If you’re in the world of PC gaming, there’s a relatively high chance you’ve seen people talking about the HyperX Cloud Alpha on forums or other sites. Gamers have long enjoyed the HyperX gaming headsets because they offer relatively high quality for a low price.
Work-at-home warriors will appreciate having a headset with a decent mic and comfortable padding to facilitate conference calls. The band and forks are solid metal, and each movable part of the headset is protected by robust joints, or thick padding.
When you start using the HyperX Cloud Alpha, you’ll notice that it creates a very good seal against your head after adjusting the band, which is important for two reasons: It’s a given that you want solid isolation if you’re a gamer or work at home while the world around you is pretty loud, but ear pads this deep and soft are an unfortunate rarity.
If you’re a parent or teen, being able to mute the mic when your family members walk in the room is also a good way to avoid the embarrassment of your Discord server hearing your home life. I’ve enjoyed my time with the HyperX Cloud Alpha, and I can understand why this headset is so beloved by the online community.
Because the isolation is so good, you won’t have to worry about destructive interference or auditory masking preventing you from hearing small details in music.
However, the actual performance of the speaker elements in the HyperX Cloud Alpha also allow your music and games to really shine.
With the exception of a dip at 4kHz, the frequency response of the product doesn’t alter the signal sent by your console or computer that much, meaning the sound will be very similar to how it was originally mixed. Additionally, some listeners experience some resonances and echoes in this range depending on their ear canals, so some manufacturers will also downplay this narrow band to avoid it.
The Cloud Flight S model is more flexible as it supports wired and wireless connections; you’re provided with a 2.4 GHz RF USB adapter that’s compatible with Playstation 4 and PC. Even still, the Cloud Flight S doesn’t blow things completely out of proportion as bass notes are rendered almost twice as loud as all other frequencies.
The HyperX Cloud Alpha offers exactly that, far above its price point, so it’ll be a trusty companion for a long time. Given that pretty much every gaming platform now includes its own audio features like virtual surround sound, the Cloud Alpha arguably competes with higher-end headsets even more favorably today than when it first came out.
Very similar to the Audeze Mobius, the HyperX Cloud Orbit S has planar magnetic drivers, and built-in 3D sound support as well—but it’ll cost you. Additionally, gaming headsets in the sub-$100 range are typically made of materials that are either easily broken or will decay quickly with heavy use.
The 3 Best HyperX Headsets of 2021 Reviews
Their boom mic can detach for a more casual look, and it has an impressive recording quality, so your voice sounds clear and full when you’re talking to your teammates. They work with companion software that allows you to adjust the mic level and turn on the 7.1 surround sound feature, and their wireless USB dongle gives them very low latency.
HyperX Cloud 2/Cloud II Review
It offers more customization due to the Turtle Beach Audio Hub software and are slightly better sounding than the HyperX.
Kingston HyperX Cloud II Headset Review
However, most gaming headsets embrace brightly colored highlights, sharp lines, glowing lights, and a general science-fiction aesthetic. The headband and pre-installed earpads are made of a leather-like material and memory foam, and sit comfortably on the head without feeling too heavy or tight. The earcups are connected with solid metal joints that click at specific points as you move them in and out of the headband, but don’t fold or swivel. Despite clever fades between left and right, I didn’t get a sense of any opponents or monsters really manifesting in front of, behind, or at any angle relative to me; it was all just stereo action. Since the Cloud II can easily double as a pair of over-ear headphones by removing the boom mic and either plugging the headset into a smartphone or tablet or using it with the USB adapter on your computer, we tested it for how well it can handle music, not just game audio. At maximum volume it handled both the bass synth notes and the kick drum hits without a hint of distortion while presenting an appreciable amount of force in the low end. The headset’s sculpted sound focuses on the lows and highs, and this really shows in MC Lars’ ode to ska, “This Gigantic Robot Kills.” Kevin Swalby of The Heavy’s higher vocals have a much easier time staying in the spotlight of “How You Like Me Now,” where it punches into the foreground of the mix to stand alongside the prominent bass and drums.
The Kingston HyperX Cloud II is a well-built, comfortable, excellent-sounding gaming headset that comes with its own optional USB sound card. You can also go wireless with the excellent Skullcandy PLYR 1 ( at Amazon) headset if you don’t mind losing mobile device compatibility for home convenience. Finally, if you’re just looking for an inexpensive headset you can use with anything, the Tritton Kama ( at Amazon) can be found for a fifth of the Cloud II’s price, though you’ll obviously be compromising significantly on sound quality. Kingston HyperX Cloud II Headset 4.0 Editors’ Choice See It $59.00 at Amazon MSRP $149.99 Pros Attractive, understated design.
The Bottom Line The Kingston HyperX Cloud II is a gaming headset that doubles as an unassuming pair of good-sounding, over-ear headphones.
