31.7.2016

HyperX Cloud II Gaming HeadsetUnboxing-------------Very nice packaging with HyperX Cloud2 – classy looking grey and very sturdy box with foam padding in all the right places. Comes with a mesh bag for the headset, an airplane adapter, a spare set of earpads, and the detachable microphone. Good to see a few useful accessories at this price point. Perhaps a stow-able mic would have been nice, but a minor quibble and the supplied mic is very easy to attach/detach and also to find a convenient position with.Hardware-------------I’ve got the gunmetal (all black) version, and I think it looks great - much more understated than most gaming headsets. The construction appears very solid,with metal used in the headband (rather than the more common plastic) – they’ve already been dropped several times from desk height (sometimes violently because of the way I attach the control unit to my chair) with no signs of any damage or any squeaks/rattles developing. Definitely strong enough to sling around at a LAN party (I sound old :( ) . The braided cable is a good length with the USB connection, but only really suitable for listening to a portable device without it (more on this later).The USB portion has a decently long cable for connection to a rear USB port and comes with a handy clip on it (presumably for clothing – mine is attached to my chair with Velcro), with separate volume controls for the headphones and microphone, a mute switch for the microphone (bit fiddly to operate and I usually bind a key in game to speak), and the toggle button for the Surround Sound.One minor downside is the little rubber grommet used to protect the microphone port when the mic is detached – once removed it looks eminently losable, and since my microphone will be plugged in most of the time it went straight back in the box with the other bits and bobs.The HyperX Cloud2 comes with 2 sets of earpads, a faux leather set (shipped fitted) and a velour pair in the box. Both sets are comfortable but I find the faux leather slightly more so, as the foam is a little softer. However, during the recent heatwave (by UK standards) I found the velour set to be distinctly less sweaty (although slightly itchy). I don't think I'd complain about either, so to receive both pairs as standard is a nice touch.The headband seems to adjust over a pretty wide range so I think this would be suitable, size wise, for most people (I used to have a boss who looked like Herman Munster and it probably wouldn’t fit him).I’ve worn the headset for quite a few hours now with very little discomfort – they’re light enough not to slip down at all on my ears and they don’t apply too much pressure (a problem I’ve found with headphones in the past and it gives me a headache, yes, poor me).Installation--------------Installation under Windows 10 was a breeze – nothing more is required than plugging in the USB portion of the headset, letting Windoze do it’s stuff, then remembering to set it as the default playback device.Audio Output------------------I’m a classically trained musician and I listen to (nearly) everything from baroque classical to techno / trance (sorry, can’t abide R&B or happy hardcore), so I’m pretty fussy about audio.With the USB connection, the audio quality is good. Decent amount of bass and reasonable mid and treble clarity. Hard to tell the quality of the headphones exactly as the sound signal goes through many layers of software before it gets to you.I’m not entirely convinced by the Virtual Surround Sound. It’s quite nice in a solo game like Far Cry 4 as it really brings the sounds of the environment alive, especially things like waterfalls. But for a more competitive game like CS GO I much prefer the standard stereo sound – the surround sound just interferes when listening for the footsteps of an enemy and makes it harder to pinpoint their location.Where I have found the Surround Sound to be useful is when watching films – admittedly I don’t watch many films on my PC directly, but I tried a few such as The Revenant (don’t watch unless you have a strong stomach), Iron Man, Deadpool etc. and my impression was positive. It definitely makes you feel more as if you’re part of the action with less of the ‘inside your head’ effect one usually gets with headphones. Of course, it doesn’t really emulate the setup of a proper 5.1 speaker system.After I’d already purchased this headset (d’oh!) I read a very good review of it (link at the end). Following the reviewer’s advice is definitely a good step if you plan on using these extensively for audio only from your PC. I purchased a splitter (to separate the headphone and microphone connections) and extension cable which both work well (links also at the end).The difference in audio quality is quite noticeable when the headset is plugged directly in to the sound card (an ageing SoundBlaster in my case). The bass really ‘pops’ a lot more and the mid and treble ranges are very clear.The USB connection also adds a faint hiss – only noticeable in extremely quiet sections (try ‘El Nino’ for an example) but it’s definitely there. No such hiss exists with a direct connection.I don’t think the direct connection makes much difference in game and the Surround Sound is nice for those rare occasions when you get to just chill and take in your environment (which a large team of people took ages to craft – I grew up with games like the legendary ‘Chuckie Egg’ so I really appreciate the advances in graphics technology which provide such beautiful gaming environments now). It’s also very convenient to have the USB device handy with its various controls.Unfortunately, I don’t have much other than a PC (and portables) for listening to music right now, so it’s difficult to judge the audio quality without all of the layers of software interfering. Fortunately, my Dad has a rather nice separates system with a lovely and very expensive pair of Bose headphones. When listening through the HyperX headset using this high quality setup I was immediately impressed – these really are good enough to use daily for audio only. Plenty of bass though not overly so – it still works well with classical music. Nice and rich through mid, and clear in the treble. Very impressed.Of course, I then had a go with the Bose headphones and, as you might suspect, the difference was clear – the Bose has a much tighter response with no discernible dropouts. But the HyperX are a fraction of the price, and when listening to a compressed format such as MP3 I struggled to tell the difference.Audio Input---------------The microphone seems good enough – apparently people can hear me in game, but I can’t attest to what they’re actually hearing. Might be making me sound like a fluent Russian speaker judging by some of the responses I’ve received…Skype calls seem to work fine with the headset.Conclusion---------------I had previously purchased a HUHD set which were much cheaper (and wireless) but of a much lower quality. They were returned due to dropouts in the audio. This set have been far superior all round.I would wholeheartedly recommend the HyperX Cloud II headset. Its looks may be too understated for the teenage crowd (although it does come in red and also in a quite shocking white/pink combo which, perhaps unsurprisingly, they sell for a lower price), but for us oldies I think it looks perfect.The build quality and comfort are both excellent.Audio is also very good, but it’s definitely worth getting a splitter and extension cable to plug directly into your sound card when listening to music for an extended period.Overall, a good quality, well designed headset which will give much more expensive, audio only headphones a run for their money.If you found this review helpful, please click on ‘Yes’ below.LinksReview: http://www.pcgameware.co.uk/reviews/headsets/hyperx-cloud-ii-headset-review/Splitter:

