Table of Contents
Intro
There are several neckband-style wireless earbuds, although some are more popular than others. Those who wear a neck ornament do so because it serves a practical purpose. Despite their modest price tag, the HyperX Cloud Buds Wireless are attractively designed and engineered to last for extended periods. For a company renowned for manufacturing gaming headphones and accessories, the HyperX isn’t particularly aimed at that demographic, but it’s for everyone. Even though they are for everyone, let’s find out if they are for you.
The HyperX Cloud Buds Wireless is for:
- Shoppers with a tight budget in mind. The HyperX Cloud Buds Wireless will be on your list if you genuinely enjoy this kind of earphone and only have $60 to invest.
- Fans of the HyperX brand. It’s a bit of a stretch, but better options exist.
How does the HyperX Cloud Buds Wireless stack up?
The HyperX cloud buds Wireless are neckband earphones, but they don’t have a bulky nature that makes them heavy. However, even though the thick neckband cable, its significant flexibility makes the whole package seem light and agile.
Because they stick out in a crowd, we first dubbed them “exercise” earphones due to their bright red color. Although they don’t have an official IP rating, you’re taking a risk if you wear them while exercising or running. However, while biking, we didn’t have an issue with them.
These earbuds pack a punch thanks to their 14mm drivers on the inside. For this reason, HyperX ensured that their Bluetooth headsets supported both codecs: aptX and the HD version of aptX. Unfortunately, AAC isn’t supported, which is Apple’s preferred codec. These earphones with an iPhone or iPad will default to the SBC codec instead of the more advanced AAC.
The volume controls are located on the right cable’s inline remote. To skip a track, click the function button twice, and to repeat a way, press it three times. The remote control has a built-in microphone, which does an excellent job of picking up your voice, but we’ll go into the fine points later. Rather than having it on the inline remote, there is an on/off button on one of the neckband modules, which we believe is a neat feature.
HyperX provides a fabric cover for the earphones and a charging wire to keep them safe.
Features and Audio Performance
The package has three sets of silicone tips, each with a fin attached, to hold everything in place. Unlike ordinary earbuds, they include a slightly slanted driver so that they fit more securely in the ear canal. It’s not a proprietary design, but it makes it more difficult to establish a tight seal. Because the rounded silicone tips of truly wireless earbuds fit into the ear head-on, they tend to be better at that. That’s where they diverge from the norm.
Using the Cloud Buds Wireless was a simple process of pressing the power button for five seconds and hearing a voice instruction. There is no app to download to obtain anything additional from them, like an equalization or firmware upgrades, since there are no big supporting features here – you receive exactly what you hear.
In terms of audio performance, the Cloud Buds Wireless doesn’t have much bass, favoring the mids and highs for a more distorted sound. This is partially down to the fit since bass is the first to seep out without a stronger seal in your ear. If the ear tips were the standard ones that most earbuds currently use, it would be simpler to prevent this from occurring, but they do not provide as much wriggle space for adjustment.
You’ll have to play with the various sizes to determine what works best for you. In our instance, the medium or big tips worked best for us. Moreover, they remained in place firmly and preserved some of the basses we desired.
We wish there were more of it. These earphones didn’t have enough of a rumble for music that depended on a heavy bass presence. The airy resonance, on the other hand, benefited rock and jazz tunes, bringing out the best in instruments like guitars, trumpets, and saxophones. Danny’s Dream by Eddie Harper and Hearts on Fire by Bryan Adams are good instances, but we observed consistent findings with those genres in general.
See also the Microsoft Xbox Wireless
It became clear when we looked at the tunes in those genres that depended on some bass. The bass riff in Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust makes the Cloud Buds Wireless so disappointing. Similarly, Bullet Proof Soul by Sade features a powerful bottom melody.
We found a distinct lack of impact in hip hop, R&B, and EDM tunes. Our ears may have a tighter seal than yours, but the 14mm drivers on these headphones don’t push as hard on the bottom end as they should.
We tried using third-party Comply Foam tips, which ideally should have stayed in place, but we ended up having the tip stuck in our ears all the time anyhow. HyperX may have gone with a different design, considering the experiment’s finding that a tight seal gives back a lot of basses.
