This wireless gaming headset is made mainly of aluminum, with a flexible headband and ear cups that feature thick memory foam cushions covered in soft leatherette. People with glasses might not find it quite so comfortable, but the softness of the ear pads makes establishing a decent seal pretty easy.
For everything else, you’ll need to install HyperX’s Ngenuity app, which lets you adjust mic volume, sidetone, power saver functions, and turn on virtual surround sound. However, the HyperX Cloud II Wireless joins an even smaller group of gaming headsets by cracking the 30 hour mark. It handled the surround sound demands of Overwatch, as well as the stereo experiences in games like Hades and Dauntless on PC, all while in a Discord call. The dip in the highs isn’t all that worrying, either—it’s a fairly common trait in headphones and meant to avoid natural resonances in the ear.
The neutral-leaning frequency response may mean that bass in genres like EDM lack the impact that some expect, but you definitely won’t run into any issues with distorted sound or auditory masking with the Cloud II Wireless. In Strange Timez off the new Gorillaz album, everything from the piercing echoed notes at the beginning of the song to subtler bleeps and bloops running throughout, to Damon Albarn’s affected backing vocals comes through very clearly. Avoiding the typical boosted bass means you shouldn’t even have much trouble picking the sounds of footsteps out from the din of gunfire in games like Fortnite or Valorant. The HyperX Cloud II Wireless offers isolation on par with most gaming headsets, which means it’s attenuation is generally not great. You won’t run into any issues with the typical sounds of home, but you’re probably als0 not in danger of missing any doorbells anytime soon (depending on how loud you have the volume). It’s not as steep a drop-off as many gaming headsets have, but the bottom line is still the same: people with deep voices may find they sound a little tinny and a little quiet when speaking into this microphone.
The HyperX Cloud II Wireless is a great example of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” logic at work. The addition of wireless capabilities, paired with a decent enough microphone and audio on par with the HyperX Cloud Alpha makes this a pretty sweet deal for under $150 USD. If you’re a ride-or-die console gamer, something like HyperX Cloud Flight S checks all the same boxes, but also includes 7.1 virtual surround sound on PlayStation 4.
The recent Razer Barracuda X is also great USB-C wireless option, with its ultralight build and solid audio.
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 II review
There’s a decent sound quality and excellent design in HyperX’s follow up to its Cloud gaming headset, though new features like 7.1 surround fail to deliver. There’s a decent sound quality and excellent design in HyperX’s follow up to its Cloud gaming headset, though new features like 7.1 surround fail to deliver.
That choice is more welcome than you might think: if you prefer a softer finish the velour will offer up a plush but firm experience, but the leather version keeps things cool but don’t risk sitting too hard against the head (or the tops of your ears).
These cups, as well as the cushioned leather headband, will see you through particularly long sessions with ease, and the red accents with slick black profile look sophisticated on any desk.
Not only that, but there’s a pleasantly long cable attached to this control panel, meaning it’s easy to wire into your existing setup and place around your desk as you please. We struggled to make the 7.1 surround sound pop, with directional audio coming through in vague patches rather than the precise information you might expect from a headset toting this fairly premium feature.
The bass range suffers from this lack of detail more than the mid and highs, which is to be expected in a gaming headset but may prove annoying if you’re looking to listen to music with these as well. Jumping into Crash Bandicoot 4, however, and higher frequencies come into their own, with a rich and powerful audio quality that fills the ears with all the delights of intricate box smashes and the whirl of a well-timed spin.
The HyperX Cloud II offers up a strong audio profile in the mid and high ranges, and a powerful bass effect whether you love it or hate it. However, though the additional USB dongle will allow you to control audio and mic volume on the fly on PC, this is very much a better buy if you’re after a cheap everyday console headset.
Customer Reviews: HyperX Cloud II Pro Wired Gaming Headset Black/Gunmetal KHX-HSCP-GM
it’s been thrown MULTIPLE times(im a cry baby i know) and it has held through perfectly since i got it. it did last me around probably 3 months by now but it’s starting to stop staying where i position it but it’s an easy 15 bucks for a new replacement mic.
Cloud Gaming Headsets – Cloud Core, Cloud, Cloud II
The HyperX Cloud was built to be an ultra-comfortable gaming headset with amazing sound. We put a lot of thought into the details of our HyperX signature memory foam, the premium leatherette, clamping force, and weight distribution to create a headset that’s comfortable through long gaming sessions.
Gaming Review: HyperX Cloud II – Oldie but Goodie?
After 6 years of being in the market, we test the HyperX Cloud II to see if they can still stack up against the newer gaming headphone models today. It can be a decent surround sound feature, haptic feedback, low latency wireless connection, or simply some accessible controls.
