Razer Nommo Pro review

How much are you willing to spend on PC peripherals? That’s the driving rhetorical question at the heart of whether you’ll be immediately turned off by the Razer Nommo Pro. Because at an RRP of $999.95—and, no, that’s not a typo—these 2.1 gaming speakers ask a lot of your wallet. That said, this high-end sound system also gives a lot. So if viewed as an investment in big bass, crystal-clear mids and terrific treble, this may not be such a detractor.

While they’re not the easiest PC speakers to shift between devices, there is also some fantastic versatility that comes with that steep price point, too: namely, connections via USB, optical, 3.5mm cables or wirelessly via Bluetooth. Connecting via USB to a PC means automatic downloading of Razer Synapse software for straightforward EQ tweaks and, ultimately, plug-and-play access to big, beautiful sound.

The chances are good, though, that if you have a chance to try these bad boys before you buy them, you’ll love what you hear.

This was mentioned above but it’s worth repeating, and we hope you’re sitting down: the Razer Nommo Pro has an RRP of $999.95 in Australia. Thankfully, you can get it for cheaper than that RRP; just check out our pricing table below.

The Razer Nommo Pro comes well packaged with all the bits and cables you need to get up and aurally immersed. You’ll find the downward-firing subwoofer, dual full-range speakers (with top-mounted tweeters) and a suitably weighty audio control pod that sits comfortably on a flat surface. Outside of basic documentation, which really isn’t needed if you’ve set up speakers before), there’s also all the cables you need: optical, 3.5mm audio, USB-A to USB-B, and a decent-length power cord. It would have been great to have a remote included for this price but, in fairness, there is a way around that.

I’ve been a big fan of investing in quality PC speakers since I forked out a lot of money for Logitech’s original 5.1 THX-certified home theatre many, many moons ago. Fast-forward to more recent times and I’ve been through several passive PC speakers, bouncing between Klipsch and Logitech brands. As someone who spends a lot of my day listening to various things on my PC—music while I’m writing, playing single-player games, as well as various YouTube videos—I’ve never minded paying extra for quality sound.

While I, likely like you, balked at the steep asking price for the Nommo Pro that Razer sent me to review, the sound was immediately impressive. But let’s not get too far ahead just yet. About 18 months ago when one of my Klipsch speakers died, I bought Logitech Z906 5.1 speakers for my PC, figuring I’d invest in the 5.1 option if, like my original speaker Logitech speaker system, I wanted the option to shift them to TV use someday.

I like the Z906 speakers because they slot neatly under my triple-monitor setup: either horizontally if I want to push my monitors lower or vertically if I don’t mind raising the monitor stands a bit. I’m flagging this because the Nommo Pro speakers are comparatively giant, almost double the height of the Z906 speakers in vertical configuration.

Additionally, the Nommo Pro speakers are designed to only sit vertically, meaning you can’t get fancy with shifting them sideways to get them beneath monitors (well, you technically can, but you shouldn’t). I may be a rare use-case with three monitors, but dual monitors are increasingly common, and if you want to position the Nommo Pro speakers correctly—equidistance apart, ideally angled towards where you sit—you’re likely going to have to do some desk rearranging or propping up of your monitor(s). Those with one desktop monitor or a single laptop screen have a much easier configuration time.

Size gripes aside, the Razer Nommo Pro is a cinch to get going. There’s even a three-step guide printed on the top of the box contents, which was all I needed to get going. Outside of ensuring you place the left and right speakers correctly after connecting them, there aren’t any tricks here as every other relevant cable has its own unique port. Just find somewhere to house the rather tall subwoofer (lofty compared to the usually chubby chaps), plonk the audio control pod on your desk within reach and you’re good to go.

It’s also worth downloading the Razer Nommo Pro app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to control power, volume, mute, lighting, input as well as THX and Dolby settings. If you’re curious, this Bluetooth connection between Nommo Pro and smartphone can work while audio playback is happening via Bluetooth to another device. It’s also worth flagging that the power button doubles as a mute button: tap to mute or unmute and hold for longer to power off.

For comparison, the table below showcases comparable specs for the Razer Nommo Pro and Logitech G560.

I hinted at it before but it’s worth repeating: you’ll get the buzz about the Razer Nommo Pro 2.1 gaming speakers when you do your first audio test. Whether it’s listening to Hans Zimmer’s beautiful Interstellar soundtrack, playing through an explosive section of Battlefield V or watching the latest Dune trailer, the Nommo Pro offers big sound, even at lower volumes. I listen to a lot of the same classical music as part of my workday, and I’m hearing new layers to tracks that I’ve played hundreds of times before.

More impressively, even when you up the volume, that big sound comes free of distortion and the associated rattling that tends to come with a subwoofer on. For years, I’ve been used to having a subwoofer neutered to the lowest possible volume or disabled entirely because of how they tend to vibrate and rattle in a way that makes sound feel louder and more obnoxious than is dictated by the volume. As someone who shares an apartment, using a subwoofer in the past has been a quick ticket to angry stares or opposite-of-muted complaints.

I don’t know whether it’s the downward-firing subwoofer or some other Razer alchemy, but the Nommo Pro has happily reintroduced full-bodied bass back into my soundscape. It’s not just the lows that impress, either, but the highs care of the tweeters placed distinctly at the top of each speaker, most notably when it comes to separating dialogue from other competing noises on the soundscape. As you’d hope at this price point, the mids are equally impressive, with the overall result being a range and depth of sound that often make me shake my head at the Dali speakers currently flanking my TV.

Being able to quickly switch between inputs is a great touch, even if you absolutely should use USB for the computer side of things so you can RGB tweak lighting (a nice subtle touch at the bottom of the speakers), EQ or THX/Dolby settings via Razer Synapse 3. Bluetooth is a great inclusion, both for smartphone playback controls and connectivity versatility, but I was disappointed that the Nommo Pro didn’t want to sync with my Logitech Harmony Elite universal remote. Also, there’s occasionally a slight audio delay via Bluetooth, which you may notice in dialogue scenes when the lip-syncing is slightly out.

Still, that’s what wired connections are for. Also, in fairness, Razer does only list PC and Mac as compatible systems, but the addition of an optical port means you can viably connect the Nommo Pro speaker setup to a TV, as long as you don’t mind using your smartphone as a remote control.

For PC users, get used to wanting to revisit things with bigger, bolder sound just to send shivers down your spine. I found this easily enough by rewatching the Top Gun: Maverick trailer and the Death Star trench run from A New Hope. Speaking of Star Wars, Nommo Pro unlocks a cinematic appreciation for lightsabers in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and the kick of blaster fire in Star Wars Battlefront II. Much like what controller vibration brought to the feel of firing guns in games, Nommo Pro adds a similar level of aural oomph to bombastic games that’s always impressive.

I recently invested in a 4K monitor to up screen fidelity care of an impressive Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti graphics card upgrade. Dead pixels notwithstanding, I don’t mind the initial investment because I intend on keeping this monitor for years. It’s a similar case with the Razer Nommo Pro: if you’re willing to invest in a product that hopefully lasts for years, your ears will thank you. Outside of the steep asking price and some odd quirks, the Razer Nommo Pro is an investment in sound quality that you’ll likely appreciate every time you hear the less impressive sound of other PC speakers.