We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-17 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a drop-in boom mic for an Astro A40 or A40 TR that keeps your headset alive for another season, choose Smays Replacement Mic; if you need a backup mic built specifically for the HyperX Cloud III wired or wireless, choose REEYEAR Mic Replacement fits.
These two look almost identical in a search result, and that's the whole problem. One is cut for Astro A40 headsets. The other is cut for the HyperX Cloud III — and only the Cloud III. Pick the wrong one and you own a mic that physically won't seat in your headset. So let's separate them properly.
• Smays Replacement Mic — biggest strength: a detachable omnidirectional boom mic with a gold-plated TR 3.5mm plug and a removable foam windscreen, sized at a 5.9-inch (15 cm) flexible boom for Astro A40 and A40 TR headsets.
• Smays Replacement Mic — biggest trade-off: it's an Astro-specific part. If you own anything other than an A40 or A40 TR, it isn't for you, and it ships as the mic plus windscreen only — no headset.
• REEYEAR Mic Replacement fits — biggest strength: it's built for the HyperX Cloud III wired and wireless only, with noise cancellation and a built-in LED mute indicator so you can see at a glance whether you're live.
• REEYEAR Mic Replacement fits — biggest trade-off: the fit is deliberately narrow. REEYEAR states plainly that it does not fit the Cloud II or other HyperX headsets, so the Cloud III is the whole target.
• Who each pick is for: Astro A40 / A40 TR owners → Smays. HyperX Cloud III (wired or wireless) owners → REEYEAR.
The Smays Replacement Mic is a boom microphone piece made for one job: standing in for the mic on an Astro A40 or Astro A40 TR gaming headset. It's a wired part with a 3.5mm TR plug, and the conductors are gold-plated — a small detail that matters on a connection you'll unplug and re-plug over the life of a headset. The boom itself is flexible, bendable, and designed to hold position once you set it, at 5.9 inches (15 centimeters) long. That's long enough to bring the capsule close to your mouth without crowding your face.
Buy it if you own an Astro A40 or A40 TR and your original mic has gone crackly, loose in the boom, or simply missing. It's a direct replacement piece — you keep the headset you already like and swap the part that failed. Skip it if you're on any other headset. This is not a universal mic. The compatibility line names Astro A40 and A40 TR wireless gaming headsets specifically, and the connector is a TR 3.5mm jack, so it's built to seat where the stock Astro mic sat. If your headset isn't on that list, keep looking.
REEYEAR Mic Replacement fits: Who It's For
The REEYEAR Mic Replacement fits is the HyperX Cloud III counterpart — and it's unusually honest about its own limits. The first line of its feature set says the mic is "specifically designed to compatible with HyperX Cloud III wired/wireless gaming headsets only" and then warns, in plain terms, that it does not fit the Cloud II or other HyperX headsets. I appreciate that. Too many replacement parts bury the fine print. Here it's front and center, so if you're on a Cloud II, this is an easy no.
For Cloud III owners, the pitch is straightforward. It's a gooseneck-style detachable mic in black, omnidirectional, wired, running off the headset's power rather than a battery. Like the Smays, it's a voice-chat part: the pickup pattern hears in all directions so your voice lands regardless of how you angle your head, and noise cancellation works to strip out background noise for clearer comms. It lists a single channel and a 3.5mm jack connector.
The feature I'd actually notice day to day is the built-in LED mute indicator. On a headset mic, the classic failure is thinking you're muted when you aren't — or talking into a dead mic for ten minutes. A visual confirmation of mic status removes that guesswork, and REEYEAR frames it as making it easy to switch between different statuses and roles mid-session. Setup is plug-and-play: pull the old mic, push in the new one. The flexible boom adjusts for positioning, and the build is described as durable, with the enclosure listed as plastic or metal. At roughly 0.02 kg, it's a featherweight part — you won't feel it hanging off the headset.
Buy it if you run a HyperX Cloud III, wired or wireless, and you want a spare or a replacement with a mute light you can actually see. Skip it if you're on a Cloud II, a Cloud Alpha, or any other HyperX model — REEYEAR explicitly rules those out — and skip it if you're on an Astro, because this is the wrong platform entirely.
• Best for Astro A40 / A40 TR owners → Smays Replacement Mic. It's the only one of the two cut for that headset.
• Best for HyperX Cloud III owners → REEYEAR Mic Replacement fits. Same reasoning, opposite direction.
• Best for a visible mute status → REEYEAR Mic Replacement fits. The built-in LED mute indicator is a feature the Smays sheet doesn't list.
• Best for plug-and-play simplicity → REEYEAR Mic Replacement fits. REEYEAR describes a straight remove-and-connect swap, no tools or setup steps.
• Best for a longer, position-holding boom → Smays Replacement Mic. The 5.9-inch (15 cm) flexible boom is spelled out in the specs.
• Best for a replaceable windscreen → Smays Replacement Mic. It ships with a removable foam cover pop filter, so you can run it with or without.
• Best for a gold-plated connection → Smays Replacement Mic. The TR plug's gold plating is called out specifically.
• If you're not sure which headset you own → check your model first. Neither mic is universal, and the compatibility line is the single deciding factor here.
In my opinion, this isn't a quality contest — it's a fit contest, and the fit is decided before you compare anything else. If you own an Astro A40 or A40 TR, I'd buy the Smays Replacement Mic: the gold-plated TR plug, the 5.9-inch boom, and the included foam windscreen line up exactly with that headset, and the 2200-ohm impedance and 30 dB sensitivity tell you it's tuned as a voice part. If you own a HyperX Cloud III, I'd buy the REEYEAR Mic Replacement fits, mainly for the LED mute indicator and the plug-and-play swap. Check your headset model, then check the current price on Amazon before you commit.
No. REEYEAR states the mic is designed for the HyperX Cloud III wired and wireless only, and explicitly says it does not fit the Cloud II or other HyperX headsets. If you're on a Cloud II, this isn't your part.
The compatibility line names Astro A40 and A40 TR wireless gaming headsets only. It uses a TR 3.5mm plug designed to seat where the stock Astro mic sits, so it isn't a universal replacement for other brands.
The REEYEAR Mic Replacement fits lists a built-in LED mute indicator that shows your mic status visually. The Smays Replacement Mic's feature set doesn't mention a mute light — it covers the omnidirectional capsule, noise cancellation, gold-plated TR plug, foam windscreen, and flexible boom.
Just the microphone. REEYEAR notes the listing is mic only and doesn't include the headset, and the Smays package is the 3.5mm mic plus a windscreen. You're replacing the part, not the whole headset.
No. Both list a corded power source — they draw power through the headset connection, so there's nothing to charge or swap out.
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