Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro THX ANC Earbuds Review

Razer is one of the biggest names in the world when it comes to gaming. They've had some pretty amazing headsets over the years too, but while most of those are the larger over-ear design, today, I'll be looking at something a little more compact. The Razer Hammerhead True Wireless are a great little set of headphones, and they're priced very attractively too. However, that's not what I have today, as these are the more advanced Pro model, which are the much more expensive set of the two, and much more advanced too. Is the extra investment worth it though? At this price range, Razer have some pretty serious competition! Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro Powerful drivers are the core of these new headphones, backed up by their powerful ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) technology, and they've been tuned by the experts at THX too. Promising 20 hours total usage thanks to the portable carry case/charger, you can expect 4 hours usage between full charges, more than enough for your daily commute and/or some gaming. With a built-in microphone, and the latest Bluetooth technologies, you'll be paired up to your phones, consoles, or PC with ease and ready to play, listen, chat and more easily enough. Hardware Specifications The Pro share almost nothing with the standard headphones, the drivers are a completely different size, impedance, etc. The Hammerhead Pro are on the left while the standard Hammerhead are on the right. For in-depth specifications, please visit the official Razer Hammerhead Pro product page here. What Razer Had to Say "Enjoy true audio freedom and a pure, uninterrupted listening experience with the most advanced earbuds we’ve ever created. With THX® Certified sound, advanced hybrid active noise cancellation and a 60ms low latency connection, focusing on your games, music and videos has never been this absolute. By producing anti-noise to counter any noise it detects from outside and inside your earbuds, our cutting-edge design is able to shut out all distractions and keep you focused on what matters. Tested and optimized by experts in cinematic audio immersion at THX Ltd., the earbuds present a rich, balanced soundstage for all your movies, music and gaming." - Razer Packaging & Accessories The box just screams RAZER through and through, with a bold black and green motif throughout. The photo of the headphones on the front could be improved; it's likely actual-size, but making it larger and better lit would be nice. Around the back, a nice breakdown of the main features, such as the touch controls, 60mn low latency connection, and Quick Attention Mode (environment monitoring). In the box, you'll find everything is very nicely packaged, and the box feels very premium and robust, so everything is well protected. There are the headphones and charging dock and a USB-C charging cable. There's also a bunch of spare earbuds, including Comply Foam Tips, so you shouldn't have any issues finding the right fit for you. A Closer Look & Performance First impressions of the Hammerhead Pro's go a long way, and given the price of these headphones is pretty high, I'm expecting a premium quality look and feel with no exceptions. Thankfully, I get just that, these things look pretty great with a stylish yet understated aesthetic that looks premium but also won't just draw attention like many of the fashion brand headphones that are on the market. They're pretty lightweight, which is always impressive when you consider that each headphone has so much tech within; batteries, Bluetooth, drivers, microphones, ANC, etc. Thankfully, and of course, by design, much of that weight is in the drum-shaped top section. Actually, most of the weight is in the part that sits within your ear too, which helps anchor them in place. The tail section feels incredibly light, and I suspect that's likely where the lighter components are housed, such as the transmitters and some small PCBs. On the end, you'll also find two small pins, which are what allow the Hammerhead Pro headphones to recharge when placed in the provided case/dock. As you can likely see, there's a very small seam down the length of them. The body of the earbuds is a two-part plastic construction that appears to have been fused together. That makes them sealed units, which will help sweat, dust and rain ruining them. Razer managed to score an IPX4 (Protects from splashing water from any direction) rating, so I suspect, just like most headphones, they'll be fine in the rain or while you're out for a sweaty jog, etc. There's a small mesh looking section on the back, which is actually the Feedforward ANC Mic. However, there's a Feedback ANC Mic also build into the internals of the driver. This means the headset can cancel out external noise and deal with sounds that vibrate throughout your body; a cars engine, plane engine, your clothes scratching together, that kind of thing. The rear of the earbuds has a glossy disc with a simple Razer logo on there. There's no RGB or LED or anything silly like that, just this little jewel-like design. It looks like it's glowing on Razer's photos, but honestly, it doesn't (phew!). The earbuds are very nicely designed, with a forward heavy design that basically wants to fall down into your ear, not out of it. This means you can really jump around, and they stay firmly in place. Albeit, that's assuming you've selected the right size earbuds to ensure a comfortable and secure fit. The stock ones are OK, but with Small, Medium and Large SmoothComfort tips, the same size SecureSeal Translucent Silicone Tips, and a premium set of Medium Comply Black Foam Tips included in the box (these are fantastic btw), you should really try each out to see which you prefer. As you can see, the driver points down into your ear, ensuring a more direct fit, a more secure fit, and it'll also help ensure the sound is getting right down where it needs to be. However, getting back to the fit for a moment. If the seal isn't good, you'll basically be pissing away most of the ANC technologies abilities. It's no good having the ANC on if sound is able to sneak in through the sides; just saying. The ANC actually has a couple of interesting features. To enable it you simply hold your finger on the back of the ear bud for a couple of seconds and you'll hear "ANC On" and the difference is pretty profound. It's not the most powerful ANC I've heard, but for little in-ears, it's very impressive. It's certainly enough to drown out the people next door