I purchased my Razer Chimaeras last year in anticipation of MW3 and ESV: Skyrim. After using a Razer mouse for a year, I looked into their selection. The Chimaera's looked cool, had several features, and most importantly, offer 5.1 surround sound in a Wireless option, something which other companies did not have at the time. I pre-ordered it and waited.
When they arrived, I immediately hooked them up and inserted CoD: Black Ops. I had to hook up the required Optical connection to my TV, since my XBox 360 was first-gen, but it was a minor oversight. The Surround Sound functioned all the same. This is my total, flat review:
+ Sound=9/10: Arguably the most important aspect of the headset, the Chimaera does little to disappoint in this area. It has a smooth consistency and doesn't apply any limiters, so sounds that are supposed to be loud, are loud, and soft, soft. I was expecting the headphone bass to be jacked up in order to appeal to the current market, but the Normal Sound setting (more on that later) is very equalizer-neutral and allows the actual game sound to come through without changing it. My only complaint in this area is the very slight signal hum that the headphones emit. While playing Skyrim, I came upon a particularly quiet area, and turned the game sound to 0% to check. It's extremely low, but still exists, and shouldn't.
+ Comfort:=7/10: When I first donned the headset, it was quite tight around my ears and the foam within the top (cranial) pads was also quite stiff. I expected such, since it was a brand-new headset and would become looser over time. Well, five months later, it's still fairly tight around the ears, and the top foam is still just as stiff. I do not consider my head to be "wide," but I would have hoped that the band would loosen over time. A perfect headset rests on your head, and gently keeps the ear cuffs on top of your ears. The Chimaera's feel pressed. And the ear muffs themselves are not uncomfortable, just not padded enough to relieve the amount of pressure the headband forces on them. You can easily wear the Chimaera for extended periods (kinda, more on that later), but you will always be aware that you're wearing them, unlike some more-comfortable headsets on the market.
+ Voicechat=2/10: This is where the Chimaera tanked hard, and tanked fast. From my very first Call of Duty game, gamers asked me to turn down my volume (at %30 in the XBox menu) and joked that I was using a paper cup. I thought this couldn't be possible, on a brand-new $200 headset, so I recorded a voice message to playback and test....... It sounded ATROCIOUS. I could barely understand what I was saying in my own voice, the room tone was overwhelmingly obvious, and it almost sounded as if a robot filter had been pulled over it. However, I didn't even have to worry about that for long, since after three days, the microphone boom broke off. I was folding it down by boom, and the fragile plastic joint connecting it to the boom arm snapped. It was simply dangling by a wire, which eventually fell out too. As stated before, the Chimaera does require you to plug the XBox controller into the headset in order for Voicechat to function.
+ Features=9/10: Feature-wise, the Chimaera shines. The headset itself hosts four buttons and two levers to adjust Game volume, and Microphone volume separately. The two left buttons control Power and Microphone mute. The two right buttons control Game Sound mute and channel selection (for multiple Chimaera stations). The base station controls the Base Station power, Equalizer settings (Normal, More Bass, Less Bass), Stereo(2.0) / Surround(5.1) Sound modes, and Headset Sync. The Base station also has ports for Optical(5.1), Stereo RCA, and 3.5mm Mini-jack(MP3 Players). This means it can be used for XBox 360, PS3, PC(with separate cable), anything with a 3.5mm Mini-jack, and plain old TV. A fairly great amount of options for a wireless 5.1 headset. The only problem here is related to the Voicechat issues; it appears that the microphone has no noise-canceling power. Apart from being annoying, it's also a bad deal, considering headsets for half the Chimaera's price have it.
+ Quality=2/10: I expected Razer's infamous low-quality to show here, but I was still surprised at just how bad it is. First, the Chimaera's construction is all-plastic, and it's VERY apparent. You can feel and hear the plastic creak and bend when you open the band to cover your head. My Logitech headset cost was $55 less than the Chimaera's, yet it uses flippin' AIRCRAFT ALUMINUM. Second, the Chimaera uses rechargeable batteries.......that last barely five hours on a full charge. To any gamer dedicated enough to buy a $200 headset, five hours is a scam. I replaced the provided batteries with some "better" ones, yet on a full charge, I still started getting low battery warnings at five hours. Unacceptable. There is also the above-mentioned malfunction of the microphone boom arm. Double Unacceptable.
