NZXT Relay: A Complete Look at the Full System
Introduction
The NZXT Relay audio system is a full line of audio products. It has a headset, a DAC/stand, and a speaker set with a subwoofer. On their own, these products perform perfectly fine, but originally they were designed to work together. I reviewed all of the Relay components, and in this article, I’ll share my thoughts on how the complete system feels and performs so that you can make an informed decision if you’re on the fence regarding buying the entire set.
The Concept Behind the NZXT Relay System
Gamers who use a mixture of speakers and headsets (or other audio products) will know how painful that can get. Constantly having to change the audio source in your Windows settings perhaps isn’t the most time-consuming thing, but it can get awfully annoying.
NZXT’s Relay system is designed to take away all of the fiddling and inconvenience that comes with using multiple audio products. The headset, speakers, and SwitchMix are all designed to communicate seamlessly. Pick up the headset and it automatically becomes your audio output; place it back on the stand and your speakers take over. If you want to tweak or change anything, you can do all of that in NZXT’s CAM app.
Of course tons of companies have an overarching customization program, but I’m not aware of many companies that offer this seamless experience with their hardware, so it’s cool to see what NZXT is trying to achieve here.
The Individual Components
I’ll briefly go over the individual NZXT Relay components and discuss their features. I have reviews for each individual product, so if you want a more in-depth look at these products and how they perform on their own, you can read those as well. I reviewed the Relay Headset and SwitchMix in one review, and the Relay Speakers and subwoofer in another.
The Relay Headset
The Relay Headset is a straightforward, minimalist product that’s well built. It’s lightweight and comfortable for longer sessions, though you should note that the ear cushions aren’t very breathable.
Sound quality is solid, but not exceptional. The 40mm drivers provide clear mids and highs, which is good for gaming where positional audio matters. Bass performance is somewhat lacking, though. If you like booming beats, this probably won’t suit you all too well.
The detachable microphone sounds good for its purpose. It’s more than sufficient for game callouts and short calls with your friends or colleagues.
In short, the Relay headset is a decent headset that doesn’t really bring anything groundbreaking to the table. It’s quite simply a decent gaming headset.
The Relay Speakers
The Relay speakers can be bought with or without the subwoofer, but as far as I’m concerned they aren’t complete without it. Without the subwoofer, the speakers sound really nice and defined in the mid and higher registers, but there’s a definite lack of bass. Adding the subwoofer greatly improves the overall sound output of the Relay speakers and makes them sound a lot fuller, but it never quite gets into that ‘basshead’ territory.
The speakers are well-built and look extremely clean and sleek. Because they’re meant to be used as a component of NZXT’s Relay system, they don’t have controls on the front though, which can be limiting if you’re not hooking them up to the SwitchMix.
All in all, the Relay Speakers are a very sleek-looking sound upgrade for your desktop. Due to their wide soundstage and good audio quality, they’ll work for all applications, from gaming to content consumption.
The SwitchMix
If there’s one part of the NZXT Relay system that really helps the whole idea come to life, it’s the SwitchMix. Technically, it’s a DAC and a headset stand, but there’s a lot more going on under the hood.
The stand, for instance, is pressure-sensitive. This means that the moment you pick up your headset, your audio switches to the headset. Then, when you put the headset back on the stand, your speakers automatically take over. This all happens automatically. No clicking around Windows menus, no manually changing outputs.
There’s also a volume wheel on the SwitchMix, and a voice/chat balance slider. So in essence, the SwitchMix is kind of like the brains of the system. What’s interesting is that it’s agnostic. You do not need to use NZXT-branded products in order to get this to work. However, you should note that connectivity options are limited. There’s only a 3.5mm input jack for the headphones, for example, so if you want to connect a USB headset in order to enjoy the magic of the SwitchMix, that won’t work unless you get an adapter.
In terms of audio quality, it’s quite decent. It’s a good DAC that offers good sound quality. It won’t rival true audiophile-oriented DACs, but it’s also not nearly as expensive as those.
