The Razer Adaro Stereo Analog Headphones aren’t intended just for gamers, but also for wider musical playback. They’re a fair bit of kit for the asking price, although I suspect they’ll still sell best amongst gaming-centric listeners.
Razer Adaro Stereo Analog Headphones: On the plus side
By the standards of a lot of gaming gear, the Razer Adaro Stereo Analog Headphones are positively subtle. Sure, they’ve got a bright neon green connection cable, and the Razer three headed snake thing (I’m sure there’s a proper term for it, but you know what I mean) logo on the side of the headphones themselves.
Otherwise, however, they appear as a relatively plain black pair of headphones, which is a plus if you do want a set that you can use for gaming as well as use outside amongst those who might not appreciate the brilliance of having neon blue tubes with real live fish in them.*
Razer’s natural constituency are gamers, and so it’s no particular surprise that while the Razer Adaro Stereo Analog Headphones are pitched as “music” headphones, their tuning is actually best suited to in-game use, with plenty of punchy bass if you’re a big fan of exploding headshots. That will also leave them better suited to some music genres than others, in the same way that the Beats line is, albeit at a lower price point.
The Razer Adaros are also nicely light at 168 grams, which means that you can wear them for extended periods without that crushing feeling of headphones pushing into your skull.
*An exaggeration, but one used purposefully and with respect to those who love to customise their gaming gear. Although putting live fish in headphones would be cruel. Don’t do it.
Razer Adaro Stereo Analog Headphones: On the minus side
At their price point, the Razer Adaro Stereo Analog Headphones offer decent quality, but they’re still something of a jump away from the pure audiophile space. Purely for comparison, I put them up against the Sennheiser Momentum headphones — still my favourite set of listening headphones — and the difference was pretty dramatic. Then again, you’d want it to given the sharp price difference.
Razer lists the Razer Adaro Stereo Analog Headphones as “compatible with iPhone, Android and mobile devices”, but don’t be fooled by that into thinking that you can use them for calling purposes. There’s no inline microphone present at all, which also has implications if you were looking at them because you like Razer’s other gaming products. There isn’t even an in-line volume control or mute button present, which I would have liked to see.
Razer Adaro Stereo Analog Headphones: Pricing
Razer lists the Razer Adaro Stereo Analog Headphones with an RRP of $149.95.
Razer Adaro Stereo Analog Headphones: Fat Duck Verdict
I wasn’t that thrilled with the last Razer product to pass over my reviews desk, the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Keyboard, simply because of quality concerns.
I don’t have those kinds of concerns with the Razer Adaro Stereo Analog Headphones. Their somewhat bass-heavy equalisation won’t suit every kind of music, but does work well for both games and some kinds of music. They’re lightweight, quite acceptably priced for their audio output quality and should suit you well as long as you can live without inline controls of any kind.