NZXT’S RELAY SPEAKERS AND SUBWOOFER PACK

NZXT's relay speakers and subwoofer pack big sound in small sizes. 

NZXT, a company perhaps best known for its PC cases, has recently launched a campaign to completely take over your desktop and displace any other brand logos that might be within your sightline. 

The most recent move on this front is the Transfer environment, an assortment of sound items that incorporates a gaming headset, a sound blender, and headset stand, and presently a 2.1-channel work area speaker framework containing the just however suitably named NZXT Hand-off Speakers (accessible at Amazon for $219.99) and NZXT Hand-off Subwoofer.

 Don't be fooled by the different prices and SKUs; Since the small speakers themselves are insufficient to provide the bass required for a satisfying listening experience with your preferred music, movie, or video game, they should be considered part of a single system along with the subwoofer. However, when combined, this small system packs a surprisingly powerful punch.

Price Information for the NZXT Relay Speakers and Relay Subwoofer: 

Speakers for Relay: $250; Subwoofer Relay: $150

Size: Speakers for Relay: 7.32 in. (186 mm) by 4.53 in. (115 mm) by 6.26 in. Subwoofer Relay: 10" (254 mm) x 8.31" (211 mm) x 12.3" (312.5 mm)

Weight: Speakers for Relay: 3.5 lb (1.6 kg); Subwoofer Relay: 10.8 lb (4.9 kg)

Intensification: Speakers for Relay: 80 watts total, 40 watts peak per channel; Subwoofer Relay: Peak power: 140 watts Wireless connection: Connection via wire: Inputs: TRS, RCA; Outputs: speaker terminals, subwoofer Warranty: Two years old, each Relay Speaker has a 20 mm soft-dome tweeter for high frequencies and a 3-inch (76.2 mm) glass fiber woofer for midrange and bass frequencies. It is just 7.32 inches (186 mm) tall and 4.53 inches (115 mm) wide.

A 6.5-inch down-firing paper cone is housed in a bass-reflex enclosure that is just 10 inches tall and just over 8 inches wide on the subwoofer. To put it another way, unless you live under a staircase, you shouldn't use this speaker system with your TV. It is quite small, even by desktop standards.

Having said that, in a nearfield setup, the speakers and subwoofer produce a dynamic sound that is rich, surprising well-balanced, and pleasant to surprise. The system is suitable for any kind of desktop audio because the frequency response is not ruler flat and has not been tuned or altered with any particular genre in mind. The little bookshelf speakers, in particular, have a beautiful finish, nicely rounded corners, and a rubber bass that not only adds some no-slip functionality but also mechanically isolates the speakers so they won't rattle your desk. The speakers are also beautifully designed. The speaker and subwoofer output mismatch and the absence of controls that can be accessed from the front are both a little annoying.

What we like: Well-balanced sound and clear imaging The NZXT Relay Speakers sound a little bright right out of the box, but that's only because they don't have a subwoofer. From 80Hz or somewhere in the vicinity (very near the least note a cello can play) up to the most elevated frequencies, the apparent equilibrium is sensibly impartial, with the exception of somewhat of a break in the midrange and another plunge very near where the tweeter and woofer hybrid at 1,600Hz.

Therefore, if you play a song with very little bass, like "Fearless" from Pink Floyd's Meddle, their masterpiece before Dark Side, you probably won't feel like you're missing much.

For speakers in this price range, the soundstage is shockingly large, imaging is excellent, and the sound has nice dynamics and depth. Load up something with somewhat more bass, however — like the enduring audiophile test track, Tracy Chapman's "Quick Vehicle" — and the bass begins to sound blocked and packed, also a piece misshaped.

By simply plugging in the Relay Subwoofer with the included RCA cable, the Relay Speakers automatically activate a crossover to alleviate some of the strain on the tiny three-inch woofer. "Fast Car" suddenly sounds rich and full-bodied, has a nice bottom end, no resonances are audible, has good detail, and has noticeable dynamics.

Keep in mind that the sub is only designed to deliver frequencies down to 45 Hz, so you won't get deep, gut-churning bass when listening to hip-hop or Björk music. However, we've tested much larger speakers and subwoofers that didn't produce sound this robust and balanced.

Still, the Relay Subwoofer was more than enough to give action games like Doom Eternal the right amount of oomph and kick without artificially raising the mids like some computer speakers do. However, it really stood out when it came to games that heavily rely on atmospheric music for their impact—such as, Civilization VI or Baldur's Gate 3 by Sid Meier

The subwoofer and speakers work well together. Getting good sound out of such a small system can be difficult because there is often a gap between the sonic frequencies covered by the subwoofer and the speakers themselves. This makes it harder to make the deception that you're paying attention to bigger, full-range speakers.

