Razer announced the Opus X, a new set of over-ear wireless headphones that offer active noise cancellation for just $100. Based on the small amount of differences and seemingly no major compromises compared to the pricier Opus headphones it launched last year, these could be a solid option if you have a little less money to spend on wireless headphones. It’s available to purchase now on Razer’s site.
Overall, the design appears to be similar to the Opus. It’s tough to tell from images how build quality or materials might have changed given the price reduction. This model comes in one of three new colors — green, pink, and white — which are a bit louder and more divisive than the black or midnight blue colors of the standard Opus. The button layout has been crammed onto the rim of the right ear cup instead of splitting functions across both the left and right sides. The Opus X’s power button now handles cycling through active noise cancellation and the “Quick Attention” mode that lets you hear more of your surroundings.
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The Opus X have rotating ear cups so you can rest them comfortably around your neck if you need to take them off. Though, this more affordable model lacks the feature that automatically pauses or plays your content upon removing or putting them back on. That’s one of the biggest omissions. As for what else hit the cutting room floor, there’s no 3.5mm jack — just a USB-C port — so you’ll need to connect these solely over Bluetooth.
There’s actually one feature that’s exclusive to the Opus X: Razer’s low-latency “Gaming Mode” that reduces the latency over Bluetooth to 60 milliseconds. We’ve seen this feature in other wireless headphones from Razer, like its Hammerhead True Wireless Pro.
I reviewed the Opus last year and they exceeded my expectations considering their original $200 price. They had surprisingly good sound quality, and the active noise cancellation is a perk you don’t often find at this price point (even better, they’ve fallen in price considerably since launch). They also impressed me in terms of battery life, and I was able to use them for an entire work week without recharging. The new Razer Opus X claim to have even better longevity with up to 40 hours of battery with noise cancellation off, or up to 30 hours with it on. If the Opus X sound nearly as good as the Opus, they could be a real winner.
