This product’s slogan is no joke!
Razer is no stranger to the “ear buds” market. Their Moray+ gaming earphones are an excellent choice for gamers and music lovers on the go. However, they have taken their ear bud product line to a whole new level with the release of their Hammerhead and Hammerhead Pro In-Ear Headsets. Why “In-Ear Headset” instead of “ear bud”? I am pretty sure that Razer intended the Hammerhead to be used for a lot more than just playing music while riding the train to work in the morning.
The Hammerhead Pro headset bodies are small in size and CNC-machined out of aircraft-grade aluminum, making them extremely durable and well-constructed. Additionally, each bud contains a 9mm neodymium driver capable of pumping out some staggering bass for such a small ear bud. Included in the package is a small zip-up carrying case as well as three different types of ear-tip attachments. Additionally, there is a fourth “bi-flange” attachment tip for those looking to really block out ambient noise. The big difference between the Hammerhead and Hammerhead Pro editions is the inclusion of a communications microphone in the latter. This omni-directional microphone works very well at picking up voice communication from the user, although by design it does pick up a lot of ambient noise as well.
Tech Specs
Product features:
- Machined lightweight aluminum body
- Advanced passive noise isolation
- Interchangeable ear-tips with bi-flanges
- Powerful drivers for supreme audio fidelity with extreme bass
- Compatible with iPhone, Android and mobile devices
- Omnidirectional microphone
- Audio/Mic splitter adapter for PC connection
Headphones
- Drivers : 9 mm Neodymium Magnets with CCAW
- Frequency Response : 20 Hz – 20 kHz
- Impedance : 16 Ω
- Sensitivity @ 1 kHz : 106 dB
- Input Power : 1 mW @ 126 mV
- Cable Length : 1.3 m / 4.27 ft
- Approximate Weight : 12.5 g / 0.03 lbs
- Connector: Analog 3.5 mm Combined Jack (Headphone and Mic)
Microphone
- Frequency response : 50 Hz – 10 kHz
- Signal to Noise Ratio : 55 dB
- Sensitivity (@1kHz) : -42 dB +/-3 dB
- Pick Up pattern : Omni-Directional
The first thing I noticed when listening to music on my iPhone 5 while wearing the Hammerhead Pro was just how much bass it pumps out. I actually had to go into my iPhone 5’s music settings and adjust the equalizer in order to compensate. It’s a bit much on the usual equalizer settings, actually, as the bass gets overwhelming to the point of muffling the highs more than it should. However, for playing video games on my smartphone, this bass added a lot to the overall gaming experience. For listening to music, I found the Bass Reduction and Acoustic settings to be the most acceptable in terms of bass vs treble. The biggest issue I found while using the Razer Hammerhead Pro is the lack of in-line volume controls, something I consider to be a very useful feature on a set of ear buds.
Using the Hammerhead Pros on my gaming PC proved to be a very exciting surprise, as the small in-hear headsets actually produced better sound than my full 2.1 channel headset unit. The Hammerhead Pro comes with a small splitter attachment that breaks the speakers away from the microphone. These plugged into my Sound Blaster audio hub without issue, and I was even able to you the Razer Surround software with them for virtual surround sound. Using them on my laptop was equally-nice, as I finally didn’t have to lug around a large pair of headphones in order to enjoy a video game or movie on the go.
Overall, Razer’s Hammerhead Pro in-ear headset is an excellent audio option, capable of pumping out very high levels of bass – almost too much. The design is sleek, sexy, and well-constructed with a large array of ear tips and even a convenient carrying case. The Hammerhead Pro retails for $69.99 and is available now at Razer’s official website.