Their noise-cancelling microphone and surround sound features are almost just as good as headphones that come at half of their price.
Kingston is one of the most iconic brands when it comes to computer-related memory products and they started HyperX in 2002 to cater to the growing demands of gamers.
This is because of the premium feel of the matte box and how organized the headphones and detachable mic look. And, knowing that they used to come with a molded foam instead of a plastic casing just makes me confused with why HyperX made this packaging change. Also, the extra ear cups seem to be placed clumsily while the travel pouch and the sound card do not even have any slots. However, they transformed into classic-looking, albeit a bit bulky, gaming headphones once I attached the microphone.
About 90% of the headphones are still clad in black and the only parts colored in red are the HyperX logos on the earcups, the steel frame, and the exposed stitches on the headband. Compared to something like the Razer Kraken X, the Cloud II headphones have a more rustic design with the exposed stitches and the threaded wire that stems out from the earcups into the headband.
Their design might have been ahead of its time back in 2015 but a lot of other brands have innovated and veered away from this industrial look already, so we’ll just call them a classic. The HyperX Cloud II feature a non-detachable 1-meter braided nylon cable which is around 3.2 ft.
Compared to most of the mainstream gaming headphones today, this 1-meter cable is relatively short but I actually prefer it like this. Because of that, you’ll have to adjust those settings manually all the time through your device, which can disrupt your gaming experience. This aluminium frame is responsible for the headphones’ weight but they also accentuate the durability of the Cloud II. The rubber-matte hard plastic ear cups, on the other hand, adds to the premium feel the aluminium frame offers. You can knock anywhere on the headphones and you won’t hear a hollow sound because everything is just compacted nicely inside. However, the extra foam-type ear pads are totally opposite and having them on did not help the Cloud II’s build quality rating at all. With the HyperX Cloud II’s quarter-inch padding amounting to a quarter of my sizing standards, I was quite worried about whether I would find these comfortable enough. For a pair of ear cups that rotate for about 40 degrees only, they were surprisingly not uncomfortable when hung from your neck. Yet, because the ear pads aren’t that thick and the clamping force isn’t that tight, they have a tendency to slowly slip down. The HyperX Cloud II features a detachable cardioid mic with a flexible metal arm and a foam windscreen. Additionally, being a cardioid mic, this can easily block out external sounds and I also like how its flexible arm properly stays in place when you bend it. The Cloud II struggles to cancel high-pitched sounds and is not that smart in distinguishing low or soft voice against noise.
I usually have a low-pitched voice and, while testing, I noticed some gaps in my speech when I recorded myself with ambient noise. This might have blown minds back in the day but the rest of the industry has clearly caught on with the Cloud II’s mic. Right off the gate, the HyperX Cloud II showed that they were clearly one of the most detailed ones out there — and loudest if I may add.
They were very immersive and you would really have a pleasant gaming experience hearing sounds you probably haven’t heard as detailed before.
The Cloud II’s surround sound was of no help and it didn’t make much of a difference having them on in-game. Clearly, this is where the Cloud II shows its 6-year age because surround sound technology has come a long way in gaming headphones since then.
So if you’re playing non-FPS games such as NBA 2K21, Dota 2, or Fall Guys, the Cloud II would be a great choice. With that, it’s just right to compare the Cloud II with some of the other budget-friendly gaming headsets — the MPOW Air SE, and the Razer Kraken X respectively.
So, if you want to be critical about it, the HyperX Cloud II are only almost as good as an excellent pair of budget headphones nowadays.
I also happen to have the red and black version of the Air SE so I was really able to focus on the form and build quality when comparing them. They both feature leatherette and memory foam earpads, but the Cloud II again felt a notch higher in terms of material quality. The Cloud II also had thinner ear cups and were far less bulky compared to the Air SE.
The MPOW’s mic, though, won’t stay in place when bent unlike Cloud II’s. Overall, the fact that the HyperX Cloud II are now comparable to the MPOW Air SE is quite concerning for the guys from Kingston. The two, however, are quite close and I could even say that the Cloud II are simply the pricier version of the MPOW Air SE. With the Cloud II being like an upgraded version of the Air SE, it was intriguing to find out how this HyperX vs Kraken matchup would play out.
These headphones have climbed the top of the industry back then but are slowly losing to father time already. The HyperX Cloud II are well-built and are still the same ol’ reliable comfortable gaming headphones that they were back then. That’s why, much like all headphones that are challenged by time and progress, the HyperX Cloud II’s tech is already lagging behind. Their noise-cancelling microphone and surround sound features are almost just as good as headphones that come at half of their price.
Soon enough, the Cloud II will reach the point where its name and brand won’t be enough to justify its price tag already.
As more budget gaming headphones feature groundbreaking techs, the Cloud II will slowly become obsolete.
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