Razer Nommo V2 Pro review - 2.1 speakers with a laser focus on gaming

Our Verdict

With plenty of features, powerful overall sound, and fantastic virtual surround spatial audio, the Razer Nommo V2 Pro speakers deliver a reasonable amount for their price. The convenience of Bluetooth and a wireless sub, along with a wireless remote control, are all plus points, and the RGB lighting looks good too. Sound quality is decent overall, with lots of bass and reasonable high-end detail. However, the default sound profile is awful, so make sure you download the software to play around with the settings.

Reasons to buy

• Powerful sound with big bass
• Useful remote control
• Convenient wireless sub
• Bluetooth connection

Reasons to avoid

• Terrible initial sound quality
• Very expensive
• RGB a bit pointless

The Razer Nommo V2 Pro is the company’s latest premium 2.1 computer speaker set, which offers lots of extras, including a wireless subwoofer, a remote control, a Bluetooth connection, and of course RGB lighting. These speakers promise high-end sound quality too, with plenty of bass.

There’s enough here to earn these Razer speakers a place on our best computer speaker guide as a premium 2.1 speaker option, but there are some caveats to note as well.

Specs

Features

The Razer Nommo V2 Pro offers an interesting mix, with quite a few extra features but a basic set of core physical features. Specifically, you only get Bluetooth and USB inputs, with no analog inputs or older-style digital inputs. In practice, that’s ample for most PC users, but at the very least we always like to have the ability to fall back on an analog input if the need arises.

Physical controls are also limited. Neither of the speakers, nor the sub, have any volume/bass/treble dials, power buttons, or input switches. Instead, the Nommo V2 Pro relies on its party piece, which is a wireless control pod, to control everything. This is used to turn the speakers on and off, adjust volume, mute/unmute, play/pause playback, and switch inputs. The Nommo V2 Pro also has a wireless subwoofer, so it just needs to be plugged into the mains and that’s it.

RGB is the other big addition here, with the backs of the desktop speakers sporting a translucent plastic dome through which the lighting shines, splashing light across the desk and wall behind them. Said speakers house a single 3.2-inch driver each, while the subwoofer incorporates a 5.5-inch down-firing driver and a rear-facing bass port.

A 2m (6.5ft) power cable is included in the box, which uses a wall-wart power adapter with interchangeable regional plugs. This powers the right speaker, with the left speaker powered via the cable that connects it to the right speaker. Meanwhile, the sub gets a choice of two 2m region-specific power cords, and the rest of the box contents consist of a 2m USB-C to USB-A cable, the wireless control pod, and two AAA batteries to power the latter.

Design

The Nommo V2 Pro continues the core look of Razer’s previous Nommo speakers, with the main desktop speakers being cylindrical units sitting on stalks. However, the stalks are much shorter than before, with the speakers angled up. This makes for a slightly less interesting design, but on balance, it’s more practical for desk setups.

The look of the speakers overall will also divide opinion. For our tastes, the likes of the Audio Engine A1 or A2+ or the Edifier S350DB have a more appealing, clean look but it’s ultimately down to personal preference. The subwoofer is basically a generic black cube, but considering it’s supposed to be hidden under your desk, that’s no bad thing.

However, the build quality of these speakers could be better. It’s not that they’re poorly put together, but they don’t look and feel particularly premium for a $450 set of speakers. The desktop speakers are nearly all plastic and, while there’s a decent weight to them, this all appears to come from the driver’s magnet rather than there being much in the way of heft to the speaker cabinet.

You also only get one driver per speaker, which again is a bit surprising for a speaker set of this price. We’d expect a tweeter and main driver arrangement with larger speakers for this sort of money.

This sense of middling build quality runs over to the subwoofer too. Compared to the subwoofer in the Edifier S350DB, for instance, it’s an absolute lightweight, and there’s no finesse to the design. It’s a plain MDF box with a black vinyl cover and notably sharp edges and corners – not ideal for a box hidden under your desk where you put your feet/shins. The down-firing driver is a smarter design choice for under-desk use than the front-firing Edifier S350DB’s sub, though.

