Razer as a brand is known more as an innovator in the gaming industry, but it seems the company is looking at expanding into other territories. The Adaro In-Ears is the first product from Razer, which is geared for audiophiles and music listening, rather than for gamers. But in a market chock-full of options from more reputed audio companies, is Razer a good option? Let’s take a look at their maiden music effort.
Design and build
Neon green, a colour that says Razer as much as its logo, and it’s present in spades on the Adaro In-Ears. The straight flat cable is fully covered in neon green rubber, which keeps tangling to a minimum, but the colour ensure you will have plenty of people staring at you when you are putting them on. Razer’s branding is only seen on the top of the housing, which is heavier than the first look suggests.
At the end of the long 1.3 metre cable is a right-angled 3.5mm audio jack that should be great for smartphones and music players, and is also ideal for desktops which don’t have a jack on the front. The angled jack holds on to the port on the device firmly and there was no slippage on our Nexus 4. Thanks to the extra length, the cable would get snagged on my hands or bag when walking briskly. So it’s advisable to clip it to your shirt. The audio jack is also gold-plated, which should keep it free from corrosion for a while.
The body housing the 10mm drivers is supposedly milled from aircraft grade aluminium and has chamfered edges, like we have seen on the iPhone or HTC One. There’s no mistaking the premium build of the Adaro and it’s quite sturdy too, which adds a lot of assurance when using them daily, especially in Mumbai trains. The housing has a raised back outside, with a larger chamber underneath, and then another step down, followed by a slope towards the tip. We have to admit that despite the premium quality materials, the earphones themselves seem stocky and fat.
Package
The Adaro In-Ears package has three interchangeable ear-tips with Bi-flanges, but neither really fit my ears perfectly. In fact, after a couple of days of trying them out, I swapped them out for a foam pair that did much better. Of course, a lot of the comfort is down to personal choice and quirks, so there’s never one that fits all. There are three sizes to choose from and you should probably find one that’s right for you. In any case this is far from the deal-breaker for the Adaro In-Ears. Razer also throws in a mesh cloth carrying case, that has a hard top.
Audio quality
Sound isolation is spot on, making the Adaro an excellent companion for your daily commute. This pair leans towards bass retention, without sacrificing wearing comfort. There was never a day when we felt fatigue after wearing them. The earphone sits deep in your ear with the stock tips, which makes for a very immersive experience, if the right song is playing.
This particular pair has 10mm neodymium drivers and Razer sings high praise for the bass and highs. That’s almost deserved too. Bass is excellent; with the Adaro on, you will not miss the thump. Tracks from MIA’s Matangi and Arctic Monkeys’ AM were superb, for example, with the In-Ears easily conveying the high-tempo.
While bass-heads will be more than happy with this pair, if you are hoping for the same brilliant performance in highs and mids, you will be disappointed. The Adaro In-Ears don’t have a wide soundstage. Individual instruments don’t always shine through. Mids were satisfactory, though not crisp or prominent enough to be spoken of at a great length. Though the highs are not as great as the bass, we were generally pleased with the Adaro In-Ears when it came to music by Muse or Arctic Monkeys. There’s very little shrillness and the amount of detail is good, though not great.
We found the performance to be a bit amiss in some songs, especially, where a lot of instrumentation is heard. Such as during Arcade Fire’s Awful Sound (no pun intended), where the multi-instrument arrangement devolves into cacophonous noise. The Adaro In-Ears are just not flexible enough for such madness, but this was more of an exception rather than the norm. Overall, we were pleased with performance for casual listening.
Verdict and price
In a nutshell, the Adaro In-Ears are a pretty decent pair of earphones for bass-heads and gamers on the move, but are certainly not an option if you are an audiophile. Razer’s first effort is good, but falls short as we wished they had a leaner sound and better tonal balance.
In a nutshell, the Adaro In-Ears are a pretty decent pair of earphones for bass-heads and gamers on the move, but are certainly not an option if you are an audiophile. Razer’s first effort is good, but falls short as we wished they had a leaner sound and better tonal balance.
The aesthetics and build are great, and it looks spiffy in neon green. If only they sounded leaner, and we would have been OK with its high price tag of Rs 7,499. At the moment, we are shelling out so much for superb bass clarity, but not the same great performance otherwise.
However, we suggest that you check out options such as the dual-driver Sony XBA H1, which is available for Rs 6,990 officially, or the equally good Koss KDX 200, which is available for around the same price, and is also known to have just as strong a bass response. The Razer Adaro In-Ears are good, but lose out on value for money and overall sound quality. They are great for the daily commute or the trip to the jogging track, but if you are a serious listener, you will find better, and possibly cheaper, options elsewhere.
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