These are currently 50% off when buying direct from Razer.com - $100 - which seems like a good deal when compared to the Anker Q45 which just looks too big for my smaller head (also based on a number of Internet reviews). I’ve decided to give the Razer Opus 2021s a try and compare them to my AKG N700 M2 pair which I’ve been enjoying now for a few years when working at home and when I commute into the city on a train. It’s always good to have a good backup in case something happens :) and I’d like to have a better winter outdoors pair. I’ve been using an older JBL E65 pair from 2018 but its ability to block out lower frequencies in the bass range is fairly anemic and when compared to the AKG N700, they are not as comfortable due to the very shallow ear cups.

These are now 50% off at Amazon as well.

I got these headphones and it appears that you can use wireless Bluetooth connection while charging but you cannot use 3.5 mm analog connection while charging. Fortunately you can use the headphones in passive wired mode if the battery is empty so you only lose the noise cancelling feature with wired connection.

Amazon sold out fast - no longer available from them at that price new.

Dec 10, 2023 10:44 PM By thomaslmusic55

280

These are currently 50% off when buying directly from Razer.com - $100 - which seems like a good deal when compared to the Anker Q45 which just looks too big for my smaller head (also based on a number of Internet reviews). I’ve decided to give the Razer Opus 2021s a try and compare them to my AKG N700 M2 pair which I’ve been enjoying now for a few years when working at home and when I commute into the city on a train. It’s always good to have a good backup in case something happens :) and I’d like to have a better winter outdoors pair. I’ve been using an older JBL E65 pair from 2018 but its ability to block out lower frequencies in the bass range is fairly anemic and when compared to the AKG N700, they are not as comfortable due to the very shallow ear cups.

Created the account just to warn you guys. The Razer Opus has a weak point - the plastic. After some months and eventually 2 years the plastic cracked completely. Also, Razer Support is a joke and theoretically they don’t replace build damage but for a special customer (basically everyone) they would, but the email support is just a joke. Worst support I have ever had, EVER. This comes from a guy who owns multiple RAZER products. I was a fanboy back then, but now I hate them. The positive thing I can say about the Opus is the battery life and charging speeds. But the plastic will crack in 6 months.

Dec 15, 2023 08:38 PM By thomaslmusic55

280

Amazon sold out fast - no longer available from them at that price new.

Created the account just to warn you guys. The Razer Opus has a weak point - the plastic. After some months and eventually 2 years the plastic cracked completely. Also, Razer Support is a joke and theoretically they don’t replace build damage but for a special customer (basically everyone) they would, but the email support is just a joke. Worst support I have ever had, EVER. This comes from a guy who owns multiple RAZER products. I was a fanboy back then, but now I hate them. The positive thing I can say about the Opus is the battery life and charging speeds. But the plastic will crack in 6 months.

Dec 15, 2023 05:22 AM By mtrantalainen

50

I got these headphones and it appears that you can use wireless Bluetooth connection while charging but you cannot use 3.5 mm analog connection while charging. Fortunately you can use the headphones in passive wired mode if the battery is empty so you only lose the noise cancelling feature with wired connection.

Created the account just to warn you guys. The Razer Opus has a weak point - the plastic. After some months and eventually 2 years the plastic cracked completely. Also, Razer Support is a joke and theoretically they don’t replace build damage but for a special customer (basically everyone) they would, but the email support is just a joke. Worst support I have ever had, EVER. This comes from a guy who owns multiple RAZER products. I was a fanboy back then, but now I hate them. The positive thing I can say about the Opus is the battery life and charging speeds. But the plastic will crack in 6 months.

Dec 11, 2023 09:23 PM By thomaslmusic55

280

These are now 50% off at Amazon as well.

Created the account just to warn you guys. The Razer Opus has a weak point - the plastic. After some months and eventually 2 years the plastic cracked completely. Also, Razer Support is a joke and theoretically they don’t replace build damage but for a special customer (basically everyone) they would, but the email support is just a joke. Worst support I have ever had, EVER. This comes from a guy who owns multiple RAZER products. I was a fanboy back then, but now I hate them. The positive thing I can say about the Opus is the battery life and charging speeds. But the plastic will crack in 6 months.

Dec 15, 2023 05:22 AM By mtrantalainen

50

I got these headphones and it appears that you can use wireless Bluetooth connection while charging but you cannot use 3.5 mm analog connection while charging. Fortunately you can use the headphones in passive wired mode if the battery is empty so you only lose the noise cancelling feature with wired connection.

Hi mtrantalainen,

Thank you for offering your feedback 🙂. We will clarify that the headphones can be charged and used only via a BT connection.

Cheers! Dagobiet

I am testing these against the AKG N700 M2.

Short answer: the AKGs are better. 😄

The noise canceling while riding the commuter train is about the same and is very good. But the Opus seem to have a bug. I’ve had them going for over an hour and twice a pop/click developed in the left ear cup. Not loud but definitely noticeable with music. Cycling through Ambient, ANC off and then back to ANC on clears the issue. Googling this issue shows others have had it as well. I am using the latest firmware. This may be a deal breaker for folks. Did rtings experience this at all during subjective testing? In any event, you may want to mention this under the ANC section.

