HyperX Cloud II Wireless review

The HyperX Cloud II has been a classic in the HyperX stable for a long time now, and it's still a decent option, but it's showing its age a bit. The HyperX Cloud II Wireless is the answer to this problem. This new wireless gaming headset brings slight design improvements to the Cloud II for an additional $50.

Is this increase justified?

Editor's note: This HyperX Cloud II Wireless review was updated on August 6, 2021 to include new scores and graphs for isolation and frequency response based on our

new test environment

.

Who is HyperX Cloud II Wireless for?

The players

looking for something that sounds good and works easily across multiple platforms.

home workers

who need a headset with a microphone that's comfortable enough to wear all day.

What does the HyperX Cloud II Wireless look like?

The hinges now have a slight bend, making the ear cups sit a little more evenly on your head.

If you've ever worn a HyperX Cloud II or even a

HyperX Cloud Alpha

, you know what to expect when you put on the HyperX Cloud II Wireless: something very comfortable. This

wireless gaming headset

is made mostly of aluminum, with a flexible headband and ear cups that feature thick memory foam cushions covered in soft leatherette. The headphones are made of matte-textured hard plastic and feature black metal panels on the sides.

Basically, this is a sturdy and super comfortable gaming headset.

p>. The aluminum keeps things light and the band offers just the right amount of tension to feel secure, but not too tight. If you're looking for a helmet that you won't hesitate to wear while you spend all day in a

zoom call

, this is what you need. People who wear glasses may not find it as comfortable, but the softness of the ear cushions helps establish a

decent tightness

easy enough.

When you mute a red LED ring around the base of the detachable mic will light up.

In fact, using the HyperX Cloud II Wireless is also quite easy. It's pretty much a plug-and-play affair, with minimal hardware interface. Helmet

connects to the platform of your choice

using a 2.4GHz USB wireless RF dongle. There is no 3.5mm connection option, so you are limited to using the headphones with the

playstation4

,

computer,

< p>and the

nintendo-switch

when connected.

The headset sports a fairly minimal suite of onboard controls, with a volume wheel on the edge of the right headset, and a power button and mic mute button on the left edge. For everything else, you'll need to install HyperX's Ngenuity app, which lets you adjust mic volume, sidetone, power-saving features, and enable virtual surround sound. Ngenuity is a pretty standard game accessory app, so not very exciting, but it works and it's laid out pretty well.

How is the battery?

You can use the headset while it's charging, but you'll need to have the dongle plugged in.

Battery life in gaming headsets has improved noticeably for a year or two now. Not so long ago, the best you could expect was around 16 hours of playback. Helmets these days regularly extend beyond 24 hours. However, the HyperX Cloud II Wireless joins an even smaller group of gaming headsets in breaking the 30-hour mark. At a constant volume of around 75 dB, the headphones can last for 32 hours and 3 minutes. It also charges using USB-C, so recharging only takes an hour or two.

Gaming with HyperX Cloud II Wireless

This headset works great on PC and console, but the mic will not work with most multiplayer Nintendo Switch games.

The HyperX Cloud II Wireless delivers a simple and great gaming experience. It's comfortable enough to wear for multi-hour sessions, and its battery life means you can fit several before needing to recharge.

Playing games with the headset was equally great. He managed the

surround sound

requirements of

Overwatch

, as well as the stereo experiences in games like

Hades

and

Dauntless

on

computer

, while being in a Discord call. There aren't separate game and chat channels like in some gaming headsets, but it's not hard to keep everything clear with the HyperX Cloud II Wireless.

On console, things like virtual surround sound aren't available, but the headset still handles games just fine. I've never had a problem while playing

Genshin Impact

on

playstation4

Where

Pokemon Sword

on Nintendo Switch. However, Microsoft compatibility limitations and the lack of a 3.5mm option mean that you cannot use this headset with the

Xbox One.

How does the HyperX Cloud II Wireless sound?< /p>

Such a neutral sound is quite rare for a gaming headset.

The HyperX Cloud II Wireless offers very precise sound for a gaming headset, accurately restoring audio up to around 4000Hz. The drop in treble isn't all that concerning either - it's a fairly common feature. in the headphones and intended to avoid natural resonances in the ear.

