Razer Hammerhead USB-C ANC Earphones Review

1. Introduction2. Unboxing and First Look3. Testing & Performance4. Closing Thoughts5. View All Pages

 In its attempt to create a pair of high-quality USB-C earphones that also have active noise cancellation, Razer has done a decent job with the Hammerhead USB-C ANC.

Certain aspects of the overall product are definitely better than others, but both build quality and comfort are top-notch – the earphones use plenty of aluminium to protect the important parts like the mic and USB-C connector, while the angled earbud nozzles and selection of ear tips proved perfect for my ears.

The noise cancelling technology is also surprisingly good for £80 earphones. True, they won't cancel out everything and certain sounds do work better with the ANC technology, but by and large these will reduce most of the ambient noise around you.

The main downside for me is the overall sound quality of the earphones when listening to music. They are not bad-sounding per se, but there are certainly more adept earphones out there for similar amounts of money. To my ears, the sound is just a bit thin and lacking in the bass department, which is surprising as I had expected a fun, bassy tuning from Razer.

They're still listenable and didn't cause me any fatigue, but at the same time I wasn't enjoying my music as much as I usually do. To me, the Hammerhead USB-C ANC seems to be prioritising the ANC technology over the sound quality, resulting in a slightly disappointing listening experience.

Lastly, just a note on the USB-C connectivity. I have to say I didn't experience any issues when using the earphones with my Pixel 3 or the Huawei Mate 20 Pro – the music played, the in-line controller worked and I could make calls using the mic. That said, there's no denying Razer's compatibility list needs updating as it is quite out of date, and I've heard numerous stories of the earphones not working properly. I can't say I've experienced that, but it's also hard to say that they're guaranteed to work given the less-than-exhaustive compatibility list.

If you do want to buy the Hammerhead USB-C ANC earphones, they will set you back £79.99 directly from Razer HERE.

Pros

• Great build quality.
• Comfortable to wear.
• Impressive ANC.
• Decent mic.

Cons

• Sound is lacking in the low-end and mid-range.
• USB-C compatibility isn't guaranteed.

KitGuru says: The ANC technology works surprisingly well, but the overall tuning of these earphones could do with some work.

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