Kinston Hyper X Cloud Headset Review: Gaming Redefined

Design

The headband itself is made from aluminium so there's no reason for the headband to snap (this can happen with plastic headbands!). The foam used on the inner section of the headband does not appear to be memory foam, but it does appear to be relatively soft. And as the inner part of the band is completely covered, it should help with the overall comfort level of the headset. The Cloud headset also sports a funky red stitching around the outside, that helps to make up for the black on black logo, overall it's subtle but still looks good.

 

Microphone

The microphone connects to the left ear-cup, by way of a small 3.5mm socket. This socket has small black cover/plug that can be used when the microphone is not in use. The noise-cancelling condenser microphone, found at the end of a very flexible boom (pipe-cleaner style) features a windscreen (foam bobble) at the end. The boom is, somewhat obviously detachable, as can be seen from the image below and is approximately 150mm in length. The foam bobble at the end helps keep unwanted noise and moisture away from the microphone, so things like breathing, a slight knock, even sniffing are less likely to be picked-up.

Earpiece

The backs of the ear-cups feature a soft touch rubber type coating that's got a particularly nice quality feel to it. The ear-cups have a small degree of horizontal swivel and a far larger degree of vertical swivel, ensuring that comfort levels remain high and that the ear-cup sits snug on the side of the head. A single wire on each ear-cup connects the cup to the headband. Here we also see one of the main visual differences of the Cloud headset with its smart metallic black ear-cup covers with their red HyperX logos (looks good too!).

Sound

The HyperX Cloud is built around a pair of 53mm drivers with a 15 - 25,000 Hz frequency response. It is built on Pure Hi-Fi sound technology and has no limits. Gamers will love it as the crisp sound of every action and move, will give you the feel of a real battel field or a race track.

Contols

The in-line control box (the headset will function without the control box, but some functionality is obviously lost) found at the end of the separate 1m cord features a volume control wheel on one side and a microphone mute switch on the other. Atop the control box we find a ‘mobile phone button', this seems rather strange to me as this is a Gaming headset, yet a ‘mobile phone button' seems to take pride of place on the control box!

Cables

There's also a couple of extra cables, the first of which is a basic 2m extension cable for the headset, the second allows the headphone out and mic to be combined into a single 3.5mm Jack plug. There's also a couple of extra cables, the first of which is a basic 2m extension cable for the headset, the second allows the headphone out and mic to be combined into a single 3.5mm Jack plug.

Package

The complete set of accessories are a padded mesh carry bag, 2m extension cable, 4-pole smartphone and tablet adapter, detachable microphone, control box, airline adapter, and additional pair of velour earcups. The latter two items are additions by Kingston over the Qpad QH-90 and they're smart supplements for the pros travelling to LANs and tournaments. So far, we're off to an impressive start.

Warranty

The HyperX Cloud comes with a 2 year warranty and is available at Amazon for $89.99 (approx Rs. 5,589)with free shipping.

Pros

• Superb audio quality across games, movies and music.
• Versatile, as it comes with a variety of accessories and works on PC, mobile devices and the PS4.
• Fantastic value for its asking price.

Cons

• Ears will need to "breathe" every now and then as the ear cups fully envelope one's ears.
• Audio coming through the HyperX Cloud is quieter than other headsets.