+ Overall=3/5 Stars: Razer's decreasing quality shows plainly in the 5.1 Chimaera Headset. Low Comfort, poor Construction, poor Battery life and very poor Voice quality, are three inexcusable offenses for a gaming headset, much less a $200 one. If you MUST HAVE a wireless 5.1 Surround headset for your game console, I could recommend the Chimaera. But if you would be happy with a corded Headset, you can find much better and more solid headsets for less price. I would look into the Triton AX series, in 5.1/7.1 and Dolby Digital flavors.
Thanks for reading this entire thing, and if you found it helpful, please click the button so others will see it.
-Evangeli
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I'm both and Xbox 360 and PC gamer so I needed a headset that would work for both. After a disappointing attempt with the Turtle Beach XP400s, I figured I'd give the Razer Chimaera 5.1 a try. In short, it does the job well but I needed some extra accessories and there were some quirks and cons to deal with. I'm giving it a 4/5 because of that. Below are the details:Feature Highlights:
AAA Rechargable Batteries. It can charge them through the base on which it sits, so I never need to take them out and if they die I can get an industry-standard replacement. Love it! I use Eneloop brand and get several hours of game time, but I'm sure the runtime will vary depending on what batteries you use (duh!).
Wireless. No more running over the cord with your chair or tripping over it and sending the headset flying. The range is very good too, even going 20' through one wall or ceiling with no trouble. No clicking or hiss as in other headsets.
Surround Sound. Technically not "real" 5.1 surround, but it does take clear optical audio and make a very decent imitation using Dolby Headphone. I'm not kidding: the room ambiance effect when listening to music made it sound like I was listening to my speakers, not my headset. Very happy with the quality, but I'm sure there are audiophiles that may not agree with me.
Buttons. Easy to find without looking and the physical click gives you feedback that they registered.
Mic Quality: Picks-up well and decent clarity for what it is. It's not a pro mic by any stretch, but it's a step up from the "average" PC mic. Xbox live chat worked well. Sensitivity was reasonable since it didn't register when I wasn't speaking even with some low background noise.
Annoyances:
RCA Quality: These jacks don't provide the cleanest sound due to the limitations of the technology. This headset has noticable hiss when using them with the volume turned up to a reasonable level. Zero hiss on optical though.
No Mic in Optical Mode: This is my biggest beef with Razer. You can't go truly wireless with both mic and audio on PC or LAN chat unless you use the RCA ports. With Xbox online you need to use a cable between the controller and the headset anyway, which is not such a big deal and it can work with optical. But the voice output from the headset being sent via wireless to the base station can only be processed when using RCA. A stupid limitation. See my further notes on this below.
Tightness. For my average head size, the band is unusually tight which puts pressure on the sides of your head. It loosens over time and takes getting used to. Bigger heads would have trouble.
Loose Optical Ports: If you use the supplied cord, it fits just fine. But the cords from other online suppliers don't have enough friction to keep them in place when the base is moved.
Initial Drop Outs: If you have a router nearby and/or a lot of 2.4 ghz interference, the audio may cut in and out for a minute after turning it on before it finds an unused channel presumably in the cleaner 5 ghz range in my case. It's rock solid after that.
Possible Quality Issues: I had to RMA my set to Razer after the right-side buttons stopped working 35 days after purchase. The RMA was about a 8 business days there and back, and the replacement has being working fine since.
To Get Optical + Mic On A PC:
Essentially what you need to do is hook up the headset to the computer in the same way you hook up the xbox controller. You'll need a "Turtle Beach PC Chat Adapter Cable" (ironic I know) or something similar. One end is a 2.5mm two channel xbox-controller-style plug (mic + mono audio) that goes into the headset, and the other end splits those channels apart into two 3.5mm ends. The mic plug goes into the mic input on the back of your PC and the other is unused. The TB cable has the nice benefit of a slide mute button on it too. You'll need to fiddle with the mic input level a bit to get the right volume that doesn't distort, but it sounds decent after that. That's the same caution I would give with xbox users you need to adjust the input level. Is it completely wireless? No, and that stinks, but it is a compromise that works for the 20% of the time that I need a mic in a PC game.
