Best PC Gaming Headset: Chimaera 5.1 Wireless Gaming Headset

This Best Selling Chimaera 5.1 Wireless Gaming Headset tends to SELL OUT VERY FAST!!

Product Details

Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
ASIN: B004TP9RN8
Product Dimensions: 3.5 x 7.9 x 8 inches ; 3.5 pounds
Media: Video Game
Release Date: June 14, 2011

Price : $173.00
You Save : $26.99 (13%)

Product Description

Style: 5.1 Surround
From the Manufacturer
The Razer Chimaera 5.1 Wireless Gaming Headset for Xbox 360® gives you a true-to-life surround sound experience. Building on our extensive gaming audio expertise from PC gaming, this wireless headset offers pinpoint tournament grade 5.1 positional audio with extra large circumaural ear cups for maximum comfort. The base station doubles up as a charging dock and audio processing unit, giving you the option to adjust the game sound and link up to four base stations to talk to your teammates over a lag-free, local communication channel.

Features

Adjustable circumaural ear cups for optimal sound isolation and comfort
Flexible microphone boom and detachable Xbox LIVE® communication cable
Rechargeable batteries for extended gaming sessions of up to 8 hours
Digital optical connection for superior sound quality
Docking base station for audio processing, recharging and advanced controls
Independent volume and microphone sensitivity controls on the ear cups
PC compatible 3.5mm RCA cable required and sold separately

Technical Specifications

Circumaural Design with 50mm Driver Units
Volume ; Mic Control Buttons on the Headset
3 Preset EQ
Detachable 2.5mm Microphone Cable
Dimensions: 200mm(W) 204mm(H) 88mm(D) Headphones
Radio Frequency: 5.8GHz
Dolby® Headphone / Dolby Pro Logic® II / Dolby Digital
Wireless Range: 33ft / 10m
Frequency Response: 20 - 20,000 Hz
Wireless Range: 33ft / 10m
Impedance: 32O at 1kHz
Sensitivity (1kHz, 1V/Pa): 105dB +/- 2dB
Drivers: 50 mm, with Neodymium Magnets
Batteries: 2 AAA Batteries (Max 8 Hours Battery Life)
Charging Time: 3 HoursMicrophone
Frequency Response: 130 - 10,000 Hz
Sensitivity (1kHz, 1V/Pa): -42 ± 2dB
Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 55 dB
Pick-up Pattern: Uni-directional

5.1 Channel Dolby® Surround Sound for Pinpoint Positional Audio Offering the full range of surround sound, with drivers tuned for 3D positional audio the Razer Chimaera 5.1 Wireless Gaming Headset for Xbox 360® will allow you to anticipate your enemies’ every step and hear the true game sound in full detail.
5.8 GHz Frequency Headset for Interference-free Wireless Performance The Razer Chimaera 5.1 allows a true wireless Xbox® experience for up to 8 hours with no cables restricting your movement. Using the 5.8 GHz frequency protects this headset against almost all wireless interferences.
Dedicated Lag-free Local Team Communications Up to four Razer Chimaera 5.1 base stations can be connected to create a lag-free, crystal clear voice channel for dedicated team conversations.

Package Contents

Razer Chimaera 5.1 Wireless Gaming Headset
Charging Dock Base Station
CablesRCA Cable2.5mm to 2.5mm Stereo Cable (For Xbox Live® Connection)3.5mm to 3.5mm Stere Cable (For Base Station Link)Optical Digital Audio Cable
AC Adapter
2 x AAA Rechargeable Batteries
Quick Start Guide
Master Guide

Razer Chimaera™ Wireless Gaming Headset for XBOX 360®
Has everything you need for up to 12 hours of battling and smack-talking your friends in absolute comfort
Razer Onza™ Gaming Controller for XBOX 360®
Designed to give professional gamers the competitive edge by bringing maximum customizability to the Xbox 360® controller
Razer Onza Tournament Edition™ Professional Gaming Controller For Xbox 360®
Designed to give professional gamers the competitive edge by bringing maximum customizability to the Xbox 360® controller
5.8 GHz Wireless Audio Frequency - For optimal range and freedom

This Best Selling Chimaera 5.1 Wireless Gaming Headset tends to SELL OUT VERY FAST!!