One premium-feeling part is the wireless remote. Its top piece is made from aluminum with a knurled edge and a brushed swirly pattern on the top. It could do with being a bit heavier so it doesn’t move around – the volume adjustment control is quite stiff so it doesn’t take much to end up moving the whole unit – but it otherwise feels pleasingly premium.

As for the RGB on the back of the desktop speakers, it’s well diffused to create a spread-out glow, yet it’s decently powerful so it’s visible in a brightly lit room. You can of course adjust the brightness too. You only get four “quick” effects, though, consisting of spectrum cycle, breathing, audio meter, and static. For any other effects, you have to install Razer’s separate Chroma Studio module.

Software

The Nommo V2 Pro will work without software, but you lose a lot of features and there are a few settings that you’ll probably want to change from their defaults too. You’ll need to install Razer Synapse to make these adjustments, which gives you four main tabs of settings for the speakers.

The first section controls sound, with options for volume adjust, subwoofer level, switching between PC and Bluetooth, assigning app/game-specific audio settings (the software automatically detects most games and other key apps for you to assign different EQ, sub levels, surround and so on), and the option to switch between stereo and THX Spatial Audio.

The next tab is the EQ section, which lets you choose from four presets (flat/default, game, movie, music) or set a custom EQ. Usefully, the software notes the general term/use for each of the bands of the 10-band EQ. The 31Hz band is noted as sub bass, the 63Hz to 250Hz is bass, 4kHz is upper mids, and so on.

Meanwhile, the lighting section lets you change the brightness of the RGB lighting, turn it off, select a setting where the lighting turns off when your display turns off, and you can choose the RGB effects here as well.

Finally, there’s the Power section, which lets you choose whether to have the speakers automatically turn off after 15, 30, or 45 minutes of inactivity, or whether to keep them on at all times. I found it quite annoying that they kept on turning off – it takes a while for them to turn back on and it messes with all your audio device settings when they turn off – so I kept them on all the time.

Performance and sound quality

My first impressions of the Nommo V2 Pro were not good when it came to sound quality. Out of the box, the bass/sub level is cranked up and I believe the speakers may have also been set to the Game EQ mode – there’s not a way for me to set the speakers back to factory settings to confirm if this is the default or not. Regardless, the effect was one of massively unbalanced sound, with irritatingly thudding bass and thin-sounding mids and high-end.

However, turning the sub level down to two or three out of seven evens out the sound, while selecting the flat default EQ option also gets rid of the thin-sounding rest of the range. This is why installing the software is  crucial, as it lets you play around with these settings.

Switching back to the Game EQ resulted in the worst EQ overall, with all bass sucked out of the sound unless you crank up the sub level to 7/7. It also boosts the mid-range a lot, while dropping the very top-end frequencies, making for a really nasal sound. It’s terrible for anything other than gaming.

For gaming, though, the lack of booming bass to smother subtler noises, and the high-end tailing off, means most core in-game cues are more discernible. Dialogue, footsteps, gunfire, and the like all cut through with more clarity.

It’s not an EQ we recommend for any sort of non-competitive game, as the overall sound isn’t pleasant, but technically it’s better for competitive scenarios. However, in those scenarios, we’d overwhelmingly recommend using a headset instead.

Meanwhile, the Movie profile flips the sound around with a big jump in bass, a drop in the mids, and a boost in the highs. This mode certainly enhances the bash and crash of explosions in movies, but the lack of mid-range and the amped-up high-end can mean dialog is slightly lost in the mix.

Finally, the Music EQ is a bit of a mix of the other two EQs, with it upping bass and some top end, but also putting a little boost in some mid-range frequencies. Sure enough, this makes for the best EQ preset for music listening in general, although you notice a lack of detail in classical and acoustic music, as well as rock. We’d still be inclined to stick to the default flat EQ or fine-tune the EQ ourselves for music listening – it’s all too heavy handed using the presets.

