Not that long ago we reviewed the HyperX Cloud III wired gaming headset and were impressed with the whole package, especially with the extreme comfort they offered, especially for extended periods of use.
The HyperX Cloud III wired were hampered though by the fact that they are wired only and although the price reflects this limitation many of us want that wireless connection for various reasons. Now we have the wireless version though, so we put them to the test over the last few weeks just to see how they compare to other options on the market.
At RRP $279 the wireless HyperX Cloud III headset is $110 more expensive that their wired brethren so we would expect to see more for our buck.
Design and technology
Housing custom-tuned 53mm drivers that are directed in towards the angle of the ear canal to deliver accurate audio to the user, the Cloud III Wireless headset supports DTS Headphone:X Spatial Audio to creative an immersive audio experience for the gamer.
Each earcup and the steel headband are covered in a soft leatherette to deliver that exquisitely soft, comfortable experience we now expect from HyperX Cloud headsets. I have to say that the wireless version does not feel as comfortable nor as lightweight as the wired version, but they are still one of the most comfortable gaming headsets I have used.
The clamping pressure of the earcups is less than that of some other headsets but it certainly did not affect the comfort when wearing for a long time, in fact it probably helped. One thing that irked me a bit was the lack of a swivel on the earcups — although these are super comfy a swivel would have helped them to fit my noggin just that little bit better.
The 10mm boom mic is detachable and still includes the LED mute indicator on it as it does on the wired version. Volume and muting of the microphone is performed from the back of the earcup while the mic itself includes an internal metal mesh filter to remove the requirement of a pop filter.
How does the boom mic sound?
Really good. Simple as that. We found the sound of the mic to be at a par, if not slightly better, than that of the Logitech G Pro X 2 headset – but that was out of the box. Once we played with the various settings on the Logitech G headset that was better with the HyperX mic sounding very slightly muffled and relatively flat in comparison. My son preferred the mic on the HyperX over the ProX 2 but that is likely because he is too lazy to play around with the settings of the ProX 2 in the software.
Personally I wasn’t a massive fan of the mute button location – I much prefer the mute button on the mic itself but my son liked the location of the mute button on the earcup itself. The more I used the headset the more I got used to the location and warmed to it.
How do they sound?
The wired pair we compared to the Logitech G Pro X2 Lightspeed so we figured we’d do the same here. The big advantage here is that the Pro X2 sound style and equaliser can be adjusted more granularly using the G Hub app and not just the equaliser can be changed but also the surround sound settings which is perfect for not just listening to music but especially for gaming.
Now if you are upgrading from an older HyperX headset to the Cloud III Wireless you will need to update the HyperX Ngenuity software – it won’t tell you need to, but the software won’t recognise the headset until you do.
Once recognised the Ngenuity software is incredibly simple. You can alter the volume of the headset, the microphone and turn on DTS:X spatial sound. There are a number of presets in the equaliser for you to use but they are all junk. I would highly suggest making your own using the “New Preset” shortcut.
Once you have them set how you want them the sound will be a lot better than it is out of the box. The sounds are good enough for gaming that’s for sure and I would suggest you have a different equaliser for gaming than you do music (if you are going to be using the headset for music too).
Within the game all the subtle sounds can be heard quite well as well as the spatial sound helping to locate sounds and where they are coming from. The Cloud Wireless III does this well, although not as well as the Logitech G ProX 2 where you can adjust the volume of the directions of sounds so you can amplify the sounds coming from behind you and turn down the ones of those in front of you, along with adjust the bass by itself.
The breadth of the sound coming from the HyperX headset is less than that from the Logitech headset but then, the pricing is significantly different too, so you do have to take that into account. For the price of the Cloud III wireless headset, the sound is excellent. At this price you get decent sound without the frills.
As for media and music consumption the HyperX Cloud III Wireless they sound good, once again not up to the ProX 2 headset but very good. They are not up to the quality of a similarly priced set of audio headphones but good for a gaming headset that you use to occasionally listen to music with.
The bass is lacking a bit when compared to these headphones and the ProX 2 headset. If you aren’t an audiophile and don’t want super deep, heavy bass then these will suit just fine.
Battery life
HyperX state that the Cloud III Wireless headset can offer “up to 120 hours” of gaming on a single charge and although we experienced good battery life, it wasn’t quite 120 hours. We’d put it closer to 100 or so hours.
100 hours though is crazy – not sure about you but my gaming sessions do not last even close to 100 hours.
Connectivity
When we started testing out the HyperX Cloud III Wireless gaming headset, I was surprised to find that it only supports wireless through the use of their 2.4GHz wireless dongle. I can see why HyperX has done this given that the latency for this type of connection is extremely low offering a better gaming experience, but it also limits what you can and can’t use the headset for.
Whatever you want to use it for you will need to plug in the wireless dongle to your device/PC/console. The headset does support connectivity with PC, PS5, PS4 and Nintendo Switch and although the dongle does offer a USB-C dongle connection (with a USB-A adapter included) gaming on mobile with this dongle hanging out the side of the device isn’t the experience that you are looking for.
In case you missed it in the above paragraph, there is no Xbox support which is incredibly disappointing. A wired 3.5mm connection would solve that but for some reason HyperX has decided to forego that with this headset.
A Bluetooth option would also have been nice offering the user the choice to also use the headset for music/media when on the go so that they only have to pack one headset. Personally, I like the idea of a headset being able to be used for all the things but still excelling at gaming. I think for the price of this headset Bluetooth would be an easy addition.
Don’t get me wrong though, this is a gaming headset, and it does that well. It would just have been nice if it did more. Am I asking too much?
Should you buy it?
The HyperX Cloud III Wireless headset offers the signature comfort we have come to expect from HyperX. They sit comfortably on the head with a clamping pressure of the earcups that is less than other headsets but still incredibly stable. The build quality is amazing, although they could do with a swivel for the earcups.
For gaming this headset is great with the mic offering decent sound albeit with less depth to it than you would hope. All sounds within a game could be heard well and easily and let’s face it, at my age I need all the early warning I can get as my reflexes slow down.
For music the headset was good but not exceptional. Make sure you make your own preset if you do listen to a bit of music with these as the HyperX presets are terrible.
Although you can find the Logitech G ProX 2 headset at around $70 under RRP ($449) at the moment, the fact that the HyperX Cloud Wireless III are still $100 cheaper than that discounted price makes them very competitive. The Cloud III Wireless are simpler to use and although they don’t offer the connectivity possible with the ProX 2, they offer enough for those using them for gaming on PC or console.
If you are on a budget, the HyperX Cloud Wireless III headset offers premium comfort with good gaming sound, and I can certainly recommend them, assuming you don’t have an Xbox. Personally, I would just like a bit more such as Bluetooth but for the price, they are a decent buy.
The Cloud III wireless are available in Australia at JB Hi-Fi, Amazon AU and all good gaming stores for AUD$279, and in New Zealand at MightyApe for NZD$289. For more details, please refer to the HyperX website for more information.
