Conclusion
Razer has garnered a good reputation for making quality products. They don’t only sell products, they also sell a lifestyle. The presentation of their items, the look, and the idea of having a product that is created specifically for gamers. There’s nothing wrong with selling a lifestyle in addition to a product, Apple is well known for doing this. Outside of the computer world, Grey Goose sells a lifestyle to push its ‘ultra premium’ vodka. But the key difference between Apple products, and even Grey Goose, is their quality is on par or even better than similar products.
This is where Razer went wrong. The quality of the Chimaera does not match the similarly priced Logitech F540. The Chimaera lacks independent voice and game volume controls, is really bassy, has a shorter range, and lacks an audible or visible way to notify you if the mic is muted or not. All of these problems are ‘corrected’ on the F540.
You can find the Chimaera for about $107 at my favorite online retailer. Even though the price is a bit lower than the F540 ($118 at the time of the Logitech review), the Chimaera’s significant lack of features isn’t worth the $11 you’d be saving. Thus I’m awarding the Razer Chimaera a 6 out of 10 score.
Pros:
- Stylish
- Comfortable
- If you like bass, the Chimaera has a lot of it
Cons:
- Lacks independent voice chat and game audio volume controls
- Lacks upper mid and high frequencies
- Range is shorter than the Logitech F540
- No audible or visible notification when the mic is muted