HyperX Cloud III review: our full review –

What’s more iconic than HyperX’s cloud lineup? Helmet gaming HyperX Cloud III is the new iteration of a model whose reputation is well established. Almost eight years after the release of the model II, the brand passed under the fold of HP gives us a new iteration with several new features.

The design has been slightly reworked, with an emphasis on comfort and lightness. It now benefits from DTS Headphones: X compatibility and is equipped with a promising new removable microphone. Always delivered with a discreet external sound card, this wired model remains compatible with all platforms.

This new model is available at the recommended price of 120 euros, or 50 euros more than its predecessor. A price that will have to be justified, as the Cloud II still remains a reference today.

HyperX Cloud III Technical sheet

This test was carried out using a product lent by the brand.

HyperX Cloud III A more rounded design

The wireless version of the Cloud II had already taken a few liberties with the original, this third wired version stands out a little more. The headband notably says goodbye to the traditional topstitching, so dear to the brand and is now content with thick padding covered in imitation leather.

The fit of the helmet remains similar, with two metal structures that slide at the heart of the headband. These are comparable to those found on the Cloud II Wireless. The amplitude of the adjustment is also a little too limited for the most imposing skulls, where a Cloud Alpha Wireless was perfect. Damage.

These metal structures offer generous horizontal travel to the ear cups, although it is impossible to rotate them 90° in order to place the headphones comfortably around the neck. The latter, entirely in plastic, play the roundness card and thus stand out a little more from those that fitted the Cloud II.

The generous shape memory foam that equips the bells allows the Cloud III to be comfortable, even during long gaming sessions. This feeling of comfort is accentuated by the relative lightness of the helmet (320 g) which loses around thirty grams compared to his elder. HyperX really remains a reference on this point.

Wired headphones require, the Cloud II is connected thanks to its braided jack cable which is however not removable and finds its place on the left atrium. It comes with a place for the detachable microphone as well as a button to deactivate it. Equipped with an effective shape memory boom, the microphone impresses with the size of its capsule which also has a status LED. HyperX has seen fit not to provide a windscreen since it has a built-in pop filter.

A very practical volume adjustment wheel finds its place on the right atrium. The brand ignores the wired remote control which is replaced here by a simple USB C to jack extension, which thus acts as an external sound card. It is also supplied with a very compact USB A to USB C adapter.

Among the disappointments, we will mainly mention the absence of spare fabric pads and carrying pouch, which were previously provided in the Cloud II box. In addition, this third iteration has a less premium appearance than the Cloud II, due to its very plastic construction and the absence of traditional stitching.

HyperX Cloud III Still work to do on the features

Still as poor in features, the NGENUITY driver is logically compatible with the Cloud III, when the latter is connected using the USB adapter. Without it, the headset behaves like any analog headset.

The functionalities here are limited to adjusting the output volume and the microphone, as well as activating the monitoring of the latter. A ten-band equalizer is also present and comes with several pre-configured profiles. Finally, the DTS X spatialization has a dedicated switch.

It is high time for HyperX to improve on the range of features offered by NGENUITY. Our reviews have been the same for several years and the software does not seem to have evolved at all since our first tests of the solution.

HyperX Cloud III A correct sound performance, but an excellent microphone

The Cloud III’s sound signature is slightly disappointing when compared to other references recently released on the market. Note that our tests were carried out using the dongle USB, which provides a consistent experience across all media and adds a slight equalization.

When listening to music, the Cloud III offers a relatively disappointing sound signature, especially on the low end (bass) which lacks presence. An imbalance is also heard in the treble and may tend to distort some pieces somewhat. HyperX also seems to be aware of these problems since an equalizer preset seems to be provided to overcome these problems within NGENUITY.

However, in video game use, the Cloud III does not suffer from any major flaws and in no way taints the gaming experience. Explosions remain present, immersion is there and we also benefit from a good stereophony combined with a sound stage wide enough not to interfere with immersion.

Sound activation surround DTS X does not work miracles. If the widening of the soundstage is appreciable, the processing applied to the sound distorts it too much for our taste, while not really improving the localization of the sounds. Our opinion remains the same: prefer a good stereo sound to a sound surround AVERAGE,

If the Cloud III does not impress with the quality of its transducers, its microphone is on the other hand very convincing. The voice capture is very clear and it is simply positioned as one of the best models on the market at the time of its release. Note also that despite the absence of a windshield, the capsule manages perfectly to attenuate breath noise and pops.

?️ Standardized capture

?️ Normalized capture with background noise

HyperX Cloud III HyperX Cloud III headset price and availability

The HyperX Cloud III headset is available at the recommended price of 120 euros.