Razer Tiamat 7.1 Gaming Headset

10.04.2012
Razer bills the Tiamat 7.1 as the first "true" 7.1 gaming headset. Ten individual drivers are arrayed about the ear cups, mimicking a traditional surround sound speaker set up in a confined space. But headsets are tricky: everyone has a distinct perception of audio fidelity, and the divide between bad audio and audio overkill is going to vary by user. So I'll be objective: the is absolutely worth the $179 price tag -- if you own a 5.1 or 7.1 surround-sound capable sound card.

The audio component works as advertised: the sound is crisp, and in the right games the sense of immersion and space is simply awesome. But if you've used surround sound headsets before, you're likely familiar with that feeling. And this is where the tricky subjectivity of it all comes in -- sound cards deliver arguably improved audio fidelity and quality, but software-driven, wireless headsets that simply emulate that surround sound effect sound great too.

There's more to a headset than arguments about audio fidelity. The Tiamat is incredibly comfortable, sporting large, faux-leather cups that remain snug during lengthy sessions, without becoming especially warm or sweaty. An elastic band stretches to fit around my head comfortably, so I never feel constricted while wearing it.

The build is solid -- sturdy, but offering just enough flex to assuage any fears about damage while in use. I've snapped expensive wireless headsets in the past by simply sliding them from my head down to my neck and back again repeatedly, but the Tiamat wraps around my oversized skull with ease.

The microphone retracts into the left ear cup, sliding in and out with ease. I've owned quite a few headsets, most of which offered detachable microphones. This seems like a good idea until a voice conversation requests pop up suddenly (I spend a lot of time playing MMOs), and you have no idea where you stashed the mic. Voice input quality is good if you're using a sound card (more on that in a bit); when I plugged the Tiamat into my motherboard's audio outputs, my teammates remarked that I sounded a bit scratchy, and distant -- specially, like a robot in a well.

The volume control unit is a wonder in and of itself. It's about as large as an oversized deck of cards, and consists of a volume knob, a volume toggle switch, and three buttons -- one for muting the microphone, a second for toggling between speakers and the headset, and one for swapping between 7.1 and 2.0 output modes. The volume knob serves as a large button; press it to mute the audio on the fly.