HyperX Cloud Mix Buds 2 Review: The Best Gaming Travel Companion?

The archetypal HyperX Cloud Mix Buds were nifty gaming earbuds with batteries that could past 10-hour sessions. For the follow-up HyperX has swapped that foodstuff – they present past conscionable 7 hours – for other audio quality, progressive sound cancelling, and a much lightweight design.

Is the trade-off worthy it? And however bash they comparison to the champion gaming earbuds similar Sony's InZone Buds, SteelSeries' Arctis GameBuds oregon the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4?

Design and Comfort

These buds are light. I weighed each 1 astatine 4.2g, astatine slightest 20% little than astir competitors, and they consciousness virtually weightless successful your ears. The case, too, is lighter than astir astatine 34g, and it's compact: it slipped into my jeans pouch without leaving a lump.

Most bud cases creak erstwhile you effort to propulsion the closed lid sideways but this 1 hardly squeaks, and feels peculiarly sturdy, arsenic bash the buds themselves.

The USB dongle isn't rather arsenic sturdy, but it won't wiggle from side-to-side thing similar arsenic overmuch arsenic the dongle connected the Sony InZone Buds I precocious reviewed. It sits level against immoderate it's plugged into without protruding, truthful you're improbable to sound it oregon harm it.

The dongle doesn't acceptable wrong the lawsuit but you tin slot it into the USB-C larboard connected the bottom. The full happening – case, buds, dongle – weighs conscionable 45g, and I'd consciousness comfy flinging it into my container oregon sliding it into my pocket. Considering the weight, physique prime and flexible connectivity, which I'll sermon much later, they mightiness beryllium the champion question gaming earbuds around.

HyperX besides includes a larger hold adapter with a peel-away portion that connects to your PC and sticks to your desk. You tin plug the dongle into that alternatively than your PC, if you prefer. The peel-away portion was uneven connected the exemplary I tested, but still, it's an enactment that not galore different gaming earbuds offer.

I recovered the buds reasonably comfortable, partially due to the fact that of however airy they are, and I could play for a fewer hours astatine a clip without needing a break. I besides tried jogging and they stayed successful my ears without irritating me, though they jiggled a small much than my regular buds.

But aft wearing them for the amended portion of a time the wrong of my ears felt a small sore – that hasn't happened with different buds I've tried recently, and switching to smaller eartips didn't lick it. I'm not definite wherefore exactly, but it could beryllium due to the fact that the receptor tips are oval alternatively than round. That plan determination makes consciousness – your receptor canal isn't circular, aft each – but it's antithetic to what my ears are utilized to

And portion I'm usually a instrumentality of minimalist design, I would've possibly liked HyperX to instrumentality a bigger plaything connected aesthetics. They're humble to the constituent of being generic.

Sound Quality and Noise Cancelling

Thanks to the low-latency dongle, the Mix Buds 2 pump retired crippled audio with zero perceptible delay. If you've lone ever utilized Bluetooth earbuds for gaming, either connected your PC oregon handheld console, past these volition beryllium a revelation – and due to the fact that the dongle is truthful slim and inconspicuous, it's ne'er a hassle to plug it in.

They dependable decent too. I tested them successful aggregate games, watching YouTube and films, and listening to euphony and podcasts. They are clear, loud, and creaseless and I was capable to separate betwixt the layers of sounds I was hearing. Arc Raiders is my go-to crippled astatine the moment, and I could easy archer isolated antithetic gunshots, oregon antithetic sets of footsteps. I could besides archer which absorption noises were coming from, and however acold distant they were.

They bash consciousness little precise, crisp and atmospheric than different buds I've tested recently, specified arsenic the high-end Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 Earbuds and Sony's InZone Buds, which I mentioned earlier. Compared to those 2 buds, everything sounded smudged, peculiarly vocals and bass. I enjoyed audiobooks, but successful Kendrick Lamar's m.A.A.d city, the bass lacked punch and his dependable sounded a small tinny.

It's worthy saying, of course, that the Mix Buds 2 are cheaper than some of those different buds, and due to the fact that they enactment Bluetooth 5.3 LE Audio they're a measurement up from the archetypal Mix Buds, which lone supported the SBC codec. For the terms they're fine, and for games wherever proceeding intelligibly is much important than ambiance – say, Arc Raiders – they'll service you well. But for a crippled similar Tears of the Kingdom, wherever the euphony creates a mood, I'd alternatively scope for a antithetic brace of buds.

The microphone is loud, clear, and blocks retired distractions. I was playing with friends portion idiosyncratic was clattering astir successful the adjacent country and having a conversation, and each they could perceive was my voice.

The buds person progressive sound cancelling (ANC) and a transparency mode – some were absent from the archetypal Mix Buds, and they marque the Mix Buds 2 much viable arsenic regular earbuds for commuting. Both enactment okay, but they're a measurement down competitors. When I took them to the gym they blocked retired most of the euphony coming from the nationalist speakers, but I could inactive perceive much than with different buds I've tested. Transparency mode has a noticeable inheritance hiss, and lone boosted outer sound slightly, not capable to perceive idiosyncratic talking successful the aforesaid country arsenic maine portion I was playing a game.

Battery life, Connectivity and Software

Speaking of battery, HyperX says they'll past up to 7 hours earlier they request to recharge successful the case, and that they'll past 26 hours earlier you request to plug the lawsuit in. In world I got person to six hours, astir apt due to the fact that of ANC, transparency, and switching connections betwixt devices.

It's disappointing that they slice truthful overmuch much rapidly than the archetypal Mix Buds, which lasted up to 10 hours. They autumn somewhat abbreviated of our favourite buds connected single-session complaint (the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds past 10 hours, the InZone Buds 12 hours), but 26 hours is coagulated for full complaint time, and astir radical won't play much than six hours successful a azygous league without needing a break.

I ne'er had a occupation linking them to immoderate device, whether by Bluetooth oregon the dongle. That's a large vantage implicit the InZone Buds, which don't enactment regular Bluetooth and truthful request a dongle to link to your Switch, Steam Deck, and immoderate phones. Bluetooth audio volition person much latency than the dongle, but it's much convenient and for games wherever immediacy isn't a occupation – say, Balatro connected my Steam Deck – it's fine.

While they connected instantly, that transportation wasn't ever stable. I counted 4 instances of momentary stuttering connected Bluetooth, and 3 portion connected to the dongle – the audio lone dropped for a divided 2nd each time, but it was noticeable. A fistful of transportation slips connected the dongle successful tens of hours of investigating isn't a immense concern, but it's hardly ideal.

I besides had a fewer issues switching from the dongle connected my PC to Bluetooth connected my phone. A mates of times lone the close bud worked and I had to enactment them some backmost into the lawsuit earlier the near 1 woke up.

The Ngenuity app was good connected my telephone but it regularly failed to admit the buds connected PC, forcing maine to restart the app and reconnect the buds. It's besides laughably barebones connected PC: you tin alteration the mic volume, toggle betwixt ANC and transparency mode, and prime betwixt 5 audio EQs. That's it! There's nary balanced EQ option, nary mode to customize your ain EQ, and nary different ways to personalize the sound.

Samuel is simply a freelance newsman and exertion specializing successful longform journalism and hardware reviews. You tin work his enactment astatine his website.