Razer's ManO'War wireless gaming headset is big and powerful, with programmable colored lighting and excellent sound that helps justify its $169.99 price tag. It feels a bit limited next to the Editors' Choice Logitech G933 Artemis Spectrum, though, since it lacks any wired connection for use with devices besides the Mac, PC, or PlayStation 4. It's also bulkier than the G933, which some users will find uncomfortable over long gaming sessions.

Design

The ManO'War is big, dwarfing the Logitech G933 with its large, circular earcups and wide plastic headband. The leatherette-covered earpads are plush and large enough to comfortably cover and isolate even big ears, but they trap heat and get warm after long periods of use; the G933's fabric-covered earpads don't have this issue, but can't block outside noise as well. The headband has a similar leatherette pad on the underside, which lets the headset evenly distribute its weight while fitting securely around your head. It feels a bit heavier on the scalp than the G933, although the actual weight difference between the two headsets is negligible.

The right earcup holds a clickable volume wheel that can both adjust the headset's volume and instantly mute and unmute it. A small recess above the wheel can hold the included 2.4GHz USB receiver when not in use. The left earcup holds another clickable wheel for controlling microphone levels, along with a micro USB port for charging the headset, a power button, and an LED indicator. The microphone also sits in the left earcup, mounted on a flexible tube that retracts almost entirely inside the earcup itself when not in use.

The back panel of each earcup bears the Razer logo, illuminated by Razer's Chroma lighting. The logo can shift through an array of colors, or be programmed to display your favorite color through Razer's Synapse software. As light-up, multicolored headset lighting goes, the ManO'War's is subtle; it's just a gently glowing logo, compared with the bright LED piping on the G933.

Connection Options and Microphone

You can use the ManO'War with a Mac, PC, or PlayStation 4, but not a Microsoft Xbox. In all three cases, you just need to plug the receiver into a free USB port and the headset will show up as a connected audio device. After connecting the receiver to a computer, you can then install Razer Synapse to access a variety of customization options, including the aforementioned lighting settings. You need to use the wireless receiver; there's no analog, wired connection option for the headset, like you get with the G933 or the Astro A50.

The 2.4GHz wireless connection on the ManO'War boasts a range of 40 feet. Since you'll most likely use it when sitting at a desk next to your computer or on a couch a few feet away from your television, that should be plenty. Razer estimates a battery life of 14 hours of continuous usage for the headset with the Chroma lighting running, or up to 20 hours with the lighting turned off.

The ManO'War's microphone performs very well. The flexible neck can easily be bent into an optimal position, and is just stiff enough to eliminate the risk of twisting the unidirectional head away from your mouth. My voice came through clearly, without sounding overly sibilant or picking up pops and hisses.

Gaming
Bombastic shooters sound great through the ManO'War, though it doesn't quite deliver on Razer's promise of 7.1-channel surround sound. The headset's 50mm drivers are powerful enough for explosions to have a sense of impact, even at less than half its maximum volume levels. Overwatch($12.00 at Humble Bundle) gets enough deep bass and high-mid and high frequency response to let every character's unique-sounding weapon come through clearly. I could easily discern Bastion and Soldier-76's rifles, and Junkrat and Phara's explosives in the game. Voice communication stays prominent, so coordinating with your team is no problem.

Despite this strong sound performance, the ManO'War can't overcome the simple fact that stereo drivers can't produce compelling surround sound. The headset supports 7.1-channel surround through sound processing and channel mixing, but the end result is only a vague directional sense of audio when playing. This is an issue with all gaming headsets; if you want real surround sound, you need the individual channels physically far enough from your ears to produce the proper effect, and you simply can't do that with headphones.

Music Performance and Conclusions

You can't use the ManO'War with your mobile device, so it's not exactly optimal for most music-listening situations. Still, it handles music well. It takes the deep synth notes and bass drum hits in The Knife's "Silent Shout" at maximum (and unsafe) volume levels without a hint of distortion. Songs with less deep bass and more subtle high-end also come through nicely. The acoustic string plucks in the opening to Yes' "Roundabout" have excellent crispness and texture, and the vocals can be heard clearly even against the brisk slap bass.

The Razer ManO'War offers powerful sound and wireless convenience in a solidly built, if bulky, package. It's a functional gaming headset, with an excellent microphone, but it begs to be streamlined. Our Editors' Choice, the Logitech G933 Artemis Spectrum, is slightly more expensive, but it's sleeker and more comfortable, and more importantly offers a plethora of connection options thanks to its 3.5mm audio input and included adapter and cables. If you want to spend a bit less, consider a wired headset like the Plantronics RIG 500E($155.00 at Amazon); its modular design allows for great flexibility with how you connect it to your preferred game system (or mobile device).

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