Razer Opus Wireless ANC Headphones Review

How Much Does it Cost?

While they’re expensive headphones, there’s no getting away from their competitive performance and price. They’re broadly similarly in price to the Beyerdynamic LAGOON, Sony WH-1000XM3, Bose QuietComfort 35 II and a few others really. Amazingly, I’ve seen this headset for around £200 at some retailers. However, don’t be a fool, as it’s actually meant to be just £185, yet it’s already down to £163.97 on Amazon. With that in mind, I can’t stress enough how important it is to shop around for the best deals. You’ll find US prices on the Razer store here. Overall, they’re not a bargain, but the price is pretty fair given the hardware on offer.

Overview

Razer is no stranger to high-end headsets, and they’ve cut their teeth on the gaming market for many years now. They’ve also done quite a bit with mobile phones and headphones in general in recent years, so the Opus are really a culmination of all their experience. I love that they’ve stepped away from the gamer aesthetic too. They’ve opted for the more serious headphone market, and it’s resulted in some very sleek and sexy headphones that easily compete with rival offerings aesthetically and acoustically.

ANC

I’ve tried a wide range of ANC over the years, and I must admit that every brand seems to have stepped up and delivered superior ANC in the last year or two. Sony and Bose certainly held the top crown for the last few years, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s time to mint a third crown. Heavy low-end rumbles, high-pitched fans, background traffic noise, and general chatter proved little concern here. Some headsets have more aggressive ANC, perhaps the XM4’s, but they’re also almost twice the price.

Performance

The sound quality is excellent and certainly worthy of the respective price tag. The sound is pretty flat with THX enabled, but it still has strong bass when the music demands it, and that doesn’t feel overdriven or distorted. There’s just a little roll-off on the high end, but for the heavier music that I tend to listen to, I really can’t complain. It has plenty of depth and detail, especially in the mid-ranges that even had me hearing a few details in songs that often aren’t there on a lot of the headphones I test. I would have liked a custom EQ profile mode, but the built-in ones are pretty decent overall.

The battery was quoted at 25 hours, but much to my surprise, I think I had more like 26+ hours before I ran it flat. However, dial back the volume and turn the ANC off, and you’ll easily get more than that. Considering the longest journey I ever make is around 30 hours to Taiwan, and I’ll throw in a nap or three, it’s safe to say these headphones will get me where I need to go on one charge. Alas, this week, they’ve been used for my daily walk and also laying on the couch listening to Fear Factory, but hey, such is the modern world.

Should I Buy Them?

I must admit that expensive ANC headphones certainly aren’t for everyone, but honestly, it’ll be hard to go back to non-ANC headphones once you get a decent set. From the guy next door who likes to run his lawnmower all the time, the traffic noise outside your apartment, the rumble of a jet engine on a long-haul flight… there’s a lot of things this can hide, allowing you to kick back and relax with your favourite movie, music, audiobook, or even just use the ANC like earplugs! The THX-certified drivers sound fantastic, and the extra-long battery life means you can spend a few hours chilling out each day without reaching for the career until the end of the week. Overall, I’m massively impressed with what Razer has to offer.