Razer is a company that is well known for the gaming devices that they design, manufacture and sell. One of their gaming accessories is the Razer ManO'War 7.1 headset. It is a wired headset with large headphones and a retractable microphone, and with a USB adapter that promises to deliver high quality 7.1 virtual surround sound experiences, both in games and when listening to multimedia. If you want to find out whether the Razer ManO'War 7.1 gaming headset is a good choice for you, read this review:

What is the Razer ManO'War 7.1 good at?

The Razer ManO'War 7.1 gaming headset is good at:

• Delivering high quality 7.1 virtual surround sound in games
• Offering the customization options a gamer needs, via its Synapse drivers and software
• Muffling ambient sounds and picking up your voice very clearly with the included microphone

Pros and cons

Here are the good things we can say about the Razer ManO'War 7.1 gaming headset:

• The sound quality it offers is excellent both when using and when not using the USB adapter
• The 7.1 virtual surround sound experience is great in games
• These headphones do not distort sounds even at the maximum sound level
• The low-frequency sounds, and the bass, are powerful and can be adjusted through the Synapse software
• The ear cups are large and comfortable to use
• The microphone is of outstanding quality, and it does an excellent job of removing background noise

As for negatives, the Razer ManO'War 7.1 gaming headset:

• Does not have a solid build quality and it is all made from plastic materials
• The headband is too large, and the overall massive-looking design is not something all users will appreciate
• The plush foam used on the headband can make your head sweaty unless you have long hair

Verdict

If you want great sound quality and a very good microphone, the Razer ManO'War 7.1 gaming headset is an excellent product. The 7.1 virtual surround sound experience is excellent in games, and the spatial effects can make a difference when dealing with enemies in combat or stealth games. If you are into co-op games, the microphone is also one of the best we have seen on a gaming headset and does a great good job at muffling ambient noises. We liked the Razer ManO'War 7.1 gaming headset in many respects, but there is one thing we do not like about it: the build quality is not as great as the hardware it packs. All the plastic used for manufacturing this headset and the rather brittle joints make us believe that the Razer ManO'War 7.1 is not going to be one of those accessories which you can use for many years. Razer fans might ignore this aspect due to this product's other qualities. If you are not a fan though, you may want something with similar performance, but better build quality.

Unboxing the Razer ManO'War 7.1

The Razer ManO'War 7.1 headset arrives in a large cardboard box that looks good. Its sides are painted in Razer's distinctive green color and, on the front, you can see a large and glossy picture of the headset.

On the back of the box, which is also painted in black, you can find printed the main features of the Razer ManO'War 7.1 gaming headset, alongside small illustrative pictures.

Inside the box, you can find the headset, a 7.1 virtual surround USB adapter, an extension audio cable, a user manual, and two stickers with Razer's triskele logo. There is no travel pouch bundled, but it is worth noting that Razer sells a headset case as a separate accessory, in case you need one. Also inside the box, you can read the welcome message Razer sends you.

The unboxing experience is straightforward and pleasant. Both the box and the accessories you find inside suggest that you are dealing with a premium device.

Hardware specifications

First of all, you should know that the Razer ManO'War 7.1 headset is a gaming device, and that means it has specifications tailored to this niche. This is a premium headset with specs above the average. Its main characteristic is that it offers a 7.1 virtual surround sound engine and it can simulate 360 degrees surround sound experience. To get it, all you have to do is use the USB adapter to connect the headset to your computer. The Razer ManO'War 7.1 has large circumaural ear cups with plush cushions that should isolate ambient noises around you. The inner ear cup diameter is 60 mm or 2.36 inches.

The headphones use high quality, large 50mm drivers with Neodymium magnets. They have a frequency response between 20 and 20,000 Hz, 32 Ohms impedance at 1 kHz, and sensitivity of 118dB at 1kHz. The maximum input power the headphones support is of 30 mW.

To connect to your computer or device, the Razer ManO'War 7.1 gaming headset uses a 3.5mm analog plug to either directly connect to your PC or device, or to the USB adapter if you want to get the full 7.1 virtual surround experience.

The main audio cable that starts is about 135 cm or 53 inches long, and the extension cable is 158 cm or 62 inches long. The headset weighs approximately 332 grams or 0.73 lbs.

Gamers need to talk to their co-players during collaborative games, so many gaming headsets include a microphone. The microphone found on the Razer ManO'War 7.1 is flexible and fully retractable. As for its technical specifications, it has a frequency response between 100 and 10,000 Hz; the signal-to-noise ratio is 55 dB and higher, its sensitivity at 1kHz is of -42 ± 3dB, and its sound pick-up pattern is unidirectional. The controls are found on the main cable and are simple: a volume knob and a microphone Mute switch.

As for the system requirements, you should know that the Razer ManO'War 7.1 gaming headset is compatible with PCs running Windows 10, Windows 8 or Windows 7, with Macs running Mac OS X 10.9 or higher, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One gaming consoles.

If you want to check all the specifications and features of this gaming headset, visit this web page: Razer ManO'War 7.1.