Microphones
NZXT also creates microphones, but these are technically not part of the Relay sound system. Still, if you want your audio setup to all be under the same brand umbrella, you can get yourself an NZXT mic. If you want to learn more about the microphones, you can read my full reviews on the Capsule Elite and the Capsule Mini.
How Everything Works Together
Ease of Use
Once you’ve connected all of the components together, the magic starts to happen. For context, I am someone who switches between headset/IEM and speakers multiple times each day. Normally, I have a shortcut set up to handle the switching, since I find going into the sound settings every time to be a hassle. That shortcut makes things easier, but nothing is quite as easy as using the SwitchMix.
The moment you take the headset off of the stand, the speakers go quiet and the audio starts playing through the headset. The reverse is also true. There’s nothing you need to configure or adjust: this just works out of the box. After getting used to this system, I found going back to other setups to be annoying and cumbersome.
And then there’s also the fact that you can handle the audio levels right there on the SwitchMix. The big volume wheel feels pleasant to use, and the game/voice slider is another neat addition. People who want in-depth customization of their audio might find the Relay setup to be too basic, but if you’re looking for a massively convenient solution to handle audio switching, this is the way to go.
I do really hope that other brands take note and start figuring out systems like these for their own peripherals.
Performance
The ease of use that the Relay system offers is amazing, and there’s nothing quite like it as far as I know. Sadly, the same cannot be said about the individual components. Don’t get me wrong: they’re not bad or anything. But the headset, for example, really doesn’t stand out in any way. It’s decent, and nothing more. The speakers are comparatively more impressive, but they’re also not anything groundbreaking. The power of the Relay system is in the sum of its parts, but the parts themselves aren’t massively impressive. Decent-to-good, but that’s it.
Does that really matter? Perhaps not. And, as mentioned, the SwitchMix (the magic ingredient) is agnostic, so you don’t have to use NZXT’s headset. Still, it would’ve been nice to see the quality of the individual components (especially the headset) be a bit higher. After all, if you’re going to invest in the Relay sound system, you’re looking at spending quite a significant amount of money.
With that said: I am absolutely impressed by the convenience that the Relay system offers, so it’ll be exciting to see how NZXT can improve this concept with future releases. I really hope that they keep building on this idea, and I hope other brands take note.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, the Relay system nails the part that I think mattered most when they created this line of products: convenience. Once everything’s plugged in, you don’t have to think about your audio anymore. For someone like me, who is constantly switching between speakers and a headset throughout the day, this is pretty much the handiest solution I’ve ever used. Just lift the headset, and you’re good to go. Drop it back down, and you’re back on speakers. Volume can be arranged via the satisfying volume dial on the SwitchMix. I find this to be amazingly simple and convenient.
Sadly, the individual pieces aren’t groundbreaking. The headset is decent, the speakers are good but not mind-blowing, and the DAC is good. That’s perhaps all you need, but for me the major selling point is the convenience of it all. If you’re not interested in any of that and you want a huge audio upgrade, you’re better off looking at other options, since the entire Relay system will set you back a pretty penny.
And that’s kind of the gist for me. If you look at what this system costs at MSRP, you’re pricing out a lot of casual users. People who really care about audio quality would most likely gravitate towards more audiophile-oriented brands, and more casual users would go for something more affordable. So for me, it would be a good idea to release some new Relay products in the future. Perhaps a more premium headset, or a more affordable, less high-end set of speakers.
As of right now, I really love the main idea behind this line of products (making life a lot more convenient on the audio front) but the execution falls short in some ways. The SwitchMix is agnostic though, so if you like the idea behind it, you can definitely get it and use it without having an all-NZXT setup.
With all of that said, I do have a soft spot for this product line. I hope this pushes more companies to start thinking like this, and I hope NZXT expands on this idea in the future. Once you’ve gotten used to this kind of seamless setup, going back to manually switching audio devices feels surprisingly annoying.
You can check out the NZXT Relay products on their website.
