The Razer Hammerhead HyperSpeed earbuds are unlike anything else I’ve ever used for gaming. They are a set of entirely wireless earbuds that fit well, sound fantastic, and can be used on the go to listen to music, podcasts, and other audio content. It was only a matter of time before gaming headphones followed suit, what with the growth in popularity of Apple’s AirPods and other true-wireless earbuds over the previous several years. And now, gaming company Razer has developed an excellent pair of headphones that are portable enough to fit in your pocket.
Hammerhead HyperSpeed
A Look at the Design and Functions of the Razer Hammerhead HyperSpeed Earbuds
The Razer Hammerhead HyperSpeed earbuds are a pair of wireless gaming headphones that have been officially licenced by PlayStation. They are compatible with the PS5, PC, and Mac, in addition to any Bluetooth-enabled devices such as smartphones, tablets, and more.
The earphones and case both have a design that is very similar to that of Apple’s AirPods, so they don’t depart from the norm very much. Both earbuds will be found tucked away within the slightly rounded, oblong casing with a flip-top lid. They will be able to charge wirelessly thanks to the magnetic nodes located at the bottom of each stem.
The console’s name, “Razer,” is etched into the lid of the case, which is otherwise quite unremarkable. There is a PlayStation logo, but it is much smaller and grey. When it is opened, as well as when it is plugged in to charge through the USB-C port on the bottom, the exterior is equipped with a little indicator light that lights. Additionally, it only weighs a total of 56 grammes, which is only 44 grammes if you remove the earbuds from the equation.
The audio drivers in the Hammerhead HyperSpeed earbuds measure 10 millimetres in diameter, and in addition to providing a broad range of sound, these earbuds also feature active noise cancellation and ambient sound settings as selectable options. At the bottom of each bud is a microphone that serves not only as an audio input for Bluetooth phone calls but also as an in-game microphone for chatting with other players.
Despite the fact that the earbuds do not have any physical buttons on them, the exterior of each one has a haptic sensor that is hidden behind the Chroma RGB-illuminated Razer logo. Combining haptic taps and holds allows you to manage the volume, switch audio modes, enable ANC, and perform other actions, as is the default behaviour. If you want to make it easier to remember all of these haptic commands, you have the option to customise them in the Razer Audio app so that it does it in a way that is more convenient for you.
Depending on whether or not you have engaged ANC and the Chroma RGB illumination, the earbuds will provide you with around 4-6 hours of battery life on a single charge. The earbuds may be easily recharged by placing them back in the case where they were originally stored. It is anticipated that the carrying case will provide you with approximately four extra charges for the earphones, bringing the total battery life that can be expected to anywhere between 20 and 30 hours.
When you are using the Hammerhead HyperSpeed earbuds with a PS5, PC, or Mac, all you need to do is plug in the USB-C adapter, and the headphones will automatically connect over a 2.4GHz wireless signal. There is no need to pair the headphones with the device, so you will be able to jump right into your games with minimal effort.
In addition, the earbuds have Bluetooth 5.2, which enables you to pair them with your smartphone and enjoy media such as music, podcasts, videos, and more while you are on the move. It is also easy to switch between the HyperSpeed Wireless mode and the Bluetooth mode; all it takes is a quick triple tap on the exterior of either earbud, and the connections will be immediately switched.
Strangely enough, even if one or both of the earphones are removed, the music will not immediately stop playing on your device. You won’t be able to stop the music until you either put both of them back in the case and shut the lid, which will cause the music to automatically stop playing, or you can manually pause it. When the volume is turned up to its maximum, the headphones leak quite a bit of sound into the surrounding environment.
To continue, let’s talk about haptics. Even though I like how simple the design is, and I get that there isn’t a lot of room to add physical buttons, I found the experience of controlling the haptics to be a little bit annoying. For example, if you want to increase or decrease the volume, you have to “double tap and hold” the volume button until the desired effect is achieved. This process takes just enough time to be incredibly frustrating. The volume can be adjusted much more quickly on the device itself, which kind of contradicts the purpose of having haptic controls.
Additionally, there were times when the haptics either did not work at all or carried out an entirely different command than the one I intended because the device was attempting to determine the difference, for example, between a ‘double tap,’ a ‘triple tap,’ and a ‘triple tap and hold,’ among other possible combinations of taps.
Software support for the Razer Hammerhead HyperSpeed Earbuds
When you use the earbuds in Bluetooth mode, you may personalise the experience by downloading the Razer Audio app for iOS or Android on your mobile device. After pairing, you will have the ability to check the remaining battery life of each earbud, manually activate ANC or the Ambient audio modes, and activate Do Not Disturb to prevent incoming calls while gaming in the 2.4GHz mode.
