Razer Hammerhead V3 Hyperspeed | My Daily Driver
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Quick Summary
The Razer Hammerhead V3 Hyperspeed combines the audio quality and comfort of IEMs without the weight of headphones or a headset.
They add the extra convenience and freedom of Bluetooth, but also the low latency of 2.4 GHz which is usually reserved for gaming headsets.
Unfortunately, these aren't perfect. The software is anemic, there’s no button customization, and no simultaneous 2.4 GHz + Bluetooth. That said, I still use them every single day.
Connectivity
The Hammerhead V3 Hyperspeed is compatible with PC, PS5, Switch (1,2), and phones. Not Xbox.
It has both 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth 6.0. These earbuds technically stay connected to Bluetooth the entire time and you can make on the fly adjustments with the app, but they only play audio from one source at a time.
2.4 GHz is done through the USB-C dongle. You can connect that directly to your system of choice. Or you can plug the case into the system and put the dongle inside the case. The case passes through the USB signal to the dongle. The benefit of this is you can always keep the case charged.
Controls
The capacitive touch controls are finicky when it comes to not registering a tap vs being too sensitive. The bigger problem is they're not customizable at all.
A quick clarification, the triple tap won't get disabled even when you toggle gestures off because that's the only way to switch between the connection types.
Battery Life and Case
The battery is listed as getting 10 hours from the buds themselves and 30 extra from the case. That tracks for me, but realistically, I usually have the case plugged into my PC. They charge up super fast. I got 50% in about 20 minutes.
Earbud Audio Quality
Measurements taken with my miniDSP EARS (not industry standard).
These use 11 mm dynamic drivers. They're mostly natural. If you've used the KZ ZS10 Pro, it's kind of like those. Nice, full sub-bass with a good fit, but not super boomy. Though it is capable of that with EQ.
The mids are realistic, and the treble isn't as sharp as most of the IEMs I've used.
The 6 kHz spike shown above looks way worse than what I actually hear in my own ears, but it's definitely elevated which forces vocals to be a bit more forward than they probably should be in a mix. It’s good for intelligibility, but it makes weapon fire jarring.
I wish you could tone this down, but there's no 6 kHz band in the equalizer. Lowering 4 or 8 kHz (or both) just messes up the frequencies outside of the target.
As for gaming with these, I've been very satisfied. They have a closed in sound like basically all IEMs, but the clarity is good without being too harsh in the treble. The overall tonality makes FPS, single player, or even fighting games immersive while still providing all the necessary and important sound cues.
There's thump to the bass and sub-bass when needed, but you only get that constant rumble if you EQ it like that. The mids aren't super strong out the box, so if you want to hear more ambience like wind, you can crank that up.
THX Spatial Sound
THX Spatial Audio is pretty cool for making more subtle sounds seems super prominent and in your face. However, I don't like the treble spikes in THX. This makes gunfire even more obnoxious than it already is.
THX is also a pain to use with this headset since you have to download a separate program and reroute your audio through that source.
Active Noise Cancellation
These get an 8 out of 10 for cutting out background noise. It's the best ANC I've used on any "gaming" branded device.
These really are adaptive; their performance will depend on how well the ear tips seal in. When you first get them in, there's a prominent hiss, but it fades fast and drowns out fans, ACs, and most of the outdoors effectively.
The transparency mode is super loud and tinny. If it had a volume slider, it would be a lot more viable.
Microphone Audio Quality
The mic is about average for earbuds. Compressed, tinny, muffled, but not out of the ordinary. They’re definitely a last resort. However, they sound better over 2.4 GHz than Bluetooth.
Software
Software is usually where Razer devices fall apart, and sadly it's the same case here.
Both the Razer audio phone app and Synapse are lacking features and the phone app doesn't even connect half the time.
You get three default EQ presets, but only one custom EQ and you can’t change the others. You can swap between them with your phone even when connected to PC or console. Since you only get one custom preset, you can never toggle between “flat” and your own custom EQ.
You can toggle touch controls, ANC, and a few other basic options here. There is no controls customization option or transparency volume slider.
Comfort
These get a B in comfort. Honestly, I think Razer optimized these as much as they could considering the driver size, battery life, 2.4 GHz chip. However, they're still a bit chunky.
Depending on your ears, you'll often have to readjust these. I settled on the medium size tips, but none of them fit perfectly. I think there either aren't enough tips or they don't mold well enough like foam tips.
Either way, they're not actually uncomfortable; they just slip around too much. There's no wing or hook, so it's not the most secure fit.
Verdict
Even with all the nitpicks, I still use these daily. If there was a Hammerhead V3 Pro that addressed the quality of life issues like no simultaneous audio and the anemic software, I'd definitely upgrade.
Great sound, good comfort, wireless freedom. I recommend.
