The Razer Hammerhead USB-C are wired in-ears that are compatible with devices that have a USB-C port. Thanks to this connection, they have low audio latency on PCs as well as Android devices, which is great if you watch videos or play video games. They also have an ANC feature, but it does a mediocre job overall as it struggles to reduce noise like bus engines or ambient chatter. They lack a lot of bass and don't have an EQ to tweak their sound. That said, while they're not stable enough for intense physical exercise, they have a reasonably comfortable fit, although some may find the shape of the earbuds a bit bothersome.
Our Verdict
The Razer Hammerhead USB-C ANC are disappointing for mixed use. They have a mediocre ANC feature that struggles to reduce noise and isn't ideal if you're commuting by bus or if you're working in a busy office. Although they're reasonably comfortable, some users may also find their bud shape a bit fatiguing over time, and they could fall out if you're doing intense physical exercise. Their sound profile also lacks bass. On the upside, their wired USB-C connection has low latency on PC and Android devices. Their in-line mic also does a decent job of recording voices.
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Low latency on PC and mobile devices.
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Good build quality.
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Mediocre ANC feature.
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Lacking bass.
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Some may find their shape a little uncomfortable.
The Razer Hammerhead USB-C ANC are mediocre for neutral sound. Their sound profile really lacks a lot of bass and their treble range is also underemphasized, which makes your mixes sound dark and dull. On the upside, their mid-range is fairly flat and neutral, so vocals and lead instruments are detailed and present. Their bass and treble delivery are also very consistent.
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Consistent audio delivery.
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Good build quality.
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Lacking bass.
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Some may find their shape a little uncomfortable.
The Razer Hammerhead USB-C ANC are disappointing for commute and travel. These in-ears have a mediocre ANC feature, which struggles to reduce bass-range noise like bus engines or mid-range sounds like ambient chatter. They're reasonably comfortable though and, while some may find their bud shape a bit fatiguing over time, they come with a few differently sized ear tips to help you find a better fit. Thanks to their wired design, you don't have to worry about battery life.
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Good build quality.
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Mediocre ANC feature.
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Some may find their shape a little uncomfortable.
The Razer Hammerhead USB-C are passable for sports and fitness. While they're very portable due to their small size, they have an okay fit that may fall out of your ears if you're doing intense physical activity. Their braided cable can also get caught on something and pull them out of your ears. While they're reasonably comfortable, some may be bothered by the shape of the buds over time. On the upside, they come with four different sets of ear tips so that you can find a comfortable fit. They don't have an IP rating for dust and water resistance.
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Good build quality.
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Some may find their shape a little uncomfortable.
The Razer Hammerhead USB-C ANC are poor for office use. They're reasonably comfortable, but some users may find their bud shape a bit bothersome. However, Razer includes a few ear tips to help you find a good fit. Unfortunately, while they have an ANC feature, they really struggle to cut down ambient chatter. They have a good leakage performance, though, and since they don't have a battery, you don't have to worry about recharging them throughout your workday.
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Good build quality.
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Mediocre ANC feature.
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Some may find their shape a little uncomfortable.
The Razer Hammerhead USB-C are wired-only headphones and can't be used wirelessly.
The Razer Hammerhead USB-C are unremarkable for wired gaming. While some users may not find the bud shape very comfortable, they come with a few ear tips to help you find a better fit. Thanks to their wired connection, they have low latency on PCs. However, their sound profile really lacks bass and they don't have an EQ to tweak their sound to your liking. They're also not compatible with PS4 or Xbox One. On the upside, their mic has a decent recording quality.
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Decent mic recording quality.
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Consistent audio delivery.
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Low latency on PC and mobile devices.
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Good build quality.
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Mediocre ANC feature.
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Lacking bass.
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Mic struggles to isolate noise.
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Some may find their shape a little uncomfortable.
The Razer Hammerhead USB-C ANC are mediocre for phone calls. Their in-line microphone has a decent recording quality. However, the mic struggles to separate speech from background noise, even in moderately noisy environments. While these headphones have an ANC feature, it also has trouble cutting down sounds around you, so you may have trouble hearing whoever is on the other line.
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Decent mic recording quality.
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Good build quality.
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Mic struggles to isolate noise.
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Some may find their shape a little uncomfortable.
- 5.7 Mixed Usage
- 6.2 Neutral Sound
- 5.4 Commute/Travel
- 6.3 Sports/Fitness
- 5.3 Office
- 4.6 Wireless Gaming
- 6.4 Wired Gaming
- 6.2 Phone Calls
- Updated Oct 07, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Sep 18, 2020: Early access published.
