Re-engineered for comfort, the Tiamat 2.2 V2 promises gamers ‘gut-punching’ bass due to the additional discrete subwoofer units in each earcup.
Product on Review: Razer Tiamat 2.2 V2
Manufacturer: Razer
Street Price: UK: £124.99, US: $139.99
The Tiamat 7.1 and 2.2 headsets set the go-to standard for many gamers seeking a surround sound experience, and both have recently received a V2 refresh. Here, we take a look at the 2.2 headset which features dual 50mm drivers in each earcup, promising powerful bass performance, and clear audio. Much of the refresh focuses on improving the comfort, and with it the design. The suspension design now features a blackened metal frame, and the overall design is sleeker and less busy. To aid with the ergonomics, the engineers at Razer have balanced the weight distribution, reduced the clamping force, and fit plush leatherette padding to ensure comfort.
Out the box, the Tiamat 2.2 V2 features a 4pole jack, ensuring compatibility with the Xbox One, PS4, and various other devices, and ships with a 4pole splitter to use with your PC. You can also use Razer’s 7.1 surround engine for virtual 7.1 surround rendering which can be customised to suit your preference and perception of surround sound.
Overview by Razer
It’s time to rumble in the jungle and get the deepest bass with the all-new Razer Tiamat 2.2 V2. This powerhouse gaming headset is outfitted with an additional bass driver in each ear cup to give you the maximum sound impact with your favorite games. What’s more, powered by Razer Surround virtual 7.1 surround sound engine, hear everything around you with absolute clarity for total tactical advantage.
Technical Specifications
– Drivers: 4 x 50 mm Titanium coated diaphragm with Neodymium magnets
– Frequency response: 20 – 20 kHz
– Impedance: front 32 Ω, back 16 Ω
– Maximum input power: 50 mW
– Cable length: 1.3 m / 4.27 ft plus 2 m / 6.6 ft audio / mic splitter adapter cable
– Microphone Frequency response: 100 – 10 kHz
– Sensitivity @ 1 kHz: -38 dB ± 3 dB
– Signal-to-noise ratio: >58 dB
– Microphone type: ECM
– Pick-up Pattern: Unidirectional
– In-line volume control
– Analog volume wheel
– Microphone mute switch
Compatible with all devices with 3.5 mm audio jack
Audio + microphone usage: Devices with 3.5 mm audio + mic combined jack
– Frequency response: 20 – 20 kHz
– Impedance: front 32 Ω, back 16 Ω
– Maximum input power: 50 mW
– Cable length: 1.3 m / 4.27 ft plus 2 m / 6.6 ft audio / mic splitter adapter cable
– Microphone Frequency response: 100 – 10 kHz
– Sensitivity @ 1 kHz: -38 dB ± 3 dB
– Signal-to-noise ratio: >58 dB
– Microphone type: ECM
– Pick-up Pattern: Unidirectional
– In-line volume control
– Analog volume wheel
– Microphone mute switch
Compatible with all devices with 3.5 mm audio jack
Audio + microphone usage: Devices with 3.5 mm audio + mic combined jack
Packaging & First Look
The outer packaging is high quality and refined, showing a sleeker, more mature side to Razer, only revealing the relevant information about the product with minimal branding and slogans.
The rear side shows a diagram of the primary features followed by multi-lingual labels.
Inside we find some paperwork including the welcome note from Razer, there is also a 2m long braided audio/microphone splitter for use with PCs.
The inline remote is small and inconspicuous,there is an oversized volume dial and a microphone mute switch.
The Tiamat 2.2 V2 uses a suspension design with a blackened metal frame, we also see a boom microphone, large earpads, and gun metal grey trims.
Closer Look
The headband is made up from various materials and feels soft and strong, ideal for distributing weight on the head.
The headband is held in place with an elastic cable which helps it automatically adjust to your head, the headband also has the electrical wire passing through it, and s there is some additional slack either side to ensure it can adjust freely.
The earcups are rather chunky as they house two 50mm drivers each, though the external looks relatively sleek, with just the Razer logo and a gunmetal coloured trim to help it stand out a little.
On the base of the right side earcup there is a little switch to swap between single/dual driver modes.
The headset can fold open, displaying its ability to move to the contours of different peoples heads. The earcups feature removable leatherette padding that should provide a decent seal around your ears.