We had no trouble making or receiving phone calls, and we were especially astonished at how well we were able to communicate while riding our bikes. They are, however, subject to background sounds; thus, it depends on the quietness of your surroundings. Video calls were also a breeze, thanks to minimal lag or latency.
Is there a mobile app for the HyperX Cloud Buds Wireless?
HyperX Cloud Buds Wireless does not have an app that provides software-based functionality. If you don’t have a companion app for your Bluetooth headphones, you won’t be able to use features like firmware upgrades and native EQ tweaks. Added features like earbud tracking and a tip fittest will also be absent. That’s a benefit in disguise for individuals who value their privacy. There will be no excessive data acquisition.
Noise-canceling properties of HyperX Cloud Buds Wireless
If you don’t achieve a good seal on the HyperX Cloud Buds Wireless, you won’t be able to filter out much of the outside noise. The ear tips don’t extend too far into the ear canal to keep you focused on your music. This allows many of the surrounding noise to pass through and get in the way of your listening experience.
Auditory masking means you’ll be tempted to turn up the HyperX Cloud Buds Wireless volume to drown out the surrounding sounds. In addition to making your music sound worse, increasing the level might put your ears at risk of hearing impairment, depending on how long and loud you listen.
The earbuds marginally reduce noise over 2 kHz, but the impact isn’t powerful enough to be noticeable in most cases. As a runner, you may welcome the lack of isolation and noise cancellation on the HyperX Cloud Buds Wireless if you routinely run near busy streets and need to hear your surroundings. If you’re sitting next to someone, you’ll wish you didn’t have to listen to every word they say.
Check out the OnePlus Buds Pro
Battery life of the HyperX Cloud Buds
The Cloud Buds Wireless, according to HyperX, may last up to 10 hours on a single charge at 50% volume. You’ll get an even more accurate reading if you turn the volume up a notch. One of our favorite features was the standby drain or the absence of one. After listening for an hour, we’d leave the headphones on all night, only to return to them hours later and discover that they’d lost very little battery life.
We didn’t give a damn about how long they’d survive since they proved to be such workhorses. Although they include a USB-C connector for charging, we didn’t observe any quick-charging capability. Even though it took approximately an hour to recharge completely, this isn’t the fastest option if you’re looking for something to power up quickly before a run or exercise.
A decent built-in microphone
As long as you’re not in a very loud setting, the inline microphone should be able to pick up your voice. Because the microphone is embedded into the wire, you must keep your lips as close to the microphone as possible.
If you’re in a busy place or on public transportation, people will undoubtedly hear everything going on around you on top of your speech since there is no background noise canceling. The HyperX Cloud Buds Wireless failed miserably in the second microphone experiment below in our simulated office setting.
Is it worth it to acquire the HyperX Cloud Buds?
Assuming that you’re enamored by these Cloud Buds Wireless, we think this is a hassle to avoid. Even if the earbuds themselves are acceptable, a poor fit may ruin an otherwise enjoyable listening experience for pennies on the dollar. You can do nothing about it if they aren’t a decent fit for your ears right out of the box.
There are advantages to using a neckband with a built-in battery for those who don’t want to worry about losing one earbud or having connection troubles between the earbuds. The neckband earbud style is widespread, although many superior options are available.
Other Alternatives to the HyperX Cloud
The HyperX Cloud Buds Wireless has few selling features due to its poor fit, lack of isolation, unpleasant ear tips, and poor sound quality. Although the aptX HD technology and long battery life are welcome additions, they aren’t enough to persuade anybody to buy these earbuds.
The Beats Flex is a better option if you’re set on wearing headphones with a neckband. If you possess an Apple smartphone, these earbuds isolate sound better and offer a few other great features. They’re also more affordable, allowing you to get more for your money. More individuals than the HyperX Cloud Buds Wireless will wear them comfortably, but they are not for everyone because the earplugs seal off your ear canal. Check out the Anker Soundcore Life A1 if you want deep, rumbling bass. For less than $50, you get a ton of great features and a lot of bang for your buck with these truly wireless earbuds. Regarding genuine wireless headphones, the Jabra Elite 3 is also worth a look since it has aptX, water resistance, and superb quality at a similar price as HyperX Cloud Buds Wireless.