25.6.2015

Well, I have owned this headset for a couple months now and overall I would think I am fairly pleased. The build quality is fantastic and the headset is extremely comfortable to wear and it will not increase in weight the longer you wear it. The cables are braided and are fairly average in length providing a comfortable wear without risk of damaging the cable. Thanks to the foam built within the headphones, your hearing outside of the headset will be minimized to give you a more realistic and direct experience. It is also useful if you will be using these in a noisy environment. This also minimizes sound-bleed, with all the tests I did I could not detect any bleeding unless the volume was extremely high,which is unlikely as I found the headset fairly loud even at about 50%.Audio without USB dongle: The sound is crystal clear and sublime at every volume, you should feel fairly relaxed with such a lightweight and comfortable headset whilst accompanied by undisturbed audio for a fantastic experience. You can hear the bass perfectly well unlike other "gaming" headsets. Note without the dongle you cannot use the microphone or 7.1 virtual surround sound.Audio with USB dongle: With the addition of the USB dongle you will be able to benefit from the 7.1 virtual surround sound and be able to use your microphone. However this is where things start changing, when using the USB dongle you might start to hear crackling and audio disruptions at low volumes. This is a known fault caused by the USB dongle (not this is not the case with all headsets) however audio will not be affected at higher volumes. Personally I would not use the USB dongle unless it was for the microphone or 7.1 sound but as my laptop's 3.5mm jack does not work I have no choice.7.1 Virtual Surround Sound: The 7.1 virtual surround sound is great, when in video games that are impacted by the audio it really does make an immense change. Despite it being only virtual, you will still be able to determine where audio is coming from whether North, South, East, West and all other possible directions without any sort of disruptions. Note that in games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive this really does improve your capabilities.Xbox/PS: This headset is compatible with both the xbox and playstation however you will NOT be able to use your microphone and the 7.1 surround sound will not work at all for most games. Do note this is primarily designed to be a PC gaming headset, if you're looking for a xbox/playstation headset I would strongly recommend turtlebeach.Issues: At lower levels whilst using the USB dongle I could hear a very distinctive crackling sound that disturbed audio levels and sound quality. After a couple months my USB dongle also started experiencing another fault, at times when I moved the dongle or accidentally pulled on the cord I would lose all sound and the only way I could recover from this is to unplug my headset completely, wait a few seconds and plug it back in. This is extremely bothersome in the middle of a game. Note I do not pull ANY cables out, the USB dongle simply seems to bug/glitch and it causes a complete loss of sound.I have contacted HyperX over at kingston and they are sending me a new USB dongle free of charge due to this fault. Note that I am not the only one who has had this issue, if you do experience it and you can confirm the fault is with the USB dongle then contact the Kingston support and do give them details and ask for a replacement. Note your warranty must still be intact if you do not wish to pay.Conclusion: This is an all-round, fantastic headset. The build, sound, 7.1 and microphone are all of fantastic quality. For £70 this really is a good deal however I cannot give it 5 stars due to the disappointing faults with the USB dongle. Despite known faults having been around for a while I have not heard of any planned fixes from HyperX themselves.

