The HyperX Cloud Earbuds address a niche in the market: people who want gaming peripherals for mobile devices. While targeted towards Switch and phone/tablet gaming, these earbuds also work in PS4 controllers and any other device that has a 3.5mm CTIA standard connector.
The Cloud Earbuds are minimalist in their design, featuring an in-line microphone with a multi-function button and interchangeable ear tips. The cabling is flat (as opposed to rounded) and silicone-like in texture. The whole ensemble is signature HyperX red with a black and white logo printed on each earbud’s exterior. They also come with a hefty, but small, black carrying case that has an inner pocket.
While I don’t own a Switch, I used this peripheral extensively with my phone to make calls and play music/mobile games as well as with my PS4. On the positive side of things, the sound and microphone quality is above most of the other earbud/microphone combinations I’ve sampled before. The sound is clear with a good relative volume and the microphone is crisp. The multi-function button gets the job done and it’s easy to answer calls, pause music, and skip music tracks with it.
My one issue with the Cloud Earbuds is unfortunately a major one: the ear tips don’t fit in my ears very well and they become uncomfortable after about an hour of usage.
Let’s unpack this a bit and start with the fit. As I mentioned, this peripheral has different ear tips. Unlike other earbuds I’ve used in the past, it’s not just the soft plastic that fits into the ear that’s interchangeable; it’s that plus an extended piece of soft plastic that molds to the inner fold of your ear to keep it in place, which is attached to a hard plastic piece that plugs into the exterior. These ear tips come in three different sizes: small, medium, and large. Even the smallest size does not fit into my ear canal very well, nor does the extended piece shape very well to the inner fold of my ear. While it still manages to sit in my ear, it’s somewhat loose and sometimes falls out. The medium ear tips are a bit more secure (since the extended piece of plastic is longer), but causes discomfort to my ears sooner than the small ear tips.
This brings us to the second part of my issue: the discomfort. Due to the ear tips not fitting me well, I begin to experience moderate discomfort from these earbuds after about an hour of use. It begins as an ache that continues to worsen until I can’t use them anymore.
This is really a shame, since as I mentioned before the sound and microphone quality as quite good. One thing that’s important to note, however, is that I frequently have issues with the fit of earbuds and discomfort from about an hour of usage is pretty standard for me. If you have similar earbud struggles, there’s a good chance you might have the same kind of issues with them that I did; however, if you find that most earbuds with light sizing customization do the job, these likely wouldn’t cause you problems.. As it is, though, I was let down by the Cloud Earbuds. HyperX has made some extremely comfortable headphones in the past and I was hoping for a similar experience with these. Unfortunately, my long-running issue with earbuds ended up being a factor here, which has to factor into my score.