Razer Opus Review, Headphones, Wireless, Price

Razer Opus

Razerthink – The Razer Opus looks to branch out even further: it’s a pair of noise-canceling headphones that means more to your daily commute than your competitive Valorant. Razer is known for its gaming products and strives to be a solid audio brand. He bought THX in 2016 and since then has focused on incorporating THX technology into gaming headsets and other products, including the new Razer Opus headphones.

It’s very affordable, I think, for $199 (£199, AU$330), you get a very stylish pair of headphones that will drown out outside noise, with lots of quality-of-life features that will make it appealing to people who may not have been involved with it. The brand. Oddly enough, to our ears. Priced at $199.99, the wireless Opus headphones offer clear, clean audio with plenty of arguably high-end quality, with solid active noise cancellation that helps block out the sounds around you. These certainly aren’t the most potent headphones in terms of bass response, but they offer reasonable price value.

The Razer Opus are fabulous headphones for listening to neutral sounds. They have a very balanced and accurate sound profile out-of-the-box that is flexible enough for any genre or content. You can also customize the sound via the EQ presets in the companion app. They are pretty consistent between different users or repetitions, although you may have to adjust them a bit to feel the same treble each time you use them.

The Razer Opus are fabulous headphones for going and on the go. Their ANC does an excellent job and does a fantastic job of blocking out the low rumble of a bus or plane engine. They’re incredibly comfortable, last nearly 33 hours on a single charge, and have easy-to-use physical buttons to control your music. The Razer Opus are fabulous headphones for sports. While they are likely to fall during more intense workouts, they feel stable enough to use while jogging or running. They are comfortable to wear on long walks, although their over-ear design will cause your ears to warm up after a while.

The Razer Opus are fabulous headphones for wired gaming. Thanks to their TRRS audio cable, their integrated microphone works when wired, making them compatible with Xbox One and PS4. They’re comfortable enough for long gaming sessions and last a long time on a single charge. Unfortunately, their integrated mic doesn’t work as well as most boom mics found in dedicated gaming headphones, although your voice still sounds pretty full and clear.

Design

The headphones look very different from Razer but are not bad at all. There are no shining lights, no splashes of green, and no big, bold circles or sharp corners between the design elements. It’s just a sleek pair of black headphones, covered in matte black plastic and faux leather. The soft ear cups are large oval in shape, angled back slightly, so they fit comfortably in your ears. The back of each earcup looks flat, plus a small silver THX logo above it. The metallic Razer logo (the brand’s stylish name, not Razer’s triskelion) can be found at the end of the headband, just above where they attach to the earcups.

The Razer Opus feels and looks very durable and sturdy. They think a little. Overall they feel like they should withstand most falls and bumps without taking too much damage. The Razer Opus has a sleek and straightforward design with oval-shaped ear cups. Unlike most Razer gaming products, they are unobtrusive and don’t feature the usual Razer logo or RGB lighting. The physical controls are all located along the back and bottom edges of the earcups. The left earcup houses a USB-C charging port, 3.5mm port, power button, and ambient/noise canceling mode button.

The right earcup holds the volume up and down buttons, with the multifunction switch in between. All the controls are very thin and feel similar to each other, and the layout throws out all the black space on the back panel of the earmuffs that could easily hold a touch sensor or flat button. The design is simple, and the multifunction switch is slightly lower than the volume button, so you can at least find it easily under your fingertips. The earcups fold flat and inward to fit inside the included hardshell zipper case. Razer offers quite a few accessories, including a USB-C charging cable, USB-C-to-USB-A adapter, 3.5mm headphone cable, and a two-plug airplane adapter, which also fit in the case.

Portability 

• L: 6.0″ (15.2 cm)
• W: 5.7″ (14.5 cm)
• H: 3.0″ (7.6 cm)
• Volume: 103.00 in³ (1,687.86 cm³)
• Transmitter Required: No

In The Box

• Razer Opus Wireless 2020 headphones
• 1/8″ TRRS audio cable
• USB-C to USB-C cable
• USB-C to USB-A adapter
• Airline adapter
• Manuals
• Hard carrying case
• Small soft pouch for cables

Wired

• Analog Audio: Yes
• USB Audio: No
• Detachable: Yes
• Length: 4.30 ft (1.31 m)
• Connection: 1/8″ TRRS
• Analog/USB Audio Latency: 0 ms

Feature

The “hybrid” in the name refers to the two-microphone system; these headphones use for their ANC. A feed-forward microphone is designed to cancel out low to mid-range frequencies, and a feedback microphone, which is designed to cancel out low-pitched noise. Both work together to produce a reasonably effective noise cancellation. There’s a nifty Ambient Awareness or Quick Attention mode, which activates when you hold down the ANC/Ambient button. This function stops the audio and allows you to hear those around you.

