Kingston HyperX being one of the top leading flash memory brands, expanded to the PC peripherals department with the debut of the HyperX Cloud Headset way back 2014. Fast forward 4 years later and they have a complete peripheral line up and is one of the leading brands in this segment. HyperX continues to expand with the release of it’s first in-ear gaming headphones, the Cloud Earbuds.
Unboxing and First Impressions
The box of the Cloud Earbuds sports HyperX’s new packaging design which was first seen at Computex 2018. The front sports a white background that makes it stand out on stores compared to other brands with a black packaging. At the back you can immediately tell that the HyperX Cloud earbuds is meant for console and mobile gaming.
Beneath box is a plasting containing the earbuds, hard carry case and some manuals and a warranty card.
The hard case contains 2 extra ear tip pairs of different sizes, one larger and one smaller than the default ear tip. The hardcase serves as, ofcourse, storage for the earbuds as well as its ear tips thanks to a compartment.
The HyperX Cloud Earbuds has a red wire with black accents on the microphone and the eartips, similar to the Razer Hammerhead.
Design wise, Cloud earbuds has a mediocre look compared to its bigger brothers and other HyperX products. The eartips is where the Earbuds differentiate from the Hammerhead physically.
Microphone Test
The HyperX Cloud Earbuds has an inline microphone for communications with a button for skipping tracks on your phone.
100% Mic Volume no gain:
100% Mic Volume +10dB gain:
100% Mic Volume +20dB gain:
As the sample clips show, the Earbds feature a clear sound microphone, making it great for phone calls and in-game comms.
CONCLUSION AND USER EXPERIENCE
Let’s break it down:
Performance. The Cloud Earbuds offer a balanced sound signature without overpowered bass. Personally, I prefer its sound signature over the bass heavy because you can enjoy mids and highs with different games. Remembering that it’s positioned as a headphones for the Nintendo Switch, detecting enemy positions through footsteps will give you a hard time because of its balanced nature. This is however, compensated with clear and distinguishable gunshot positions. Aside from gaming, listening to audio is a plus for this earbuds thanks to a clean, clear and crisp soundscape.
Build Quality. The build quality of the Cloud Earbuds is pretty bland, with it almost looking like a generic earphone that’s sold in the market for less than a thousand grand. The flat wiring used on the headphones prevents it from tangling. The eartips are secure enough not to accidentally fall out when worn.
Functionality. The HyperX Cloud Earbuds offer a Plug & Play experience with no drivers required. The 3.5mm jack guarantees multiple device compatibility. In my use-case scenario, the length of the earphone is too short for it to be plugged in at the back or front of your PC. Users with Keyboard passthroughs would get a hassle free experience.
Bundle. The inclusion of a hard case and extra eartips definitely gives a value for your money. But the eartips are non-standard which means that if you lose all earcups, you’re out of luck since there are no aftermarket options.
Value. For an SRP of Php 2,995, the Cloud Earbuds is priced similarly with the first Cloud. If users are to choose between the two HyperX products, it would be a matter of portability and if you have new devices. The Earbuds is a plus when it comes to portability with the included case and its form factor.
Overall, the HyperX Cloud Earbud’s performance doesn’t disappoint. A well balanced sound signature is preferred over bass heavy sounds as you can enjoy different sound elements whether it’s music or in-game. Games like Rainbow Six Siege works well with the Earbuds considering the game has lots of sound elements that greatly assist in pin-pointing enemy locations, provided if you can hear them. With the earbuds being marketed for the switch, using it for consoles will grant you no problems because unlike using it with a PC, you can plug the earbuds into a controller without worrying about its cable length.
HyperX’s Cloud Earbuds can definitely be improved in its future iterations before being groundbreaking like HyperX’s older headsets, but they are definitely on the right track with Earbuds having great potential as a product. As it goes, you’re getting a no-frills in-ear headset that has a clean and balance sound with extra accessories as a bonus for it’s Php 2,990 price tag.
The HyperX Cloud Earbuds has a 1 year warranty. We give our Recommended award!
4 Comments
Recommend siya pang gaming pero pag mp3 purposes hindi siya recommend para sa akin
Arnel Cuenco Apurillo Where can i purchase it locally?
That thumbnail 😀