November 6, 2009 at 20:34Razer mako
Those who are not reading me for the first time, probably could notice a tendency - I try to review only what is new, good or non-standard.
And today's review is no exception. Is the device new? Not really. Qualitative? Most interesting. Custom? Ooh yes!!! )
Razer company specializes in gaming devices, periodically encroaching on the sweet cake of manufacturers of various products. It is worth recognizing that she does this rarely, but aptly - almost every her product is subjected to numerous disputes and discussions. Well, maybe marketers are doing their job well, and users are pretending that everything is super - I don’t really want to understand this. After all, it has long been known that demand creates supply ...
Nevertheless, I propose in advance not to pay attention to the opinions of those who did not see these columns except in the pictures - a quick search showed that there are a lot of these) It is a pity that the IXBT did not conduct detailed testing - I would really like to know their opinion on this recruitment. Therefore, so far I can offer only alternative reviews from RTLab and Hard'n'Soft .
Today, on my desk (“ yeah, say it in the test lab ” - note of an inner voice), the fate of fate turned out to be an interesting desktop 2.1 audio system called Razer THX Mako (here’s one and two Wikipedia articles on) Despite the fact that this is a relatively non-core product for the company, it is not worth making hasty conclusions. Can themselves Razer (or rather, in this case, the Razer Audio Pte Ltd.) and crammed with not a lot of bumps, but the lab the THX Ltd . (which took part in the development of this product), perhaps, it is impossible to blame the lack of experience.
The 2.1-channel multimedia speaker system has a total power of 300W (100W per sub and 4x50W for front dual-band satellites with two amplifiers for each channel), while the claimed frequency range is indicated as 25-20000 Hz. However, such gorgeous values do not mean anything, since it is not known at what frequency response they have a place to be. Nevertheless, the company remains honest and indicates that in terms of ± 2.5 dB the frequency range is already slightly less than 40-18000 Hz, which, I must say, is a worthy value and is often found in much more expensive acoustics.
I have not found anywhere clear, and most importantly, complete performance characteristics, so that is. Here it is: The
box is quite large and heavy, but smaller and lighter than similar systems with a cube-shaped subwoofer. In the thickness of the foam were:
- Subwoofer and two satellites;
- Two wires for connecting the system (3 meters each);
- Network wire + adapter;
- Audio line (5 meters);
- Remote control;
- Papers.
It is very unusual, although similar spherical shapes in acoustic devices have already been encountered somewhere.
Two satellites (weighing approximately 500 grams) have the same shape as the sub, only the latter is several times larger and weighs about 10 kilograms. At first glance, the black matte plastic of which the cases are made looks very reliable. Actually, he looks the same on the second and third glances)
On the upper “covers” glossy company logos can be seen (where without them), and closer to the bottom there is a small metal mesh.
The bottom is black rubberized surfaces that confidently hold the system components in place.
Satellites join the “head system” through ... network wires - at least at first glance they are very similar to them)
Judging by the number of cable cores, the conclusion suggests itself that the solution inside is not cheap in any case. Instead of a single amplifier and a passive crossover that introduces strong distortion and depletes the original music signal, in a bi-amping (with channel-amplified) connection, the original signal is divided by the active crossover into the MF / LF and HF components, after which each of the two streams is amplified individual amplifier. In theory - and almost always in practice, this approach to sound processing gives much more like a cleaner, balanced and large-scale sound. Returning to the wires - I liked to snap the connectors much more than messing around with wires and clips on the back of other speakers.
On the back of the subwoofer (although it’s almost round) there is a panel with connectors, among which, among others, a VGA port is hidden.
It is used to connect a wired remote control. An approximately 1.5-meter cord, at the end of which a flat round washer with a rubberized bottom is attached.
Above are touch-sensitive controls that glow in the dark - volume control, bass button, mute and select a sound source. At first it’s not as easy to manage as we would like, but when you understand the principle of operation, it’s convenient.
Thanks to the cord length of 1.5 meters, you can take out a “pancake” almost anywhere. Also at its end (more precisely, perhaps, the edge) are two audio jacks. In case you need sound, for example, at night, inserting headphones into the remote control is much easier than climbing into the system unit.
Undoubtedly, a wired remote control imposes its limitations on universality - rather, the system is more suitable for desktop use (that is, for a table with a PC or laptop you are sitting at) than for sound from a table “from another corner of the room”.
It seems to me that with such an approach Razer clearly indicates that acoustics belong to computer games. Nevertheless, having rolled the "balls", it was time to listen.
All the uniqueness and unusualness of the system lies in the way sound is distributed.
Regular desktop speakers have the following speaker layouts - a tweeter is located on the top (inside) and a woofer is on the bottom (Punto played a trick on this word). In this situation, the user hears not only direct sound waves, but also reflected from the surface (on which the speakers stand).