- Updated Sep 09, 2020: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Sep 04, 2020: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Aug 01, 2020: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
Razer manufactures several other in-ear headphones using the 'Hammerhead' name including another in-ear with a USB-C connection. However, we tested the Razer Hammerhead USB-C ANC with this label. As these other headphones don't have an ANC feature, we don't know if they perform similarly to our test model.
If you come across any other variants of this model, let us know in the discussions so we can update our review.
Compared To Other Headphones
The Razer Hammerhead USB-C ANC are wired in-ear headphones that use a USB-C connection with low latency on PC and Android devices. Unlike some of Razer's other headphones, they're designed for more casual use. They also use a hybrid transducer which Razer advertises as providing a more immersive and clear sound. However, they lack a lot of bass and have an underemphasized treble. They have an ANC feature but it struggles to cut down bass-range noise and even amplifies some noise in the higher range. Check out our recommendations for the best noise cancelling earbuds and in-ear headphones, the best noise cancelling headphones, and the best wired headphones.
The Razer Hammerhead True Wireless 2019 are better headphones for mixed-use than the Razer Hammerhead USB-C ANC. The True Wireless have a more stable fit and can deliver a significantly more thumpy, punchy bass. They also have a companion app with EQ presets. However, they have mediocre battery life and high latency across PC, iOS, and Android. In comparison, the wired USB-C ANC have a better build quality and include volume controls. Their in-line mic also performs better, and their audio latency is very low. Unfortunately, while they have an ANC feature, it struggles to cut down bass range noise.
The Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro are better headphones for most uses than the Razer Hammerhead USB-C ANC. The True Wireless Pro are more comfortable, have a more neutral sound profile which some users may like, and have a companion app with a graphic EQ and presets so you can tweak their sound. Their ANC system also offers a slightly better overall performance. However, the USB-C ANC have a wired USB-C connection which some users may prefer since this design ensures next-to-zero audio latency.
The Logitech G333 are better headphones than the Razer Hammerhead USB-C ANC. The Logitech are more comfortable, stable, and have more consistent audio delivery. They use a 1/8" TRRS connection and come with a USB-C adapter, while the Razer can only connect via USB-C. Nevertheless, the Razer come with more tip size options and have an ANC feature, although it has a mediocre performance.
The Razer Hammerhead USB-C ANC are somewhat better USB-C headphones for mixed-use than the Google Pixel USB-C Earbuds. The Razer are better-built, have more consistent audio delivery, and they have an ANC feature which helps to cut down some ambient noise around you. However, the Google are more comfortable and have a stable fit for moderate physical activity. While they also lack some bass, they have an overall more neutral sound profile than the Razer. Their in-line mic also has a significantly better recording quality.
The Bose QuietComfort 20/QC20 are better overall wired headphones than the Razer Hammerhead USB-C ANC. The Bose have a comfortable fit, a more neutral sound profile, and use a 1/8" TRRS cable, which some users may prefer. Their ANC feature is significantly better as they have an in-line battery to help power them.
The 1More Triple Driver are better overall wired in-ears than the Razer Hammerhead USB-C ANC. The 1More have a better-balanced sound profile and are more comfortable. As they use a 1/8" TRRS connector, you can plug them into your PC, PS4, and Xbox for full analog compatibility. Their in-line microphone also has a somewhat better recording quality, and even without ANC, they still do a slightly better job of reducing mid and treble-range noise around you. However, the Razer are better built.
The Samsung AKG Type-C are better headphones than the Razer Hammerhead USB-C ANC. The Samsung have a more comfortable fit, and they have a better-balanced sound profile that's suitable for listening to lots of different types of audio content. However, the Razer are more stable, and they come with a portable case, unlike the Samsung.
Test Results
The Razer Hammerhead USB-C are wired-in ears with a black finish. They have the Razer logo on each side of the buds that lights up green. Unfortunately, you can't disable it, which can be annoying for some.
These headphones are reasonably comfortable. They have a slightly deep fit but the shape of the buds may not be comfortable for all users. On the upside, they come with four sets of silicone ear tips as well as one pair of foam ear tips so that you can find a fit that's comfortable for you. For more comfortable earbuds with a USB-C connection, check out the Samsung AKG Type-C.
The Razer Hammerhead USB-C have satisfactory controls. Their simple in-line remote has three buttons that provide clicky feedback. The up and down buttons adjust the volume. One push of the middle button plays/pauses music and accepts/ends calls. Double-tapping skips the track while triple-tapping it returns you to the previous track. Finally, if you hold the button, you can decline a call or activate the voice assistant. There's also a switch located on the side of the controls which turns the ANC on/off. However, the switch can be hard to use one-handed. The overall control scheme can also be a little tricky to use at first, especially as clicking too many or few times can activate the wrong command.