Technical Details

Extra Large 50mm Neodymium Drivers - For true-to-life gaming audio
Up To 8 Hours of Battery Life - For uninterrupted gaming
5.1 Channel Dolby Surround Sound for Pinpoint Positional Audio
Black

Customer Reviews

build: it is made with mostly hard plastic matte plastic like 4gb xbox + glossy plastic like the 250 gb, plastic seems durable looks like it could take a beating but i wouldn't give it a drop test lol...but at the same time the plastic is kind of creaky like when picking it up by one cup or putting it on if you stretch them out to them out ull hear some creaks...it seems to have gotten better and less creaky the more i use it though.
fit: the headset is big, and opens up 10 notches...i wear glasses and have a semi big head i have them opened to 3 comfortably and i could take off my glasses without taking the headset off, thats a big plus for me because with other headphones ive owned they have seemed to be tight and uncomfortable on my glasses...the padding is thick on the ears and the head it has the form fitting feel if they make mesh ear cups available i would purchase them, the headset has some weight to it but as soon as they go on my head with the padding it seems to form to my head i dont feel them one bit and have wore them for 3 hours at once without taking them of or adjusting them it was like i didn't have anything on
buttons: theres 2 buttons on the outside of each cup power and mic mute on the left mode and sync on the left...if your like me and only play online and are not going to be around other razer chimaera 5.1 then you'll use the sync button 1 time...there is mic volume up and down buttons on the headset too and headset volume...i feel the placement of them is ok i pick up my headsets/phones from the cups and put them on my head, if you do that your most likely going to be raising the volume its not a big deal ive learned to not do it.
setup : setup is very easy...plug in dock, plug optical cable to dock then to xbox or tv and turn on dock then headphones and sync and your done...took about 3 mins couldn't get any easier...yes you need to put the cable into the xbox controller to talk...but if your just gonna sound you dont have too...there is Dolby surround setting with normal, bass, treble also non dolby normal bass and treble
sound: this headset uses 5.8 frequency and wow was i surprised how clear sound they are, there is no hiss or white noise in the background its like your the movies playing a game...i played mw2 mk mass effect and black ops...im going to not count black ops because that games sound is terrible footstep sound is horrible in that game...but in mw2 on the other hand they work perfectly you can hear directional footsteps air support and gun fire easily playing mw2 i use the non dolby settings the dolby settings were too rich for me to hear directional footsteps and gun fire, one thing about this headset compared to others it gets loud but its never gotten to that scary loud, you know that loud where u think your ears are gonna explode and you rip the headset off these dont do that and thats a plus...i watched zombie land on netflix with the headset and it was great i used dolby normal and it you can hear the blood splatter and every little gushy sound really felt like i had surround sound going on
mic: hearing players voices is great its clear, the mic says flexible but its not it goes up and down but doesn't flex towards or away from you...if you put the mic up it automatically mutes...i personally felt like i had to talk a little bit louder than i normally do to get sound from the mic i havent had that much feedback from the mic i didn't tell no one i had a new mic so i guess no said anything
battery: it does take 3 hours to charge and i get about 7 hours and half of use from them...on razers site it states that you can use other rechargeable batteries and charge them with the dock so im gonna buy some extras just incase
i emailed razer asking them about daisy chaining with the astros mixamp they said "It depends on the functionality of the Mixamp. What connection are you trying to use 3.5 mm? It does sound possible, but it would depend on the connections you are trying to make and for what reasons."
if your in the market for a wireless headset for xbox i think these are the best that money can buy TODAY not being astros
i was going to get the px5 when they were 200$ but i seen these and took a chance...although the px5 have dual bluetooth and eq settings i think these are the better wireless headset FOR XBOX users your getting 5.1 sound 5.8 frequency rechargeable batteries that charge on the dock

