Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Bluetooth Gaming Earbuds: 60ms Low-Latency - IPX4 Water Resistant - Bluetooth 5.0 Auto Pairing - Touch Enabled - 13mm Drivers - Classic Black

Not counting the Plantronic Voyager 5200-UC softphone headset I just ordered, these Hammerheads put me at 6 pairs of earbuds I now own (purchased variously over the last two and a half years.TLDR; These sound VERY good, are very comfortable, and have already become my go-to everyday earbuds. If you like music, and you like the more "open-air" in-ear style of earbud, these are a great purchase.Here my thoughts, working from the newest to the oldest earbuds I own, but, saving the Razers for last:(1) Wireless Earbuds,Tepoinn Smart Touch TWS Bluetooth Earphones IPX5 30 Hours Playtime in Ear Stereo Bluetooth 5.0 Earphones with Rechargeable Cases & Built-in Mic Wireless Earphones, $38, free Prime shipping:Same basic style as these Hammerheads. Poor sound quality. This was why I immediately turned around and bought these Hammerheads. I do still use them to listen to the news playing on my television in the mornings while I am getting ready for work. How good does the news have to sound? Handy. Can walk around three floors of my really small townhouse without the audio cutting out. Don't have to re-pair my other wireless buds back and forth from the television to my phone and/or computer all the time. These are paired and connect right out of the charging case. Can use one earbud, either left or right, at a time.(2) TREBLAB xFit - Truly Wireless Earbuds of 2019 - True HD Sound Bluetooth 5.0 - Super Light, Premium Design, Best Sports Headphones for Workout & Running, Waterproof IPX6, Noise Cancelling (Renewed), #31.93 with shipping:Very small. I like that. Out of the box, the right earbud was defective -- muffled. Disappointing. That said, the left earbud sounded very good -- very clear and detailed soundstage throughout the bandwidth. Sent an email to the company and without any pushback, they offered to replace them. Just got the email telling me the replacements have been shipped, exactly one week from the day I first reached out to them. The Customer support staff (Marina) was very professional and very eager to help and made the process, so far, painless. Once they are received and tried out, they may very well replace my "morning television" buds -- especially if the sound is good enough for watching movies as well as the news. Given the quality of sound as I was able to discern of the left earbud, I do have high hopes. All of the benefits (but one; specifically, these are the silicone sound-isolating earbuds, which I'll talk about more in the next section) but with much better sound quality. Other than that, I can't really go into any detail regarding the sound quality of these compared to all the rest until I get a non-defective set to listen to.Edit (04/12/20): 5 star customer service. Unfortunately, the small size, which is originally what drew me to these, has become a problem. When I first place them in my ears, they fit snugly enough, but, over time, they begin to slide out, as the earbud tips are all that hold them in place. Once they start sliding out, I have to fuss with them to get them seated correctly again, but again, and more quickly, they start to slide out again. Maybe if they placed those little wings on the earbud tips that cradle the earbud into the frame of the outer ear, they would hold their place better. Decent sound, but poor fit make them bothersome to me.(3) Wireless Headphones, AUKEY Key Series B80 Earbuds, Hybrid Driver, aptX Low Latency, High Fidelity Sound, IPX6 Water-Resistance, 8H Playtime and in-line Mic, $104.98, free Prime shipping:This is one of three sets, all vying for my top spot for various reasons.The sound quality of these earbuds are possibly my favorite, except the bass is a touch too "present". Not muddy or overpowering, but compared to the next two sets, the bass simply does not sound natural in conjunction with the rest of the bandwidth. I can, of course, adjust the equalizer on my phone to tone down the bass response -- I just hate having to readjust my equalizer depending on which earbuds I am using. I prefer not to engage the equalizer at all, ever, if I can help it. That said, the highs through the lower mids are absolutely fantastic. Very clear and natural sounding with great separation of instrumentation and of vocals (a touch better than the next two, for the reason I will go into now,). This set of earbuds is also of the style with silicone or foam earbud tips (both silicone and foam were included in this set) that sit inside the ear canal and seal. It should be obvious how this style of earbud improves the quality of the sound, but it is also why the bass becomes so prominent -- unless you do not procure the correct fit and seal, at which point the bass disintegrates or becomes very weak (an issue with ANY sound isolating earbuds). This style of earbud is what they refer to as "sound isolating" -- and this is just not something that I prefer in general. Even without the music playing, these are like wearing earplugs -- you simply do not hear (or, at