Best Deals for Razer Razer Mass Effects 3 Chimaera 5.1 Gaming Headset - Xbox 360
build: it is made with mostly hard plastic matte plastic like 4gb xbox + glossy plastic like the 250 gb, plastic seems durable looks like it could take a beating but i wouldn't give it a drop test lol...but at the same time the plastic is kind of creaky like when picking it up by one cup or putting it on if you stretch them out to them out ull hear some creaks...it seems to have gotten better and less creaky the more i use it though.fit: the headset is big, and opens up 10 notches...i wear glasses and have a semi big head i have them opened to 3 comfortably and i could take off my glasses without taking the headset off, thats a big plus for me because with other headphones ive owned they have seemed to be tight and uncomfortable on my glasses...the padding is thick on the ears and the head it has the form fitting feel if they make mesh ear cups available i would purchase them, the headset has some weight to it but as soon as they go on my head with the padding it seems to form to my head i dont feel them one bit and have wore them for 3 hours at once without taking them of or adjusting them it was like i didn't have anything on
buttons: theres 2 buttons on the outside of each cup power and mic mute on the left mode and sync on the left...if your like me and only play online and are not going to be around other razer chimaera 5.1 then you'll use the sync button 1 time...there is mic volume up and down buttons on the headset too and headset volume...i feel the placement of them is ok i pick up my headsets/phones from the cups and put them on my head, if you do that your most likely going to be raising the volume its not a big deal ive learned to not do it.
setup : setup is very easy...plug in dock, plug optical cable to dock then to xbox or tv and turn on dock then headphones and sync and your done...took about 3 mins couldn't get any easier...yes you need to put the cable into the xbox controller to talk...but if your just gonna sound ****** you dont have too...there is Dolby surround setting with normal, bass, treble also non dolby normal bass and treble
sound: this headset uses 5.8 frequency and wow was i surprised how clear sound they are, there is no hiss or white noise in the background its like your @ the movies playing a game...i played mw2 mk mass effect and black ops...im going to not count black ops because that games sound is terrible footstep sound is horrible in that game...but in mw2 on the other hand they work perfectly you can hear directional footsteps air support and gun fire easily playing mw2 i use the non dolby settings the dolby settings were too rich for me to hear directional footsteps and gun fire, one thing about this headset compared to others it gets loud but its never gotten to that scary loud, you know that loud where u think your ears are gonna explode and you rip the headset off these dont do that and thats a plus...i watched zombie land on netflix with the headset and it was great i used dolby normal and it you can hear the blood splatter and every little gushy sound really felt like i had surround sound going on
mic: hearing players voices is great its clear, the mic says flexible but its not it goes up and down but doesn't flex towards or away from you...if you put the mic up it automatically mutes...i personally felt like i had to talk a little bit louder than i normally do to get sound from the mic i havent had that much feedback from the mic i didn't tell no one i had a new mic so i guess no said anything
battery: it does take 3 hours to charge and i get about 7 hours and half of use from them...on razers site it states that you can use other rechargeable batteries and charge them with the dock so im gonna buy some extras just incase
i emailed razer asking them about daisy chaining with the astros mixamp they said "It depends on the functionality of the Mixamp. What connection are you trying to use 3.5 mm? It does sound possible, but it would depend on the connections you are trying to make and for what reasons."
if your in the market for a wireless headset for xbox i think these are the best that money can buy TODAY not being astros
i was going to get the px5 when they were 200$ but i seen these and took a chance...although the px5 have dual bluetooth and eq settings i think these are the better wireless headset FOR XBOX users your getting 5.1 sound 5.8 frequency rechargeable batteries that charge on the dock
Honest reviews on Razer Razer Mass Effects 3 Chimaera 5.1 Gaming Headset - Xbox 360
The Chimaera 5.1 was purchased to enjoy 5.1 sound and not bothering anyone in the vicinity (wife :)). While it worked I enjoyed the sound and construction, I usually got 4-5 hours on a full charge, communicating with friends also worked fine crisp and controllable. However, lately (~10 months after purchase) for some reason it started to turn the volume down till it gets mute by itself which makes it impossible to use if you are not willing to push volume up button every 2 seconds. Currently I am unable to use the product. Still waiting for response of support team.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Razer Razer Mass Effects 3 Chimaera 5.1 Gaming Headset - Xbox 360
Here are a few excerpts from my full review. The full review, along with pictures and video, can be found at ()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.
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 frequency range of 130 hz to 10,000 hz. My guess is that Razer limits the frequency range slightly to help extend battery life. 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.
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.
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.
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