On the other hand, the NZXT Relay system works well together, making it hard to tell where the speakers stop working and where the subwoofer takes over on the low end. The first track from Björk's Vespertine, "Hidden Place," is a good test for this because the beats and bassline mostly play in the 70-100 Hz range. This means that the speakers and sub bounce back and forth like a pickleball between the song's deepest and hardest-hitting parts. You can hear this handoff when it is handled poorly. It's almost effortless with the Relay system.

The speakers look smooth and feel great fabricated

With their matte completion, adjusted corners, uncovered drivers, and absence of noticeable controls, the little Transfer Speakers are magnificently moderate and good looking, and doubly so in white. Except for a single white LED on the left speaker, there are no illumination effects, branding, or odd accents—nothing that would distract from their sleek design or detract from it.

You could also put the subwoofer behind your monitor or behind one of the speakers rather than shoving it under your desk or in the corner because it is so small.

What we don't like is how expensive the system is. The tiny Relay speakers only play down to about 80 Hz, which is about the deepest note a cello can play, and they quickly run out of power below that point. Therefore, you will need to include the NZXT Relay Sub in order to listen to almost any kind of music.

By that point, the situation cost is right at $400, which would get you some truly pleasant work area screen speakers, large numbers of which needn't bother with a different subwoofer to play as profoundly. The total for the complete setup rises to $630 when you factor in the SwitchMix stand and mixer and the $100 Relay headset.

The result of the sub and speakers doesn't coordinate

As referenced over, it's adequately simple to get the shelf speakers and sub to coordinate well sonically. However, in a typical desktop setup, that will cause the 140-watt subwoofer's volume to be close to its maximum and the 40-watt per channel speakers' back panel volume to be nearly null.

The Relay Speakers were able to easily fill a room measuring 10 by 12 feet, but the subwoofer needed to be within three or four feet for it to be effective when testing this system from a distance.

The NZXT Relay system's connectivity is very straightforward, in contrast to many desktop speaker systems' limited controls and connectivity. A 3.5mm aux audio input and stereo RCA input are included. No USB, no optical — no advanced contributions of any sort.

Maybe that is on the grounds that the organization means for the speakers and sub to be utilized with its $130 SwitchMix headset stand and sound blender/volume control, which has USB-C sound in and 3.5mm simple sound out. The SwitchMix, on the other hand, is harder to sell unless you also plan to purchase the Relay Headset.

Despite this, you won't have access to a volume control for the speakers if you don't have it. The volume control is on the back panel, but it's hard to find by hand because the I/O is so small. Furthermore, that makes the Transfer framework a piece harder to use, since you'll most have to depend on your PC's volume control. The controls and 3.5mm association are additionally all on the left speaker, which might make arrangement more troublesome assuming you keep your PC on the right half of your work area.

It's nice that NZXT comes with all of the cables you need in the box. The left speaker, which has all of the inputs and an integrated amplifier, can even be connected to the right through a generous length of speaker cable provided by the company; It is unfortunate that the Relay Speaker system does not include digital connectivity, especially considering the system's price.

Should you purchase the NZXT Relay Subwoofer and Speakers?

The NZXT Relay Speakers and Subwoofer are a well-engineered and beautifully built sound system that sounds far better than you'd expect at first glance if you're tight on space and in need of an ultra-compact bookshelf speaker system for your desktop (and you don't mind adding another $130 for proper source selection and volume controls).

It's rare for speakers this small to sound balanced, so it's a little bit of a miracle that they do; It says something that we are actually talking about things like imaging and soundstage, terms that are frequently associated with audiophile speakers that are much larger and cost more.

Still, it can't be ignored that the $250 pair of Relay Speakers don't produce enough bass below 80 Hz to make listening to music enjoyable on their own. You could argue that NZXT is giving you the flexibility to add your own sub by selling the Relay Speakers and Relay Subwoofer separately. perhaps one with a deeper bass extension or one whose output capabilities are better suited to the speakers.

Having said that, if I had to choose between the NZXT Relay Speakers and the Fluance Ai41, both of which are priced similarly, I would go with the NZXTs. Despite the fact that the Fluance system has digital connectivity (including Bluetooth) and doesn't really need a subwoofer, it comes with a remote, more tuning options, and all of these features. The fact of the matter is that the NZXT system sounds much better, which is ultimately what I care about most.