least, barely hear) anything going on around you. There are times when this is nice -- when you are specifically wanting to do nothing but listen completely to your music. And during these times -- after ruefully adjusting my equalizer accordingly -- these produce my favorite soundstage. One other complaint about these, though, is they are of the style where, although "wireless" bluetooth, the two buds are connected to each other by a wire. This also means they are inconvient to remove one bud and leave the other in -- for instance, when you are trying to have a conversation with someone, or otherwise want to hear what's going on in the environment. Hence, these, for me, are special use earbuds only -- as I said, when I want to do nothing but wholely listen to my music. And, unfortunately, the opportunity for these times tend to be too rare indeed.(4) Bose wired in-Ear Headphones/Earphones (was on my 2018 Christmas list; currently $148 with free shipping):The second set of three, vying for the top spot.Some people love Bose, some hate them. I like them. I find them to be the most natural-sounding across the bandwidth, though, with these being the more "open air" in-ear headphones, they do lose just a touch of the sound separation of the Aukey earbuds. But, as I've said, I prefer this style of headset over the "sound isolating" foam tip earbuds for everyday use. That loss of separation, as well as them be a wired headset, is what keeps these from being my number one. I have, on more than a few occaisions, found myself listening to music on my laptop, and putting of getting up and walking around, you know, to eat or go the bathroom, because I'd have to disconnect from my music (and, no, I'm not going to carry my laptop everywhere around the house with me.) I used to have a DAC headphone amplifier, and I do wonder, if I were to replace that now, would that bring back the separation I'm missing -- but this, and them being wired, would still leave these as being, also, special use headphones only.(5) Photive TWS-01 True Wireless Earbuds Stereo Bluetooth Headphones with Charging Case. Premium Sound - Secure Fit - Easy to Pair, $39.95:These are my oldest pair, purchased Dec. 31, 2017. I loved them when I got them. My first set of "truly wireless earbuds." Sound isolating silicone (improved sound with the purchase of Comply foam earbud tips). But, listening to them now (which I still try to do periodically) the highs come in a little harsh. Could be that I didn't notice it as much before I started listening to better headsets, or could be that they are just getting old. The upper-mid to lower bandwidth is very good, but the harshness at the upper end have made these practically unlistenable to me. Especially given that I have so many other options to choose from. I think, though, that it may be their age, because, again, when I got them, I was very impressed with the sound of these, especially at this price point.Now, all this to put into perspective the point you've all been waiting for.Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds: Low-Latency - Water Resistant - Bluetooth 5.0 Auto Pairing - Classic Black, $99.99, free prime shipping.I thought it was crazy, but I ordered these on a Monday (3/27/2020) and they arrived the very next day. That was cool. Sound quality, just slightly less volume than my Bose (considering the Bose are wired, that is only to be expected, but the higher volume listening, of course, will also drain my phone battery quicker). Being the "open-air" in-ear style that I prefer, they also lose some of the separation experienced with the Aukey, and being "truely wireless" I am more limited as to what style of DAC amplifier I can use (has to be, itself, bluetooth and kept with my phone, which would lessen the convenience factor. But these do compete very favorably the Bose. Very favorably. And seeing as how I have only had these for a week now, they've not really completely "broken in", which opens up the soundstage of any headset, which gives me even higher hopes for their future sound quality. The only other downside is the same for the whole wireless category of headsets -- as I am finishing typing this out, I am being prompted, "low battery". Guess I have to put these away now, and dig my Bose back out pretty quick. Oh, and I do also want to mention -- low latnecy. Very nice. And, oddly enough, not necessarily a common feature in the higher-end truly wireless earbuds.All that said, these Razer Hammerhead are now my go-to everyday buds, without hesitation or regret. Which, aside from "special use", I guess make these my number one.I am very happy with this purchase and would recommend these to anyone.Of course, everyone is different, and have different tolerances, preferences, and different musical and auditory experiences. And these are just mine.Maybe, if one day, I have it in me to buy the $250 Apple AirPods Pro, I'll see what that is all about. I do like the idea of the silicone sound-isolation and Active Noise Cancelation, combined with its Transparency mode (the best of both worlds?), but, $250? Unfortunately, I'm too poor and broke to see that happening anytime soon.