In addition, the Chroma RGB illumination that is located on the exterior of both earbuds can be customised by the user. A static lighting option, a breathing mode, a spectrum mode that cycles through all 16.8 million colours, a “Audio Metre” mode that tries to sync the lighting with your music but ends up being a sporadic pulsing and flashing of random colours that looks terrible, and a spectrum mode that cycles through all 16.8 million colours are the only modes that can be selected. There are only a few modes that can be selected.
Software support for the Razer Hammerhead HyperSpeed Earbuds
You can switch between a few different equalisation modes within the programme, including one that boosts the bass or a first-person shooter preset that makes it easier to hear small auditory cues like the footfall of an enemy. If you so choose, you can even completely customise your own equalisation settings.
The capability of remapping the haptic controls, on the other hand, is arguable to be the most significant part of the software. In this section, you will find that you have the ability to separately remap the haptic actions for the left and right earphones, including “single press,” “double tap,” “hold for 2 seconds,” and “triple tap and hold.” However, the only haptics that cannot be modified are the annoying “double tap and hold” volume controls and the “triple tap” to switch between the 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth modes. All other haptics can be modified.
This is a much more aggravating issue for me because the earbuds do not automatically halt the music when they are withdrawn from your ear, and I sorely want I could remap the volume controls because that is probably the control that I use the most often.
Earbuds for gaming designed by Razer and named the Hammerhead HyperSpeed.
It is impossible to overstate how simple the installation and use of the Razer Hammerhead HyperSpeed earphones are. They effortlessly associated with the USB adaptor as soon as they were inserted into either my PS5 or my PC, and pairing them with my smartphone over Bluetooth was a piece of cake as well.
Given the size of the earbuds, I was pleasantly pleased by the high quality of the sound they produced. As I played Hogwarts Legacy on my PS5, I found that the dynamic range of the audio was excellent, despite the fact that you won’t experience the same kind of deep bass that you would with a more robust set of headphones. The directional audio was amazing, allowing me to readily spot foes while hurriedly racing around throwing spells in battle. I could hear my footsteps rebounding off the walls of the hallways throughout Hogwarts Castle, and I could hear my footsteps reverberating off the walls of the hallways throughout Hogwarts Castle.
After switching to the Bluetooth audio mode, I discovered that the Hammerhead HyperSpeed earbuds performed exceptionally well across a wide variety of music genres, with the ideal amount of bass for each. In addition to that, I listened to a variety of podcasts, and the quality of the audio for the voices was excellent.
During my testing, I consistently received between three and four hours of audio playback on a single charge (with both ANC and Chroma RGB turned on). When the headphones’ batteries ran low, all I had to do was place them in the carrying case for a few minutes, and I was ready to continue my game. The earbuds appear to charge quickly as well, as I was able to acquire around 50 percent of a charge after approximately 15 minutes of charging time.
The microphone that is already incorporated into the device can also be used effectively. It is exactly what you would anticipate from a set of truly wireless earbuds. In Destiny 2, none of my teammates had any trouble hearing any of my callouts, and both making and receiving calls over Bluetooth functioned without a hitch the entire time. This is primarily due to the built-in environmental noise cancelling system, which intelligently restricts the amount of outside audio and concentrates on your voice when you are talking.
Both the Active Noise Cancellation and the Ambient audio options were about the same to me in terms of quality. These earbuds may not be the best noise-cancelling headphones available, but they perform an adequate job of dampening ambient sound. When you’re on the move and need to be at least somewhat aware of your surroundings, the Ambient audio mode comes in handy because it lets you hear some of the sounds that are occurring around you.
I’ve tried a lot of different earbuds over the years, and I have to say that these are among the most comfortable ones I’ve ever used. Not only are they comfortable to wear, but they also provide a sense of superior stability within my ears. I never had the sensation that they were going to fall out as I was going about my day. Even when I forcefully shook my head around, they did not fall out of my ears, which is something that a lot of other earbuds cannot do. There is a variety of earbud tip sizes available to ensure that you may find one that is the most comfortable for you.
When I used the Hammerhead HyperSpeed earbuds, one of the few problems I encountered was that the sound would suddenly become distorted in the 2.4GHz mode. This issue appeared out of nowhere. This occurred many than once on both the PS5 and the PC, and the only remedy I could find was to place both earbuds back in the case for a few seconds so that they could be disconnected before attempting to use them again. In the future, it’s possible that this issue will be resolved in a firmware update; but, for the time being, I feel it’s important to share my experience.
Final words …
The Razer Hammerhead HyperSpeed earbuds are a very capable pair of truly wireless earbuds that can be used comfortably for gaming on PS5, PC, and Mac as well as listening to music and podcasts on Bluetooth-enabled devices. The Razer Hammerhead HyperSpeed earphones are available for purchase on Amazon for $129.99. They provide excellent directional audio in games that call for it, and you can comfortably get up to roughly 30 hours of listening time with the supplied charging case. The headphones have a wonderful sound for their size, and they provide excellent audio in games that require it. Aside from the aggravating haptic controls, I wouldn’t be surprised if the next big trend in gaming headphones is wireless earbuds.
