NZXT enters the audio equipment market with its Relay series. NZXT relies on its well-known simple and chic design, paired with high performance.
One of the first models in this series are the NZXT Relay SPEAKERS. This is a stereo / 2.1 speaker system for the desk. At first glance, this looks very exciting.
In contrast to the models of other “gaming” manufacturers, NZXT relies on a significantly worse and “more noble” design. I like this one very much!
But how does it look in practice? Do the speakers not only look good, do they sound good too? Let’s find out!
At this point many thanks to NZXT for providing the Relay SPEAKERS.
Die NZXT Relay SPEAKERS im Test
One of the most important elements of the NZXT Relay SPEAKERS is the design. NZXT is known for its super simple and clean design, which they also implement with the Relay SPEAKER.
The speakers are available in matt white and black. These are super simple but smartly built. We have a housing made of MDF wood which is kept in the typical rectangular shape.
On the front we find two drivers, a tweeter and a bass/midrange driver.
But what surprised me was the dimensions. The Relay SPEAKERS are comparatively small and narrow at 115 x 186 x 160 mm.
For example, the Wavemaster TWO NEO, which is currently on my desk and has a similar design, is a good deal larger at 185 x 260 x 205 mm.
Of course, this has advantages and disadvantages. It’s easier to sound good with larger speakers, but of course they take up valuable desk space.
But here we come to a major point of criticism, the connections and controls.
First, all connections but also attached the control buttons on the back! This is beyond annoying as there is no remote control. If you want to switch on the loudspeakers or adjust the volume, you have to reach behind the loudspeaker each time.
On the connection side, we also have exactly a couple of analog cinch connections and a 3.5mm jack. That was it!
The NZXT Relay SPEAKERS have no digital audio inputs.
After all, the connection between the right and left speaker takes place via normal speaker cable, so you don’t need a special cable like with the Edifier Studio R1700BT.
Optional mit Subwoofer
NZXT also offers a subwoofer for the Relay SPEAKERS, the Relay Subwoofer. This is a 211 x 254 x 312.5 mm “block”.
But this is not a bad thing, especially with a subwoofer, because a lot of volume always has a positive effect on the bass.
Here we have a 140W amplifier and a 6.5 inch driver. This is already very neat!
Klang der NZXT Relay SPEAKERS
Let’s get to the most exciting part, how the NZXT Relay SPEAKERS sound. First of all, the speakers have a very minimalist design, we don’t have any treble or bass adjustment.
If you want to adjust the sound of the speakers, you have to do this using the software on your sound card.
The NZXT Relay SPEAKERS sound pretty neutral by default, which almost surprised me.
The highs of the Relay SPEAKERS are good, but not overly sharp or harsh. These strike a good balance of brilliance and softness. The highs could be a touch sharper for my taste, but that’s my personal preference and can easily be adjusted with an EQ.
The mids, on the other hand, are impeccable. Voices and singing are reproduced very well and sound natural and understandable.
The bass is a bit heavier. The bass from the speakers is ok, but not much more. The speakers are clearly better than notebook speakers and simple Bluetooth speakers, but these aren’t bass bombers! The Relay SPEAKERS are less powerful, especially in the deep bass.
In my opinion, these speakers lack a bass/treble control. If I adjust the treble and bass using an EQ (via the software on my sound card), they sound a good bit more powerful and lively.
In general, I would say that they sound good for the very compact dimensions, but they are compact speakers that don’t take up much space on the desk.
The subwoofer makes the speakers much better!
NZXT offers an optional subwoofer for the Relay SPEAKERS. This subwoofer is very good for the speakers!
The subwoofer completely eliminates the weakness in the depth of the Relay SPEAKERS. Excitingly, the subwoofer is also more trimmed to “quality” over quantity.
There are “gaming” loudspeakers with subwoofers that start booming with the smallest bass, this is less the case here.
The subwoofer works wonderfully in the support role and offers a 1A sound with great depth and volume.
You can turn up the subwoofer a bit and it can really rock, especially at higher volumes, but it is generally very well matched to the speakers and does not push itself too much into the foreground.
Conclusion
The conclusion about the Relay SPEAKERS is a bit more difficult. We have beautiful and very compact computer speakers here.
However, the compactness is both a curse and a blessing. Especially if you don’t have much space on your desk, compact speakers are great! However, this naturally leads to limitations in terms of sound.
The Relay SPEAKERS are a bit weaker, especially in the deep bass range. Not entirely unexpected given the compact dimensions.
These are simply small and snazzy speakers that don’t take up much space and are a sleek upgrade to monitor built-in speakers or the like.
For this reason, I would primarily recommend the Relay SPEAKERS in a set with the NZXT subwoofer. This is of top quality and wonderfully matched to the speakers! This has a great depth and is excellently integrated into the sound of the loudspeakers.
Without the subwoofer, the speakers are also good for simple applications, but for real “music/movie” enjoyment I consider the subwoofer to be essential. If you want loudspeakers without a subwoofer for real music enjoyment, then you have to use models like the Wavemaster TWO NEO, which, due to the higher volume, can do very well without a subwoofer.
What I really have to criticize is the lack of digital inputs and that the volume wheel is on the back. The latter is no drama, you just turn it up quite a bit and then control the volume under Windows, but it still seems a bit impractical.
Still, the bottom line is that the NZXT Relay SPEAKERS are nice speakers if you’re looking for something compact and stylish, although I’d definitely recommend a subwoofer for real music enjoyment.