HyperX Cloud II - Gaming Headset, 7.1 Surround Sound, Memory Foam Ear Pads, Durable Aluminum Frame, Detachable Microphone, Works with PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One – Red

TL;DR Review: My previous headset broke, so I chose this one after reading/watching reviews. Comfort and durability are excellent, so far. The mic is good enough for calls and gaming. Initially, I was not impressed with the sound of the headphones (sounded like a low bitrate MP3), but then I realized I needed to plug the headset into my motherboard's USB ports rather than the front panel ports. I am now very happy with this headset and would recommend it to anyone looking for a reasonably-priced, comfortable gaming headset. (Owned for 5 months as of 2/27/16)Full Review:I purchased these to replace my Plantronics Gamecom 780 headset. The Gamecom headset had a 100% plastic headband which snapped one month after the warranty period ended. Apologies in advance, but I sometimes will compare the Cloud II to the Gamecom 780 in this review because its my only point of reference, and I felt like the Gamecom was an excellent headset prior to breakage. Overall, the Cloud II's have been a worthy replacement, and even an upgrade in many respects, but there are some areas where the Gamecom was better.After looking at YouTube, WireCutter, and Amazon reviews, I settled on the HyperX Cloud II gaming headset. Almost everyone raved about their durability, comfort, and sound. I know a headphone + stand mic combo can provide a better overall experience, but I didn't feel like spending the ~$200 on that combo just yet.Fit & FinishAfter they arrived, my initial impression of this headset was that it was very high quality. The fake leather on the earcups and the headband is nice and soft, and the stitching on the headband looks good and provides a nice red accent. The red brushed metal on the exposed parts of the frame is also a nice touch. The microphone detaches and reattaches very easily, although I do prefer a flip-up microphone like on the Gamecom 780. However, that's just a preference and shouldn't have any bearing on this review. As for fit, I have a larger head (I'm 6'2", 215 lbs, and probably have a 7-3/8" hat size) and these fit very comfortably. I've worn them for hours while gaming and never felt like the clamping pressure was too hard. Also, they don't make my head/ears sweat or anything like that. The pads on the earcups provide a comfortable seal around my ears that blocks out a lot of noise, which can be a pro and a con sometimes.DurabilityAfter 5 months of daily use... so far, so good. I recently purchased a hook so I can hang these up rather than just setting them on my desk or on the floor, so hopefully that increases the Cloud II's longevity, but I still don't feel like these will break as easily as the Gamecom 780's. Unless they get stepped on by an elephant or run over by my truck, I don't think the headband on the Cloud II's will be snapping after 13 months like the Gamecoms. The drivers in the headphones are still going strong, and the mic still sounds good. I will update if anything changes.Headphone Sound QualityHonestly, the headphones didn't blow me away at first. There was a noticeable difference from the Gamecom 780's in this regard. I felt like the sound on the 780's was awesome for their ~$60 price tag, but the Cloud II's just didn't sound as good. It was like listening to 320 kbps vs. 128 kbps MP3. There was a "graininess" (my terminology, sorry) to all sound - gaming, movies, and calls - that was especially noticeable at low volume. After a couple months, it was annoying me so much that I was about ready to buy a good pair of headphones and separate mic. Then I had an epiphany. I always plug my headset (780 or the Clouds) into my front USB ports (Fractal Define R4 case) because sometimes I like to unplug them and listen to movies/podcasts through my speakers. I had tried both the USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports with the Cloud II's, and the sound was the same on both. One day, I realized I had never plugged them directly into my motherboard's USB ports (Gigabyte Z170X-UD5). As soon as I did, I noticed an immediate difference in the sound quality. The "graininess" went away and I'm now very happy with the sound quality. I now run a USB extension cable from the back of my computer so I can still easily unplug the headset as needed, and the USB extension doesn't add any of the noise/bit-rate issues I was experiencing before.Virtual 7.1 Surround QualityI'm really not impressed by the virtual surround performance of the Cloud II's. I felt like the Gamecom 780's had a great virtual surround, or at least better than the Cloud II's. With the Gamecom, I could easily tell when/where an enemy was approaching me in FPS games. With the Cloud II's, I can hear an enemy approaching, but it's a lot tougher to tell where they're coming from. I don't think it's enough of a disappointment to lose a star though, since I can try other virtual surround software (Razer) and bypass the "built-in" virtual surround of the Cloud II's.Microphone QualityThe microphone is great for voice chat during games (Discord ftw) and Hangouts calls, but I would get a separate microphone if I was doing anything more than that. I don't stream to YouTube or Twitch. I don't record podcasts. I only use it to talk with my friends. They've all told me that it sounds clear and noise-free. If and when I do decide to do more, I'll pick up a Blue Yeti or Audio-Technica ATR-2100 which I know will have a much more professional and richer sound quality at a reasonable price, but I'm not to that point yet. For a ~$99 headset, the microphone is pretty good.ConclusionI would definitely recommend this headset to anyone looking for something that has great quality and is reasonably priced. I'd also recommend plugging it into your motherboard vs. the front panel USB ports to avoid any sound issues. The fit and finish are pretty nice, and it definitely feels more durable than my previous headset. The sound quality is great, but the 7.1 virtual surround experience is not very dependable. The microphone is good for gaming and voice calls, but look for a standalone mic if you're doing anything more than that. It's a great headset that does its job admirably, and I don't think you'll find better value for the price.

This is a wonderful headset i use it alot around the house and can barely hear any indtruders walking into my room. The headset is basically soundproof proof so the only gunshots you will hear is in your game. The mic is ok but you have to have it close to your lips to for anyone to hear you screaming at the 5 year old that hit you with a scar in Fortnite, Battery last longer than my last relationship so that’s something, and the wireless range works well all around my house except by medal objects and the fridge. And be sure to download the HX app because within 2 months your headset will just quit working, that means your equipment is out of date and needs an update.

I bought this headset in 2019 and it still works like the day i got it, simply put, its the best headset ive had. sound quality is amazing, mic is good enough but ive heard some complaints from people in some in-game lobbies, never heard a complaint from a discord call tho. Just bought the hyper x III so i will be retiring this headset, but really, I didn't need to, i was just ready for an upgrade after like 6 years! Also its super comfortable and I can wear it for hours, sometimes i actually forget that Im wearing it tbh. Amazing for pc, I could go on. It's worth the money, Buy this headset!!!!

I had the original wired Cloud II for the longest time, but cables always bothered me so I picked this up.To start off, it felt just as good or better than the original wired version. I wear glasses all day so the comfort is good for me.It connected pretty easily, so for sound quality I'd say it's good, but I'm no audiophile. I will say I also had the Cloud III for comparison and the audio quality on the Cloud III was very muffled compared to this Cloud II and the wired one. This one was definitely better for listening to music and gaming.I'd say a full charge lasts a whole day of use. So it only really needs to charge overnight before I can use it again the next day. I was also surprised that the range let me walk from my room to my kitchen, about 13 steps, while still being able to listen to audio and use the microphone.My only downside is that the microphone is quiet and lower quality than their previous headsets.The microphone will be quiet, even turned up to the highest settings in Windows and their Ngenuity software, so you will likely have to find a third party Equalizer software if this is your only microphone.You can detach the microphone though, so if you have a separate microphone then this is an incredibly nice wireless headset. I don't have an extra microphone though so I talk with this one and my friends have noticed a decrease in quality as if I'm more muffled/phone call sounding than on my original wired Cloud II, but I prefer all the benefits of a wireless headset over a decrease in microphone sound quality. It would be a different story if the audio quality for listening was the same as the microphone, but it's not so that's great!