Razer Nommo Pro review: Hands on with Razer’s gaming-focused PC speakers
Razer’s first real foray into PC speakers arrives with quite the bang
UPDATE: The Razer Nommo Pro, which was unveiled at CES earlier this year, is now available for £500 from the Razer store. Other retailers are soon to follow. Below, is Vaughn’s hands-on with the product.
When it comes to buying PC speakers, there’s an almost infinite amount of choice out there, with a price range that spans from below £10 up to whatever you’d like to pay. The trouble is that once you start reaching for the higher end, you’re entering into home cinema system territory.
That’s where the Razer Nommo Pro comes in. Announced at CES 2018 alongside its smaller siblings, the Razer Nommo and Razer Nommo Chroma, the Razer Nommo Pro is a 2.1 setup designed specifically for premium gaming setups. Pitched as a “no-compromise” speaker setup, the Nommo Pros are the dedicated gaming speakers from Razer designed to offer better range and clarity than the Razer Leviathan soundbar that’s currently available.
It’s worth noting that, as the premium speaker in Razer’s Nommo range, the Pro is significantly more fully featured than the Razer Nommo and Nommo Chroma. Because of that, I’m going to focus on my time with the Nommo Pro, but I’ll touch upon the other two for comparative reasons.
Razer Nommo Pro review: UK price, release date and specifications
I’ll get right to the point. As with all things Razer, the Nommo Pro isn’t cheap. You can pick up the Razer Nommo for a reasonable £110 and the Nommo Chroma at £170, but the Nommo Pro will set you back an initially eye-watering £500.
I know, I can hear your jaw hit the floor already. But as with everything Razer, the asking price is indicative of the quality you’re getting in return. Aside from the Chroma options of the Nommo Chroma, the Nommo and Nommo Chroma are identical. Both come with woven glass-fibre 3in drivers, integrated rear-facing bass ports and intuitive volume and bass controls to ensure your EQ always stays level.
The Nommo Pro, however, uses Dupont-coated Kevlar fibre drivers and silk-woven tweeters to ensure, Razer claims, the cleanest and crispest sound comes through. Unlike the Nommo and Nommo Chroma, the Nommo Pro is THX-certified and comes with Dolby Virtual Surround Sound to emulate a 5.1 setup. There’s also a cylindrical downward-firing subwoofer to ensure your neighbours or loved ones can definitely hear the bass of that semi-automatic rifle you’re brandishing.
In terms of connectivity, the Nommo Pro supports USB, Optical, Bluetooth and 3.5mm jack connections, along with a separate control unit to easily access volume and source controls and provide you with a headphone jack that isn’t around the back of your PC.
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Razer Nommo Pro review: Design and features
On the design front, the Razer Nommo Pro is a strange beast. It looks part speed gun, part Star Wars blaster and yet the majority of its design is entirely practical. The upward slant of its cylindrical main body is, supposedly, designed to maximise optimal sound output and is a direct result of working with THX for speaker certification. The separate tweeter is blown out from the main body to ensure its sound isn’t interfered with by the main driver, allowing the crisp highs to be heard cleanly over all the action.
The cylindrical nature of both the downward-firing subwoofer and the main speakers is to create an even flow of air to create steady sound. The same design principles have been utilised on the Razer Nommo and Nommo Chroma, even if they lack all the features of the Nommo Pro.
In honesty, I’m not quite sure how much of this design principle I buy, but it is undeniable that these are very nice PC speakers. In my brief time with them, it’s clear they can produce warm, rich sound when listening to music or watching Netflix, yet can then ramp up to deliver the perfect sound setup you’d need for a competitive game of Overwatch, PUBG or even something immersive like the upcoming PC release of Final Fantasy XV.
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Razer says it’s designed these speakers to work best in short-throw situations, essentially meaning your basic PC setup environment. However, they managed to deliver audio from the other side of the Razer booth on a busy CES show floor, so Razer is clearly managing expectations here.
Razer Nommo Pro review: Early verdict
On first impressions, the Razer Nommo Pro looks to be an excellent addition to Razer’s line of PC peripherals. The speaker landscape can be a tricky one to crack but, as usual, Razer isn’t holding back. My only concern is that initially steep price point. At £500, you really have to want the best gaming setup out there. It’s a heck of a lot more than most other 5.1 setups on the market.
The Razer Nommo and Nommo Chroma, on the other hand, offer quite a tantalising proposition. At sub-£200, they represent a solid investment in decent PC speakers that, in the case of the Nommo Chroma, integrate rather nicely into your Razer-filled gaming setup.
As with all Razer products, no matter which one you opt for, you won’t be disappointed. I, for one, can’t wait to give the Razer Nommo Pro a proper going over later this year.