Here are a few excerpts from my full review. The full review, along with pictures and video, can be found at ([...])
Build Quality and Aesthetics
Razer products generally have a good reputation for good build quality, and the Chimaera 5.1 is no exception. The headset feels solid and sturdy and the choice of materials is excellent. The headset is mostly a matte soft-touch black, but there are contrasting areas of high-gloss black. The only moving part on the headset is the mic boom, and it doesn't feel fragile at all. The mic boom is also flexible, so it won't break if you drop it with the boom folded out. The base station also has a decent weight to it and feels solid, although it really shouldn't see any abuse or wear. The included cables are also completely adequate, though I did notice that the 2.5mm cable for Xbox Live chat fit a little loosely in my controller. This hasn't been a problem and the audio connection is still solid.
Sound Quality
Sound quality is where this headset really shines. I did not expect the surround sound effect to be so clear and accurate, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear how well it worked. As a gamer who is used to a full surround-sound setup on my PC, I now feel like I am not missing anything when playing on my Xbox. Not only can you easily tell the direction of the sound, but it's also much easier to discern the distance of the sound. This is great for both multiplayer games, such as Call of Duty, and atmospheric single player games, such as Alan Wake. The surround sound provides greater immersion in your games, along with a competitive advantage. The Chimaera 5.1 uses 50mm drivers, so they can reproduce a wide range of frequencies and can do so without distortion. The sound is clear, sharp, and isn't lacking any punch or impact. If I had to make a complaint, it would be that they are lacking in extremely low frequencies. For comparison, my studio monitor headphones (Audio Techinca M50) are able to reproduce sound from 15 hz to 28,000 hz. The Chimaera 5.1 have a frequency range of 130 hz to 10,000 hz. My guess is that Razer limits the frequency range slightly to help extend battery life. As a musician, I can hear the difference in frequency ranges, but I don't see this as an issue at all for gaming and movies. I wouldn't use the Chimaera 5.1s for critical music listening, but that's not what they're designed for. They sound exactly how they should for a high-end gaming and multimedia headset.
Charging
My favorite feature of the Chimaera 5.1 is how it charges. A set of rechargeable AAA batteries are included, and you simply set the headset back on the base station to begin recharging. The whole setup looks really slick and it provides a nice place to store the headset when you're not using it. Battery life is listed at 8 hours, but I usually only play for an hour or two at a time, so I have never tested that number. A fully drained battery will be charged in 3 hours. I don't believe any other headsets on the market use this charging dock solution; instead, they either use normal batteries, or you have to use a USB cable to recharge a battery pack. The advantage of the Chimaera 5.1s are that they are extremely easy to recharge, but if you do need to swap batteries during a super long gaming session, you can just use a standard set of AAA batteries (rechargeable or disposable).
Connectivity
The Chimeara 5.1 is designed for Xbox and PC, so the connections are centered around those applications. On the back of the base station, you'll find an optical input and output, 3.5mm input and output, and an RCA input. In order to take advantage of the Dolby Headphone surround sound processing, you'll need to use the optical input. You can plug it directly into your Xbox if it is the newer "slim" model, or you can use an adapter for older models. Some TVs also have an optical output, so if you are using an HDMI output to your TV, you can use the optical output from the TV to connect to the base station. The optical output lets you also send the audio signal to your TV or receiver, so you can use either a headset or speakers without swapping cables. You can also hook up a basic stereo source using the RCA input, but you won't get surround sound.
Conclusion
Overall, I have been extremely pleased with Chimaera 5.1 headset. The sound quality is fantastic and the surround sound can literally be a game changer. I also feel that Razer made all of the right decisions when it came to designing the headset, by opting for 5.8ghz wireless and a really nice charging solution. On top of all of that, the whole setup looks fantastic, feels comfortable, and performs extremely well.