When it comes to video games, three attributes sell the game: audio, graphics, and game play. However, I’ve found that many game developers really focus on the graphics and game play more so than the audio. It’s such a shame when you miss the full game’s experience due to dull, uneventful, or canned game audio. In fact, I find that more realistic audio makes for a higher quality game all around. That said, reviewing headsets or audio cards is truly a subjective art. And at Futurelooks, we can be really tough on them. So, it’s nice when there is an event to give other gamers the opportunity to collaborate on a more unified opinion.
We received the Kingston HyperX Cloud Headset just before Intel Lanfest Infernalan just a few weekends ago. And I couldn’t think of a better place to test the headset given all the different games around. Now that I’ve had plenty of time to evaluate the headset, taking into consideration some of the feedback from fellow gamers too, it’s time to let you know what “WE” think of Kingston’s new headset.
Features and Specifications
Typically, it’s a confusing mishmash of information when reading a new headset’s box. However, Kingston kept the HyperX Cloud Headset’s box clean and simple and so shall we. Here are the physical features and technical specifications that are worth looking at.
The Kingston HypeX Cloud comes with a 53mm driver in each ear, and it’s a nice touch for a number of reasons. A lot of sound can come from drivers this size. The 15 to 25 KHz frequency range coming from them means some decent bass and high notes can be played. Many believe that we can’t hear above certain ranges, but with specs like this, you’ll realize what you have been missing if your headset doesn’t have this dynamic range.
The microphone is also extremely important to a headset, and the specs also look decent. It doesn’t say that it’s noise cancelling, but I’m sure that’s implied, given the usage scenarios for this headset.
The headset cable is 2.5 meter long, giving you plenty of reach to the back of your system, in most circumstances. And it comes with a number of other goodies, which we’ll look at further along.
The interesting design note here is that the headset was co-developed by QPAD. QPAD makes some amazing audio products. I’ve heard their book shelf and standing speakers before which were quite nice on the ears. It stands to reason that they would have been the ones to suggest the 53mm driver. The bigger the speaker (driver), the greater the frequency and volume ranges.
The last interesting specification is the price. The Kingston HyperX Cloud Headset will set you back around $99.99 USD.
What’s in the Box?
As far as supported cabling goes, the Kingston HyperX Cloud includes everything you need. It includes a removable microphone, extension cable for those that need the extra length, two replacement ear pads, and an inline audio control if you need it. Other nice to have items included are a headset splitter, which allows you to make the HyperX C loud compatible with both smartphones and tablets, and an airplane adapter that make the headset great for travel.
Rounding out the package is a soft cloth bag, which helps to keep your headset dust and/or ding free.
The Kingston HyperX Cloud Headset Up Close
Above, you see the nice quality black leather HyperX headband stitching.The padding is about a half inch thick. It’s firm, but hard enough so that it’s uncomfortable. Kingston designed the headset to be worn for longer gaming or music sessions, so comfort was high priority, and we’ll be testing that claim. The plush memory foam ear cups are just right in terms of comfort.
The ear cups are attached to a thick aluminum frame construction for durability. This is often the weakest link on a gaming headset, and can render a great headset useless if broken. The ear cups have a rubberized, yet smooth, coating. The mic locks into place during use, or it can be removed for transport, or if you simply don’t like it hanging around your headset when you’re not gaming.
Now let’s setup our testing environments, and find out, what the Kingston HyperX Cloud Headset can do!