I have enjoyed gaming on a PC for many years, but I recently began playing Xbox 360. Once I got used to the lack of mouse and keyboard, I found the experience to be quite enjoyable; a big flat screen TV, comfortable couch, and a great selection of available games. The only thing that I couldn’t get used to, though, was the lack of surround sound. I have a nice surround sound setup for my PC and I have become very reliant on the use of positional sound in games. Enemies sneaking up behind you, planes flying toward you, zombies moaning in the woods – these directional sounds provide a great deal of information about what is going on around you. With my Xbox, however, I was not even getting a very good stereo effect with my speakers being directly in front of me. A full home theater setup would give me the surround sound I was looking for, but would be costly, hard to setup (those rear speakers are a pain), and annoying to my neighbors and roommate. A surround sound headset was the perfect solution.

There are plenty of surround headsets on the market, and even many that are designed to work specifically with the Xbox 360. Razer, Turtle Beach, Tritton, Steel Series, Logitech, and Astro are just a few of the companies that make quality headsets. With so many choices, how do you choose the right headset? It’s really a matter of personal preference, but I’ll walk you through the different things I considered.

1. Surround Sound vs. Stereo

You can find a variety of surround sound and stereo headsets. Stereo headsets are much cheaper, but only provide right and left channels of audio. This makes it virtually impossible to tell where sounds are coming from, other than being able to tell if they are to the right or left of you. My first headset, the Turtle Beach X11, is an example of a pretty basic stereo headset. The Razer Chimaera 5.1 is a full surround sound headset, and provides great directional and spatial audio.

2. Virtual Surround vs. Actual Surround

Almost all surround sound headsets use virtual surround sound. This setup uses a 2 channel headset (1 speaker per ear), but uses a sound processor to create surround sound. A few headsets, such as the Tritton AX Pro, actually use multiple speakers per ear for the surround sound effect. The problem with actual surround sound headsets is that sound is often muddy from the multiple speakers, and they don’t provide very good directional sound. The speakers are simply too close to one another to be able to accurately discern the direction of the sound. The use of multiple small drivers also reduces the impact and depth of bass. Virtual surround headsets do not suffer from these problems, which makes them the more popular choice for manufacturers. You may be skeptical about the ability of two speakers to be able to replicate a full surround sound setup, but think of it this way – you only have two ears and your brain is able to process 3d sound based on auditory cues. Dolby Labs, a household name in the audio industry, has developed Dolby Headphone, which is the tech that makes virtual surround possible. All major surround sound headsets on the market (Astro, Tritton, Turtle Beach, Razer, etc…) use the same Dolby sound processor, so this is not really a distinguishing feature. I was skeptical about the performance of virtual surround sound headsets before actually trying them, but I was absolutely blown away by the quality of the surround sound. You can check out this link to hear a demo of Dolby Headphone (but make sure you wear headphones!).

3. Wired vs. Wireless

After using the Turtle Beach X11s for a while, I decided that I wanted a wireless headset. Wireless headsets offer the benefit of being, well, wireless, but they traditionally have a few disadvantages. The first is the need for batteries. Most wireless headsets take traditional batteries, so you either have to keep buying new ones, or you can swap out rechargeable batteries (such as these). A few headsets have rechargeable battery packs, but you can’t use them while they are charging. The Razer Chimaeras have a unique solution that solves those problems, which I’ll discuss more later. Finally, wireless headsets are subject to interference from other devices, such as your wifi router, Xbox controllers, and phones. These devices typically operate on the 2.4ghz band, so they can interfere with 2.4ghz wireless headsets. A few headsets, however, operate on the 5.8ghz band, which allows for interference-free operation and uncompressed audio. These headsets are the Astro A30/40 Wireless and the, you guessed it, Razer Chimaera 5.1.

Based on these factors, and Razer’s reputation for quality products, I opted for the Chimaera 5.1. These have an MSRP of $199, but can be found online for a bit cheaper. They are hard to find at most online retailers, but they should be available from Razer (www.razerzone.com). A stereo version is also available for $129. It is still wireless, but uses the 2.4ghz band.

