Review: The Chimaera is a good looking, but heavy effort from edgey peripheral maker.
When it comes to giant headsets there are few companies that produce cans quite as epic as Razer’s. The well-regarded, but often critically-suspect (at least around parts Atomic) peripherals maker often errs on the side of size and features over style and comfort, with sound quality usually mixed in there somewhere in-between. The new 5.1 Chimaera wireless headset for Xbox 360, though, delivers some pretty punchy sound that should please the most demanding of gamers.
However... wow. They are big!
Oddly, though, they are comfortable, and with enough padding to sit well on pretty much any size noggin. And, without the added electronics that plagued and weighted down Razer’s Starcraft-themed headset, the Chimaeras don’t flop about your head should you move it around suddenly.
Your partner, however, will make merciless fun of you for wearing such a comedically large set of ‘phones. You have been warned.
The set-up and syncing of the kit is simple, and soon enough you’ll be hearing great, bass-rich sound without a mess of cables tracing back to your AV gear. Voice comes across well, though that is an admittedly mixed blessing. If you’re chatting with mates, all well and good, but for the mast part we don’t need great clarity to be told what a camping fag we are. Thankfully, just swinging the mic up out of the way mutes it automatically. Speaking of mates, if you indulge in Xbox LAN days, up to four of these sets can be combined for good squad-based comms, a nice touch.
The 5.1 Dolby, though, is neither here nor there, really. We’re not huge believers in in-cup 5.1 as it is, but there’s no denying the crispness of the sound delivery. Your own mileage may vary, however, so if you’re willing to foot the extra $50 over the 2.1 Chimaeras, more power to you.
The batteries in the headset are rated for up to eight hours, though we rarely had them last that long. Seven seems more usual, and a three hour charge time might make truly huge gaming sessions a hassle. Take it as an excuse to leave the house for a bit, or maybe feed your pets. Otherwise, these are a solid – if large – option for the dedicated Xbox gamer.
Issue: 137 | June, 2012