The Razer Hammerhead USB-C are exceptionally portable. They're fairly lightweight and can be placed into most pockets or bags without a problem. They also have a carrying case to help protect them.
The Razer Hammerhead USB-C have a good carrying case. It's small and made from a soft, spongy material, which should help protect your headphones from scratches as well as from other accidental damage.
The Razer Hammerhead USB-C have a good build quality and feel as well-built as the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless 2021. They have a braided audio cable and the buds are wrapped in aluminum casings, which gives them a durable feel. While the part of the cable leading to the USB-C connector seems like it could be a weak point, it's still fairly sturdy overall.
The Razer Hammerhead USB-C are fairly stable. They're a little heavy as the buds have aluminum casings. However, since they don't have wings or tips, they can fall out if you're doing moderately intense exercise. Their audio cable can also snag on something and yank them out of your ear.
These headphones have a hybrid dynamic and balanced armature transducer, which is advertised to handle low and high frequencies separately, producing more immersive and clear audio. However, they struggle to produce a punchy, thumpy bass while their treble-range sounds dark and dull. That said, their mids are very well-balanced, making them better-suited for vocal content. Unfortunately, they don't have an EQ to tweak their sound.
The Razer Hammerhead UBC-C ANC have an excellent frequency response consistency. Once you get a proper fit and seal using the different tips provided, you should be able to get consistent bass and treble delivery every time you use these headphones.
These headphones have disappointing bass accuracy. The range is completely underemphasized, resulting in a lack of thump, rumble, and body. Instruments in the high-bass also lack warmth and fullness.
These headphones have excellent mid accuracy. The mid-range is mostly flat and neutral across the range, resulting in clear and present vocals and lead instruments.
The Razer Hammerhead USB-C have disappointing treble accuracy. Just like the bass range, the treble range is almost completely underemphasized, resulting in weak vocals and instruments that lack detail. Sibilants like cymbals also sound dull and lispy.
The peaks and dips performance is good. There's a small peak in the high-mids, which makes vocals and lead instruments a bit honky and harsh. The peak and dip in the low treble further hurt the upper harmonics of vocals and instruments by making parts of them alternatively harsh and weak. The dip in the mid-treble also weakens sibilants like cymbals.
The Razer Hammerhead USB-C have an outstanding stereo imaging performance. The weighted group delay falls entirely beneath our audibility threshold, ensuring tight bass and transparent treble. The L/R drivers are also very well-matched in amplitude, frequency, and phase response, which helps create an immersive and accurate localization of objects in the stereo image. That said, these results are only valid for our test unit, and yours may perform very differently.
The Razer Hammerhead USB-C have a terrible passive soundstage. By design, they bypass the outer ear without interacting with it, resulting in a small soundstage. The soundstage is also perceived as coming from inside your head rather than out in front of you.
These headphones don't have any virtual soundstage features.
The weighted harmonic distortion performance is great. All frequencies fall within good limits, resulting in clean and pure audio reproduction.
These are the settings used to test the Razer Hammerhead USB-C ANC. Our results are only valid when using this configuration.
These headphones do an alright job of blocking out ambient noise. Even with their ANC on, they really struggle to reduce bass noise like bus engines, but they still perform better than the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro. That said, they're slightly better at reducing mid-range noise like ambient chatter as well as higher-pitched sounds like an AC unit. Unfortunately, when using the ANC, some sounds in the high-mid to low-treble ranges sound louder and more amplified than with the ANC off.
These headphones have good leakage performance. Most escaping audio is found in the treble range, so it may sound thin. If you listen to your music at a high volume, those around you may be able to hear it.
The Razer Hammerhead USB-C have an in-line microphone located higher up on the cable, closer to the mouth.
The in-line microphone's recording quality is decent. Your voice sounds clear and natural, although a bit thin.
The in-line microphone has mediocre noise handling. They struggle to separate speech from ambient noise, even in moderately noisy environments like a crowded street.
These headphones are wired-only and don’t have a battery.
The Razer Hammerhead USB-C don't have a companion app.
The Razer Hammerhead USB-C are wired-only and don't have any Bluetooth compatibility.
These headphones are wired-only.
The Razer Hammerhead USB-C have a non-detachable USB-C cable with an in-line remote. They have very low latency when used on a PC but their latency is reduced to 7ms when using a USB-C Android phone, which is great if you like to stream videos or movies.
These headphones have full microphone and audio compatibility with PCs that have a USB-C port or when using a USB-A adapter. However, you won't be able to use these with a PS4. If you want a pair of in-ear headphones that are compatible with PS4 and other consoles, try the Logitech G333, which come with a 1/8" TRRS cable as well as a USB-C adapter.