Whether you’e at home or on the go, many of us spend a lot of time listening to music on our listening devices—ear-buds, in-ear-headphones or on-the-ear headphones. Ear-buds and in-ear headphones are super-portable that go inside your ears, however many people— including myself—are not comfortable using them if they are shared between many people. Hygiene does matter when it comes to sensitive organs such as our ears, doesn’t it? Full size headphones, on the other hand, come with ear cups that surround your ears completely. They tend to be fairly large and are ideal for home use. But they tend to be somewhat expensive. Is there a perfect pair of headphones that are portable, easy-to-afford and ideal for audiophiles and gamers? HyperX, a division of memory products maker Kingston Technology, seems to have an answer to that.
Recently, the lifestyle technology brand (HyperX) debuted its new high quality HyperX Cloud Core headset, at an unbelievable price of R3,800. If you thought there has been a compromise on design and quality, then think again.
The HyperX Cloud Core comes with a large amount of padding, which makes them comfortable on most heads. The ear cups surround your ears completely, their large size makes them ideal for home use, especially for listening to soulful music or playing an action-packed computer game. They are also comfortable if you wear glasses.
Here’s my formula to narrow down on the perfect headgear. When you try the headphones on, leave them on for a while, because how they feel within the first five minutes and how they feel later will be quite different. A lot of headphones can feel fine when you put them on, but will make your ears hurt after a while. In the case of the HyperX Cloud Core, they are literally comfortable to the core. The headset has leatherette memory foam ear pads and a
super-soft padded headband for maximum comfort, even while you’re engaged in an engrossing computer-simulated battle on the screen. There is enhanced comfort so that you can listen to music for hours.
Let us talk about the real use. HyperX Cloud Core is compatible with mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PS4, Xbox One, among others. I played some music stored on my mobile phone and laptop and the headset provides moderate isolation from external noise. There’s no question that the HyperX Cloud Core is well-equipped to handle a wide cross-section of music genres. The closed-seal design of the ear pads offers a very good balance between the treble and mids while keeping music from leaking through. The headphones have a smooth, undistorted sound, whether you are listening to soft English songs from the 80s and 90s or Hindi songs or even classical. This headphone lets you listen at lower levels, which leads to reduced ear fatigue. You’ll also hear more low-level detail in your music.
The HyperX Cloud Core headset can also showcase its acoustic prowess to the world of gaming and movies. It is pro-gaming optimised and provides the listeners with passive noise cancellation for a true cinematic experience. I watched some movies and played some games on my laptop and believe me, the headphone truly delivers. It comes with a detachable, noise cancelling microphone for crystal clear audio quality while gaming and recording.
Without doubt, the HyperX Cloud Core deserves your attention as a versatile headphone.
SPECIFICATIONS
* Transducer type: Dynamic O.53 mm
* Frequency response: 15 Hz-25,000 Hz
* Nominal impedance: 60 ohm per system
* Power handling capacity: 150mW
* Sound coupling to the ear: Circumaural
* Ambient noise attenuation: Approx. 20 dBa
* Weight with microphone and cable: 320g
** Estimated street price: Rs 3,800