The Razer ManO'War 7.1 gaming headset is a premium device, with excellent hardware specifications and high-quality components.

Using the Razer ManO'War 7.1 gaming headset

The first thing that we thought when we first saw the ManO'War 7.1 gaming headset was that it is big. To be honest, we are used to large earcups because most of the other headphones we use also have circumaural large ear cups, just like this one. However, the ManO'War 7.1 differentiates itself from the rest through its massive headband. The large ear cups, the oversized headband and the plush used on all of them make the headset comfortable to use and keep on your head. However, there are also downsides to that. First, the headset's size also means that the headset is cumbersome to maneuver. Secondly, the plush used by Razer on the headband is not that great and, unless you have long hair, the ManO'War 7.1 headset is going to make your head sweaty after a short while.

We also disliked the impression of poor build quality that it left us with. A gaming headset from such a reputable company and sold at this price tag should look not only robust but also be so. Unfortunately, the frame and joints of the ManO'War 7.1 are all made from plastic, and that does not make us trust them to hold in time. As far as we can tell after using them for over two weeks, the ear cups joints are especially prone to breaking if not handled carefully.

We have used the ManO'War 7.1 headset with a desktop PC and with a Lenovo Legion Y520 gaming laptop. One of the perks of having this headset is that its secondary audio cable is exactly what we needed to use when we connected the Razer ManO'War 7.1 to the desktop PC. The added length made it easy to connect the headphones directly to the sound card jacks on the back of our PC, which is sitting on the floor, quite far away from the desk itself. When we used it with the laptop, the smaller length of the main audio cable meant less clutter on the desk, and that is always a good thing.

The sound quality you get from the Razer ManO'War 7.1 is excellent, both when using the 7.1 virtual surround and when using it connected directly to the 3.5 mm audio jack on your computer. Music and movies sound great, and the headphones do not distort sounds, even at maximum volume. Low-frequency sounds are very well represented and, if you want even more than you get by default, you can use Razer's Synapse application to enhance their power. Note that if you want to adjust the bass volume, configure the equalizer or use the 7.1 virtual surround system, you have to connect the headset to the USB adapter. Otherwise, none of the advanced sound features works.

NOTE: If you want to test and compare your headphones with others, we recommend that you listen to this playlist on Spotify: Songs To Test Headphones With. The tracks in it are great for checking how sounds are produced on your headphones.

Obviously, we also used the Razer ManO'War 7.1 headset in games: for the moment, we still enjoy playing Dishonored 2, the old Styx: Shards of Darkness, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Blizzard's Diablo 3. To get the best idea for surround audio quality, we also played Resident Evil 7, and that is a scary experience. The sound was clear, and the spatiality effects were excellent, which means that it is easy to identify whether your enemies are to your right, to your left or are already at your back (not a good place to be).

The microphone is flexible and is fully retractable, and that means that you can use it as you like, only when you need it. Its quality is excellent, and it can pick up your voice even if you whisper, while also efficiently muffling ambient sounds. It is excellent for gaming, even if you have to follow your passion in a noisy environment.

Overall, the Razer ManO'War 7.1 gaming headset is one of the best we have tested, regarding its sound and microphone quality. However, when it comes to the build quality, they deserve improvement. If you want great sound quality and you want to experience 7.1 virtual surround sound in the games you play, the ManO'War 7.1 is an excellent choice. However, if you treasure build quality just as much as sound quality, you could be disappointed by this headset.

Drivers and software

The Razer ManO'War 7.1 works as soon as you connect it to your Windows computer. However, if you want to be able to customize the sound you get from it, you must also install the Synapse drivers and software. You can get it from here: Razer Synapse.

When the headset is detected by Synapse for the first time, it asks you to calibrate the virtual 7.1 surround engine. That works by playing a helicopter sound from different angles, starting from your front to your sides and the back, and by asking if you hear the sounds from where they are displayed in Synapse. If you feel like you need to, you can use the arrow keys or the mouse scroll wheel to adjust the positioning of the sound, so that front is front, right is right, the back is back and so on.

The Audio tab from Synapse is the place where you can adjust the volume, enable the bass boost, normalize sound and adjust voice clarity, which improves voice communication.

The Mic tab lets you adjust the microphone volume and its sensitivity, as well as configuring the ambient noise reduction level. It is worth saying that this works very well by default, but adjusting it further, helped us substantially reduce the ambient noise made by our mechanical keyboard, and that is quite an achievement.

In the Mixer tab, you can adjust the primary volume, as well as independently configure the volume of the apps that are playing sounds. For instance, you can make Opera and YouTube sound louder while turning the sounds of the game you are playing softer.

The final tab from Synapse is called EQ, and it offers an equalizer with a few music presets and eight frequency sliders which you can adjust to your preference.

The Synapse drivers and software from Razer improve the quality of the sound you get on the Man O-War headset, and the personalization options cover all the needs and desires of a gamer.

What is your opinion about the Razer ManO'War 7.1 gaming headset?

This review sums up our opinions about Razer's Man O-War gaming headset. It is a good device, but it could be better. Do you agree with us, or are your opinions different? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.