HyperX Cloud III S – Wireless Gaming Headset, 2.4GHz,...

Most Helpful Review

"After almost 4 years of service, it was time to retire my HyperX Cloud Flight headphones. They have been a convenient go-to for casual gaming sessions, but the battery was wearing out. That's why I was excited to review the Cloud III Wireless S headphones. By all measures, they seem to be a solid improvement over my original Cloud headphones, but was the increased price worth it? The short answer is yes!When the package arrived, I was greeted with a familiar sight. The red and white packaging that often decorates HyperX products. Inside the box are the headphones presented nicely for you. In addition you get the wireless dongle, attachable mic and other accessories that are typically provided. It is a familiar design that is durable and time-tested. I did like the understated look of these headphones compared to my previous set. Instead of red accents, this set uses a much more understated color scheme which I very much appreciate.For my initial impressions, I thought I would give the newly added Bluetooth feature a try by connecting it to my phone and listening to some music. I was not expecting much from this as my Cloud Flight headphones were not well suited for music, but the new Cloud III S is a whole different animal. The Cloud III is surprisingly well-tuned for a gaming headset. Mids were clean. Treble was bright, but not overwhelming, and the bass was not overly bloated or exaggerated. I did find the bass a little lean, but I think this may be an issue with the dimpling in the pads as switching to another set of pads solved the issue completely. Noise isolation was decent with the stock pads, but much better with an aftermarket set. With my initial impressions being so good, it was time to set them up and do some gaming.To get the most out of these headphones you need to install the NGENUITY software. While this is reasonable, I would have much preferred a web-app as is becoming more common. That being said, inside the app you get a 10-band EQ and spatial audio features that you can set up. Having a 10-band EQ is awesome for sound customization, although I do wish it was parametric. While not ideal, the amount of customization you get is far better than provide from much of the competition.In game, these headphones are excellent. Audio cues are well defined, and placed accurately in the space. I noticed this especially in games like BF6 REDSEC as well as the occasional Fortnite match.Comfort of the headphones is also excellent. The weight is well-balanced and feels almost feather light on the head. I had no issues wearing these headphones for more than an hour without significant heating or comfort issues. Battery life was also excellent. I tend to be charge happy, but these headphones haven't gone below 70% after hours of use. There are also detachable magnetic-caps on the cups of the headphones. At first I was excited that this was an access port for changing the battery, but instead it is for customization plates that can be purchased separately. It feels like a missed opportunity, but I digress.The quality of the plug-in microphone is acceptable. Vocals can come off as compressed, but this is a natural response to the active noise rejection. Speaking of active noise rejection. It works very well muting both my in-room A/C as well as the sounds of typing and other random noises. If you are in a quiet space, I found that the built-in mic sounds markedly better for vocals at the expense of picking up background noise.Overall, HyperX built an excellent headphone that was awesome for competitive e-sports while still being excellent all-round headphones. With all the features and the addition of Bluetooth, The Cloud III S presents a compelling value that's hard to beat. I would confidently recommend this for serious gamers and audio enthusiasts alike."