Kingston HyperX Cloud Core Review : Living up to its legacy

If you are into gaming, investing in a good headset makes a big difference in enjoying the gaming experience. Even the Smartphone gaming titles these days come with some serious audio and it is worthwhile to own a headset that not only delivers good audio for music but also for playing games, even if you are a casual gamer. This is where Kingston’s HyperX product lineup pitches in. HyperX is famed for their gaming peripherals especially the headsets. Their HyperX Cloud and Cloud 2 has been well received by professional gamers and with Cloud Core they attempt at wooing the casual gamers. The Cloud Core is compatible with XBox, Playstaion, Wii U, PC, Mac and Smartphones and tablets making it a versatile headset. In this HyperX Cloud Core review, I share my experience of using it for the last couple of weeks. The Cloud Core follows the same design language we have seen in the HyperX cloud series. It looks premium and has a great build quality. It uses aluminum frame for durability and is also lightweight for hours of usage. The finish of the metal is commendable. The leatherette-padded headphone is comfortable and the red stitches on the edges gives a characteristic look. There are no pressure points and it does not weigh down on your head when in use. The head band is adjustable and it slides smooth and sticks on its position. The HyperX branding is embroidered on the headband… the ear pads also flaunts the logo in the red color giving it a cool, gaming accents. The earpads are larger and is made of memory foam. It soaks in the air comfortably and doesn’t heats up or sweats on a prolonged use. The cables are braided and looks like it will last longer… The microphone is detachable, which is good because you don’t want it for all gaming as well as when just listening music or watching movies. The microphone port can be closed with a lid when not in use. The stalk is thinner and flexible and the bud is at the end. Once tugged into its slot (it took a few attempt initially to get the right position) the microphone sits pretty well and offers good flexibility. Out of the box, you also get a cable extender with two split ends. The cable extender is for connecting to your computer and about the two ends – one for microphone and the other one for the audio input.

Performance

While the Cloud Core scores comfortably high on design and build quality , let’s see how it fares on the performance scale. The Original Cloud Core and the Cloud 2 have raised the bar for the HyperX and the good news is the Core lives up to the legacy. It houses a 53mm drivers beneath and it delivers a powerful and detailed stereo sound output. It is rich in bass but at the same time offers clarity in various range. It has much oomph at the low-end, while also being sprightly at the high-end. It is an all-rounder when it comes to gaming, movies and listening music. Though for the nuances of the pro-level gaming, a serious game would very well do with a Cloud 2, for casual gamer, this works well. It ingrains the same audio specs of the original Cloud. The closed earpads keeps the external noises out pretty well. The audio quality is amongst the best I have seen in this price range. Even when playing games on Smartphones, the audio experience via the Cloud Core is very immersive. Even when the volume is cranked up, it doesn’t get annoying. I played hours of Dead Trigger and Over Kill, the cinematic sound effect you get treated make it difficult later when you shift to your regular in-ear plugs of the Smartphones. The microphone offers less hisses and comes in great when communicating in a multiplayer game though a bit of deeper bass would have been nicer if you are using it to record voice overs for Youtube uploads.

Verdict

Simply put, the HyperX Cloud Core is an awesome headset at its price range. It has a great, durable build quality, clean finish and the audio quality is excellent. It makes a perfect all-rounder headset compatible with all platforms and comes good for movies and music listening. I highly recommend it and it won’t disappoint you.]]>