Razer Hammerhead True Wireless

Included is a very pocket-friendly charging case with USB-C connection and a hand strap as well as a pair of silicone covers. This definitely means an improvement in fit for some ear types. Apart from that, the earbuds are one-size-fits-all and in my case, fortunately, they are firm and at the same time sufficiently airy.

Pairing, App & Operation

Pairing is easy and problem-free; just open the charging case. Likewise, installing the app for iOS or Android is easy, but unfortunately offers few of the functions promised by the website. Apart from the possibility to translate audio announcements into your national language, get information and update the earbuds, there is not actually much you can do yet. The only helpful feature is a small tutorial explaining the touch gestures you can make on the back of the earbuds. You will at least learn how to use them quite quickly, with functions from calling the language assistant to activating the gaming mode.

Rather than starting music by tapping once, you actually need a longer touch. In the manual, Razer advise you to “Keep pressing for 1/2 second”. For experienced true wireless users, this may initially be a change of habit but for newcomers, it’s not so much of an adjustment. However, this operating method means a certain susceptibility to errors, as just straightening the earbuds often triggers the playback /pause command.

Soundscapes

The dynamic 13mm drivers have very good basic tuning, so that the current Ed Sheeran album, for example, pumps into the ears with a nice crisp and powerful impulse, while the bass provides a solid foundation, which is powerfully traced by the mids and thus sets good accents in both areas. The highs are airy, but they lack brilliance for my taste, it all seems a bit constricted at the top. All in all the sound is good straight out of the box!

These Hammerheads are loud enough – despite the manufacturer’s specification of 91 dB (+/- 3dB, 0dBFS at 1kHz) – which also makes sense in louder environments. Because the earbuds are designed to only hang in the ears, there is less sealing of the auditory canals and any passing sounds (like trams in the street) penetrate into the ears and disturb the enjoyment of music.

Ultra Low Latency Mode

The decisive feature of the Hammerhead, however, thanks to Bluetooth 5.0 and Razer’s know-how, is the extremely low input latency of 60 milliseconds, so that there should be no delay between picture and sound during gaming. I’m not a gamer, but I’m an editor who has to produce exact picture/sound cuts and therefore I need to work without a delay in audio.

It is this problem that the Hammerheads really do an amazing job fixing: In normal mode there is a clearly audible offset. If you tap an earphone twice short and once long, the gamer mode is activated and the latency (almost) disappears and becomes imperceptible: Video runs so lip-synchronously as to be quite impressive, even if there is still a little lag on closer inspection. After trying them in a gaming session there are only positive things to report: From Fortnite to Rainbow Six Siege, we didn’t notice any significant offset between picture and sound.

Case and current

The pill-shaped loading case is pleasantly small and fits in your trouser pocket. However, for some it may not be easy to open, and a notch in the lid might have solved this problem. The stated running time of the Hammerhead is three hours, which is more or less confirmed in practice – depending on the volume. This means that the Hammerhead True Wireless is only in the lower range in terms of playing time. The case is able to charge the small earbuds four times, which makes up a total playing time of 15 hours and should be enough for extended game sessions – assuming there are natural breaks.