What is gaming without sound? Playing the likes of Call of Duty or, hell, even Fortnite, it’s important to know where the enemy is. As soon as you set eyes on them, it’s kill or be killed, but to get ahead of them, listening for their position is key. I was lucky enough to get my hands on Razer’s Nommo Chroma, two speakers that may not look like much on the outside, but they might just be a must-own for any gamer.
The Nommo Chroma is a 2.0 speaker setup that is not only aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but they are hot on the eardrum too. Opening the surprisingly cheap looking box, the Nommo Chroma speakers were beautifully secure in the plastic sheet housing, with the cabling in a small, rectangular box of their own. Removing the speakers, they felt weighty due to their bulky size. Each speaker looks like an oversized cylinder atop a thin but sturdy strut which is attached to a disc-shaped base unit that has a cool feature of its own, but more on that later. The speakers look slick beside a gaming monitor or TV; there’s no denying Razer’s focus on cool looking products is fully evident here.
Setup was easy. The left speaker has a connection that is plugged into the right speaker and is positioned beside the USB cable. The USB cable cannot be detached. There are two sockets for the included 3.5mm auxiliary cable too. One is used to attach systems to the speakers, and the other is for plugging in headphones. That’s all there is to it. There are no intricate instructions, in fact, I never once looked at the manual, it was that easy.
Using the Nommo Chroma with my monitor via the 3.5mm jack was my ideal method for using these speakers, and I witnessed little, if any, sound loss. The Nommo Chroma sports full directional sound, meaning I could easily distinguish my enemy’s position by pinpointing the direction of their footsteps. I’d never witnessed sound quality this good before in a 2.0 setup. The highest highs and lowest lows are beautifully represented in each speaker. The right speaker has two round dials on the base; these are the only controls that are visible. One dial is for the overall volume, and one is dedicated to the bass. They aren’t intrusive either, so they don’t ruin the Nommo Chroma’s professional looks.
So that cool feature on the bases I mentioned? Well, the name says it all: Chroma. Razer’s Chroma system has been utilised in almost all of their products, and the Nommo is no exception: a beautiful lighting style that has small LEDs emit a full spectrum of bold colours. They cycle between the colours at a fast rate which, if on in the dark, can be distracting. Attaching the Nommo to a PC via the USB cable allows you to customise the colours to your own preference within the automatically installed Razer Synapse app. What is coolest about the Chroma effect is that you can use the Nommo with other Razer Chroma products so that the colours and effects span each one in unison, producing some really fantastic displays. The ‘ripple’ effect allowed me to use the Razer BlackWidow Chroma with the speakers so that when a key is struck, a gorgeous ripple effect splashes from the key struck outwards, including the base of the Nommo. It’s absolutely stunning.
The Chroma lighting acts as the volume and bass indicators too. Turning the volume up or down displays the green-lit base of the right speaker fill up when turned up or decrease when turned down. The same applies to the bass volumes, except it is blue lighting on the left speaker. A really cool feature worth noting.
So, do I have any complaints? Sure. The bulkiness of the speakers could be a problem for those with smaller setups or small desks. The size of the main speakers are quite large and require a generous amount of space. Another qualm is the front of each speaker. The materials used to manufacture the Nommo is extremely high quality, but the exposed speaker fronts are susceptible to damage if they fall from whatever surface you place them on.
My only other complaint is the aforementioned default Chroma setting. It is distracting when playing in darkness and, although you’re able to change the colours to something more dormant when attached to a PC, detaching them reverts them back to their default setting. The Razer Nommo Chroma is a fantastic choice for any gamer. Its top quality sound, directional feature and beautiful Chroma effects make them desktop speakers of choice. Affordable too with an RRP of £169.99.
Developers: Razer
Platforms: PC
Release Date: 10th January 2018
RRP: £169.99
Check out more information on the Razer Nommo Chroma HERE.
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