REVIEW OF THE RAZER CHIMAERA 5.1

What’s In The Box:

• Wireless headset
• Charging dock / transmitter
• Power adapter
• Optical audio cable (for digital 5.1 surround sound)
• 2.5mm Xbox Live chat cable (only required if using Xbox Live voice chat)
• 3.5mm audio link cable (for daisy chaining multiple units)
• RCA cable (for hooking up to analog stereo sources)

Build Quality and Aesthetics

Razer products generally have a good reputation for good build quality, and the Chimaera 5.1 is no exception. The headset feels solid and sturdy and the choice of materials is excellent. The headset is mostly a matte soft-touch black, but there are contrasting areas of high-gloss black. The only moving part on the headset is the mic boom, and it doesn’t feel fragile at all. The mic boom is also flexible, so it won’t break if you drop it with the boom folded out. The base station also has a decent weight to it and feels solid, although it really shouldn’t see any abuse or wear. The included cables are also completely adequate, though I did notice that the 2.5mm cable for Xbox Live chat fit a little loosely in my controller. This hasn’t been a problem and the audio connection is still solid.

In terms of adjustability, the Chimaera 5.1 only have an adjustable headband. For me, the headset is extremely comfortable and I barely need to extend the headband to get a good fit. I have a pretty big head, though, so people with small heads should probably see if they can try it on before buying. The earcups are circumaural, meaning that they go around your ear, rather than pressing on it. I find them to be really comfortable, even if I am wearing glasses. The earcups do not rotate, though, which means that they might not fit everyone very well. Most headsets and headphones have rotating ear cups (the earcup is attached the headband with a pivot). Again, I still find them to be very comfortable, but I think they will fit a narrower range of people than if they had opted for a rotating earcup.

Sound Quality

Sound quality is where this headset really shines. I did not expect the surround sound effect to be so clear and accurate, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear how well it worked. As a gamer who is used to a full surround-sound setup on my PC, I now feel like I am not missing anything when playing on my Xbox. Not only can you easily tell the direction of the sound, but it’s also much easier to discern the distance of the sound. This is great for both multiplayer games, such as Call of Duty, and atmospheric single player games, such as Alan Wake. The surround sound provides greater immersion in your games, along with a competitive advantage. The Chimaera 5.1 uses 50mm drivers, so they can reproduce a wide range of frequencies and can do so without distortion. The sound is clear, sharp, and isn’t lacking any punch or impact. If I had to make a complaint, it would be that they are lacking in extremely low frequencies. For comparison, my studio monitor headphones (Audio Techinca M50) are able to reproduce sound from 15 hz to 28,000 hz. The Chimaera 5.1 have a claimed frequency range of 20 hz to 20,000 hz. Despite the similar frequency range, the Chimeara 5.1 don’t seem to reproduce the lowest frequencies quite as well. As a musician, I can hear the difference in frequency ranges, but I don’t see this as an issue at all for gaming and movies. I wouldn’t use the Chimaera 5.1s for critical music listening, but that’s not what they’re designed for. They sound exactly how they should for a high-end gaming and multimedia headset.

The microphone is also very clear and picks up voice very well. I really like that you can adjust both the volume of incoming voice and outgoing voice right from the headset. If the game audio is overpowering your friends’ voice, you can quickly turn up the chat volume to hear them. The chat volume control is independent of the game volume control. I like this system better than the Astro’s MixAmp, where both volumes are controlled by the same knob. On the Astros, if you turn up the voice volume, it’s by turning down the game volume. The Chimaera 5.1 lets you adjust each independently.

One recurring issue that seems to be mentioned when discussing wireless headsets is background noise and interference from other wireless sources. The Chimaera 5.1s are absolutely silent, which is better than the wired Turtle Beach X11 headset I had used previously. Also, since the Chimaera 5.1 use a 5.8ghz band, they are not really subject to interference by other wireless devices.

