INTRODUCTION

   Where i come from we have a saying and it goes like this "Everyone simply can't excel at everything". Well i have believed that saying my entire life since brands that excel at the manufacture of storage media obviously can't really turn to other areas like graphics cards or LCD screens. One of the things however we all love about the electronics industry is that this saying doesn't always apply and we've seen that happen quite a few times with companies like for example Corsair which jumped from the manufacture of storage media like USB Flash Drives and SSDs to the manufacture of CPU Coolers, PC Cases and Gaming Peripherals (OCZ did something similar just the other way around). Well it seems that the time has finally come for Kingston to jump onto a whole new playfield by introducing headsets aimed at gamers like the HyperX CLOUD Pro Gaming Headset which we have here with us today.

   Kingston Technology Company, Inc. is the world’s largest independent manufacturer of memory products. Kingston designs, manufactures and distributes memory products for desktops, laptops, servers, printers, and Flash memory products for PDAs, mobile phones, digital cameras, and MP3 players. Through its global network of subsidiaries and affiliates, Kingston has manufacturing facilities in California, Taiwan, China and sales representatives in the United States, Canada, Europe, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Australia, New Zealand, India, Taiwan, China, and Latin America. HyperX is the high-performance product division of Kingston Technology encompassing high-speed DDR3 memory, SSDs, USB Flash drives, and headsets. Targeted at gamers, overclockers and enthusiasts, HyperX is known throughout the world for quality, performance and innovation. HyperX is committed to eSports as it sponsors over 20 teams globally and is the main sponsor of Intel Extreme Masters. HyperX can be found at many shows including Brazil Game Show, China Joy, DreamHack, GamesCom and PAX.

   You can tell that the closed type CLOUD Pro Gaming Headset is unlike most gaming headsets in the market currently just by checking out its most important feature, the size of its stereo drivers. You see Kingston had a very good reason to make the CLOUD part of their premium HyperX line since at 53mm in size its dynamic stereo drivers are amongst the largest ones (if not the largest) we've ever seen used in a headset (most stereo headsets use 40-50mm large drivers). It's not however just the size of the dynamic drivers that really separates the CLOUD from other gaming headsets, its frequency response is also superb and spans from 15Hz and up to 25KHz while impedance is at 60 Ohm and SPL at 98dB (­+-3dB). The CLOUD Pro Gaming Headset also features a quite flexible detachable boom microphone featuring a frequency response of 100Hz-12KHz and impedance of -39dB (+-3dB). So it pretty much seems that Kingston has a potential best seller in their hands with the HyperX CLOUD Pro Gaming Headset but since specifications alone don't mean much the time has come for us to see just how well it does for real.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Kingston ships the CLOUD Pro Gaming Headset in a medium sized box with a product image at the front.

Four pictures placed on the left are used to showcase the main features of the CLOUD.

On the opposite side we see a few words about the HyperX line of products in 3 languages.

Unlike the left side at the rear we see a very large product picture used to showcase all of its features.

Kingston cooperated with three professional gaming teams in the development of the CLOUD as mentioned at the top.

Once you open the box you will find a message from the HyperX General Manager Anders Willumsen.

The entire bundle is placed inside a very thick piece of foam which provides excellent protection.

Inside the box you will find the HyperX CLOUD Headset, detachable microphone, microphone plug, two velour ear cushions, 100cm 3.5mm jack cable, 200cm extension cable, 10cm headset splitter cable, airplane headphone adapter and a carrying pouch.

THE HYPERX CLOUD

With a weight of just 350g and a aluminum body the CLOUD Pro Gaming Headset is not only very durable but also quite small.

Leaving out the massive earcups (53mm drivers are quite large) the CLOUD is not that much larger compared to the compact REVO Wireless by Jabra.

The HyperX logo is placed on the exterior of the earcups which is also aluminum.

Although Kingston never hid the fact that the CLOUD was designed and manufactured with our old friends from QPAD i never expected to see their logo on the microphone port cover.

The detachable boom microphone is quite long (150mm) and flexible as you can see from the above pictures (although I’d like a retractable one more).

Since the CLOUD has very large drivers we did expect large earcups as well but these are even larger. Both cups feature memory foam cushions covered with leatherette.

If you feel that the leatherette cups are too hard for your ear you can use the very soft velour ones.

The left and right indication is placed right over both earcups but it's way too tiny for my taste.

The headpad also features memory foam covered with leatherette.

You can extend the headband of the CLOUD a total of 35mm on each side via 7 visible increments (on the interior).

The HyperX logo is stitched on the exterior of the headband and i have to say that it looks great.

Every single 3.5mm plug found in the package (including the ones of the CLOUD) are gold plated.

If you want to have control over the audio and microphone of the headset you can connect it to the in-line controller extension cable.

CONCLUSION

   Kingston doesn't have their very own headset production line and they never did pretend to since they have stated right from the moment they announced the HyperX Cloud Pro Gaming Headset that it was designed and manufactured with the help of our old Swedish friends over at QPAD (it's identical to their QH-90 model). Of course as you can see from our review this was a very good move on their part not only because the build quality of the CLOUD is very good but it's also very compact and comfortable even after many hours something which should go a long way with gamers. Audio quality was a very good surprise as well since the CLOUD Pro Gaming Headset very clear and accurate mids/highs coupled with very good bass levels especially when watching HD movies and listening to music. Unfortunately while playing several game titles it didn't do as good as some of the "real" 5.1 surround headsets we've used in the past but that was expected from a stereo solution.

   At the moment I’m typing these lines the HyperX CLOUD Pro Gaming Headset by Kingston retails for USD92.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 92Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) a price tag which i was surprised to find out that it's slightly less compared to what QPAD asks for the QH-90 Pro Gaming Headset and that's a very good thing. Of course this price tag may seem a bit high to some people since we're talking about a stereo headset but the HyperX CLOUD is in fact one of the best stereo headset we've ever used and/or reviewed and that alone says a lot. Overall Kingston has launched a product which should appeal to the masses largely thanks to its build and audio quality and since it did to us we're giving it our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (Flexible/Durable Aluminum Frame)
- Excellent Audio Quality (Crystal Clear Mids/Highs)
- Very Good Bass
- Comfortable (Size/Weight/Cushions)
- Removable Boom Microphone
- Bundle Contents

CONS

- Price (For Some)