Razer’s Leviathan V2 Pro soundbar follows your head to optimize sound
Soundbars may not be the audio system of choice for most desktop setups, but Razer is trying to offer a new one for people who don’t want to mess around with headsets or finicky surround sound systems. The popular gaming technology company has just announced the Leviathan V2 Pro at CES 2023, the latest addition to its existing range of soundbars designed to provide compact, unobtrusive audio for PC gamers.
Created in collaboration with THX and Audioscenic, Razer claims the Leviathan V2 Pro can envelop a user in “3D audio” by combining beamforming surround sound with head-tracking AI technology. A built-in IR camera can detect the position of the user, allowing the soundbar to optimize sound by adjusting the audio beams in real time to the position of the listener.
Two modes are available for the 3D audio function: THX Spatial Audio Virtual Headset for stereo content that supposedly mimics positional audio typically found in headsets and THX Spatial Audio Virtual Speakers for multi-channel audio that fills a room like a home theater system. Since this is a Razer product, it also comes with customizable Chroma RGB lighting effects in 30 different lighting zones – dwarfing the 18 zones you get on the standard Leviathan V2 soundbar.
The soundbar connects to a computer through a single USB-C connection
The Razer Leviathan V2 Pro also comes with a subwoofer to enhance bass. On the back of the soundbar is a dedicated 3.5mm input for the subwoofer, 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 connect it wirelessly to your computer or mobile device.
Aside from interesting features and funky lighting, pricing will be the hardest sell for the Leviathan V2 Pro. Starting at $399.99, it’s significantly more expensive than both the standard Leviathan V2 ($249.99) and Leviathan V2 X ($99.99), but at least you get more ports with this latest model. The inclusion of the 3.5mm headphone jack (which is missing from both of the other Leviathan models) is nice, but the lack of HDMI input and HDMI output/ARC port is a bit disappointing at this price point.
The Leviathan V2 Pro will be on sale from February 2023 (if you have deep enough pockets for the purchase).