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[CloudStrife_ca]

Either a headphone amp or lower impedance headphones is the only way to increase the volume of them if you have them up to the full volume setting on the console and they still aren't loud enough. Higher impedance headphones will be very quiet, something around 30 ohms is ideal to plug straight into the controller and get decent volume levels. Anything over about 80 ohms and they will almost certainly require amplification to get acceptable levels out of them.

Edit: @Cloudstrife_ca. I see your HyperX Cloud II are 60ohm which I would say would be right on the cusp of what some would find acceptable or un-acceptable audio levels. Its certainly understandable that they would be too quiet if you have a hearing disorder.

Thank you, thats good info, not gonna lie I had to look up ohm but it makes sense.

 

[CloudStrife_ca]

My Crescendo 1 battery/ amplifier came in the mail yesterday and I thought it was time to give it a proper review as info on the internet is a little tough to find for anyone looking for an out of the box solution for the PS4 DualShocks controllers low volume issue.

I was pleasantly surprised with how quick it came in the mail as Prif is a European based company and this one only seemed to be available to Canada through Ebay. It was abit pricey as if you're importing you'll likely have to pay the exchange rates and import fees and mine was about $60.00 CAD. As per the instructions it took about 2-3hrs to charge up and was very simple to attach to the controller, the battery booster which is said to extend controller life by 20+ hrs on a 2-3 charge (I'll have to fill you in on that part later)

The controller does feel more bulky after adding this combo to your controller, however its saving grace is the battery booster has the exact same finish and texture as the back of the PS4 controller. Its sturdy and doesn't move around once you connect both pieces. As you get used to it, it starts to feel more natural as its a perfect fit between your shoulder buttons on the back of your PS4 DualShock controller.

As for the amplifier this is basically what I got this for, having been born without a left ear drum but still having the middle ear I have about 60% hearing in that ear, give or take, I wanted to make more from the HyperX Cloud II gaming headset I picked up. Objectively a hiss sound is noticed from the amplifier when you plug in your headphones to the amp, the saving grace is I only seemed to notice it in the PS4 menu before I hop into a game. I played abit of Call of Duty: WWII and checked out Spotify last night once I got this charged up.

I would say in-game it probably doubled the sound from the standard output you'd receive from PS4 3.5mm jack. There is a little button to power everything on/off on the top part of the battery booster and then of course the red button located on the amp, turns the amp itself on/off. You have a volume button you can slide with your finger to increase/ decrease volume and a mic mute button right on the amp as well.

When testing this with the PS4 Spotify app, with the sound at max in the advance settings of the app, it offers probably 3x the sound (or more) than I'd normally get with the PS4 DualShock controller which is too loud and not recommended.

I did not get a chance to try chatting with anyone using the amp, to be honest unless I'm playing online with friends I typically dont use my mic much.

I can atleast say for anyone looking for an out of the box solution for low volume on the PS4's 3.5mm jack without going to a portable mix amp, I would recommend this with 4 out of 5 stars, its not perfect but its does what I was hoping it would.

Cons
- More bulk added to the controller til you're used to it
- Hiss feedback in PS4 menu's, not noticeable to me in game
- Exchange rate/ import fees.

Pros
- Out of the box solution
- Same finish/ texture as PS4 controller
- Definitely boosts your sound, with a quality wired headset it sounds really good.