Review: HyperX Cloud III Wired Gaming Headphones

Step into the extraordinary realm of gaming audio with HyperX’s heralded Cloud Series headset – a symphony of accolades and precision-crafted for the ultimate gaming experience. Behold a harmonious fusion of immersive soundscapes, ergonomic opulence, and boundless compatibility across platforms, all converging to birth an unequivocal gamer’s haven.

A cinematic pause of eight years has passed since the inception of the Cloud II wired headset. This time, we have received the HyperX Cloud III, the latest sequel from HyperX. I’m sure gamers are looking forward to the performance of the Cloud III as much as we are.

Unboxing

Unveiling the HyperX Cloud III gaming headset’s packaging is like stepping into a realm painted in HyperX’s iconic hues of red and white. The package’s facade becomes an information canvas, showcasing the product’s model with a detailed display diagram. A symphony of selling points serenades potential buyers, harmonising with a promise of multi-platform compatibility. Prepare to immerse yourself in a visually stunning journey that elevates your gaming prowess to the professional stage.

Specifications

Design

The new HyperX Cloud III may look a lot like its older version, but it’s hiding a bunch of exciting changes if you look closely. For instance, the tilted 53mm speaker cozies up to your ears, making the gaming experience even better. And don’t forget the sleek 10mm microphone with a special metal coating that’s awesome at picking up sound and staying squeaky clean. They’ve also wrapped the headband completely, giving you extra comfy vibes. So, when you step back and see the big picture, the Cloud III rocks a super cool and modern style while keeping things nice and straightforward.

Carrying on the series’ customs, the headband and earcups of the headphones rock a snazzy combo: leatherette and memory foam, now fluffier than ever. This stuff is a big deal in the world of ear gadgets. It’s super good at giving your ears comfy vibes and easing up on that squeeze. But, let’s be honest, it’s got some quirks. Like when it gets steamy outside, that leather can act like a seal, making things a tad stuffy. And over time, it might decide to shed its skin.

Microphone

Unlike its older version, the Cloud III microphone comes with a fabulous upgrade – a tough metal filter cover. This snazzy change isn’t just for looks; it’s super durable and a breeze to keep clean. You will also find a tiny LED indicator right next to the filter to tell when it’s muted or ready for use.

Talking about how it hears stuff, the Cloud III’s mic is pretty good. You’ll want to set it up near whatever’s making the noise to get the clearest sound. While doing that, it’s like a ninja – it captures the main sound and hides away the background noises, so you barely even notice them.

The microphone is like a little friend you can take off whenever you want. You’re the boss! Slide it in when you need a chat or take it out if you’re feeling shy. That’s the cool part. Although the microphone mute button has a light effect prompt, it will be better if the mute and sound status can be directly indicated by voice, though.

Performance

The headset under consideration exhibits impressive audio performance across various applications. Throughout my testing, its consistent performance across multiple games is worth noting. The headset delivers sound effects, ambient noise, and music with exceptional clarity and precision.

To illustrate, let’s delve into a specific game like Rainbow Six: Siege. Given that this game predominantly involves indoor combat scenarios, it’s crucial to highlight the improvements made in auditory cues such as footsteps and gunfire. These enhancements significantly contribute to the player’s ability to accurately detect and locate in-game events. Moreover, the headset excels in spatial awareness and positional accuracy, greatly assisting players in precisely identifying sources of sound within the virtual environment.

When I am back to The Lands Between in Elden Ring, a game with a hauntingly minimalist soundtrack, the headset effectively reproduces the audio nuances. However, it’s worth mentioning that achieving a rich and satisfying audio quality required some adjustment to the equalizer settings.

NGENUITY

In July this year, I checked out a set of Cirro Buds Pro. These are special earbuds from HyperX that connect with Bluetooth for gaming. I was a bit bummed because they didn’t have the software backup I wanted. But now, I’m really happy to say that the HyperX Cloud III still comes with that software support. You can grab the cool tuning software called ‘NGENUITY’ right from the Microsoft Store. Once you hook up the headset to a Windows computer using the USB cable, it gets recognised and you can start adjusting things to make it just the way you like!

Turn on the DTS X sound effect in NGENUITY and watch the magic happen. It’s like opening a door to a broader realm of sound, where left and right whispers transform into three-dimensional wonders. Even the spaces in front and behind you start to sing with newfound clarity.

Through the NGENUITY software, gamers can easily adjust the headphone volume, microphone volume, microphone monitoring status, DTS:X spatial sound effects, and EQs. The headset page is simple and easy to follow, and the options are relatively complete.

NGENUITY knows you’re picky about sound. It hands you an equalizer that’s like a magical knob for your music, and NGENUITY has your back with a few presets for the equalizer. If you’re the maestro of your own sound symphony, you can tune every note according to your taste.

Verdict

When discussing how the HyperX Cloud III gaming headset is positioned for the best gaming experience, I would say the bass sounds are just right, not too muddy, and the voices come through really clearly. It’s like they have their particular spot in the sound universe.

When you’re playing a game, you’ll notice that the gunshots sound amazing, and you can easily tell where they’re coming from. But the sound of footsteps might change depending on where you are in the game world. All in all, this headset is great for playing games, watching exciting shows, big movies, or just jamming to music. And if you mess around with the sound settings using DTS:X, it’s like adding some magical ingredients to your sound recipe – everything becomes even better.

It feels very comfy when wearing this gaming headset, and the microphone you can take off works really well. I did not experience any sensations of discomfort subsequent to prolonged usage. It’s like a Swiss Army knife for gamers, and you can use it on lots of different devices. So, if you’re thinking about getting the new HyperX Cloud III gaming headset, chances are, it’s going to tick all your boxes.

One noteworthy concern pertains to the fixed nature of the 3.5mm cable on the headphone unit. This design choice necessitates the use of both the microphone functionality and the NGENUITY software, which exclusively operates via the USB cable. Consequently, users are required to interconnect two cables of considerable length into a singular extended cable. While this configuration proves advantageous within spacious environments like living rooms, it undeniably introduces clutter to more confined spaces.

Pros and Cons

Should you buy it?

To begin with, the assessment at hand is subjective in nature. My experience with Cloud III highlights its commendable ability to restore an immersive gaming environment. However, achieving this requires some manual adjustment of the headphone’s EQ settings. This process is facilitated through the utilisation of NGENUITY software, which is currently exclusively compatible with Windows. While the preference for gaming on an alternate operating system such as macOS or Linux might not be universal, there exists a subset of individuals who opt for gaming on these platforms. For this particular demographic, I would not endorse the acquisition of the HyperX Cloud III, if they don’t have access to NGENUITY on Windows.

The HyperX Cloud III boasts exceptional craftsmanship and demonstrates a noteworthy degree of stability across diverse gaming scenarios. The length of the provided 3.5mm audio cable proves sufficient to cater to the majority of gamers’ requirements. Should this fall short for some users, the option of utilising a USB extension cable is available. For those who have access to NGENUITY, the price point of $159 appears to offer substantial value and merits serious consideration.

HyperX Cloud III is available from major Australian retailers. You can grab one in either all-black or hybrid colours of Black/Red from Amazon, JB Hi-Fi, Centrecom or Scorptec for AUD$ 159. Most of them offer free shipping on this item.