21.1.2017

I've had the HyperX Cloud II gaming headphones since around December. I never thought headphones could sound so good until I got these!The sound quality is amazing and is quickly noticeable when you're playing games. If you feel like you don't want to wear headphones, the hack with the set here is you can put them in front of you, turn headphones up, spread the cups apart and have a neat sounding mono/stereo sound that still sounds brilliant! Sounds can be heard clearly and are almost felt! I really feel like the balance of bass, mids and highs are greatly optimized, and not once have I thought of changing any sound settings on any of my devices which I have used with this headset!

4.2.2018

After watching many reviews and videos on this headset, I went ahead and bought it, and I'd recommend you do too.I originally bought it to use with my PC, but it also works excellently on the PS4. For gaming, the included 7.1 surround sound USB sound card helps you to pinpoint noises within the game, which is a great help in games such as online shooters, where you need to know where the enemy is, before they know where you are. The sound card detaches from the headset so you can use it with a 3.5mm headphone jack for PS4 or other applications.The mic also detaches, which is a nice bonus, and it is easily adjustable too. I feel that the mic could be of slightly better quality though,

1.1.2017

I received this as a gift from my sister for my (early) birthday and I can assure you that it's worth every damn penny. I normally avoid headphones like this as I've never had good experiences with them but I wanted to take a bit of a risk so I suggested it to my sister. I'm sure you don't want or need to know the backstory so let's dive straight into the pros and cons.Includes: Headset, manual, welcome card, extender & splitter combo.Pros:- Insanely comfortable, headphones adapt to you and so it is perfect.- Sound quality is pretty good, the bass is the strong point.- They cup your ears entirely and I'm quite big.- Very lightweight - after some time, you don't realise it's on at all.- If you wear glasses - IT'S VERY COMFORTABLE.

19.3.2016

One of the best purchases of my life. I wear them a good 8 hours a day. I had never spent more than £10 for a headset before, as I considered even the cheap ones more than enough. But oh boy, this was totally worth it.- Speakers: Very good quality. Very loud as well, I have yet to max out the volume, I will probably lose my hearing. The only area they lack in is the bass. They are still great for music, but I wish they had a bit more bass. Razer's Surround Sound software, which increases bass helps quite a bit with this issue. Though if you're looking for a headset mainly for music, you should probably look for another one.- Microphone: A friend of mine even bought the same headset because of my recommendation and we've had moments where we think our skype call has broken up,

16.10.2016

I am writing to review this product having also owned the Turtle Beach 50X headset for a couple of months. To be fair until I tried the Hyper X Cloud stinger I thought my Turtle Beach 50X's were absolutely fine. Now having tried both the extra £20 is so so so worth it.What I love about the Hyper X is comfort & audio quality.From a comfort point of view the extra padding on the headset makes a massive difference after prolonged gaming sessions. The earcups are a lot more comfy also and cover my ears more completely.Audio quality is a massive difference when listening to films or music - the bass is far more responsive, snappy and less tinny.

