NZXT Relay Headset, SwitchMix, Speakers & Relay Subwoofer Review

Performance

Some of it’s black, and some of it is white, but overall, the NZXT Relay series looks pretty damn fantastic when you put it all together. However, I do think all these products look great on their own, so even if you only wanted the headset, speakers, or the sub, they’ll be a nice addition to your setup.

I love how the stand, mixer and headset all work together with the speakers and the sub can connect to the speakers too. Basically, you just need one line out from your PC and the whole ecosystem works within its own chain. Now, let’s get these samples out of the sun and back into the office for some real testing!

Actually, a day or two has passed since I was in the garden, as I was rebuilding much of my workspace with new foams, lighting and much more from my friends at Streamplify. However, while that is looking pretty fantastic, it’s seriously complimented by these new NZXT speakers, that really blend well with the already very monochrome desktop setup I have, only making any colourful elements like my monitor pop all the more vibrantly.

Setup was easy enough, they’re just speakers at the end of the day, but how they’re wired up is very important if you’re using the whole ecosystem. The subwoofer and right speaker connect to the left speaker, which is also connected to the mains to power its built-in power amp.

The speakers are joined together by wired terminals, allowing you to use longer wires to get more reach should you need it.

However, the left speaker uses a 3.5mm cable to connect to the SwitchMix base unit, as does the Relay Headset and the switch at the top. However, the SwitchMix base connects to your PC using a Type-C cable, but remember to set your PC to output the full 24-bit 96kHz mode too, if it doesn’t do so automatically. One trick I do like is that while the headset sits on the micro switch, the volume wheel sets the speaker volume, when it’s lifted, it sets the headset volume, which is independent of each other should you want loudspeakers and quiet headphones, for example.

the whole thing does look pretty wonderful though, but honestly, the sound is a class above your typical PC speakers. The high-resolution sound, and the distortion-free performance even at their frankly significant maximum volume… sorry to the folks next door who got a near gig-level rendition of Yard Acts 100% Endurance… well, not that sorry, it sounded bloody fantastic.

The speakers do support stands, but they look great sitting on your desk. I’d be tempted to get some wedges to angle them up, but honestly, they are not overly directional and sound just as good pointing straight forwards. The robust quality means that even at full volume, these speakers didn’t budge at all, no unwanted vibrations and even my Lego model stayed still, very impressive stuff.

The sound quality is very good, with a lot of detail in the entire range. There’s good bass if you need it, with a little EQ, but they are designed to work with a subwoofer, and adding that into the mix really transforms them. I set the cross-over to the lowest setting, then turn it back up a bit (there are no numbers marked) and put the sub to max volume. Honestly, it sounds great, with lots of low-end thump, but a bright and detailed sound overall even on songs with purposely muddy bass like Dune – Hardcore Vives it sounds warm and inviting. Plus, the sub is nice and tight too, responding to both fast bass sounds such as the extreme drumming on Slaughter to Prevails Baba Yaga, and slow sweeping curve sounds really well. The bass of Aphex Twin’s Xtal was thunderous and detailed, even sociable lower volumes, and boy did it sound good, both heavy and soothing as that album should be. The acoustic guitar on Steve Vai’s Sisters sounded as good as having the guitar in front of me, having experienced that first-hand myself.

As for the headset, well, it’s just as bright and punchy as the speakers actually, it sounded very open despite its actually closed-back design. The bass seems a little lacking, but honestly, I think the powerful subwoofer has spoilt me with its capabilities more than anything. For discord chatter, it sounded very natural though, and the microphone is nice and clear too, but broadly sounded about the same as any other £100-ish headset these days.

I love this switch though, it’s a light pressure plate, and the moment the headset is up, it switches the speakers to mute and enables the headset, a properly neat party trick and I love it.

The mixer allows you to mix your Discord and game audio, which is great, but also there’s a volume wheel for the speakers or if the headset is engaged, it controls the headset volume, and they can each be set to your taste, but there’s also a volume wheel on the headset should you need it or use it on a console, mobile, etc.

The mixer looks great though and the controls are all nicely designed with a tactile bump and a click on the wheel, and there’s a notch on the middle position for the slider so you can easily find the centre too.

Tap the wheel, and it mutes, turning the LEDs red.