using their lawn mower right now. It deals with background traffic/plane noises while I'm out for a walk, etc, so that's perfectly fine with me. However, it has another feature, which is where it actually pipes external noises into your ears. It sounds like you've got the world on a phone call. While this does sound a little weird at first, it's incredibly useful. You can hear traffic clearly, you can talk to people around you, but you don't have to stop your music to do so. It's a good practical feature and can massively improve safety if you're out riding your bike with headphones on. The drivers themselves are easily the best part of these headphones, and while THX may be owned by Razer these days, their certification process is still rigorous. As Razer say on their blurb "Tested and optimized by experts in cinematic audio immersion at THX Ltd., the earbuds present a rich, balanced soundstage for all your movies, music and gaming." Basically, they're pushing for something close to a reference level of performance. That means a fairly flat response and a reliable and consistent frequency response, and no unwanted distortions. Honestly, it seems the THX badge is justified, as they sound pretty fantastic. From a bit of Jeremy Soule's The Northerner Diaries, the amount of detail is breathtaking and combined with the ANC, it made for a very surreal and relaxing walk for me yesterday morning. However, sitting at home, cranking it up a bit, even using the app to chuck in a little more bass to suit my taste, blasting through Mats/Morgan Live with Norrlandsoperan Symphony Orchestra was a real test of the drivers, and I'm very much impressed. The level of bass, combined with detailed mids and flawless highs, really made tracks like Alian soar. Finally, they sounded dirty and nasty when listening to the new CARCASS song, which is exactly how it should sound, of course. Razer said I'd get around 4 hours out of these, but honestly, I got 3. That being said, I have been ragging them pretty hard with volume, mucking with the EQ, pairing them with multiple devices, and flicking the ANC on and off like a kid playing with a light switch. So overall, pretty good given they only have tiny built-in batteries. It takes about 30mins to charge them up, and you can charge one at a time too. Overall though, I doubt I'll need to charge the dock more than once a week. The dock is a little taller than most, but it's also a bit slimmer, so it actually feels fairly comfortable in your pocket. Plus, it has no hard edges or corners, so it's not going to jab into your leg or batter anything else you put in your bag or pocket. Flip it open, and you 'll find a funky looking recess for your ear buds. A small LED on the front will blink green, orange or red to indicate the remaining charge levels. It doesn't have a flat bottom though, so if you stand it up like this. You'll discover this Weeble wobbles, but it does fall down. Also, once you drop your earbuds in there, the same LED on the front will let you know their charge level too. As you can see, I'm in the green and ready to rock. Close it up, everything is charging and well protected, ready for when I next need them. How Much Does it Cost? Well, they're expensive, I can tell you that much. However, while the MSRP is still a wallet bursting £199.99, they currently retail for a lot less than that. Amazon has them on sale for £129.00, which is a mighty saving, but I don't know how long that price will be maintained. Still, I won't complain about saving around £70 on these, as their performance is on a level we would expect from £200 headphones these days. Overview You're certainly not short on amazing headphone choices these days. Every big name brand seems to have something of merit. However, Razer has a pretty tight relationship with the PC gaming scene specifically, and I guess to a lesser extent, the console market too. While these headphones can pair with a PC, Laptop, console, etc., really anything with Bluetooth, they're most likely going to appeal to mobile use most of all. After all, "you guys all have phones, right"? Well, these are the perfect headphones for Diablo Immortal. Of course, other mobile games are available, ha! Gaming I don't play games on my phone really, as in, app-based games as they largely suck, or want to suck money out of my bank. However, since I now have Games Pass Ultimate, I've found myself playing Super Luck Tail and Halo from time to time while sitting in the garden, so having some sweet headphones to block out the noise of next doors lawnmower, the regular helicopters from the nearby airfield, or that endlessly meowing cat next door, is a big advantage to me. Maybe not the grand eSports playing international traveller lifestyle Razer envisioned for their product, but hey, I can't complain. Low Latency Plus, the built-in gaming mode is pretty neat too. It uses a tiny bit more battery, so there's no need to enable it for music. However, it tightens up the response time to just 60ms and helps you feel that little bit more connected to the action on screen. That being said, I can't say they sounded laggy before turning it on, but hey, I've already said I'm no eSports pro, more just a fat dad who likes to play Halo and ESO, really. Powerful Yet Accurate Sound Music is where I give top marks, though. Not that gaming or movies sounded inferior, far from it. However, the frequency response, volume, ANC, and how well they handle more extreme ends of my music library is commendable. That THX badge is well deserved, and the drivers are some of the nicest I've heard in quite some time. Should I Buy Them? If you're purely after powerful ANC headphones, there are some more dedicated sets out there that'll give you the peace you need. However, the ANC on offer here is competitive for this price range and worked well enough for my daily usage in the garden or out for a walk. However, if you're using these for gaming, that low-latency performance, with fantastically clear and accurate sound make these some of the best gaming in-ear headphones I've used. Music lovers will appreciate the fantastic sound quality, but again, there are rival products that are dedicated to music and equally impressive in that respect. Overall, Razer's real unique selling point here is the gaming mode, and it's a nice advantage, but beyond that, they're a solid rival vs other big-name brands, but if that sale price stays so far under MSRP, Razer has quite the sales advantage; get 'em while they're discounted! Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro THX ANC Earbuds Review