were heard loud and clear on the other side, without additional static or sound distortions.
The ManO’War 7.1 headset can be purchased online for about 126 Euros, while the wireless version is more expensive at about 173 Euros. If you do not need the wireless aspect of the product and enjoy being able to connect to many other device types which sport an analog interface, than the ManO’War 7.1 is a much better deal!
We would like to thank again to Razer for making this review possible!