29.1.2016

ProsVery comfortableGreat SoundPlug and PlayStrong braided cord and very long.ConsMicrophone sucksLet me explain that con and the reason for only 4 stars. Although I love everything about these headphones and love the fact that you control everything from an external soundcard which is easy to access. HyperX should of allowed the the option to control your headset through windows instead of locking you out. I found the the microphone is just too quiet and my friends was complaining they couldn't hear me on discord or skype.I turned the volume all the way up on the external sound card but still didn't help, I then went into windows sound manager and found I was locked out, by which I mean,

9.1.2016

So recently my Astro A40s which I had for 2 years broke on me due to cheap plastic for the headband and I needed a new headset because I game and listen to music a lot. I searched the web and found the HyperX Cloud 2 Headset and thought I'd give it a go because the specs looked really good and fitted all my needs.This is my first ever headset review which means these have to be amazing for me to do this.I'm going to start with the pros of this headset.Pros:1. Boxing, the boxing that came with this headset was so well packed and organised everything had it's own section.2. When I took the headset out of the box the first thing I done was put them on to check how comfortable they are and their extremely comfortable.

7.1.2016

Just received the headset.Spent many hours choosing this pair, so many to choose from, such huge price ranges !I'm happy I made the right choice.The came beautifully packed in l lovely box.There are a pair of soft felt earmuffs to replace the leather if you prefer.Comes with a well made bag if your travelling.The headset itself is all cast aluminium giving the a good weight and a nice quality feel. (with matt black rubberised coating)Head strap is comfortable, well padded with leather and adjusts on a metal flange so unlike plastics this won't break.The mic is on a black bendy corrugated metal boom that allows it to be easily adjusted.The cable is a black braided fabric with a control mid way along.The control is cool,

24.11.2015

I have spent an age looking for a new headset. Do I go wireless? in the end it is not worth it if you want quality audio for gaming at a sensible price. You have to spend 3 figure numbers to get decent wireless sound.I have tried the expensive, the cheap and everything inbetween. This headset is brilliant for the price, outstanding.I previously had a set of Sennheiser and paid a wopping £260 for them but they were sent back inside a week as my £40 Turtle Beach headset was alot better. I snapped them and then settled on this set.They come with a travel bag, ideal for when I work away, a second set of faux velvet ear muff surrounds which are lovely, and an adapter for planes so you can use them onboard for audio too.

10.6.2017

As a previous owner of the HyperX Cloud II these have impressed me as for the price these do live up to the brand. I was quite harsh with my previous set causing the headphone jack to wear out and for me to get a replacement. Then these came on sale and as I needed a new pair.PROS - Good sound almost equivalent to the Cloud II however it doesn't get as loud or powerful and is not a rich and has a lot less punch in the bass however everything else sounds almost the same again not as good for these are cheaper.Microphone built in and allows easy muting which is much better than the detachable option however I actually used the Cloud II outside of gaming and I would not be okay going around with

10.8.2015

Great sounding headset, comfortable to wear for long periods.I don't like when overear headphones press on my ears, or touch the tips of my ears (a previous headset did and it drove me nuts!) and I am pleased to say my ears 'just' fit in the cups without touching on anyside. That said, I don't have particularly large ears. It comes with 2 sets of covers for the earcups, a soft leatherette finish and a microfibre-esque. I am currently using the microfibre style pair because I find they have slightly less sound isolation (and I like being able to hear myself when talking in a game; not a narcissist, just don't want to be shouting!),

13.10.2016

Only really my second headset. The first being a Turtle Beach that I used on PS3.Pro'sThe sound from the headphones and the mic is crystal clear.The cord is very lengthy too. I'm using it on my PC at a desk and there is plenty of cord to plug into the back of the machine, up behind the desk and to my face.There's an in-line remote as well to adjust: volume, mic volume, mute and 7.1 on/off. This also has a clip too so you can clip it onto your clothes for easy access.Build quality is excellent. They've used really high quality parts and they feel like a luxury/premium product. Nothing feels flimsy. It feels really sturdy.ConsComfort wise, it is great however, I wear glasses and after a while,

24.3.2019

These headphones are pretty decent for the price. I have tried most headphones from hyper X, and these by far are superior in their wired range.Sound:Compared to the cloud 2s especially, these knock it out of the park. I found the sound to be a bit bassy, but not overbearing, and the treble and mids to also be quite balanced. The soundstage is excellent for a closed back headset, helping you feel immersed when playing games or listening to music. However, they do not isolate sound well at all, so keep that in mind.Microphone:Mic quality is excellent. However, I wish it had a pop filter.Comfort:These headphones I am pretty sure are meant for people with wider heads,

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