RXer THX Mako THX Ground Plane and THX Slot Speaker TechnologyThey work according to a different principle - the main goal is to achieve a wide sound field so that the listener feels himself in the thick of things. This is achieved due to the special design of the case and the location of the emitters (down), so that in the listening area we only capture waves (extending 360 °) reflected from the table surface.
Accordingly, closing your eyes, accurately determining the sound sources, due to their "multidirectionality", will be quite difficult.
If with a physical sense, at least a little something has become more transparent, then the technology used in the subwoofer ( ClassHD Digital Amplifier Technology ) has remained an unknown enhancer for me. No testing was done on IXBT, and the same review says the following: “If you believe the advertising and explanatory picture, we are dealing with a variety of the so-called BASH class, the essence of which is to monitor the level of the input signal and "pour" a strictly metered amount of electricity into the amplifier stages. Some signs indicate that the amplification in the Razer Mako is close to digital, but I can’t say anything about a pure D class without opening (naturally, authorized). At the very least, control and “metering” is done through a DSP digital processor . ”
For clarity, I will show the technology pictures from the site:
When you press the power button on the dashboard of the subwoofer, the blue “snakes” on the remote control light up. There is absolutely no noise from non-playing speakers - this is good. Sound heard with the ASUS EeePC 1002HA and Cowon S9. I did not play the game “guess where the sound came from” with the speakers, but really, the unusual atmosphere is felt even on the music. The bass is very good, I have not heard any unpleasant musical artifacts. The sound is clear and juicy - with great probability it will appeal to those who are not spoiled by technology for much larger thousands.
Kind people threw an interesting record - the sound of a Harley Davidson motorcycle engine. When I listened to this file ... I still wanted to sit down and go) Well, or at least look out the window in order to look at the iron horse. Unusual - download and try) Spatial effects on top.
During the games (again, I tried it on Crysis; the ASUS EssenceST sound card) the system also showed itself very well - explosions, shooting, and other gasp-sighs look very realistic. For those who like to play not with headphones, the system is definitely suitable. The main thing is not to pump up the sound in the game itself, although it seems that serious game manufacturers are no longer particularly affected by this problem.
Despite the fact that the speakers are positioned as desktop, I tried the music not only on the computer desk and table under the TV, but also on the floor (laminate). Eh) if the bear came to my ear, the roofing felts really do not differ much - at least there is almost no clear contrast. Since the table begins to vibrate under the action of a subwoofer (you can work at the same time), it is better to remove all unnecessary things - all kinds of pencils, organizers and other lamps. This will help get rid of spurious noise and other resonant phenomena. Being on the floor, there are no vibrations of the working space, but the sound becomes a little quieter.
It often happens that either the speakers are decorative, but they don’t distinguish notes, or they play well, but they want to be hidden in a closet. Here is a kind of symbiosis of quality, aesthetic beauty and originality. Nicely.
The only thing that was somewhat upset was the volume of the kit. She is at a decent level, but her neighbors will not go crazy with her. Or maybe it's a plus?
Pros
- High-quality assembly and unusual appearance - whatever one may say, it attracts attention;
- Very high-quality and full-fledged sound - will satisfy many music lovers;
- Touch panel with unobtrusive light indication;
- Small size.
Cons
- Cannot be connected via optics or SPDIF;
- Non-universal wires to satellites;
- Moderate volume;
- Remote control wired;
- High price.
Regarding the price - it is everywhere different, but everywhere high. On the official Razer website, this is 12,810 rubles, on Price.ru - from 15 to 18, but on Yandex.market there is none. Oh, and beyond the hill there are only 299 raccoons.
Before you take - be sure to listen to them! Often they can be found in some re: Store and White Wind stores (there is definitely one in Lubyanka).
Well - in our market the price is traditionally inflated and for many it is one of the most significant disadvantages. If you close your eyes to this, then ... then we have a niche, but very high-quality 2.1-system, playing much better than many colleagues in the class. If you create the necessary conditions for the system, then it will greatly please its owner with the elaboration of musical details and bass.
Even provided that the system has a huge number of competitors in its class (more precisely, type - 2.1), it undoubtedly has the right to life. But if you dig a little deeper and take as the starting point that this system was created only for computer games, then there will immediately be fewer competitors. And if for audiophiles who can clearly see the difference in sound in headphones with oxygen-free copper wires from ordinary wires, this system may not be the best purchase, but for players and fans of high-quality sound without any claims to snobbery, these “balls” may turn out to be very a pleasant purchase.
A purely personal opinion - the company once again managed to make a quality product for which it reasonably wants a completely adequate amount of money. Here.
