Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro, THX headphones for gamers
With a complete range of peripherals for gamers, the Razer brand returns to the true wireless earphones market with the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro, intros packed with features.
After launching its Hammerhead True Wireless last year, Razer returns this year with a “Pro” version, which, like the AirPods Pro, has an in-ear design and brings noise reduction to the whole. . Above all, it is a way for Razer to hit hard by offering THX certification to its headphones, after having bought the firm specializing in audio founded by George Lucas in 2016. Razer obliges, the brand also promises us excellent performance in-game, with ultra-low latency. Concretely, what are these Razer Hammerhead Pro worth?
Design, Ergonomics, and Autonomy
On the design side, the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro does not shine so much by its originality. They do indeed look a lot like Apple’s AirPods Pro, whether it’s the case which sports the same size and almost the same dimensions, or the headphones themselves, with that rather characteristic stem. Despite everything, they have a rather discreet matte black color with the most beautiful effect, which allows both the case and the headphones to be rather resistant in everyday use. After two weeks of use, the case still looks completely new, while the shiny appearance of AirPods Pro or many competing headphones is quickly riddled with micro-scratches.
As for the case, it is rather light (43 grams) and has a USB-C socket for charging. Button point for pairing: everything happens when you lift the cover to reveal the headphones. As for the headphones themselves, they have a glossy surface on the back featuring the brand’s logo. This same surface is tactile, and allows, with one press, to play/pause its content, in two presses, to go to the next song, in three to the previous song, and the long-press activates or deactivates active noise reduction. With practice, we start to get used to it, but we still found this touch controls a bit capricious in practice. Unfortunately, there is no volume control available from the headphones.
When it comes to comfort, Razer’s earbuds come with plenty of silicone tips in different sizes. They prove to be rather comfortable in use, with a good fit in the ears, without being excellent. Finally, a word about battery life, which is average for this type of headset: 20 hours in total with the case, and 4 hours per headset. This is not exceptional, but it will be more than enough for a large majority of users.
Sound Quality, THX, Latency, and Noise Reduction
But if the Hammerhead True Wireless Pro do not shine by their ergonomics or their design, it is with the on-board functions that Razer intends to make all the difference. Not only do these headphones deliver a good, rather rich, and balanced sound, but above all, they benefit from the expertise of THX. Razer had indeed bought the company founded by George Lucas in 2016 to improve the audio part of its products by offering them THX certification. These headphones are well equipped, and we are not going to go four ways: it really brings something. By activating THX mode, you enjoy a deeper sound. Even with the volume at maximum, the sound never saturates. Other modes are also available, such as Amplified mode which will be perfect for those who listen to very energetic music.
Alternatively, the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro connects via Bluetooth 5.0 and offer SBC and AAC codecs. On Android, “Fast Pair” is well supported, and you can always take advantage of the Hammerhead True Wireless application to fine-tune your settings on both Android and iOS. Note that the application is really well done. It is intuitive and has enough settings to adjust the headphones to their liking without overdoing it and losing the user in a maze of settings.
The other point that intrigued us about these headphones is the latency. Razer has indeed presented its Hammerhead True Wireless Pro as a perfect accessory for gamers, with a Game mode supposed to offer a latency of only 60 ms. But while Razer claims that this mode would provide a 50% faster reaction time by providing better-synchronized audio and video, we noticed very little difference during the few games we played. Some gamers who are a little more uncompromising than average may find it beneficial, but that’s not the main point of these headphones, in our opinion. We tried to push the test by performing a video edit with these headphones and Game mode, an activity that requires as little latency as possible, and no significant difference was noted with AirPods Pro. In any case, the latency will always be too high to mount a serious project, but this is also the case with Apple headphones.
