Razer Leviathan V2: two minute review
The Razer Leviathan V2 brings a much-needed upgrade to every PC gamer's favorite soundbar with one of the best PC audio experiences you'll find right now, and it's not even close.
And while it's not exactly cheap, the Leviathan V2 offers an incredible soundscape at a reasonable price, easily making it one of the best computer speakers you can buy right now. It's not without its flaws, though, and the loss of 3,5mm and optical input pretty much leaves the Leviathan V2 in your PC forever, though it also has Bluetooth connectivity, so you still have some flexibility.
THX Spatial Audio is a welcome feature, and the bass response from the subwoofer and soundbar is impressive. This is greatly aided by the longer form factor compared to its predecessor, allowing the Leviathan V2 to fit passive radiators to extend its audio range, something you'll feel when playing top PC games. .
The addition of customizable 18-zone RGB lighting is also something many gamers will love, especially as lighting can be synced to react and integrate with in-game activity in your larger RGB gaming space with Razer Synapse. .
Considering there aren't many gaming sound bars on the market, the Leviathan V2 is definitely the one to consider if you're looking to give even the best PC gaming headsets a break and enjoy room-filling sound. It may be more expensive than other computer speaker systems, but the Razer Leviathan V2 is definitely worth your money.
Razer Leviathan V2: price and availability
- How much is it? You can buy it for €249 / €229 / AU$449
- When can you get it? is available now
- Where is it available? It is available in the US, UK, and Australia at launch.
The Razer Leviathan V2 went on sale on April 21, 2022 and is available in the US, UK, and Australia, as well as other regions of the world.
It'll set you back €249 / €229 / AU$449, which is quite a bit more expensive than the model it replaces (currently €229 / €174 / AU$379, up from the original launch price of €199 / €159 / AU$279 which we saw during our Razer Leviathan review in 2014).
Still, given that its predecessor was released almost a decade ago, some price inflation is to be expected and there are some notable improvements here that warrant a price increase.
Razer Leviathan V2: Design
- 18 zone RGB lighting
- Interchangeable angled feet
The Razer Leviathan V2 received some improvements over its previous iteration. It still sports the same Razer black look with green accents, and the soundbar's onboard controls are pretty inconspicuous.
Build quality is excellent, as you'd expect from a Razer product, and while almost everything is plastic, it doesn't look cheap at all.
Razer Leviathan V2 Key Features
Frequency response: 45Hz - 20KHz
Input: USB Type-C
Power supply: external AC adapter
Speakers: full range (2 x 2,0 x 4,0 inches), tweeters (2 x 0,75 inches), passive radiators (2 x 1,7 x 5,3 inches), and down-firing subwoofer (1 x 5,5 ,XNUMX inches)
Spatial Audio: THX
Dimensions (W x H x D): 19,7 x 3,6 x 3,3 inches / 500 x 91,3 x 84 mm (sound bar) | 8,67 x 8,67 x 9,5 inches / 220 x 220 x 241,5 mm (woofer)
The soundbar is now slightly deeper than its predecessor, and the biggest design change is the move to a pure cube shape for the subwoofer, instead of the V1's half cube.
The Leviathan V2's legs can also be swapped to tilt the soundbar up rather than directly at desk level. The front grille of the soundbar is solid plastic with the Razer logo emblazoned in the middle.
Overall, the soundbar fits comfortably under most monitors, and aside from the RGB lighting, it's inoffensive enough to blend easily into your office workspace.
The subwoofer, on the other hand, is a very nondescript plastic cube with a horn facing down to bring out the bass. It's also much bigger and harder to hide unless you put it under your desk on the floor (if you live in an apartment other than the ground floor, your neighbors will absolutely love you if you do this). Unfortunately, the subwoofer is wired, so you can't get too far away from the soundbar.
Razer Leviathan V2: Features
- THX Spatial Audio isn't as good as Dolby Atmos, but it's still good
- Chroma RGB lighting controlled via the Razer Synapse app
- No optical or 3,5mm audio input, so strictly a desktop PC soundbar
The Razer Leviathan V2 introduces some new features to the lineup, while also dropping some fan favorites.
First, there's THX Spatial Audio, which goes beyond basic stereo to create a much more immersive sound experience. It does the job well enough, but it's not on the same level as the Dolby Atmos you'd get in a home theater soundbar. That's not all that surprising, given that the Leviathan V2 is significantly cheaper than the best soundbars that take full advantage of Dolby Atmos.
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The other major feature of the Leviathan V2 is the inclusion of 18-zone Chroma RGB lighting, which is controlled by Razer Synapse. In addition to using Razer Visualizer for some cool music settings, you can also have game-based color effects. Integrating the Leviathan V2 into your existing Chroma setup with other devices is also easily controlled through Synapse, so RGB customizers will have a lot more to play with here.
The inclusion of Chroma RGB should also be a pretty clear sign that the Leviathan V2 is definitely a soundbar for gamers, not audiophiles. While the previous Leviathan model accepted 3,5mm audio and optical inputs, the Leviathan V2 ditches them for a single USB Type-C connection. While you can also connect your phone or other Bluetooth-enabled devices to the Leviathan, those are benefits, but that's clearly not the direction Razer is taking with its new soundbar.
Many people may be disappointed by these exclusions, but it was always designed to be a PC gamer's soundbar, not to replace a home audio setup. Almost every gamer will have a USB Type-C port on their PC, maybe several, so it's understandable that Razer is going down that route.
Razer Leviathan V2: Performance
- Incredible audio experience
- Bluetooth is not good for gaming audio
That's fine, but what does the Razer Leviathan V2 really sound like?
Thanks to the variety of drivers in the soundbar and subwoofer, the soundscape produced by the Leviathan V2 is honestly one of the best audio experiences you'll find anywhere near this price range. Play games, listen to music, watch new Netflix movies between gaming sessions, you name it. It's going to sound amazing.
The addition of the two passive radiators in the soundbar definitely improves the Leviathan V2's low-end performance over its predecessor by going deeper into 45Hz territory, down from the Leviathan V180's 1Hz.
The full-range speakers and tweeters also fill the room with ease, and a switch in the Synapse setting can redirect sound to the center channel, ensuring you get the fullest audio experience when you're sitting in your office.
However, when playing games, it is better to connect the soundbar directly to the PC, rather than using a Bluetooth connection. Bluetooth latency is low (60ms), but it's wide enough to lose a bit of sync while gaming, albeit slightly, and that's bound to annoy some people.
THX Spatial Audio does an admirable job of creating a pseudo-surround sound experience, especially when ambient audio cues in games are important, such as in the middle of a competitive game. And while it's not quite up to Dolby Atmos standards (not to stress the point too much), it doesn't have to be if we're being perfectly honest. At this price, spatial audio is a plus, and the fact that it's so well executed makes it a clear win for Razer.
Unless you want to connect the Razer Leviathan V2 to your TV or home audio system, you won't find anything disappointing here. And if you're looking for a computer sound that isn't going to stick in your head for a change, then the Razer Leviathan V2 doesn't just need to be on your shortlist, you should probably go ahead and buy the damn thing.
Should I buy a Razer Leviathan V2?
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Also consider
- First review April 2022