In thishorrible twitter you can write me anything.
Good luck!
And today's review is no exception. Is the device new? Not really. Qualitative? Most interesting. Custom? Ooh yes!!! )
Razer company specializes in gaming devices, periodically encroaching on the sweet cake of manufacturers of various products. It is worth recognizing that she does this rarely, but aptly - almost every her product is subjected to numerous disputes and discussions. Well, maybe marketers are doing their job well, and users are pretending that everything is super - I don’t really want to understand this. After all, it has long been known that demand creates supply ...
Nevertheless, I propose in advance not to pay attention to the opinions of those who did not see these columns except in the pictures - a quick search showed that there are a lot of these) It is a pity that the IXBT did not conduct detailed testing - I would really like to know their opinion on this recruitment. Therefore, so far I can offer only alternative reviews from RTLab and Hard'n'Soft .
Today, on my desk (“ yeah, say it in the test lab ” - note of an inner voice), the fate of fate turned out to be an interesting desktop 2.1 audio system called Razer THX Mako (here’s one and two Wikipedia articles on) Despite the fact that this is a relatively non-core product for the company, it is not worth making hasty conclusions. Can themselves Razer (or rather, in this case, the Razer Audio Pte Ltd.) and crammed with not a lot of bumps, but the lab the THX Ltd . (which took part in the development of this product), perhaps, it is impossible to blame the lack of experience.
The 2.1-channel multimedia speaker system has a total power of 300W (100W per sub and 4x50W for front dual-band satellites with two amplifiers for each channel), while the claimed frequency range is indicated as 25-20000 Hz. However, such gorgeous values do not mean anything, since it is not known at what frequency response they have a place to be. Nevertheless, the company remains honest and indicates that in terms of ± 2.5 dB the frequency range is already slightly less than 40-18000 Hz, which, I must say, is a worthy value and is often found in much more expensive acoustics.
I have not found anywhere clear, and most importantly, complete performance characteristics, so that is. Here it is: The
box is quite large and heavy, but smaller and lighter than similar systems with a cube-shaped subwoofer. In the thickness of the foam were:
- Subwoofer and two satellites;
- Two wires for connecting the system (3 meters each);
- Network wire + adapter;
- Audio line (5 meters);
- Remote control;
- Papers.
Appearance
It is very unusual, although similar spherical shapes in acoustic devices have already been encountered somewhere.
Two satellites (weighing approximately 500 grams) have the same shape as the sub, only the latter is several times larger and weighs about 10 kilograms. At first glance, the black matte plastic of which the cases are made looks very reliable. Actually, he looks the same on the second and third glances)
On the upper “covers” glossy company logos can be seen (where without them), and closer to the bottom there is a small metal mesh.
The bottom is black rubberized surfaces that confidently hold the system components in place.
Satellites join the “head system” through ... network wires - at least at first glance they are very similar to them)
Judging by the number of cable cores, the conclusion suggests itself that the solution inside is not cheap in any case. Instead of a single amplifier and a passive crossover that introduces strong distortion and depletes the original music signal, in a bi-amping (with channel-amplified) connection, the original signal is divided by the active crossover into the MF / LF and HF components, after which each of the two streams is amplified individual amplifier. In theory - and almost always in practice, this approach to sound processing gives much more like a cleaner, balanced and large-scale sound. Returning to the wires - I liked to snap the connectors much more than messing around with wires and clips on the back of other speakers.
On the back of the subwoofer (although it’s almost round) there is a panel with connectors, among which, among others, a VGA port is hidden.
It is used to connect a wired remote control. An approximately 1.5-meter cord, at the end of which a flat round washer with a rubberized bottom is attached.
Above are touch-sensitive controls that glow in the dark - volume control, bass button, mute and select a sound source. At first it’s not as easy to manage as we would like, but when you understand the principle of operation, it’s convenient.
Thanks to the cord length of 1.5 meters, you can take out a “pancake” almost anywhere. Also at its end (more precisely, perhaps, the edge) are two audio jacks. In case you need sound, for example, at night, inserting headphones into the remote control is much easier than climbing into the system unit.
Undoubtedly, a wired remote control imposes its limitations on universality - rather, the system is more suitable for desktop use (that is, for a table with a PC or laptop you are sitting at) than for sound from a table “from another corner of the room”.
It seems to me that with such an approach Razer clearly indicates that acoustics belong to computer games. Nevertheless, having rolled the "balls", it was time to listen.
Impressions
All the uniqueness and unusualness of the system lies in the way sound is distributed.
Regular desktop speakers have the following speaker layouts - a tweeter is located on the top (inside) and a woofer is on the bottom (Punto played a trick on this word). In this situation, the user hears not only direct sound waves, but also reflected from the surface (on which the speakers stand).
