Sleek and compact, the Leviathan mini is a portable speaker tuned for powerful, crystal clear sound supported by aptX Bluetooth technology.
Product on Review: Razer Leviathan Mini
Manufacturer: Razer
Street Price: UK: £139.99, US: $179.99
Late summer last year, we had the chance to take a look at the Razer Leviathan, a gaming soundbar with virtual 5.1 surround rendering. Recently, we were informed that the Leviathan had babies in the form of a portable wireless speaker. Though I would have loved a name like ‘Spawn of Leviathan’, Razer felt that Leviathan Mini would suffice.
At just 550g, and dimensions of 54 x 185 x 55 mm (DxWxH), it is far more portable than the likes of say, the Creative ROAR. Though considering it is coming in at the same price with fewer features, the pair of 45mm drivers have a lot to live up to. Aiding those drivers to deliver a punch, Razer have also fitted 2x 40 x 70mm passive radiators. Supporting Bluetooth 4.0 devices that can be paired manually or via NFC, you can also connect devices through a more traditional 3.5mm jack. Bluetooth streaming supports A2DP/aptX as well as HFP1.5 hands free for mobile calls that will be supported by an integrated 4mm microphone featuring ‘Clear Voice Capture Technology’.
One of the party pieces of the Razer Leviathan Mini is something that we would have loved to see implemented in the Creative Roar series (that is currently done so where there megastereo connection is supported), that is, wireless ‘comboplay’. You can connect a pair of Leviathan Mini portable speakers wirelessly while connected to a Bluetooth source, amplifying your output and creating a true stereo experience.
Overview by Razer
Presenting uncompromising audio power packed within an ultra-compact body – the Razer Leviathan Mini. Powered by Bluetooth with aptX® technology for CD-like audio quality, this sleek portable speaker delivers stellar sound quality through powerful lows and crystal clear highs at volumes belying its size.
Technical Specifications
Specifications
Dimensions : 54 mm / 2.12” (L) x 185 mm / 3.34” (W) x 55 mm / 2.16” (H)
Weight : 550 g / 1.21 lbs
Battery
– Battery type : 2600 mAH rechargeable Lithium-ion battery
– Battery life : Up to 10 hours
– Charge time : 4 hours
Range
– Bluetooth wireless range : 10 m / 30 ft
– Combo Play wireless range : 4 m / 13 ft
Speakers
– Total power output : 24 W (12 W x 2)
– Frequency response rate : 50 Hz – 20 KHz
– Drivers : 2 x 45 mm / 1.77” neodymium magnets
– Passive Radiators: 2 x 40 mm / 1.57” x 70 mm / 2.75”
– Impedance : 4 ohm
Microphone
– Omnidirectional microphone with Clear Voice Capture Technology
– Size : 4mm / 0.15”
Connection methods[/]b
Audio
– Devices that supports Bluetooth® wireless audio profile [Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP)]
– 3.5 mm audio jack
Calls
– Devices that support Bluetooth® Hands-Free Profile (HFP1.5)
Dimensions : 54 mm / 2.12” (L) x 185 mm / 3.34” (W) x 55 mm / 2.16” (H)
Weight : 550 g / 1.21 lbs
Battery
– Battery type : 2600 mAH rechargeable Lithium-ion battery
– Battery life : Up to 10 hours
– Charge time : 4 hours
Range
– Bluetooth wireless range : 10 m / 30 ft
– Combo Play wireless range : 4 m / 13 ft
Speakers
– Total power output : 24 W (12 W x 2)
– Frequency response rate : 50 Hz – 20 KHz
– Drivers : 2 x 45 mm / 1.77” neodymium magnets
– Passive Radiators: 2 x 40 mm / 1.57” x 70 mm / 2.75”
– Impedance : 4 ohm
Microphone
– Omnidirectional microphone with Clear Voice Capture Technology
– Size : 4mm / 0.15”
Connection methods[/]b
Audio
– Devices that supports Bluetooth® wireless audio profile [Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP)]
– 3.5 mm audio jack
Calls
– Devices that support Bluetooth® Hands-Free Profile (HFP1.5)
Packaging & Bundle
Visually, Razer packaging is sleek and high quality, easily identifiable as the Razer brand. The information about Bluetooth and aptX listed gives information about the Leviathan Mini being a portable wireless speaker with 10 hours battery life.