So, you don’t have to press the pause button, turn off ANC, and push one earcup to the side to hear an announcement at the train station or have a quick conversation with someone; you hold down this button. It’s also quite effective – it’s as if the shroud has been lifted, and you can hear everything around you, even with your headphones on.

Another Razer Opus feature worth mentioning here is the ability to auto-pause when you take your headphones off and auto-play when you put them back in. This is a handy feature. These headphones are designed to be used when you walk to work, work in a cafe, travel by train, and fly to your next destination. They even came up with their airline headphone adapter to prove it.

Software

The Razer Opus app for iOS and Android provides some customization options but feels limited compared to other headphone apps. You can switch between five EQ presets, including THX (default), Amplified, Vocal, Enhanced Bass, and Enhanced Clarity. However, you cannot create custom EQ presets, even if the app displays a five-band EQ to show what the curves look like for each preset.

App Support 

• App Name: Razer Audio
• iOS: Yes
• Android: Yes
• macOS: No
• Windows: No
• Equalizer: Presets
• ANC Control: No
• Mic Control: No
• Room Effects: No
• Playback Control: No
• Button Mapping: No
• Surround Support: Yes

Performance

THX-certified Razer Opus headphones are tuned to offer clear, full sound, even if they don’t deliver a lot of deep basses. There are very clean-sounding guitar tones, excellent stereo imaging, and even a bit of space around the earplugs (an effect seen more often on expensive open-back models). DESPITE THE LACK OF BASS, the THX EQ sounds balanced and complete, although the Boost Bass preset doesn’t do much to add a low-end presence to the mix.

As Razer’s first step into active noise cancellation without focusing on gaming, the Opus headphones provide powerful audio with exceptional high-frequency proficiency. They’re a bit light on bass, and the ANC isn’t the most powerful out there, but these are still excellent headphones for the price, especially if you like an understated design.

Battery

• Battery Type: Rechargeable
• Continuous Battery Life: 32.6 hrs
• Additional Charges: 0.0
• Total Battery Life: 32.6 hrs
• Charge Time: 3.4 hrs
• Power-Saving Feature: Auto-Off Timer
• Audio While Charging: No
• Passive Playback: Yes
• Charging Port: USB-C

Bluetooth

• Bluetooth Version: 4.2
• Multi-Device Pairing: No
• NFC Pairing: No
• Line Of Sight Range: 195.00 ft (59.44 m)
• PC Latency (SBC): 230 ms
• PC Latency (aptX): 172 ms
• PC Latency (aptX HD): N/A
• PC Latency (aptX-LL): N/A
• iOS Latency: 138 ms
• Android Latency: 41 ms

Microphone Styl

• Integrated: Yes
• In-Line: No
• Boom: No
• Detachable Boom: No

PlayStation Compatibility 

• PS4 Analog: Audio + Microphone
• PS4 Wired USB: No
• PS4 Non-BT Wireless: No
• PS5 Analog: Audio + Microphone
• PS5 Wired USB: No
• PS5 Non-BT Wireless: No

Xbox Compatibility 

• Xbox One Analog: Audio + Microphone
• Xbox One Wired USB: No
• Xbox One Non-BT Wireless: No
• Xbox Series X|S Analog: Audio + Microphone
• Xbox Series X|S Wired USB: No
• Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless: No

Pros

• Snazzy design
• Great noise cancellation
• Tight fit
• Balanced sound signature with plenty of high-frequency clarity
• Solid noise cancellation for lower frequencies

Cons

• No manual sound tuning
• Noise cancellation does little for higher frequencies

Price 

The Razer Opus – Black  is now available on the Razer website for US$199.99 and Razer x *A Bathing Ape® Opus  US$299.99

Overall

The Razer Opus Wireless ANC Headsets give them the best for their money, with warm, balanced sound, a wide soundstage, excellent noise cancellation, a few bells and whistles, and minor flaws. And at just $199.99, they’re probably the best value noise-canceling headphones out there.