Test HyperX Cloud II Wireless
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 that problem. This new headset wireless gaming brings slight design upgrades to the Cloud II for an additional $50.
Is this high 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?
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 curve, which makes 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.
wireless gaming headset
is made primarily 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 side panels.
Basically, it's a solid, super comfortable
gaming headset
.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 you won't hesitate to wear while you spend the whole day in a
Zoom call
, That's it.People who wear glasses may not find it as comfortable, but the softness of the ear cushions helps establish a
decent joint
rather easy.
When you mute it, a red LED ring around the detachable mic base lights up.
In fact, using the HyperX Cloud II Wireless is pretty easy too. It's pretty much a plug-and-play affair, with minimal hardware interface.
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 basically limited to using the headset with the
PlayStation 4
,
computer,
and the
nintendo switch
when it is moored.
The headset sports a fairly minimal suite of onboard controls, with a volume wheel on the right edge of the headset, and a power button and mic mute button on the left edge. HyperX's Ngenuity app, which lets you adjust mic volume, sidetone, power saving features, and enable virtual surround sound. Ngenuity is a pretty standard gaming accessory app , so not very exciting, but it works and is quite well presented.
How is the battery?
You can use the headset while it's charging, but you'll need to plug in the dongle.
Battery life in gaming headsets has improved noticeably for a year or two now. Not too long ago, the best you could expect was around 16 hours of playtime. today's headsets regularly stretch 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. They also charge using USB-C, so recharging only takes an hour or two.
Playing with the HyperX Cloud II wirelessly
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 offers an excellent single-player gaming experience. It's comfortable enough to wear for multi-hour sessions, and its battery life means you can install several before needing to charge.
Playing games with the headset was equally awesome. It handled the
surround sound
requests for
Surveillance
, as well as the stereo experiences in games like
underworld
and
Intrepid
to
computer
, while 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 any issues while playing
Genshin Impact
to
PlayStation 4
Where
Pokemon Sword
on Nintendo Switch.However, Microsoft compatibility limitations and the lack of a 3.5mm option means that you cannot use this headset with the
Xbox One.
How does the HyperX Cloud II Wireless sound?
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 trait in the headphones and intended to avoid natural resonances in the ear.
This headphone 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.
strange timez
from the new Gorillaz album, everything from the
echoing piercing notes
at the beginning of the song, more subtle beeps and bloops follow one another, Damon Albarn's affected backing vocals stand out very clearly.
Stake,
response frequency
as that means you shouldn't have any problems in just about any type of game. Avoiding the typical boosted bass means you shouldn't even have much trouble distinguishing footsteps from the din of thumps. fire in games like
Fortnite
Where
brave.
If only the isolation was as stellar as the sound.
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 issues with typical house sounds, but you probably won't run out of doorbells either. early (depending on volume). Outdoors this headset won't perform as well, but the USB dongle means its portability is pretty limited anyway.
How's the mic?
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 of someone's voice will blast a microphone when too close.The drop is not as abrupt than many gaming headsets, but the result is the same: people with low voices may find they sound
small small
and a bit quiet when speaking into this microphone. Listen for yourself:
https://www.soundguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HyperX-Cloud-II-Wireless-Mic-sample.mp3
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Should I 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 great example of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" logic at work. Physically, the headset has very little change from its wired counterpart, and it's a good thing. When it was released in 2015, the HyperX Cloud II was one of the most comfortable gaming headsets on the market, and it still is. The addition of wireless capabilities, coupled with a microphone and sound Decent enough, on par with the HyperX Cloud Alpha, makes for a pretty good deal for under $150. A lot of much more expensive gaming headsets aren't as great to use.
The HyperX Cloud II Wireless doesn't reinvent the wheel, but you don't have to. This headset masters the fundamentals and offers just enough features to fit almost anyone's gaming setup.
HyperX Cloud II Wireless
All prices 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.
$ on 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
wireless G Pro X
and
Wireless BlackShark V2
, 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
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
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 dongles 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
.
Next:
Razer BlackShark V2 vs. HyperX Cloud Alpha