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HyperX wants to appeal a little more to the consumer side of gamers. The company has taken the wraps off the new HyperX Cloud Mix headphones, intending to offer gamers headphones that they can use in the game, and whenever they want. But is HyperX successful in delivering an experience that translates between gaming and everyday life? We’re putting HyperX Cloud Mix headphones to the test to find out. This is our HyperX Cloud Mix Review.
HyperX Cloud Mix Review Design
The first thing you notice about the HyperX Cloud Mix is that it looks like a HyperX headset – but with a few significant changes. In particular, it features many similar design elements as the HyperX Cloud Alpha, albeit without the red color accents. We think that’s a good thing for a HyperX headset that you want to take on the road with you.
You’ll find the HyperX logo in silver, along with a few different controls on each auricle. On the left ear cup, you’ll find an auxiliary port and microphone jack, as well as a multi-control button, which is used to play and pause music, and answer phone calls. The right ear cup features volume control, as well as an on/off button and a MicroUSB port. We’re a little disappointed to find MicroUSB on this headset. It is, and the industry is switching to USB-C, so releasing a device with MicroUSB dates directly.
Apart from the MicroUSB port, the headset is pretty sleek and stylish. It has a lot of padding in the ear cups and on the headband, and a durable metal frame that holds everything together. The re’s a substantial amount of plastic in the design of the headset, but it’s sturdy yet relatively light, which is always handy. The cabling is also reliable – it is protected with braided nylon, and we don’t think it will break easily.
This is a headphone you can use in different situations. The y’re over-ear headphones – and as such, they’re a little too coarse to be wearable. However, that doesn’t mean they’re not suitable for everyday use – we think they’re particularly useful for use at home, for example.
In the box, except for the headphones themselves, you get a removable microphone, an audio/microphone cable splitter, a MicroUSB charging cable, and the main cable with a small remote that allows you to turn the microphone off when needed quickly. The re’s also a carrying case, which is an excellent addition – especially for a pair of headphones that are supposed to be portable.
Comfort
HyperX is no stranger to building comfortable headphones, and HyperX Cloud Mix headphones are no exception to that rule. As said, the re’s plenty of padding in both the ear cups and headband – making it easy to wear the headphones for hours on end without any problems. As gaming headphones, they’re not as comfortable on the head as the SteelSeries Arctis series, but they’re still effortless to wear for extended periods. This applies to both game use and everyday use – the only situation in which these headphones would not be suitable is at the gym or while running.
HyperX Cloud Mix Review Sound
In the end, the most important thing is to consider how the headphones sound – and they should also sound reasonable for different situations. Are they up to that? Fortunately, they do – but they’re not perfect. Let’s start with the bass, which is generally powerful and profound. For gamers, that’s good for giving things like explosions a little extra oomph, while music lovers enjoy the extra power you get in kick drums. The midrange is also well-tuned.
The low midrange is nice and warm, while the high midrange seems to have gotten a slight dip – which helps to give the headphones a modern feel. Fortunately, that dip is not too big – vocals, for example, can still get through a mix nicely. The high end sounds excellent on these headphones. The cymbals get a beautiful clarity while listening to music, while details like footsteps sound nice and clear while playing.
The lower highs seem to have some of the dips you get in the high mids, but overall we enjoyed the amount of clarity and detail the HyperX Cloud Mix has to offer. Part of that has to do with the fact that the headset is certified for hi-res audio – which is excellent for audiophiles who want detailed sound. So is the headset the right choice for both gaming and everyday use? Well, yes, it is. The Hyper X Cloud Mix sounded great in all the tests we did, which is excellent news for those who want something versatile.
Performance
The HyperX Cloud Mix is HyperX’s first Bluetooth-enabled headset and is connected to your listening device via Bluetooth 4.2. This gives you a listening range of 33 feet or up to 10 meters – and we thought they were good at maintaining connectivity without too many jumps or skips during playback. When it comes to battery life, you get 20 hours – which is pretty good. What’s more, you’ll probably use the headset in wired mode during gaming, which means you’ll be ready to use for much more than 20 hours on a single charge – and you can charge the headset while you’re using it, which benefits the battery. We think 20 hours is more than enough for most people interested in buying the HyperX Cloud Mix.
HyperX Cloud Mix Review Conclusion
HyperX made a homerun with the HyperX Cloud Mix headset. The headset is comfortable, well designed, and sounds great, making it an excellent option for gamers who want a headset that they can use in everyday life. However, the re’s one problem – and that’s the price. The headset comes in for a cool $200, which is not cheap. Safe to say, if you’re looking for a great gaming headset, you might want to go for something like the SteelSeries Arctis 7, which is $40 cheaper and one of our favorite gaming headsets. Or, maybe you want something that’s usually for everyday use, in which case something like Sennheiser HD 4.40 BT, which comes in at $150, might be a better option.
