Man O’ War, a popular name for racing horses or huge ships. The name defines something powerful and unstoppable, something that leaves the competition desperately behind. Man O’ War is also the name of Razer’ newest wireless headset that can be used on PC and PlayStation 4. As the name already suggests, this is a wireless headset that delivers a very impressive performance.

Out of the box

As any other Razer product, the Man O’ War comes packed in a big green box but what’s really important is what’s inside the box. Once you open it, you’ll find your new wireless headset inside. There’s a cable to charge up the headset and a dongle to send the wireless signal from your PC/PS4 to your headset. Besides this, you’ll also find some stickers and instruction booklets in the box but that’s not the most important item, the headset itself is.

When first out of the box, you’ll immediately notice it’s a rather bulky headset. The all-black headset isn’t heavy and feels comfortable in your hands but you can’t ignore the big ear cups, held together by a big plastic headband with the Razer logo emblazoned on the top. At first sight, it’s not really a modern looking headset, aside of the two glowing Razer logos on both sides of the headset. It looks like a headset from the past and it looks gigantic when you’re using it. But, looks can be deceiving since this truly is a very comfortable headset to use.

On your head

I was surprised the moment I actually tried the headset, unlike the way it looks, it feels incredibly comfortable while using it. It’s extremely light so you’ll never have to take it off while you’re playing games for hours. The ear cups are protected with a thick and cozy leatherette-coat that goes over your ears easily. There’s no free space between the headset and your ears so you’ll be isolated from sounds around you while playing. Thanks to the faux-leather headband, the headset will never irritate you while wearing it. It feels soft and comfortable and you never have the urge to take small breaks to prevent your ears or head from getting irritated.

Perfect for the PC gamers and streamers

You can also adjust the height of the cups to make the headset fit even better. This way, the headset is able to adjust itself to various head shapes and sizes. Also note that the cups can swivel 90 degrees so even when you’re turning your head, you won’t lose the comfort of the headset. The microphone can be pushed back into the headset if you’re not using it and the controls of both the volume and microphone volume are conveniently placed on the right and left ear cups. A nice little bonus is the cleverly placed slot to store your wireless dongle if you’re not using it. The headset is designed to deliver a comfortable performance and it really succeeded!

The wireless performance

Since the Man O’ War is primarily a PC headset, I decided to test it on PC first. Thanks to the 7.1 virtual surround, every game I played sounded impressive and even gave me an advantage over my enemies. Thanks to the great sound, you can locate your enemies more easily, which is very important while playing competitive multiplayer games. If you’re playing games like Counter-Strike or Overwatch a lot, this headset can truly give you an advantage. Like to play singleplayer games? Don’t worry; this headset will let you hear details you never heard before. Ever noticed those falling raindrops? Using the Man O’ War you’ll definitely will!

Connecting the headset to your PC is extremely easy thanks to the great wireless dongle that can also be used for the PlayStation 4. Since this is still considered as a PC headset, you can’t experience 7.1 virtual surround on your PS4, instead you’re limited to stereo sound. The stereo sound still delivered on PS4 however and the games I played all sound better using the headset. It’s like having your own personal surround system on top of your head. Just like on PC, the headset can still give you some advantages on PlayStation 4 since you’ll be able to locate sounds better.

Thanks to the 2.4-GHz wireless connection, I could enjoy the headset in any room I was in, as long as I stayed in a 12 meters radius of my PC or PlayStation 4. I never experienced latency or cracking sounds so I was very pleased to use the headset. Even when you’re close to your system and the wireless dongle, you’ll never hear interferences in your sound. If you want more range you can insert the extension cord of the wireless dongle but that doesn’t seem needed due to the great wireless performance.

Chroma lights 

Just like any other recent Razer product, the Man O’ War features Chroma lights on both ear cups. Of course, the reason to have lights on a headset is debatable but it certainly looks nice. Thanks to the great Chroma technology, the lights really look great on the headset, making it stand out from the crowd. If you’re an active streamer, you might want this headset to give your viewers some extra bling to look at. The best part of the Chroma lights is that you can decide which colors should be activated by using the great Synapse app. If you own other Razer products like keyboards or a gaming mouse, you can even sync the colors so that all your Razer products pulse at the same time. It’s a nice extra and it gives the headset that little more.

Synapse app

The Synapse app is a powerful tool to change the settings of the headset to your likings. This app can only be used if you’re using the headset on PC but the amount of tools is just amazing. You can boost the bass, enhance your voice, program the Chroma lights or even calibrate the surround sound so you’ll hear everything exactly where you would like to hear it. If you’re running multiple apps on your PC, you can adjust the settings of every app separately, giving you the options to go for stereo or 7.1 surround based on the kind of app you’re using. Besides that, you can also adjust the microphone to reduce background noises or to boost up the voice receiver so you’re voice will be heard loud and clear.

The microphone

The retractable microphone is very flexible and looks great. Thanks to the small red LED strip, you’ll see if you’re muted in an instance. The microphone does a great job and your voice really sounds clear. It’s the ideal microphone to use during multiplayer matches since your team won’t have any problems understanding your commands.

The headset is also great for recordings and podcasts however. Thanks to the great Synapse app, you can set the microphone to voice enhancement, which will result in clear voice recording. The microphone doesn’t look that impressive but it really delivers.

Some downsides

The Man O’ War headset is a great headset but still comes with some disadvantages. First of all, it’s promoted as a PC/PS4 headset but due to the lack of 7.1 virtual surround and Synapse support, the headset can’t really be recommended to PlayStation 4 players. If you’re looking for a great headset to use on your console, there are better choices on the market. This is the biggest issue of the Man O’ War. Due to the lack of a 3.5mm mobile cable, you can only use the headset to its full potential on your PC. If you’re a PC gamer, you’ll be able to use the headset to its full potential but it’s a shame it doesn’t support more devices.

Conclusion 

The Man O’ War isn’t cheap with the $199 price tag but you get a lot of quality in return. It’s a very comfortable headset with great 7.1 virtual surround on PC and a great retractable microphone. The battery life is rather impressive and will let you enjoy the wireless sound for over 14 hours. The downsides of the product are the bulky design and lack of true support for other devices. You can use it on PlayStation 4 as a stereo headset but there are better products on the market if you’re looking for a PlayStation 4 headset. If you’re a PC gamer that likes to stream or likes to play multiplayer games, the Man O’ War is a great product that will result in hours of fun. It’s not a perfect headset but it’s one of the better PC dedicated headsets on the market.

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