For a vast majority of my life, I have been obsessed with headphones. The ability to have audio from my favorite games or songs, alongside other media, directly in my ear is a novelty that has never worn off. Headphones are such a necessity in my life that I rarely, if ever, leave home without them. However, I always struggled with choosing what type of headphones to wear. For years, I opted for Bluetooth earbuds due to their superior portability and convenience. Recently, though, I have found myself more attracted to over-ear headphones, since they seem to prioritize sound quality above all else.
The primary reason for my switch was that most earbuds never really worked with my devices. Sure, I could connect them to my computer and phone; most consoles do not support Bluetooth pairing with third-party earbuds. Yet, despite my change in preferences, I was admittedly quite curious when given the chance to review a particularly unique variation of Razer‘s Hammerhead V3 X HyperSpeed. The Hammerhead V3 X HyperSpeed – Kuromi Edition takes Razer’s multi-purpose earbuds and adapts them into a presentation based on the titular Sanrio character. Beyond the special design, it also boasts high-speed Bluetooth, a 35-hour battery life, and crucially, compatibility with multiple devices.
On paper, this collaboration between Sanrio and Razer is a fascinating one, but what does it mean for the earbuds themselves? Well, after putting the Hammerhead V3 X HyperSpeed – Kuromi Edition through its paces for quite some time, I am thrilled to say that these are a fantastic pair of earbuds, in spite of some frustrating technical problems.
Immediately Charming and Frustrating
One of the best things about the new Hammerhead V3 X Hyperspeed is immediately noticeable in its title: the Kuromi theming. Admittedly, my knowledge of the Sanrio brand is pretty surface level. I know the most basic characters, and I have seen several of its more obscure figures in passing, though I would not be able to recall their name off the top of my head. Still, even with my basic understanding, I never quite thought that anyone would be able to adapt the design of one of the Sanrio characters into a pair of headphones. I am delighted to have been completely incorrect.
The earbuds’ charging case is the centerpiece of this theming, and it looks incredible. Despite the case appearing as a plastic shell over a regular Hammerhead case, it does not feel cheaply made. The design manages to adapt Kuromi’s pointy ears and “goth cute” look really well, with very few compromises. In fact, the nature of it being a shell allows it to make the base case’s features pop even more. For example, the charging light fits neatly between her hood and face, and almost makes its design pop to a greater degree.
When I first saw the pointy ears of the case, I was a little concerned that it would feel uncomfortable to hold. Despite my concerns about the odd shape, it actually feels surprisingly natural to carry. Plus, its small form factor means it fits really well into any pocket. The earbuds also come with a carabiner, which makes it easy to attach to your belt loops. If you like Kuromi or the broader Sanrio line of characters, and you like to add a little bit of style to your headphones, then the design of the new Hammerhead is worth the price of admission alone.
But if you are like me and value function slightly more than form, the importance of the case pales in comparison to the quality of the earbuds themselves. Once the earbuds are out of the box and you begin the process of setup, this is where some of its biggest drawbacks start to become apparent. The first thing I noticed as soon as I turned them on is that only one out of the two earbuds connected to my phone when pairing. When I tried to see if there was any debris hindering the connection and then made the phone forget the earbuds, the same issue remained when I attempted to pair the two again.
Afterwards, I tried to connect it to the computer, and absolutely no sound came through. Even after I installed the Razer app and used it as a way to connect it to my computer and phone, it still did not work at all. To this day, I am still unsure what eventually fixed the problem, but out of completely nowhere my earbuds just started working with every device I connected it with. It is entirely possible that this can just be attributed to a one-off glitch that may not affect everyone, but regardless of the problem’s frequency, it should not take almost a day to pair a set of earbuds to a device.
Beyond the connection issues, I will say that the alternative ear tip options are quite limited. I tried the small, medium (default), and large size tips, and none of them felt quite right for my ears. Granted, this is a very specific frustration and one that most people likely won’t run into, but there is a part of me that wishes there were a few more alternative options. Still, once I managed to set up the earbuds and got used to the way they felt in my ear, my annoyances with the Kuromi Hammerhead were all but forgotten. Within just a few minutes of use, these earbuds became an immediate favorite of mine.
Jack of All Trades
Let’s start with one of the most important things for a lot of headphone users: sound quality. The sound quality of the Kuromi Hammerhead is pretty good. You are not exactly going to get sound quality that is comparable to the most impressive picks on the market, but considering the $119.99 price point, I was really happy with how it managed to sound across all sorts of genres. In addition, the THX Spatial Sound feature is a great option to further enhance the depth of any soundscape.
That said, since the feature only works with Windows 10 and 11 devices, you are not going to get much use out of it if you happen to not use such platforms. Furthermore, the noise cancellation is a bit lackluster. Unless you crank your volume way up, you are still going to pick up other sounds from the “outside world.” While it is a tad frustrating considering the earbuds are clearly meant for outdoor use, and this somewhat hinders their utility in that front, it is not a huge issue depending on what exactly you use the Kuromi Hammerhead for.
Where the Kuromi Hammerhead particularly shines is in its deeper features. For example, the gesture controls are really intuitive and responsive. Sure, it may not be a particularly unique feature, as it’s one most earbuds possess, but unlike some of its alternatives, I never found it to be too sensitive, and it did a great job of registering the intent of my gestures. Additionally, the Razer app allows you to customize how fast you are expected to tap on the dual earbuds before it responds. For instance, you can set it to do a quick double-tap to skip to the next song, or do a slower tap, depending on your preference.
The battery life of the Kuromi Hammerhead is also pretty impressive. 35 hours of battery life is enough to give all sorts of owners enough use before needing to charge it. Whether you use these sorts of headphones for your morning commute or for time at the gym, you will likely go a few days without even thinking about the battery life at all. Users who fit more into the latter category will especially find much use out of the earbuds’ water-resistant features, in particular.
By far and away my favorite feature of the earbuds, though, is the dongle. Its charger wire doubles as a dongle which you can use to connect the case to any device with a USB-C connection. This means you can easily use it with your PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox with ease by just tweaking the audio settings on your respective devices. The aforementioned Razer app also means that you can switch from dongle connection to Bluetooth connection with just the push of a button. I had a blast getting to listen to the sounds of games like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time or Cyberpunk 2077 without the need for a wired headset. Despite my previously stated concerns, these earbuds manage to be extremely useful in most everyday situations. This, combined with the Kuromi Hammerhead’s design, makes it one of my favorite earbuds to use in quite a while.
A New Favorite
I love the Hammerhead V3 X HyperSpeed – Kuromi Edition. Yes, the pairing problems and lack of further ear tip options are quite frustrating, and I do wish the noise cancellation was a bit more effective. Yet, these are not enough to diminish its good sound quality and wide variety of features, not to mention its fantastic design.
If you are someone who considers sound to be the most important part of a pair of earbuds, then this may not be the hardware for you. However, if you prioritize portability and compatibility with several devices, and you like the Sanrio brand, then this is an absolute must-buy. As for me, these earbuds have reminded me of my former love for this type of headphones, and I am sure that I will be using Hammerhead V3 X HyperSpeed – Kuromi Edition for quite a long time.
Disclaimer: Razer provided a Hammerhead V3 X HyperSpeed – Kuromi Edition for review purposes.