The rear side gives information about the product in various languages and discusses the comboplay feature.
At the sides there is some detailed information written to describe the key points, including the driver information and how they are tuned for powerful performance.
inside there is the expected disposable information including a quickstart guide, product information and some Razer stickers.
Once you open the box, you will find the speaker on card pedestal surrounded by foam and held in place. Underneath you will find the accessories neatly packed inside. Amongst these accessories is a power adaptor for charging it up with a nice Razer logo featuring UK and EU adaptors.
There is also a nice gold plated USB to microUSB charging cable as well as a 3.5mm male to male jack for analogue input.
Finally, there is a good quality nylon carry bag included for the Leviathan Mini, something that is essential to protect your portable speaker for on the go usage.
Closer Look
The Razer Leviathan Mini is attractive and sleek with a full mesh front and rear and clearly marked buttons on the top. There is a microphone hole on the top left hand side, a negative button, a multifunction button (MFB), and a positive button.
Standing just 55mm tall, the Leviathan Mini is rather compact, the front is completely mesh covered with exception to the Razer logo. There are two 45mm drivers on each side sitting just behind the mesh.
The rear side is completely meshed over, behind which are two large 40x70mm rear firing radiators.
This side features a NFC connection spot for NFC enabled smart devices, a fast and convenient feature. The MFB is currently green in this image to show that I was currently in a call while taking this photo.
Here there is a power button, pairing button, 3.5mm port, and microUSB port for charging.
The underside has a large, rubber, non-slip pad, this will held reduce vibrational movement and noise.
Once powered on, the power button will display a green light. Once the battery is low it will turn amber, then flash red once it is critically low. The Bluetooth pairing button will flash blue while pairing, and remain static once it has paired.
Once you have paired your device to the speaker, if you hold the MFB, it will seek for another Leviathan mini for combo play. By holding the MFB on another leviathan Mini, they will then pair up and you will be ready for some wireless stereo audio. The MFB will display a static white light while in this mode.
Performance Testing
Setup, Design & Observations
The Razer leviathan comes precharged, but would normally be best to fully charge before use anyway. It is worth noting that you should only use the included power adaptor for the Leviathan as others may not fit the specifications needed to correctly charge or may cause damage. From empty, it is stated that the Leviathan Mini takes around 4 hours to charge to max and has a life span of around 10 hours. Unlike the Creative ROAR, which contains a 6000mAH battery, the Razer Leviathan has a relatively meagre 2600mAH, though considering it misses out on an additional subwoofer, the Leviathan Mini will undoubtedly require less power. Over the course of a day playing music mostly at maximum, with pauses/stops then use in comboplay, then using to make several calls, I wasn’t able to drain the battery past the amber light on the power switch, considering this is over a period of time close to 10 hours, I would expect the life span to be close to the 10 hours stated.
Visually, the Leviathan Mini looks great and the button layout is easy to understand. As sleek as it looks, it feels great quality too, the buttons feel sturdy and good quality. The supporting accessories included are as you would expect power and required cables, though the inclusion of a carry case is most welcome. The multifunction button can be used to play/pause with a single press as well as double tap for next/triple tap for back commands. For use with comboplay, you will need to hold the button down for a few seconds while connected to a device via Bluetooth (not via jack), then turn on the other Leviathan Mini and again hold the MFB. The MFB can also be used to answer/mute and end calls by a single press, single press, hold respectively.
