Razer Leviathan V2 Pro review: wide soundstage, head tracking and a whole lot of rumble
Razer Leviathan V2 Pro: One-minute review
Not that there's a lot riding on the Razer Leviathan V2 Pro. But with blow-you-away computer speakers like the SteelSeries Arena 9, whose true 5.1 system may have changed the way we consume media and play games on our computers, the pressure is certainly on. Especially because Razer is also going for that immersive 5.1 experience — only it’s attempting to do so with just a soundbar and a sub.
Is it fair to compare it to SteelSeries' 2022 release? Well, yeah. In a lot of ways, Razer is making the argument here that you can experience that same level of immersion without taking up a whole lot of space. With the Razer Leviathan V2 Pro, it's telling gamers that they don't need the hassle of setting up two front and two rear speakers plus a sub to feel like they're in the middle of the action. All they need is this soundbar-and-sub combo, and it's much easier to set up. And to do that, they need a compelling product.
So, how does the Leviathan V2 Pro fare? Don't get me wrong; I absolutely love the SteelSeries Arena 9. But, for someone who uses a lot of peripherals and doesn’t really have enough space to accommodate them all, I do think that Razer’s offering makes a pretty compelling case.
Razer Leviathan V2 Pro: Price and availability
- How much does it cost? $399.99 / £399.99 (about AU$600)
- When is it available? Available now
- Where can you get it? Available in the US, the UK, and Australia
Frequency range: 40Hz - 20kHz
Drivers: 5x 2-inch full-range drives, 1x 5.25-inch downward firing sub
Supported Connectivity: Bluetooth
Audio Inputs: USB
Outputs: 3.5mm
The Razer Leviathan V2 Pro might not seem like an affordable proposition. Who wants to spend $399.99 / £399.99 (about AU$600) on a computer speaker set? But, for what you’re getting, I’m actually surprised that it doesn’t cost more. After all, the SteelSeries Arena 9 comes with a $549 / €599 / AU$599 price tag. Even Razer’s own Nommo Pro, which is just a 2.1 system, is pricier at $599.99 / £529.99 / AU$999.95.
That’s without factoring in what you’re getting, which is a fairly space-saving audio solution that delivers a great immersive sound and a whole lot of rumble — just the ticket for your gaming and movie watching needs.
- Value: 4 / 5
Razer Leviathan V2 Pro: Design and features
- Soundbar is fairly compact
- Nice, accessible controls and RGB lighting
- Versatile with both USB and Bluetooth
While I prefer the more offbeat designs over traditional ones, I also thought the Razer Leviathan V2 Pro a thing of beauty when I took it out of the box. The grille on the soundbar looks premium, the controls are gloriously accessible and straightforward, and while the subwoofer is on the bigger end, the soundbar itself is fairly compact. Plus, the RGB lighting is a nice little extra.
I also love the fact that there’s a decent amount of clearance underneath, thanks to its longer feet. That space underneath allowed me to slide the soundbar over my monitor’s base, saving me even more desk space. As someone who has way too many devices and peripherals on her desk — and I currently have a pretty spacious desk — having the soundbar fit neatly over my monitor’s base while still sitting in front of the panel is extremely satisfying.
Of course, the sub, being fairly sizable, does take up a bit of space underneath. But, considering it’s out of the way and doesn’t have to be situated directly in front of me, its size is really a non-issue.
Back to the soundbar, there are four buttons on top flanking the power button-cum-volume dial on either side. There’s the EQ preset button, 3D button that lets you change audio modes, input button, and the RGB on/off button.
In front of these are 10 LED indicator lights, five on each side of the infrared camera that sit right in the middle where they’re best positioned to track your head and make sure you’re experiencing consistent audio (more on that later).
These LED indicator lights are pretty good at keeping you apprised of which setting you're adjusting and at what level that setting is. When you’re pressing the EQ preset button, for example, which allows you to cycle through the five EQ presets, each light essentially represents each preset.
You can’t really see the drivers behind the grill on the soundbar, but Razer says that there are five 2-inch full-range drivers in there and (sadly) no tweeters. Meanwhile, the subwoofer has a 5.25-inch downward firing one.
The Razer Leviathan V2 Pro does have software support, offering decent customizability via the Razer Synapse and Razer Chroma apps. The Razer Synapse app is, of course, the most important one here, offering users a 10-band EQ for fine-tuning the audio, choosing between the different audio modes, and quickly making RGB lighting adjustments.
- Design: 4.5 / 5
Razer Leviathan V2 Pro: Performance
- Power sub that deliver a lot of rumble
- Very full mid range, high end a little lacking
- Great sound imaging, wide soundstage
There are a couple of things that I do wish the Razer Leviathan V2 Pro would be better at. For example, the absence of tweeters on the soundbar means that the high end is a little lacking. That’s apparent when I’m playing Kena: Bridge of Spirits, which has a lot of sparkly audio effects like the sounds of chimes, for example. The game still sounds good, but it also sounds a little dull due to the lack of high end.
I have also found it to be very mid-forward, and there are instances where it sounds a little muddy because of it. When I’m watching Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, for example, the mid range sounded nicely full. However, when I put Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the dialogue in the movie sounds a little muddy due to the mids being almost too full.
Those are the “bad” bits, which aren’t really deal-breakers. I have found that I’m not overly bothered by the lack of high end when I’m watching blockbusters. And being mid-forward isn’t necessarily always a bad thing.
Plus, the Razer Leviathan V2 Pro makes up for those with its bass performance, great sound imaging, and wide soundstage. Even on Stereo mode with a flat EQ, the sub at 3 out of 7, and the volume set to 50, I have found that the sound imaging in both the Glass Onion and Wakanda Forever is pretty good and the soundstage is wider than the soundbar (extending to about five to six inches further on each side of it).
Turn that sub up to 5, and the sub delivers a massive uptick in bass and rumble in Glass Onion. That isn’t the case in Wakanda Forever — I’ve found that jumping from 3 to 5 only delivers a slight uptick in sub bass, but I suspect that’s only because there’s already a lot of bass in the movie at 3 so going to 5 doesn’t make a massive difference.
The Razer Leviathan V2 Pro also has a lot of volume on tap — enough, I think, for a small home theater setup. So, use that volume dial with caution.
Two of the four audio modes on hand are excellent. I like Stereo, of course, but the Virtual Speakers mode, which according to Razer beams audio “to seven virtual speakers to deliver a wide soundstage that is always centered around you” and is best for multi-channel sound, is great as well. You’re betting bigger bass, crisp audio, clearer dialogue, and a wide soundstage.
The Virtual Headset mode is impressive in its own right. Described by Razer as audio that “is beamed directly to your ears in an immersive soundstage to deliver an immersive soundscape with pinpoint positional audio traditionally found in headsets,” it‘s a little less detailed. However, it sounds a little wider, the audio extending about eight inches further on each side of the soundbar, and its sound imaging is very accurate.
My head doesn’t have to be completely centered to get the full experience, either. When I sit in front of the soundbar and move from side to side, I always feel like I’m centered in the soundstage, which is pretty impressive.
That’s thanks to its built-in infrared camera that boasts AI tracking, which intelligently detects where you are in relation to the soundbar. It then uses beamforming technology to adjust the audio so that you feel like you’re right in the middle of the action, even if you’re off a little to one side. It does such a good job of it too that I don’t even hear the audio adjusting.
- Performance: 4.5 / 5
Should I buy the Razer Leviathan V2 Pro?
Buy it if...
Don't buy it if...
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Razer Leviathan V2 Pro: Report card
- First reviewed January 2023
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