Charging

My favorite feature of the Chimaera 5.1 is how it charges. A set of rechargeable AAA batteries are included, and you simply set the headset back on the base station to begin recharging. The whole setup looks really slick and it provides a nice place to store the headset when you’re not using it. Battery life is listed at 8 hours, but I usually only play for an hour or two at a time, so I have never tested that number. A fully drained battery will be charged in 3 hours. I don’t believe any other headsets on the market use this charging dock solution; instead, they either use normal batteries, or you have to use a USB cable to recharge a battery pack. The advantage of the Chimaera 5.1s are that they are extremely easy to recharge, but if you do need to swap batteries during a super long gaming session, you can just use a standard set of AAA batteries (rechargeable or disposable).

Connectivity

The Chimeara 5.1 is designed for Xbox and PC, so the connections are centered around those applications. On the back of the base station, you’ll find an optical input and output, 3.5mm input and output, and an RCA input. In order to take advantage of the Dolby Headphone surround sound processing, you’ll need to use the optical input. You can plug it directly into your Xbox if it is the newer “slim” model, or you can use an adapter for older models. Some TVs also have an optical output, so if you are using an HDMI output to your TV, you can use the optical output from the TV to connect to the base station. The optical output lets you also send the audio signal to your TV or receiver, so you can use either a headset or speakers without swapping cables. You can also hook up a basic stereo source using the RCA input, but you won’t get surround sound. If you have any questions about whether or not the Chimaera will work with your setup, feel free to post your question below.

The 3.5mm input and output are used to daisy chain multiple base stations. This is ideal if you are playing with friends locally and want to setup your own private chat network, rather than relying on Xbox Live. You can switch between Xbox Live chat and local chat by pressing the “Mode” button on the headset.

If you want to use voice chat in Xbox Live, you must connect the headset to the controller with the included 2.5mm cable. The reason that this cannot be made wireless is that Microsoft does not allow third-party companies to use wireless voice chat (except for the just-announced Tritton Warhead headset, which is an official Microsoft licensed product).

Conclusion

Overall, I have been extremely pleased with Chimaera 5.1 headset. The sound quality is fantastic and the surround sound can literally be a game changer. I also feel that Razer made all of the right decisions when it came to designing the headset, by opting for 5.8ghz wireless and a really nice charging solution. On top of all of that, the whole setup looks fantastic, feels comfortable, and performs extremely well.

This article, and the accompanying video, are in response to the many questions and comments I received in regard to a review I did on the Razer Chimaera 5.1 headset.  The most common question or concern that people had was how to use the Chimaera headset with a PC.

Although the headset is PC compatible (kinda), it is designed to be an Xbox headset.  The problem with trying to use it with a PC stems from how it handles the microphone output.  When the Chimaera headset is used with an Xbox, as it is intended, the microphone communicates with the Xbox controller for use with Xbox Live chat.  The game audio is sent from the Xbox to the headset via an optical audio cable, which carries the digital 5.1 surround sound signal.  So with an Xbox, you get digital surround sound and the ability to use the mic with Xbox live.

With a PC, however, you have two options and both of them have pretty significant disadvantages.  The first option is to connect the headset to your computer with an optical audio cable to take advantage of the surround sound, but this leaves you with no way for the microphone to communicate with the computer.  This means that you simply have surround headphones, not a headset with voice functionality.  The other option is to use the analog (RCA) inputs instead of the optical input and set the Chimaera into “Local Chat Mode.”  This allows you to use the 3.5mm analog output on the headset’s base station to connect to the microphone input on your computer.  The end result is that the microphone will work, but you are only getting analog stereo sound, instead of digital surround sound.  People have proposed to me many solutions, ranging from the seemingly plausible to the comically ridiculous, but it’s as simple as this – the Chimaera 5.1 is not ideal for PC since you cannot use surround sound and the microphone at the same time.

Is this a problem? No! It’s not a problem because there is a fantastic wireless surround headset designed specifically for PC.  The Logitech G930 is, in my opinion, the best PC gaming headset out there.  Logitech always builds great products and the G930 is no exception.  It uses the same Dolby Digital sound processor as the Razer Chimaera and achieves a fantastically accurate 7.1 surround sound environment.  It also has several other features which make it ideal for PC, including programmable macro keys and great configuration software.

The bottom line: If you want a headset for your Xbox, get the Razer Chimaera 5.1.  If you want a headset for your PC, get the Logitech G930.  If you want both…start saving your pennies!