There are a number of features that would have been nice to see on the Leviathan Mini, such as a mini SD card reader for internal playback. Though considering this would increase the size/weight, it seems Razer have passed on this to preserve its portability.
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On powering on the speaker you are greeted with a sweeping tone that shows off a surprisingly beefy bass. As hinted, the bass performance was impressively creamy without being overbearing. The mids and highs produced are nice and clear without distortion, even at its highest volume that is easily capable of filling a room with sound. Its overall precision and tonal separation across the board is a touch less refined than than what is observed in the Roar, though this is expected considering the size and technical differences. So, this level of discernment isn’t something that can be outright justified considering the awesome performance and presence in such a small form.
After pairing up the two speakers together, I noticed that if there is a drop in streaming by your phone, there is a knock on effect where the secondary Leviathan Mini may drop out after the connection is re-established. During continuous play, this may mean that there were inconsistencies during overall playback between the two speakers. So if you are using a streaming audio app (E.G. Spotify, Soundcloud etc) you may not experience the most consistent performance. Though the audio was never out of sync, that is certainly a positive. During a more stable playback using media stored on my phone, the comboplay gave an impressive boost in volume and presence that was awesome enough to shock my brother once he realised that the music was being played through these tiny speakers on my side. There are two modes that you can choose from while you have two speakers in comboplay, by default it is in ‘mono mode’ where audio will be played via both speakers simultaneously, or you can select stereo mode by pressing the ‘-‘ and ‘+’ buttons together for a few seconds till you hear a beep. The primary speaker you are paired with will then act as the left side speaker. By repeating the process you will flip the L&R channels, and again for the third time to revert back to mono mode.
Microphone
During my calls, the microphone was picked up as loud, and sounded best from a few metres away, too close (within 1m) it sounded too loud though remained clear. Some background noise was picked up, but it done a great job of focusing the voice. A background siren was picked up rather too loud and clear and conversation was near impossible until the vehicle was out of earshot. Generally speaking though, microphone is usable and perfectly adequate for decent phone calls.
Conclusion
The Razer Leviathan Mini was very surprising due to its small stature yet powerful performance. Considering it is powered by two 45mm drivers and lacks a subwoofer, the bass is rich and well rounded. This could be down to the two large 40 x 70mm passive drivers helping to assist the drivers in their work. The overall volume was good too, easily filling a room with great quality sound. This can then be boosted by pairing another Leviathan Mini wirelessly for comboplay, giving an impressive stereo performance; something that the Creative Roar can only do with a £15 cable.
The pricing of the Razer seems fairly steep when you consider it’s greatest rival is certainly going to be the Creative Roar series, and the Roar essentially wins in many areas. The bi-amplified design of the Roar along with the additional subwoofer, gives the Roar an advantage in the audio quality department, then it does have a whole host of additional features. Though there are a few fundamentals that the Leviathan Mini gets right. That is, it’s approximately half the size and weight of the Roar 2; the slightly pricer but smaller/lighter version of the Roar. Yet it still packs a mighty performance that is comparable and enjoyable, not to mention it comes with a carry bag as standard! This makes the Razer leviathan Mini a serious contender for those looking for a powerful, portable speaker and are willing to trade off a few features for something smaller/lighter than the Roar. Overall we are very impressed and we believe you will be too.
Then Razer Leviathan is a small portable speaker that belies its appearance with a wonderfully powerful and enjoyable audio experience.
Pros.
+ Small and relatively light
+ Sleek design
+ Sounds great, powerful bass
+ Relatively loud
+ Bluetooth/NFC and analogue input
+ Long battery life
+ Wireless comboplay
+ Integrated microphone
+ Includes a carry bag
Cons.
– Less features than competitors
+ Small and relatively light
+ Sleek design
+ Sounds great, powerful bass
+ Relatively loud
+ Bluetooth/NFC and analogue input
+ Long battery life
+ Wireless comboplay
+ Integrated microphone
+ Includes a carry bag
Cons.
– Less features than competitors
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.
