We were first drawn to the Rose Gold version of the HyperX Cloud Mix headset because it looked cute. Most of the PC hardware in our home is black with some shade of RGB, so the Cloud Mix stood out with its clean white base and rose gold trim.

Standing out among a sea of black or grey headphones was a good selling point for us, as this headset was for the "non-gamer" of our household. Despite them playing more video games then I do most of the time, the label of "not-a-gamer" when it comes to aesthetics was ab understandable one.

Gaming as an activity is on the rise, but it is only in recent history that gaming products have changed in appearance and styles to attract gamers of much larger pool styles and attitudes. So when I saw this regal looking headset had substance and beauty, I knew it was the right choice for my "non-gamer".

Key specs

Microphone Type — Optional Noise-canceling condense or onboard mic 

Built-in virtual 7.1 surround sound 

Connectivity — 3.5mm, Bluetooth

Cord Length — 3.5mm cable: 4.2 feet (1.3m), 3.5mm extension cable: 6.6 feet (2m),

Micro USB to USB 2.0 charging cable: 1.6 feet (0.5m) 

Battery Life — 20 hours

PRICE: WAS $199.99,  NOW  $139.99

The good

Flexible, well constructed, and generous in braided cord length, the Cloud Mix will meet and likely surpass the average gamers' quality standards.  The Cloud Mix's compatibility with virtually everything isn't always utilized, but it is nice to know that we can essentially use them for everything, which isn't the case with a lot of our audio options.

The bass also sounds very nice for noise-canceling Bluetooth headphones. I don't exactly know how the two-chamber system works to separate mid and high bass frequencies, but it seems to be working well enough for my ears.

The Bluetooth button is big and easy to press -- a small detail that I appreciate immensely. One surprising detail is how good the sound quality is for the on-board microphone. Yes, the quality sounds better when you skip the condensed mic altogether. This can be a turn off to many, but if the intended user doesn't care for a ball mic, it is a happy accident in Cloud mix's favor.

The ehh

When using the headsets corded option, the wire can sometimes brush up against a shirt button or jacket zipper causing distortion in the boom mic. While this is a problem in a lot of audio devices, it is some time to point out considering the quality of the boom mic is always pretty standard.

These are the downsides of having such a flexible device -- the ability to attach or detach these elements makes them inherently vulnerable to overuse and flat out losing parts. However, this isn't really an issue for us because the  20 hour Bluetooth battery plus the surprisingly high quality of the onboard mic (seriously, how did this happen?) has firmly placed this as a "Bluetooth, cordless microphone headset" for our household.

The verdict

When used as a wireless Bluetooth way, the headset truly shines in all of it's Rose Gold glory That said, it is also totally acceptable when used as a wired PC gaming headset and if you love the aesthetic as much as we do, the recent price reduction makes this a no-brainer for your first PC headset or an upgrade.

In the end, it is the flexibility of this product that makes it such a solid option. Even if you don't game as much as you wish,  there are times where a stylish pair of noise-canceling, Bluetooth headphones is the perfect solution to a COVID-style grocery store visit you don't want to make but need to.