The Razer Hammerhead Pro HyperSpeed Earbuds: A Review
The Razer Hammerhead Pro HyperSpeed earbuds aim to address the challenges of gaming on earbuds. Thanks to a fast wireless connection and strong audio, these earbuds may be a good choice for many users. However, we found that they fall short in some areas, particularly ANC and feature set.
Design and Comfort
The design of the Hammerhead Pro HyperSpeed earbuds features a stemmed design that’s reminiscent of AirPods, although the plastic build delivers a less impressive experience. The glossy finish attracts lint and fingerprints, and the matte grey band on our review unit looks cheap and unappealing. Despite the less impressive appearance, the earbuds are comfortable to wear for extended periods and come with three sizes of silicone earbud tips.
Gamer-Specific Features
The Razer Hammerhead Pro HyperSpeed’s gamer-specific features, like Gaming Mode and customizable controls, are mostly gimmicks. Most features are controlled through the Razer Audio App, which is sleek and easy to use. Unfortunately, the app doesn’t offer much additional functionality beyond what you’d expect from regular wireless earbuds.
The earbuds support Razer’s Chroma RGB lighting, which may appeal to some users. However, we don’t think the additional light will add much to the overall experience. The package also includes a wireless HyperSpeed adapter for connecting the earbuds over 2.4GHz wireless instead of Bluetooth. This adapter may be useful if you encounter any latency or connection issues over wireless, but we didn’t experience any problems during testing.
Audio Quality
When it comes to audio quality, the Hammerhead Pro HyperSpeed earbuds exceed expectations for music playback. The strong, voluminous sound delivers a good balance for pop music, particularly during bass-heavy tracks. The separation is good, and the midrange sounds clear, even if it’s not as detailed as we’d like.
In terms of gaming, the earbuds struggle with indistinct midrange and muddled vocals. The overall sound isn’t bad, but it lacks the crispness of a dedicated gaming headset. The good stereo reproduction misses the point of a true surround sound experience.
Mic and Wireless Features
The fixed microphone on the earbuds offers strong audio quality, but the physical location of the mics may pick up ambient noise. You’ll likely get the most out of the microphone if you’re playing in a quite environment, such as at home.
The Razer Hammerhead Pro HyperSpeed earbuds offer typical wireless features including pairing with multiple devices and active noise cancellation (ANC). The ANC is functional, but we’ve come to expect more from earbuds like Apple’s AirPods Pro. The AirPods Pro deliver more aural isolation, which is particularly helpful when playing games with a high volume.
Another feature the Razer Hammerhead Pro HyperSpeed earbuds offer is Ambient Mode. In theory, this feature allows you to listen to game audio while still being aware of your surroundings. However, the amplified noises that Ambient Mode picks up tend to be unpleasant or distant, making it less than useful.
Battery Life
In terms of battery life, we find the earbuds’ performance to be similar to Apple’s AirPods Pro. Both earbuds come with a rounded charging case that makes the extra battery life easy to track. The extra weight of the charging case may be slightly more noticeable with the Hammerhead Pro earbuds, but this shouldn’t be a dealbreaker.
Conclusion
In the end, the Razer Hammerhead Pro HyperSpeed earbuds deliver on low-latency for gaming, but they fall short in areas like ANC and feature set. The audio quality is good, but it doesn’t exceed our expectations enough to justify the price tag. If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative, check out the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Wireless gaming headset, which offers a comparable experience at a lower price point.