These are the most uncomfortable earbuds I've ever used. The sound is great, and they have surprisingly decent bass capabilities, but you will go through quite a few of them because they suddenly quit working, or one will decide to unpair and refuse to work with the other. The design is odd, as they don't seem to be made for human ears, so the fit is awkward. They come with the most absurdly useless rubber sleeves that don't help the fit or comfort, and the battery life is so terrible you won't get much use out of them before you need to charge them again.I've gone through 4 pairs of these earbuds. 4! I was willing to deal with the discomfort because I did enjoy the sound. Up to this point, they were the only earbuds I'd ever had to produce this level of bass quality, but there are just too many cons versus what feels like the single pro. Save your time, patience and money and look elsewhere.

For myself, headphones are all about audio quality. I will happily pay more to get the best listening experience and the sound quality is 100% where it's at for me. I own multiple headphones for different environments (home, travel, walking, gym) and different listening experienced (closed vs open design). My search is for the best in each category of headphone and therefore in each environment. Also after years of testing headphones and speakers, the ONLY WAY TO TEST in my opinion is a back and forth comparison with the same equipment and songs. Our ears forget what something sounds like and it's easy to get very excited with a new headphone or speaker and think "this is the best I've heard". We have to do a back and forth session to notice the differences. There is no other way to do it. This is why I write my reviews the way I do and why I think 90% of reviews out there are useless. People get excited with a new item and make exaggerated claims because its hard to compare using memory alone. Countless times I've gotten excited about headphones, speakers or food and thought "this is the best" and then am surprised when I do a back and forth comparison to realize that it really wasn't that good. So let's get started!Airpods 3rd Generation vs Razer Hammerhead. These are my two best in-ear unsealed headphones. I've tried a lot and thought compare the best. The Airpds retail for $169 and the Razers were $99 (now $39).Airpod audio sound more inside your head (more intimate). Razer audio sounds more outside your head (wider sound stage). Razer sounds more 3D.Airpod audio is more balanced across the spectrum and sounds full and flattened. Razer audio has the vocals more forward with the instruments more in the background. Razer has a larger spacial quality to the audio.Airpod audio has less texture and detail. Razer audio has more texture detail.Airpod audio has a thicker rumble to the bass and the bass remains during the music. Razer audio has tighter, punchier bass. The difference is like a higher quality sub-woofer that is accurate, tight and strong versus a lower quality sub-woofer which extends the bass with a rumble rather than a tight punch. Razer audio sounds like a higher quality sub-woofer (less rumble, more punch).Airpods secure better in my shaped ears and feel tucked in, while not sealing my ears. Razers feels like they are sitting on my ear and not tucked in like the Airpods.Airpods 2nd Generation is inferior in every way to the 3rd Generation. 2nd Gen have noticeably less detail, sound very flat and do not fit the ear as well.Final opinions: In my search for unsealed in-ear headphones, the Airpods 3rd Gen and Razer are the best I've heard. There aren't many competitors in this genre of headphone and these two are the best IMO. It's a toss up between which one is better because different people have different listening preferences, music styles and personal needs. I'll do my best to advise.- If you constantly wear your headphones, walking with them, using them for calls, etc - the the Apple Airpods 3rd Gen are the way to go. They are more comfortable and secure much better in the ears. They won't fall out. I've had the Razers fall out on my walk numerous times that it's almost a daily occurrence.- If you want a more audiophile grade experience with a Bluetooth in-ear unsealed headphone, the audio quality of the Razer is better IMO. More detail, more texture, wider sound stage, and tighter bass. The only draw back with the Razer is that the sound stage is artificially-enhanced by adding a echo-like effect. It's small but it's there.- If you want a more forward sounding and someone intense audio experience the Airpods push the sound into your head and give an intimate but somewhat intense experience. People who want to be inside their music (like center-stage, front row seat) will prefer the Airpods 3rd Gen. This would be better for electronic music, hip hop, dance and most of the modern trends.- If you prefer to sit in the middle or back of the venue and hear the instrument separation and a wider sound stage, the Razer is a better choice. It's not an intimate but it's more open and airy and has a more laid back quality. This is better for jazz, blues, and classic rock.A little background: I prefer the open ear design to my over-the-ear headphones and I own or have owned many of the flagship (very best) headphones from brands like Sennheiser, AKG, Audio-Technica, Hifimann and Sony. I have owned the best wireless over-the-ear from Sony, B&O and Philips. I have owned the best wired in-ears from Sennhesier and Westone. I have owned the best wireless in-ears from Sony, B&O, Tozo, and too many to remember. I also own audiophile grade amplifiers and DACs costing costing well over $1,000 each. At present, wired headphones will always sound better than wireless. More information can pass through wires than airwaves. In the future, wireless will match wired but I think that will take a while to happen. For now, if you want the best listening experience, get a wired headphone.