HyperX Cloud III review: well priced and a reliable bet
The HyperX Cloud III is an affordable wired headset that sounds great
HyperX has a commanding hold on the wired gaming headset market. While it’s occasionally challenged by Turtle Beach, you simply can’t go wrong with the HyperX Cloud II thanks to it being both affordable and offering good sound quality. The company is keen to build on that success with the HyperX Cloud III – a worthy sequel to the Cloud reputation.
Remaining affordable, the wired headset promises powerful 53mm drivers, a super clear mic, and some other useful extras like spatial audio for PC. There might not be any active noise cancelation and – of course – no wireless option, but it certainly looks tempting on paper if you don’t want to spend a fortune on some cans.
The gaming headset world is vast, wondrous, and more than a little intimidating if you don’t know where to start. At this price the HyperX Cloud III is in line with the popular and well-regarded Razer BlackShark V2 that tops our list, or the Corsair HS75 which is wireless but older than the HyperX.
Age might make less of a difference with gaming headsets but we appreciate that everyone likes to know they have the latest tech and the HyperX Cloud III feels like a refined model of its predecessor.
Design & build: comfortably snug
The HyperX Cloud III is fairly understated and that’s not a bad thing at all. A mixture of plastic and aluminium, it’s lightweight with memory foam padding serving its ear cups. While you can’t move the ear cups to lie flat, they are quite flexible otherwise.
Clear lettering saves you from the risk of wearing them the wrong way round. The left ear cup has a button for muting or unmuting the mic while the right hand side has a slider for adjusting the volume.
The left hand side is where you hook up the detachable microphone. It’s flexible yet feels sturdy and, crucially, it works very well as we’ll come to later.
As a wired headset, you get a 3.5mm cable that stretches out about four feet. It could maybe be a little longer but we didn’t have any issues. It also comes with a USB-C adaptor that comes plugged into the A-to-C adaptor. If you’re like us, you’ll spend too long looking through the box before realising the adaptor is already connected.
Ultimately, the HyperX Cloud III is a fairly uncomplicated headset. You really won’t need to look up any instructions or do anything more than just plug the headset in. With the choice of connections, your options are near limitless as you can hook up the headset to your phone, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch or PC/Mac via the USB connection or use 3.5mm for Xbox, PlayStation or Switch.
Features: all the essentials
The HyperX Cloud III isn’t the most feature-rich headset but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It has app support via the Ngenuity app. Through it, you can adjust the volume, mic volume, disable the mic, toggle surround sound, or use the Equaliser. The latter allows for presets or you can create your own via the 10-band setup.
The catch? It’s only available on Windows. The same goes for the headset’s DTS Headphone:X Spatial Audio although that’s hardly surprising.
As a wired headset, you won’t have to worry about battery life concerns here. Switching between devices is also a simple matter of swapping cables over, although that does come with the drawback of the braided cable sometimes getting in the way.
Sound quality: decent for the price
Sound quality wise, the HyperX Cloud III matches its price tag perfectly. It won’t compete with high-end headsets but that involves spending twice the amount you would on these. Instead, you get proportionally decent audio.
The soundstage isn’t the widest but it’s clear and offers a good balance of bass, mids, and lows, without anything feeling too overpowering. Crank up the volume and you’ll be surprised at how high it can go.
We wouldn’t use the HyperX Cloud III for listening to music but for taking in when someone’s coming for you in Fortnite or you’re playing a spooky game like Layers of Fear, you get a suitably atmospheric experience that draws you in. Also, the headset manages to block out a reasonable amount of noise despite lacking active noise cancellation. We didn’t notice our fairly loud fan while we played, for instance.
Where things falter a tad is with the DTS Headphone:X Spatial Audio. Only for PC gaming, it’s a little weak. At times, it sends you in the wrong direction with the spatial audio side of things not as accurate as we’d have liked. If you’re playing on anything other than a PC though, this really won’t matter.
While mics are rarely worth discussing in great depth, the HyperX Cloud III shines here. There’s great clarity here with the mic also doing a good job of blocking out background noise like frantic typing or the aforementioned loud fan.
HyperX Cloud III verdict
A reasonably affordable option for anyone who wants a gaming headset that will last, the HyperX Cloud III does a good job of building on the success of its predecessor, the HyperX Cloud II.
It’s simple to use with straightforward controls while still offering decent sound quality and a remarkably crisp mic.
A limited app and mediocre spatial audio lets the side down a little, but neither is essential depending on your situation.
Instead, the HyperX Cloud III is well-designed for those that want something better than a random cheap headset but that doesn’t want to delve into spending hundreds on a wireless headset. Comfy and pleasant in mostly everywhere, it’s dependable if not always exciting.
Stuff Says…
Good audio quality for the price and a lightweight and comfy build goes a long way for the HyperX Cloud III, which proves quite appealing.
Good Stuff
Good sound quality for the price
Comfortable and lightweight fit
Extensive device support
Bad Stuff
Spatial audio is weak
Limited tweaking options
HyperX Cloud III tech specs
| Drivers | 53mm |
| Microphone | Detachable boom arm |
| Connectivity | Wired – 3.5mm, USB-A, USB-C |
| Dimensions | 8.7 x 15.5 x 19cm |
| Weight | 304g |
Jennifier Allen