The HyperX Cloud II Wireless isn’t the flashiest, most whizzbang gaming headset out there. In fact, it’s one of the safest, don’t rock the boat headsets I’ve used all year. The Cloud II Wireless builds on the legacy of the infamous Cloud line and does very little to shake things up — at least visually. And that’s actually disappointing considering the Cloud II Wireless costs a whopping $300.
But that also means the HyperX Cloud II Wireless are one of the soundest, well built and comfortable gaming headsets on the market today. It works wirelessly with Windows PC’s, Apple Macs and PlayStation 4/5 with some surprisingly good virtual surround sound and impressive battery life. I’ve been using the HyperX Cloud II Wireless for over two weeks now, coming hot off the heels of the delightful EPOS H3 Hybrid and I’m here to tell you, this is one solid set of cans.
HyperX Cloud II Wireless Review.
As far as looks go, few headsets are more identifiable than the bold red and black HyperX Clouds. The Cloud II Wireless doesn’t stray from that tried and true formula, instead refining it. The black headband wrapped in memory foam and pleather is finished off with bold red stitching and bright steel hangers that hold the large ear cups that are also emblazoned with the red HyperX logo. The materials feel great and durable with not a hint of creaking — it will definitely last you years of use.
The ear cups have plush, pleather covered memory foam that is gentle on the ears while the headband allows for generous adjustment. They aren’t too heavy either at just 300g and I had no problem wearing them all day. I wear glasses and the Cloud II Wireless never caused any pressure on my temples unlike many other headsets. I also didn’t have any issues with breathability and my ears never got sweaty in the 30C Queensland Spring weather.
All the headsets key controls are located on the ear cups — power and mic mute on the left and volume dial on the right ear cup. There’s also a USB Type-C charging port and a jack for the detachable microphone on the left cup. HyperX calls it a Noise-cancelling, bi-directional electret condenser microphone which all sounds pretty impressive and it honestly is. Have a listen to the sample below and judge for yourself but I’d say it captured my voice with my natural tone and none of the tinniness or compression.
The Cloud II also has built in mic-monitoring so you can hear yourself through the ear cups but there really isn’t any way to control the balance of that outside of the HyperX Ngenuity app. This won’t be a problem if you’re playing on PC but for PlayStation it could be a concern if you play a lot of team shooters.
As a wireless headset, the Cloud II Wireless rocks a chunky USB-A 2.4Ghz dongle which has an LED to indicate connection status. The connection is great as long as you have a clear line of sight with the dongle. Too many times when I left my desk to go to the kitchen about four to five meters away or the loo straight down the hall would lead to spotty connection and even disconnection. This was pretty bad considering my EPOS GTW 270 ear buds that have a smaller dongle experience far less drop outs at the same distance.
This is all mute though as when you are working or gaming, you won’t be moving away from your desk anyway. However, one glaring omission on the Cloud II Wireless is the absence of Bluetooth. I’m honestly surprised that a headset this expensive would ship without at least basic, single point Bluetooth. That addition alone would make the Cloud II Wireless incredible multiplatform package and worthy challenger to the excellent JBL Quantum 800 Wireless.
But the most impressive thing about the Cloud II Wireless is how good they sound. The massive 53mm drivers produce a wide, meaty sound that is rich with thumping bass and clear highs. This works wonderfully in games like The Ascent where guns sound so damn powerful and every exploding corpse sounds deliciously detailed and squishy. In Destiny 2 I could very easily hear where gunfire and the dreaded sound of a Stasis Super were coming from.
And while I’m generally not a fan of virtual surround sound in gaming headsets, the Cloud II Wireless surprised me with how well it handles this. It makes the sound stage sound just a little bit(though noticeably) wider without the hollowness that I hear in so many other surround headsets. It also maintains a healthy bass and clarity and overall sounded a lot more enjoyable than the standard stereo mode.
Games, movies and music all sounded much better to me with the surround on and I missed it when using the Cloud II Wireless on a MacBook Pro that doesn’t support the Ngenuity software. Also worth mentioning, the Cloud II Wireless is the most expensive headset I’ve reviewed that doesn’t have any sort of EQ presets or customisation which is truly bizarre. As good as they sound out of the box, I’d still have liked to be able to change somethings for when I’m gaming or listening to music.
Now, after using the Cloud II Wireless for the whole day of work and then two to three hours of gaming every night, I was pleasantly surprised when the battery finally died after three days of use. Sometimes, I’d even get four days out of them before they died which is well in line with HyperX’s claimed 30-hours of battery life. If you use these strictly for gaming, most people will likely go a whole week without charging.
Any USB-C charger will work to fill them up which is nice. I hate having proprietary cables to charge peripherals when I already have a USB-C for my laptop, phone and other peripherals. It will take about 3 hours to charge them fully although you can still use them while they charge but only on a PC or Mac.
Verdict
As I said at the start, the HyperX Cloud II Wireless are a safe and sound bet for any gamer that wants excellent audio, all day comfort and great battery life. At $300, the lack of Bluetooth, spotty connection and lack of EQ customisation is kinda disappointing and holds the Cloud II Wireless back from being an absolute must have. There’s just too many great wireless headsets that are significantly cheaper, like the Razer Barracuda X Wireless, EPOS H3 Hybrid or the Roccat Elo 7.1 Air. As good as these HyperX cans are, they are just too hard to recommend at that price.
