The Nari Essential is a great Razer headset, hands down. The black plastic ear cups are large and circular, with Razer logos on the back panels. They don’t light up like on the Nari Ultimate, they’re simply engraved. The round memory foam ear cups are covered with leatherette on the inner and outer sides, and a softer, more breathable fabric on top, where they rest against the ears and sides of the head. All connections and controls are located on the bottom and back edge of the left earpiece, and consist of a power button, a micro USB port for charging, an indicator light and a volume control. The boom microphone is also located on the left earpiece. It is a black cylindrical capsule mounted on a flexible arm that swings up to rest against the side of the earpiece when not in use. The earcups are mounted on circular rings that allow them to rotate slightly up and down, regardless of the flexibility of the headband. The headband has a two-piece design, with an upper section made of two thin black aluminum strips for structure, and a lower section made of padding mounted on a wire suspension. The suspended padding provides a secure and comfortable fit, and the earcup fabric allows for long listening sessions without your ears getting too hot. The included USB transmitter is a simple rectangular piece of black plastic that can be mistaken for any USB drive. There are no lights or buttons on it, only a raised Razer logo on top. The Nari Essential works wirelessly with PCs and PlayStation 4 consoles; it doesn’t work with the Xbox One X, and it doesn’t have a wired connection option. According to Razer, the headset can last up to 16 hours before needing to be recharged. The Nari Essential can deliver admirable power in the low frequencies. When playing our bass test track, “Silent Shout” by The Knife, the headphones show no distortion, even at maximum (and dangerous) volume levels. Bass drum hits sounded good, without any sizzle.
