Razer Made a Soundbar That Tracks Your Head To Optimize Sound (theverge.com) 16
The popular gaming tech company just announced the Leviathan V2 Pro at CES 2023, the latest addition to its existing range of soundbars designed to provide compact, low-profile audio for PC gamers. The Verge reports: Created in partnership with THX and Audioscenic, Razer claims that the Leviathan V2 Pro can envelop a user with "3D audio" by combining beamforming surround sound with head-tracking AI technology. A built-in IR camera can detect the user's position, allowing the soundbar to optimize sound by adapting the audio beams to the listener's position in real time. There are two modes available for the 3D audio feature: THX Spatial Audio Virtual Headset for stereo content that allegedly mimics positional audio typically found in headsets and THX Spatial Audio Virtual Speakers for multi-channel audio that fills a room like a home theatre system. Given this is a Razer product, it also comes with customizable Chroma RGB lighting effects across 30 different lighting zones -- dwarfing the 18 zones you get on the standard Leviathan V2 soundbar.
The Razer Leviathan V2 Pro also comes with a subwoofer to enhance bass. A dedicated 3.5mm input for the subwoofer is included on the rear of the soundbar, alongside a second 3.5mm port for headphones, a power adapter port, and a single USB-C port to connect to your PC. The Leviathan V2 Pro also supports Bluetooth 5.0 if you want to wirelessly connect it to your computer or mobile device. Interesting features and funky lighting aside, pricing is going to be the hardest sell for the Leviathan V2 Pro. Starting at $399.99, it's considerably more expensive than both the standard Leviathan V2 ($249.99) and Leviathan V2 X ($99.99), but you do at least get more ports with this latest model. The Leviathan V2 Pro will be available to buy from February 2023 (if you have deep enough pockets for the purchase).
The Razer Leviathan V2 Pro also comes with a subwoofer to enhance bass. A dedicated 3.5mm input for the subwoofer is included on the rear of the soundbar, alongside a second 3.5mm port for headphones, a power adapter port, and a single USB-C port to connect to your PC. The Leviathan V2 Pro also supports Bluetooth 5.0 if you want to wirelessly connect it to your computer or mobile device. Interesting features and funky lighting aside, pricing is going to be the hardest sell for the Leviathan V2 Pro. Starting at $399.99, it's considerably more expensive than both the standard Leviathan V2 ($249.99) and Leviathan V2 X ($99.99), but you do at least get more ports with this latest model. The Leviathan V2 Pro will be available to buy from February 2023 (if you have deep enough pockets for the purchase).
We're clearly past... (Score:1)
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hey, it comes with razer chroma rgb, you colorblind clod!
Re: We're clearly past... (Score:2)
Next story (Score:2)
Playlist (Score:3)
Try this soundbar out on these tunes!
I'll start...
"Private Eyes" (Hall & Oats)
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"Every Breath You Take" (The Police)
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Eye in the Sky (The Alan Parsons Project)
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Spaced audio (Score:2)
I'll go for this if I can override all the other heads in the room.
And I don't want it making changes when I temporarily lean over to pass a joint to another head.
It's Razer (Score:2)
Interesting technology, but unfortunately, the company is Razer, infamous for it's bloated drivers (Synapse), a very questionable cryptocurrency scheme (Softminer/Gamma [zdnet.com]), and for it's dishonest marketing, including glossing over security issues.
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You forgot to add that you most probably won't be able to use your "purchased" product without making an online account, and need to be online to alter settings.
At least that's how they modified the Nostromo line of pads when they took over.
It's needed only in the head of tinfoil hat users (Score:2)
Who wants to bet (Score:2)
No value (Score:2)
Simulated spacial/directional audio can be useful with headphones, since you are (ideally) replacing the sounds of the real-world with your simulated sounds. Take the headphones off, and mount speakers on a shelf, and now it's irrelevant. You're going to hear the room acoustics of your actual room, regardless of how the sound bar might rotate the speakers, or what processing gets applied to the audio.
It reminds me a bit of putting your TV on a swivel and calling it "VR".
As for the sound quality, I'm sure it