We’ve explored the whole idea of over-ear headphones as an alternative to traditional gaming headsets before. Epos, for example, has tried products like this before, and even then we can easily see the trick. After all, not everyone finds it particularly pleasurable to wear big warm earmuffs for hours at a time, and certainly not everyone (shout out to all the other toddler dads) is able to fully isolate themselves from the outside world.
Razer is doing the same now, here with the Hammerhead HyperSpeed, a set of over-ear headphones designed specifically for the PS5. Of course, there’s dual connectivity first and foremost here, so they connect via a small USB-C dongle, but are also able to connect to smartphones via Bluetooth. However, you can only hear sound from one source at a time, so you’ll need to short triple-tap on the device to switch from Bluetooth to the PS5.
The case is nice enough with strong magnets and good build quality. However, like on the Epos, there’s no way to store the dongle inside the box itself, which means if you need to carry the whole kit with you, it has to sit loosely on the side, which isn’t exactly elegant. There’s also no wireless charging, which ensures they’re always charged and ready to go if you have a wireless charger handy.
There’s active noise cancellation, which works surprisingly well. Plus, they’re often used in situations where there’s not a lot of background noise, like in the case of the Switch, where you’re actively moving while playing a game, so those jobs are easier too. In fact, the presence of this feature only makes it more impressive that you can get around 6 hours of playback time on a single charge, and you can also get up to 32 hours of use before the case dies.
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Through a dedicated app, you can customize the Razer’s RGB lighting, which, it has to be said, is redundant in the grand scheme of things, but you can also customize just about every aspect of the entire user experience. There’s also a 10-band equalizer, allowing you to customize their signature sound if you wish.
This allowed us to hear the sound quite gracefully, and it wasn’t bad at all. Of course, Razer overcompensates by delivering slightly too deep bass, but the 10mm neodymium drivers are actually doing the work most of the time, delivering a sound that’s obviously very responsive when playing, but also delivering the sound you’re looking at in big, fancy games Functional performance at the moment of arrival. Is it the same as the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless? No, of course not, and at less than £150, it’s a little too expensive for a direct recommendation.
The Hammerhead HyperSpeed works, and for the most part works well, but at the same time, there are no special features to justify the high price, and in a world where Sony’s own Pulse 3D headset costs around £90, you have to Keen on the whole in-ear idea to spend money on these.
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That said, it also has no notable downsides, so if you want a pair of gaming in-ears for the PS5, Razer has it in its own way.
