Literally the Best Headphones I've Ever Used
I've reviewed a ton of wireless audio devices, and to say I'm picky is an understatement. Connection issues, lag, audio quality, comfort... I always run into issues. So when I tried these, I wasn't expecting too much despite the mid-high range price tag and the well known brand name. To my surprise, these blew me away in every possible way! I'll start with what was probably the most impressive thing: the comfort. I have a slightly larger than average head, wear glasses, and seem to have a rather sensitive scalp when it comes to headphones. Typically, I can't wear any headphones of this style for more than an hour without pain. However, these I've worn comfortably for upwards of 3 hours without a break. My guess is that this comes down to the way the earpieces adjust, sliding on thin individual brackets, rather than one head-squeezing metal band that most use. These adjustments are wider than they seem, and while I'd usually max out the width of most headphones, these can be extended further to feel downright loose. The crown padding is comfortable, but it seems to be the padding on the earpieces that really makes this design work. It's soft enough to fit over glasses without squeezing and the cups are large enough to be truly "over ear" (many designs claim this, but still press on parts of the ear). Because of this, the weight of the headphones is distributed over the top of the ear and head instead of relying on squeezing pressure or pressing on one part of the head. I can only assume this is the secret to making them wearable long-term. After that, the next thing that surprised me was the connectivity. I have a VERY negative view of Bluetooth, particularly when it comes to "gaming" headsets. No matter what they claim, Bluetooth headphones always have lag, and I've always been confused as to why this is considered acceptable by gamers. A bespoke 2.4 GHz USB connection is the only way I've found to work around this, which these headphones have (and it is more or less plug-and-play, albeit with some software installation). What's truly amazing to me though is that these have a Bluetooth mode... that isn't that bad. I'm unsure what sort of technical wizardry is being done, but I synced these to a phone, a laptop, and a Steam Deck, and in all cases the latency was nearly non-existent. I say NEARLY because there did seem to be a small (<80 ms) delay, which still rendered it not ideal for things that are highly audio-reliant like rhythm games. However, for everything else, including things like FPS's (where the sight of a gun firing and the sound of it firing out of sync is typically a Bluetooth problem), I was perfectly happy with the results. The fact that this is backed up by the 2.4 GHz option makes it the perfect wireless experience. As for audio quality, I'm not an audiophile, but I loved the way these sounded. Right out of the box they sounded good to me, but they have four modes you can cycle through (which I couldn't really tell the difference between), as well as a full software-driven equalizer. I'm odd because I don't like the sound/feeling of thumping bass, so I was happy that these weren't overwhelming, though I imagine someone who does like bass might be less enthused without tweaking the settings. Microphone quality also seemed to be a huge improvement over my basic desktop mic. I had one of those "why do you sound so much clearer today?" moments in a voice channel with friends. This is particularly impressive for a rather simple feeling optional mic attachment. There's also a very handy spring-loaded mute button on the left ear with an obvious tone that plays when you toggle it. I muted myself multiple times during a multi-hour conversation with no accidental on/off moments. I didn't do a full test of a busy public place, but I noticed that my friends were unable to hear ambient sounds when I was moving around and talking to them. There are tons of little positives worth noting, as well. Thing like the volume dial on the left ear, which is a high quality and responsive textured knob, rather than just a simple button. It controls your device volume directly (e.g., it will adjust the volume in Windows when used with a PC) with no delay or accidental changes. They also look quite nice and sleek, with subtle branding and (despite being made by a gamer-focused company), they don't have any silly RGB bells and whistles or overdone branding, so they look appropriate even in a "grown up" office setting. And lastly, it's a small detail, but the voice you hear ("power on", "pairing", etc.) is clear and pleasant; it's amazing how many devices have a voice like this that sounds either garbled or poorly pronounced. There are negatives, but they feel fairly minor. The software, for example, is useful and well-made, but tries to trick you into installing some Razer bloatware (like RGB controls and screen recording) that doesn't even apply to the headphones. The controls, while easy enough to use, can be a little fiddly, particularly when switching between Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz, and there are some controls (such as the "configurable roller") that I never really figured out a use for. There's also no 3.5mm wired connection, so these cannot be used without a charge like some headsets, nor is there any way to plug them directly into older devices. But none of that changes my opinion that these are the best headphones I've ever used. The comfort, audio, and connectivity is all top-notch. I'd highly recommend them at pretty much any reasonable price point, particularly to gamers who are Bluetooth skeptics, like me. Read more