The headset features a boom microphone that is flexible, however it is worth noting that it does not auto mute when raised.
Performance Testing
Setup, Design & ObservationsThe Razer Tiamat 2.2 V2 features a 3.5mm jack (4 pole) and so to connect, you can simply plug it directly into any compatible port (mobile device, PS4/Xbox One controller etc.). For use with PC, you can use the included audio/microphone splitter included which is a braided 2m long cable.
On the head, we noticed that the Tiamat 2.2 V2 is rather heavy, and there is a little wobble when you move your head quickly. Though to counter any chance of it falling off your head, it also has a moderate clamping force. As the weight and comfort considerations has been fairly well balanced, the result is somewhat comfortable and we had no issues over use for several hours. However others may find that it could be too heavy, or that the clamping force is too high/not enough depending on their head size. The earpads are made from memory foam that has been covered in a faux leather material which helps with passive noise cancelling.
The construction is rather robust and good quality, though we would have preferred to see a modular USB/analogue design, and it would have been nice if the microphone auto muted when raised. The attached cable is short and braided and features an in-line remote, which is a little small and relatively difficult to use with one hand especially considering how stiff the mute switch is. The switch on the headset to enable dual driver mode is also relatively stiff, though we felt that its inclusion was a little pointless*.
The headset itself works great with Razer Surround, to which you can unlock ‘PRO’ by registering your headset serial number with Razer. This will allow you to customise the surround experience and enable other software based audio effects.
Multimedia
We started by listening though various types of audio tracks to which we are familiar. The overall quality of the audio is enjoyable, but flat. Once we enabled the dual driver mode the headset came alive, revealing more precise higher and lows and creating a much more detailed, richer audio experience. *It was on further listening we decided that being able to switch between the driver modes was fairly pointless, and decided that the headset was far better using all the included drivers. At maximum volume we found the Tiamat to be relatively loud, and was distortion free.
Playing various games revealed that the Tiamat 2.2 V2, with its already wide sound profile, gave a decent virtual surround experience via Razer Surround (which can be used for any headset). Not quite head-turning, but the Razer Surround engine does a good job of rendering the audio to draw you into the game that little bit more.
Microphone
The microphone at full sensitivity picked up a bit of background static, but reproduced a decent, natural sounding voice. Some background sounds were also picked up, but were not too distracting. However, the quality of the microphone will also depend on your hardware.
Conclusion
The Tiamat 2.2 V2 looks stunning, thanks to the gunmetal on black theme, though, the headset its self is rather chunky and heavy. This is understandably down to the additional pair of 50mm drivers and the design compensating for their inclusion. Regardless, we did notice the weight of the headset over time despite being fairly well-balanced. The thick ear-pads help to retain the comfort while providing passive noise cancellation, but warmer days could work against this design.
Surprisingly, the 2.2 format is effective in providing fantastic audio quality, to the extent we would question why they even bothered to include a switch to swap between standard stereo, and enhanced stereo. With the sub-woofers deactivated, we noticed that the audio was more flat with minute sounds across the whole frequency range faded more easily into the background. Turned on, the audio comes alive like a primordial dragon, creating a universe of sound in your ears.
There were some missed opportunities with the Tiamat 2.2 V2. Things we would like to have seen at this price-point: modular cables and USB connectivity, an auto-muting microphone boom, and onboard audio/mute controls. As it is, some some may find it hard to justify over the alternatives in what is a highly competitive market. Despite that, if you are a fan of Razer, or are simply looking for a reliable gaming headset, the Tiamat 2.2 V2 would be a solid choice.
The Tiamat 2.2 V2 sounds brilliant, the added support for virtual surround via Razer Synapse helps take advantage of the wide soundstage, making games all the more immersive.
Pros.
+ Attractive finish
+ Comfortable
+ Clear enjoyable audio with punchy bass
+ Wide soundstage (great for v7.1/ Razer Surround)
Cons.
– Price
– Microphone doesn’t auto mute
– In-line remote is small/difficult to use
– Heavy
+ Attractive finish
+ Comfortable
+ Clear enjoyable audio with punchy bass
+ Wide soundstage (great for v7.1/ Razer Surround)
Cons.
– Price
– Microphone doesn’t auto mute
– In-line remote is small/difficult to use
– Heavy
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.
