Razer Mako 2.1 speakers

Great design and top sound, but at a price.

The Mako speakers are marketed as your classic 2.1 desktop PC speakers, but in our testing we found they are more versatile than that. And with a unique and functional design, why hide them away in your study, games-pit or grind-house?

Our gaming lab is, essentially, a large old warehouse, so it can be a chore to get a set of speakers to fill the area. The Makos handled the space with aplomb, surprising all and sundry with rich bass rumble in games, and more than adequate for home entertainment needs. Sure, it’s no 5.1 system, and for the same money you could easily get one, but the Makos have one big advantage.

There is more than style behind the unique dome-like design. The Mako speakers boast downward pointing speakers, so that the sound they produce is omni-directional. No matter where you are listening to them in a room, the sound is always top-notch. Only the mid-range is a little weak, so quieter games or films may not be reproduced to best advantage.

About the only let down to the speakers as a proper set of loungeroom models is the wired remote. OF course, this isn’t an issue for desktop computing, but even then the dial-less touch sensitive remote can be rather fiddly to quickly adjust in the middle of the game, as more than one finger on the dial tends to scramble the input. It looks good, at least, and the LED sound level is very handy for darkened home theatres or late night gaming.

These speakers are very nearly the perfect solution for those who are limited in the amount of space they can fill with AV equipment, and deliver great sound, But we can’t help but feel that, for the price, you can quite easily pick up more complete solutions – albeit ones that aren’t of quite so impressive performance. Ultimately, your hip pocket will have to be the judge.