All told, then, you can get these speakers to sound decent, but some work is required to get the best from them. Moreover, when it comes to music listening, these are still not the most sophisticated-sounding 2.1 speakers available. The likes of the Edifier S350DB offer a far smoother overall sound for a 2.1 system.

However, if you’re just after lots of volume and bass, the Nommo V2 Pro absolutely delivers. And, to be clear, we’re being picky here because these speakers cost $450. They absolutely sound powerful and pretty decent overall, they’re just short of the expected quality for that price.

However, it’s when we switch on these speakers’ secret weapon that they really come to life. Enable the THX Spatial Audio mode and these speakers sound great when it comes to movies and gaming. The sound stage opens up massively, creating lots of atmosphere and, unlike the Movie EQ preset, the effect doesn’t bury movie dialog. Everything just sounds wider, fuller, and somehow more focused too.

When it comes to more competitive gaming, a headset is a much better bet, but for playing atmospheric games where you might want a break from a headset, the spatial sound works superbly. It can’t compete with true surround sound speakers, but the directionality for sound cues in front of you is excellent. However, Spatial Audio doesn’t sound good for music, so make sure you only turn it on when it’s needed.

To this end, when it comes to gaming and general use, the ability for Razer’s software to automatically switch between sound profiles for different apps is literally game changing. For instance, this means you could have Spotify and your browser set to use standard stereo with a flat EQ, while Valorant or Apex Legends use the Game EQ with THX Spatial Audio, and Elden Ring will switch to a flat EQ and keep THX Spatial Audio engaged, all without you lifting a finger.

Price

The Razer Nommo V2 Pro price is $450, which in terms of these speakers’ raw performance and build makes them a tough sell. Instead, you’re really paying for three main features: the wireless sub, the wireless remote, and the THX Spatial Audio. As such, if you’re not super-fussed about a few extra wires, the non-Pro Nommo V2 makes a lot more sense at just $250 for the same raw performance.

Verdict

The Razer Nommo V2 Pro is a set of speakers that lives and dies on its gaming performance, and whether you find a handful of its features particularly useful. On the gaming side, its THX Spatial Audio works really well, creating a sound that’s more directional and enveloping than plain stereo, drawing you into the game and making it easier to pick up directional cues. It’s not full surround sound, but it’s a notable step up from stereo, and ideal if you’re short on space.

As for the other extra features, the addition of Bluetooth can be handy for easily listening to music from your phone through the speakers, though you can’t listen/connect to both your Bluetooth device and PC at the same time.

The other extras are the wireless subwoofer and wireless remote control, both of which give you a bit of flexibility with your setup, but aren’t exactly essentials. Instead, we’d be inclined to save $200 (at least that’s the difference at MSRP) and get the Nommo V2 (non-Pro) instead. These lack the wireless remote and sub, but perform the same and have the THX audio as well.

Otherwise, in terms of overall sound, the Nommo V2 Pro speakers are powerful with a huge bass presence if desired. They can also turn their hand to a range of musical genres, and work great for movies and games, though they don’t offer the most sophisticated sound for certain types of music.

Overall, though, for a premium gaming speaker, the Razer Nommo V2 Pro offers great sound with a small footprint if you put the subwoofer on the floor, along with the convenience of wireless connections. Notably, these speakers are also currently regularly discounted to between $350 and $400. They offer better value at that price, although the wired Nommo V2 is still a better deal.

Alternatives

Razer Nommo V2

Get all the audio performance and RGB fun of the Nommo V2 Pro but for nearly half the price. Your only loss is the move to a wired rather than wireless subwoofer, and the switch to on-speaker controls rather than a wireless remote.

Edifier S350DB

For much better overall sound and build quality with several more connection options, the Edifier S350DB is a fantastic choice. These speakers also look great and include a wireless remote all for $400. You miss out on RGB lighting, virtual surround sound, and software game-specific profiles, though, so they’re more for general use than the peak of gaming audio.