Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsHyper'x best features are also its greatest downfall
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2019
If you're looking for lifestyle headphones not just for gaming, read this.
My purchase was Alpha Cloud 9 (blue ).
I was sold into hyperx's claims for quality and had high expectations. I was excited to test them out, but I was immediately disappointed by its quality of audio. Allow me to explain:
1. These headphones are set at 65 ohms, which means more power required and less volume output. Generally speaking, you want ohms to be at 20-50 for anything besides PC gaming (iphones, switch, laptop, etc). These headphones are 20% quieter on everything: my PS4, mac, switch, you name it. But that's not the least of my issues.
2. Most HyperX owners have complained about quietness and bad built-in EQ settings. My experience has been no different, even with Boom3D and a USB adapter. These headphones are much less immersive because the speakers make the sound narrower by design. The "dual-chambers" seem to split the audio (bass and trebble), and in that process, there is a noticeable loss in sounds and sound quality. The mids are very damp, and the fine ends of bass/trebble seem to be compressed so much that they disappear. As a result, you might not hear an enemy behind you or subtle tones in a variety music/sounds. I am therefore concluding that these headphones destroy audio in order to utilize their "dual-chamber" sound. Think of it this way: bass/trebble are competing, and mids are caught in the crossfire because the headphones have no idea which driver to place the audio in. It sounds like you're in a tunnel of concrete at times because the full sound may not be fully heard (birds, grass, creaks, etc). I also notice that directional sound appears to be worse because you can't hear these quiet differences.
3. Many users have complained about the USB adapter creating muffled chat because of its noise cancellation. I used my old SADES adapter on my PS4 to avoid this which turned out to work just fine. The mic is a bit stuffy to others but decently clear.
4. It has to be said: exposing the wires on top of the headphones is a sure-fire way to break them. NOBODY else does because it's a risk not worth taking. After seeing many other brands, the only reason hyperx made them is to look different. Well buddy, I hope they never accidentally snag because one tug is all it will take!
5. I tested these headphones with FLAC audio from an EAC rip. (In other words, very high quality audio). They add a bit more depth to some music, but I have the same issue of losing subtle tones in music (usually mids, deep lows and upper highers, aka "the ends"). EQ helps adjust the difference, but it still was not as immersive as my old SADES.
6. Watching Netflix with these headphones was difficult to enjoy. Voices were in the background, music was always too loud (I had to turn it up to hear voices), and you need a good EQ to hear conversations well. They are comfortable to wear for hours, but will get noticeably more hot than my old SADES (has less material in the leather).
7. More about games: I've tested The Last of Us RM, Call of Duty BO3/4, Mario Maker 2, Xenoblade Chr 2. For some reason, they sound great on the switch. But for my PS4 (regardless if its in the controller of my USB), the sound losses some quality and quieter. You may miss hearing an enemy behind you, gunshots are LOUD, and sound effects can be crinkly instead of crisp (like they're in a thick tunnel). Once again, less immersive than my SADES except for mario maker 2. Xenoblade's music and voices tend to struggle with these headphones even after adjusting in-game settings. Music feels damper, voices struggle to pick up sometimes, and the effects aren't as loud almost like there's something squeezing the sound's ability to travel cleanly.
I really wanted to like HyperX, but I am not sure what all went into the design decisions here. If you're in HyperX, please have the design team test out competing brands and how different platforms handle it (Spotify, switch, PS4, Netflix, youtube, etc).
TLDR:
If you want rich quality audio for everything (music, movies, games, phone, etc), keep looking for something at 20-50 ohms. HyperX has had issues with being too muddy/quiet since cloud 1. This issue CANNOT be fixed with a USB adapter or EQ apps, but it may help mitigate the problem. I am currently considering Dylan lossless hi-fi, Edifer, H840, and Corwin headphones.