HyperX Cloud review: Kingston comes out of nowhere with a fantastic budget headset
Kingston doesn’t have the same pedigree in the headset space as its competitors, but the HyperX Cloud is a winning device at a cheap price. What I found after sorting through the array of assorted adapters and cables (cell phone, airplane, USB, and analog extension) included with the HyperX Cloud, however, is one of the best sub-$100 gaming headsets I’ve ever used. The solid metal construction gives this headset both a nice heft and a durability that’s unmatched in the sub-$100 range, while keeping the form factor slim and attractive. I joked about the red-and-black color scheme, and for good reason—it’s basically “gamer standard.” Still, it’s not so much a detractor as something you just deal with, and the red stitching along the edge of the band is an attractive highlight. Thanks to the detachable mic I’d even say this is another headset you could use on the street without looking like you just escaped from a call center, although the lengthy braided-fabric cable might give you away. You’ve got two large, “leather” earpieces on the HyperX out of the box, with the option to swap to microfiber for a different feel.
This is easily one of the most comfortable headsets I’ve ever worn, with one caveat—my head isn’t the largest around, but I still had to extend the set as far as it could go to wear it. There’s an excellent feeling of presence though, with the large earpieces giving plenty of space and depth to the sounds.
Kingston makes no attempt at a “surround” experience, but the sound profile of the HyperX Cloud is better than that on a lot of the headsets touting the feature anyway.
Kingston HyperX Cloud II Review
Accounting for 40% of the total score for each of these headsets, our set of Comfort tests are by far the most important when it comes to ranking each of these products. Almost every single one of our comfort testers was more than happy to wear this pair of headsets for extended periods of time — usually 10+ hours. The padding on the headband is covered with the leatherette and securely holds the headset in place, without any unnecessary pressure.
The Cloud II is about average in terms of weight, just shy of 11 ounces and none of our testers found it to be noticeably heavy.
The Cloud II delivered another strong showing in our audio quality tests, earning a 7 out of 10 for its solid performance, putting it in the upper portion of the overall group. This headset is decently well balanced when listening to music, with a slight emphasis on the bass and treble tones.
This provides a very immersive experience when gaming, but vocals and voices can occasionally get a little lost with the slightly subdued mid-range. The Cloud II continued the trend, delivering another excellent performance and again finishing in the upper part of the group.
The only slight issue we found is that the voice sounds a little echoey — almost as if you were speaking in a large room, like a garage. The Cloud II’s microphone does a decent job of filtering out external noises, with gamers on the other end of the line failing to notice if we were running a fan or playing background music on low, but could definitely hear if we were eating or tv or music was playing at moderate to high volumes. The Cloud II has a decently long cord at 10.6 ft, giving you ample room to move about while you are playing and still hear what is going on. The Kingston HyperX Cloud II is a great gaming headset to consider when shopping on a budget and unwilling to make too many concessions when it comes to performance.
HyperX Cloud Review
How good it feels to wear these headphones can’t be understated: after six hours of playing raucous matches of Dota 2 on PC and clearing out the Covenant in Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Xbox One, I began shuffling between a few favorite albums before realizing I hadn’t removed the HyperX Cloud even once during that whole time. The HyperX Cloud is the rare headset that, after an extended period of exploring an open world, screaming at teammates, and listening to music, I don’t resent for crushing and overheating my ears. Particularly guttural metal albums or the harsh ballistics of Halo 2: Anniversary’s sniper rifle really highlight the punchy power of this headset’s strong low tones, which balance well with the mids and highs without overwhelming either. It’s not necessarily something you’d want to use for recording a podcast, but it delivers clean, pop-free speech from wherever you position its flexible six-inch arm.The mic also stores nicely in portable mesh bag included in the HyperX Cloud box, as do the spare ear cups, Y-splitter cable, airplane adapter, and other wires.
HyperX Cloud Core review
The HyperX Cloud Core gives great all around sound quality, 7.1 Dolby support and solid build design for $100 (£89, AU$169). The HyperX Cloud Core gives great all around sound quality, 7.1 Dolby support and solid build design for $100 (£89, AU$169).
Thankfully, the Cloud Core 7.1 excels in the audio department when gaming or taking a walk at the park. Though the sound quality works well outside of PCs, don’t expect to utilize the audio control box.
Wearing the Cloud Core 7.1 never gets uncomfortable due to the memory foam ear cushions and leatherette-padded headbands. The detachable microphone snaps firmly into the appropriate headset jack located on the left headphone and takes a bit of muscle to remove.
Performance wise, the Cloud Core 7.1 sounds exceptional for gaming The headset definitely enhances situational awareness in shooters like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare , Rainbow Six: Siege and Overwatch . For general music listening, the Cloud Core 7.1 can compete with non-gaming focused headsets thanks to the detachable mic. It can handle the heavy bass of more popular contemporary music like Cardi B’s “WAP” featuring Megan Thee Stallion like a champ. Considering games like Fortnite have used virtual performances from artists like Travis Scott and Diplo, those who solely indulge in the modern pop lexicon should be more than satisfied. Music featuring more complex instrumentation like classic rock, jazz, R&B and country offer defined and clear mids. Hitting the 7.1 button does enhance gaming experiences on PC by giving a crossfeed effect so directional audio sounds clearer.
If playing on consoles, users are going to need a controller adapter to properly adjust volume or switch the mic on and off quickly. Meanwhile, memory foam ear cushions and leatherette padded headbands mean users can play for long sessions comfortably.
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