RXer THX Mako THX Ground Plane and THX Slot Speaker TechnologyThey work according to a different principle - the main goal is to achieve a wide sound field so that the listener feels himself in the thick of things. This is achieved due to the special design of the case and the location of the emitters (down), so that in the listening area we only capture waves (extending 360 °) reflected from the table surface.
Accordingly, closing your eyes, accurately determining the sound sources, due to their "multidirectionality", will be quite difficult.
If with a physical sense, at least a little something has become more transparent, then the technology used in the subwoofer ( ClassHD Digital Amplifier Technology ) has remained an unknown enhancer for me. No testing was done on IXBT, and the same review says the following: “If you believe the advertising and explanatory picture, we are dealing with a variety of the so-called BASH class, the essence of which is to monitor the level of the input signal and "pour" a strictly metered amount of electricity into the amplifier stages. Some signs indicate that the amplification in the Razer Mako is close to digital, but I can’t say anything about a pure D class without opening (naturally, authorized). At the very least, control and “metering” is done through a DSP digital processor . ”
For clarity, I will show the technology pictures from the site:
When you press the power button on the dashboard of the subwoofer, the blue “snakes” on the remote control light up. There is absolutely no noise from non-playing speakers - this is good. Sound heard with the ASUS EeePC 1002HA and Cowon S9. I did not play the game “guess where the sound came from” with the speakers, but really, the unusual atmosphere is felt even on the music. The bass is very good, I have not heard any unpleasant musical artifacts. The sound is clear and juicy - with great probability it will appeal to those who are not spoiled by technology for much larger thousands.
Kind people threw an interesting record - the sound of a Harley Davidson motorcycle engine. When I listened to this file ... I still wanted to sit down and go) Well, or at least look out the window in order to look at the iron horse. Unusual - download and try) Spatial effects on top.
During the games (again, I tried it on Crysis; the ASUS EssenceST sound card) the system also showed itself very well - explosions, shooting, and other gasp-sighs look very realistic. For those who like to play not with headphones, the system is definitely suitable. The main thing is not to pump up the sound in the game itself, although it seems that serious game manufacturers are no longer particularly affected by this problem.
Despite the fact that the speakers are positioned as desktop, I tried the music not only on the computer desk and table under the TV, but also on the floor (laminate). Eh) if the bear came to my ear, the roofing felts really do not differ much - at least there is almost no clear contrast. Since the table begins to vibrate under the action of a subwoofer (you can work at the same time), it is better to remove all unnecessary things - all kinds of pencils, organizers and other lamps. This will help get rid of spurious noise and other resonant phenomena. Being on the floor, there are no vibrations of the working space, but the sound becomes a little quieter.
It often happens that either the speakers are decorative, but they don’t distinguish notes, or they play well, but they want to be hidden in a closet. Here is a kind of symbiosis of quality, aesthetic beauty and originality. Nicely.
The only thing that was somewhat upset was the volume of the kit. She is at a decent level, but her neighbors will not go crazy with her. Or maybe it's a plus?
Control weighing
Pros
- High-quality assembly and unusual appearance - whatever one may say, it attracts attention;
- Very high-quality and full-fledged sound - will satisfy many music lovers;
- Touch panel with unobtrusive light indication;
- Small size.
Cons
- Cannot be connected via optics or SPDIF;
- Non-universal wires to satellites;
- Moderate volume;
- Remote control wired;
- High price.
Regarding the price - it is everywhere different, but everywhere high. On the official Razer website, this is 12,810 rubles, on Price.ru - from 15 to 18, but on Yandex.market there is none. Oh, and beyond the hill there are only 299 raccoons.
Before you take - be sure to listen to them! Often they can be found in some re: Store and White Wind stores (there is definitely one in Lubyanka).
Tadam
Well - in our market the price is traditionally inflated and for many it is one of the most significant disadvantages. If you close your eyes to this, then ... then we have a niche, but very high-quality 2.1-system, playing much better than many colleagues in the class. If you create the necessary conditions for the system, then it will greatly please its owner with the elaboration of musical details and bass.
Even provided that the system has a huge number of competitors in its class (more precisely, type - 2.1), it undoubtedly has the right to life. But if you dig a little deeper and take as the starting point that this system was created only for computer games, then there will immediately be fewer competitors. And if for audiophiles who can clearly see the difference in sound in headphones with oxygen-free copper wires from ordinary wires, this system may not be the best purchase, but for players and fans of high-quality sound without any claims to snobbery, these “balls” may turn out to be very a pleasant purchase.
A purely personal opinion - the company once again managed to make a quality product for which it reasonably wants a completely adequate amount of money. Here.
In thishorrible twitter you can write me anything.
Good luck!