Sound Contender

Most peripheral makers have a very nasty habit. They have a tendency to slap the word ‘Gaming’ on everything, multiply the price by two and then sell it at a premium. Often, this premium has little or no tangible value to the product. So when, Hyper X, a subsidiary of Kingston sent their Cloud Earbuds over for testing, we were a little sceptical over the whole, ‘meant for gaming, therefore is a good product’ idea.

The Cloud Earbuds on the surface look like an ordinary in-ear earphone. However, they are unlike any other earphone you will ever come across. There is no other way of putting this - they sound phenomenal. For someone who is used to over the ear headphones, I could not point out any major difference in the quality of the sound. Now, you will need to use the headphones a fair bit before the drivers actually burn in and sound the way they are supposed to, but once you do, you are in for a treat. Mainly targeted at hard core gamers, the sound signature has a punchy bass. With that said, they also treat the higher ranges fairly well, and sound blissful with most genres of music. Also, watching your favourite shows and videos is a wholesome experience, thanks to the immersive soundstage because of the seal that the ear tips provide. The ear tips come with extensions that make the earbuds fit really well, while ensuring that they do not drop out of your ear by accident. The earphones come with a flat, tangle-free cable, and a right angled, gold plated connector. This ensures that the connector does not cause any hindrance in terms of grip while you are immersed in your campaign of the latest FPS games.

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The earphones come very neatly packed in a box, which also has a hard carrying case, a few additional eartips, which, depending on the fit and size that you would prefer, can be changed very easily. HyperX seems to have its packaging designs sorted. And like all HyperX products, unboxing the Cloud Earbuds was a dream.

However, there are a few issues with the overall design. Although the in-line microphone is great for communications and blocks out most of the ambient noise during calls, the button in our unit failed to register an input quite a number of times. Also, we wish HyperX had included volume rockers somewhere in the in-line cable.

At ₹5900, these earphones may seem overpriced, especially considering they don’t bear the insignia a skull or a stylised ‘b’. These earphones sound a lot better than what its humble and design may lead you to believe. There are a number of cheaper alternatives to the Hyper X Cloud Earbuds. However, all of them make some serious sacrifices, mostly in the built quality and aural qualities, both of which are strong suits for these earbuds.

Same in Class

Jaybird Freedom F5

These lightweight in-ear earphones are wireless and offer one of the most perfect fit that is possible, thanks to the winged ear tips, even during intense work outs. Plus, they sound great as great as the Cloud Earbuds

Sennheiser Momentum In-Ear

These are the best in-ear earphones that money can buy you today, period. Trust us when we say this, your aural perception will change once you use this for an hour or two.

From the April-May 2019 issue of FHM India.