Audio quality is good but the overall volume level is low. I definitely have to turn my phone up more to get the same level as compared to the AKGs. These sound a bit more thin at times than the AKGs as well. I suspect the recessed treble is the cause of that for my ears. Subjectively I prefer the AKGs audio wise.

Like the AKG model, these are not for large heads. I have a small head and they feel tighter after 90 minutes of wearing.

Overall if you get a pair without the clicks/pops then at the 100 price point they are a good value. Personally I will be continuing to use my AKGs for daily use and keep these as a backup/outside yard work model if I don’t return them due to the click issue.

Further experiments show that my unit does the pop/click in the left ear cup at about the 12 minute mark after initially turning on ANC. Afterward if I “fix it” by cycling through ANC off. Ambient mode back to ANC on then it occurs every 23 minutes exactly. I can tell time by it. interestingly, if you put your finger over the left ear cups ambient mic, it stops immediately but will start again about a minute after removing the finger.

Further testing on my unit shows that if when I turn them on, I immediately cycle through the ANC on, ambient, ANC off back to ANC on, then its approximately 23 minutes before the issue occurs in the left ear cup.

I’ve been doing my 45 minute exercise walks with these and the bug acts like a perfect turn around alarm since it’s half of 45. 😄

Even though the ANC is very good, I would not recommend them for long commuting trips since this click/pop issue will become annoying. For that usage, at their regular price point of 200 dollars, I think one is better off going with the Sony or bose when on sale.

But if one plans on using them with ANC off most of the time then they sound and fit well at least for me. I notice no real difference in sound signature between Bluetooth with ANC off or on. And for my usage with ANC on, I can live with cycling through ANC off/on every 23 minutes.

Cheers,

Tom

Jan 03, 2024 10:29 PM By thomaslmusic55

280

Further testing on my unit shows that if when I turn them on, I immediately cycle through the ANC on, ambient, ANC off back to ANC on, then its approximately 23 minutes before the issue occurs in the left ear cup.
I’ve been doing my 45 minute exercise walks with these and the bug acts like a perfect turn around alarm since it’s half of 45. 😄 Even though the ANC is very good, I would not recommend them for long commuting trips since this click/pop issue will become annoying. For that usage, at their regular price point of 200 dollars, I think one is better off going with the Sony or bose when on sale.
But if one plans on using them with ANC off most of the time then they sound and fit well at least for me. I notice no real difference in sound signature between Bluetooth with ANC off or on. And for my usage with ANC on, I can live with cycling through ANC off/on every 23 minutes. Cheers, Tom

Hi thomaslmusic55,

Thank you for your feedback. We did not experience the clicking noise on our unit when ANC was enabled. Your feedback here will be helpful for users looking to buy a pair of Headphones with ANC.

We are very sorry to hear about your experience with the Razer Opus Wireless 2021. We recommend that you reach out to the manufacturer for help.

Cheers, Dagobiet

Just got these off Amazon. Was on sale for about $60 and I’ll say the left ear cup is cursed. Cracking sounds while I’m walking or on the bus. Buzzing when ANC is on, connected to Xbox via 3.5mm cable. Also there’s this crackling when on the bus and it goes over a bump. It has great build quality comfortable but these killed my interest. Will have to return them. I just need none gamey looking headphones that work wired with Xbox and have Bluetooth. Sigh

The noise when going over a bump on the bus may just be mechanical due to the vibrations being absorbed up through your body and generating small movements of the left ear cup. I have experienced that walking outside on uneven ground. It only happens on the left side. For me, it simply is a matter of fit and positioning on the head. I find the good spot and these noises disappear. I’ve had other headphones with a similar issue and it also was the left ear cup coincidentally.

The electrical pops and clicks every 23 minutes or so is a separate issue that only happens in ANC ON mode and seems software related or at least software combined with specific hardware - which would explain why all instances don’t seem affected. Perhaps it was just certain factory runs using certain parts.

I agree that there’s zero latency with wired connection as long as you don’t activate the noise cancelling feature. However, when you have noise cancelling activated with wired connection, these headphones have at least a couple milliseconds of latency. I haven’t measured the exact amount of lag but I can clearly hear the difference when I monitor my mic audio during video conferencing with ANC on vs off. I previously used Bose QC-25 (always wired) and those didn’t seem to have any latency when active noise cancelling was used.

Jan 03, 2024 10:29 PM By thomaslmusic55

280

But if one plans on using them with ANC off most of the time then they sound and fit well at least for me. I notice no real difference in sound signature between Bluetooth with ANC off or on. And for my usage with ANC on, I can live with cycling through ANC off/on every 23 minutes.

Which connection you had when you had this issue? I’m using these headphones with wired connection and my unit doesn’t have any weird sounds every 23 minutes.

I believe when I initially ran my tests, it happened with ANC on no matter whether it was wired or wireless.

This morning I decided to take them on a train ride again and I also noticed that when dealing with a lot of low bass rattling noise there is a faint hiss crackling in stereo as if the ANC is desperately trying to counter act the outside noise. The minute the train slows and stops, this disappears. This is not the same phenomena as the left ear cup crackling. I have read other headphones may do something similar but it is interesting that I do not experience this when I used them with my snowthrower. Seems to be a commuter train only quirk. My AKG N700 M2 model don’t suffer from this issue.