HyperX CloudX headset review: Not the one for the Xbox One

As a person who swears by Sony, it was an odd feeling to connect the headset to my Dualshock 4 controller (PlayStation 4) to play an old favourite – FarCry 4. I am not a huge Xbox fan. But hey, a headset is a headset. But the experience was not so good.

I found the in-line volume control knob had already started malfunctioning. It would only let me hear the sound through both earpieces on full volume. But the sounds through the unit were crisp. Gun shots in the game were resounding, the background music score was crisp, and even the screeching of tires was clearly audible. I did however find the volume on the headset to be a little on the low side. CloudX is a stereo headset, and thus does not have enough depth of sound as many other gaming headsets – but for its price, it does a decent job.

I found the headset really comfortable to wear, and the adjustable headband allowed it to snugly fit on my head. I did however start feeling hot after 30 odd minutes of using the headset, even while I sat in an air-conditioned room.

Since I do not chat while playing multiplayer games online, I did not find the opportunity to use the microphone. But, I did get it out of the box to see how it connects. The removable microphone connects via a 3.5 mm jack onto a receiver unit placed a little below the left side earpiece. The slot is otherwise covered by a small rubber cover, which simply detaches from the headset if you want to connect the microphone – making it super easy to lose.

The removable microphone connects via a 3.5 mm jack onto a receiver unit placed a little below the left side earpiece.

Over the next few days, the problem with the in-line audio controller just got worse. I constantly found myself adjusting the volume knob to get the right setting to have sound come out from both ends. I did not expect to have such issues with a reasonably expensive headset, which had overall impressed me with its build quality.

HyperX CloudX is priced at Rs 9,999, and even though they fared me well – I do not find myself recommending the headset. I usually do not listen to music or game at high volumes, but I certainly had the headset’s volume knob on full the entire time (not that I had an option) and still ended up fiddling with my controller’s volume – constantly making it higher.