Razer Tiamat 7.1 V2

Are four drivers better than two?

As with its stablemates in the current Razer lineup, every effort is made to make this headset feel luxurious. An aluminium headband over a memory foam contact pad gives the cans a comfortable fit. A reasonably light 414g weight makes it comfortable to wear for long periods, although synthetic leather and closed cups being what they are, it does get hot around the ears after a while.

The headline act on the spec sheet, however, is the introduction of two 50mm drivers inside each earcup. At the base of the right cup is a toggle switch, which gives you the power to activate all four drivers, or go with the standard two. The effect of having all four activated is a well-balanced and warm overall tone. Bass-heavy, yes, but not to the extent that it muddies the mid-range frequencies. While it might seem a little gimmicky, it’s actually a great call to put this choice in your hands. The two drivers mode is a flatter and clearer sound and lacks a bit of mid and high clarity.

The mic, a malleable hinge arm, is good quality, too.

There’s a big ‘ but’, sadly. The 1.3m ‘ braided’ cable is noticeably thin and fragilelooking. The same’s true of its additional splitter cable, and right out of the box we had connection problems with the audio jack. In fact, it took significant cablewiggling to even produce a sound. It’s a shame to see this otherwise competitive headset hobbled by a flimsy cable, because the addition of four drivers — and, importantly, user control over them — is really enticing.