This headset should be great for just about any type of music. The flat-biased frequency response may mean bass in genres like EDM doesn't have the impact some expect, but you certainly won't experience any distorted sound or auditory masking issues with the Cloud II. Wireless. In

Strange Timez

from the new Gorillaz album, everything from

piercing echoing notes

at the beginning of the song to more subtle beeps and bloops follow one another, the affected backing vocals of Damon Albarn stand out very clearly.

In the game,

a frequency response

like that means you shouldn't I have no problem in just about any type of game. Avoiding the typical boosted bass means you shouldn't even have much trouble distinguishing footsteps from din gunshots in games like

Fortnite

Where

Valorant.

If only the isolation was as stellar as the sound.

The HyperX Cloud II Wireless offers

insulation

on par with most gaming headsets, which means its attenuation isn't usually great. You won't have any problems with typical house sounds, but you probably won't run out of doorbells anytime soon (depending on how loud you have it), either. Outdoors, this headset won't perform as well, but the USB dongle means its portability is pretty limited anyway.

How is the microphone?

It's pretty much standard stuff. .

The HyperX Cloud II Wireless offers a fairly average microphone

for a gaming headset

. The bass response is particularly typical, and no doubt tuned to combat proximity effect, where the bass in someone's voice blasts through a microphone when too close. The drop isn't as steep as many gaming headsets, but the result is the same: people with low-pitched voices may find they sound a bit

Bit quiet when talking into this microphone. Listen for yourself:

https://www.soundguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HyperX-Cloud-II-Wireless-Mic-sample.mp3

Loading survey

Should you buy the HyperX Cloud II Wireless?

If you're looking for a comfortable, simple, and reliable gaming headset, you should probably buy the HyperX Cloud II Wireless.

This headset is ideal for getting away so you can enjoy all the media you want.

The HyperX Cloud II Wireless is a prime example of “if so. "not broke, don't fix it" logic at work. Physically, the headset features very few changes from its wired counterpart, and that's a good thing. When it was released in 2015, the HyperX Cloud II was one of the most comfortable gaming headsets around, and it still is. The addition of wireless capabilities, coupled with a decent enough microphone and sound on par with the HyperX Cloud Alpha makes it a pretty good deal for under $150 USD. Many much more expensive gaming headsets aren't as great to use.

The HyperX Cloud II Wireless isn't reinventing the wheel, but it doesn't have to. This headset gets the basics right and offers just enough features to fit almost anyone's gaming setup.

HyperX Cloud II Wireless

All prices are quoted in USD unless otherwise stated. Prices may change over time and vary by region. Unfortunately, we cannot list Amazon prices on the site, as they vary widely by currency.

$ at Amazon

$149 at Best Buy

What should you get instead of the HyperX Cloud II Wireless?

That said, it's not necessarily the best gaming headset for everyone. If you're only interested in PC gaming, headsets like the

Logitech G Pro X

and

Razer BlackShark V2

both offer more extensive software functionality and comparable sound - there's even a

G Pro X Wireless

and

BlackShark V2 Wireless

, if you don't mind spending more.

The Razer BlackShark V2 has a hardware volume button.

If you're a ride-or-die console gamer, something like p>

HyperX Cloud Flight S

ticks all the same boxes, but also includes virtual 7.1 surround sound on PlayStation 4. To read more, check out our in-depth versus article where we lay out the < /p>

HyperX Cloud Flight S vs. Wireless Cloud II

.

If you're a die-hard Nintendo fan, the Cloud II doesn't offer a ton for you either, SteelSeries offers like

Arctis 1 Wireless

and

Arctis 7P

will likely do more for you, with their USB-C drives and excellent battery life. If you're an Xbox One gamer, the Cloud II Wireless really has nothing for you, gaming headsets like the

Razer Kaira Pro

and

Corsair HS75 XB

both offer Xbox Wireless support, and don't even need dongles to connect (though they're only worth using with an Xbox) - the Kaira Pro even supports

Bluetooth

.

Following:

Razer BlackShark V2 vs. HyperX Cloud Alpha