It's been a long wait for Razer fans. I finally got my hands on a wave of Tiamats through the Razer Store, and the wait ended up being well worth it. Sound quality is great and the plug-and-play access is great, since it's just a bunch of 3.5mm jacks and a USB port for power. No drivers needed!
Pros:
+ Sound Quality - The most important part of a headset, right? The sound quality is fantastic for gaming and other 7.1 applications, but music can be lackluster at times compared to other headsets (SEE UPDATE BELOW, MUSIC IS GOOD). As reviews have mentioned, this is mainly due to the size of the drivers. You can't cram five drivers in an earcup without having to sacrifice something! But in all honesty, overall sound quality is great. It might not be a perfect balance, but games like Battlefield 3 really blow you away. Listening to a helicopter fly above you and being able to pinpoint it's location without even looking up adds to the experience. It might even help a little for those not-so-good at the game!
+ Overall Build Quality - Some people say Razer products lack quality, yet I've never once had an issue with a Razer product. The Tiamat 7.1 is no different. The design might be intimidating at first, but it's both light and feels high-quality. The braided cables, as is tradition with Razer products, make for easier management and less tie-ups. The "control box" feels durable and easily rests on your desk without being forced off by cable weight. The microphone is hidden within the left earcup as well, allowing you to easily stow it upon demand. Honestly, the microphone is one of my favorite parts of this headset simply because of it's location and the ability to hide it without detaching it or pushing it off to the side. Overall, the build quality is fantastic.
+ Design / Aesthetics - Razer and PC gaming is known for it's more... flashy side. Some like it, others don't. The Tiamat caters to both crowds in its design. Earcup covers are included, allowing you to either show off the inner drivers or cover them up to complete the sleek-black headset. Each side of the headset has a green glowing Razer logo, however, which might disappoint those who dislike LEDs. The top headband is not adjustable, but you'll never notice it's even there. The middle headband automatically moves depending on the size of your head, which is a seriously great feature. No more finding the sweet spot, it does it for you! As for the control box, it adds to the great design of the Tiamat 7.1. A large knob is surrounded by volume LEDs that turn on or off as you rotate for volume adjustment. You can turn 7.1 on or off, as well as revert to the line out for speakers.
+ Product Packaging - The Tiamat 7.1 comes in some of the best packaging from Razer. You get a sturdy box with a magnetically attached side that opens up to reveal your new headset. All product inserts and the Tiamat itself are easily removed without having to deal with tons of plastic casing.
+ Other - As mentioned, the control box is very nice to have. You can adjust each positional audio channel, as well as the overall audio and mic output. The knob isn't just free flowing, it ticks and remains in placed unless moved as you increase or decrease the volume. Obviously, the LEDs surrounding the knob correspond to this as mentioned above. I found the control box overall to be nicer than I had expected. I also briefly mentioned sound output above. The Tiamat 7.1 comes with a very nice output cable that allows you to connect external speakers to the control box. This allows you to switch between the headset and your speakers on the fly. While I personally can't say anything about this feature, it certainly is a nice addition.
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Cons:
- Price - $180 is a serious price to pay for a gaming headset. Whether this is actually a con of the product is up to you. I was okay with the purchase simply because I had prior experience with Razer products and had no issues. Professional reviews also boded well for this headset, so the $180 seemed justifiable. After having the headset for a few weeks, I certainly don't regret the purchase.
- No Carrying Case - While this isn't a con for myself, I realize others might be expecting it. The box is certainly not designed to be portable, and there's no included case. I personally don't travel with my gaming desktop often, so a carrying case would just take up room.
- Microphone - Quality of the microphone seemed to be "okay" most of the time while testing it. There's obviously better recording devices out there, but for a headset microphone, this is about average. And while I absolutely love the position, the way it extends slightly made it feel like the microphone might fall out. In reality, it's just the way it's designed to be flexible, but it was a little scary extending it out for the first time.
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Overall, the Razer Tiamat 7.1 headset is the best, yet most expensive headset I own. I thoroughly enjoy using and it vastly improved my audio experience in games like Battlefield 3. If you're one of the fans still waiting for the Tiamat, don't give up! It's well worth the wait! For those on the fence, I'd urge you to read around professional reviews as well as other customer reviews before taking the $180 plunge. Also, make sure you've got a 7.1 surround sound card or an on-board equivalent (though the quality might not be as good with on-board audio). If you don't have 7.1 support, you'll still be able to hook up the regular 3.5mm jack but not the other jacks for surround sound.
If you don't plan on using 7.1, the Tiamat 2.2 might fit your needs in the future when it is released later this year.
For those wondering, this is the sound card I currently use with the Tiamat 7.1:
ASUS PCI-Express x1 7.1 Channel Sound Card XONAR_DX/XD/A/90-YAA060-1UAN00ZUPDATE: 6/20/12
After having some real time to play with my sound card's setup, it seems to have fixed the whole issue with music. Bass is seriously killer on this thing once you get it setup correctly! Music sounds great as well, it just takes a little experimenting to get it to work right!