HyperX Cloud II Wireless Review

If you’re in the market for some state-of-the-art gaming headphones, the Cloud II Wireless from HyperX might well be a pair you want to consider. And, even if you’re not a gamer but need a pair of quality earphones that are comfortable to wear for long periods, you’re also on the right track.

So, here’s my in-depth HyperX Cloud II Wireless review bringing you all the best features of these headphones. I’ll also flag the flaws and areas for improvement. On top of that, I’ll give you tips on how to get these headphones up and running with your phone, Xbox, and PS4.

All About HyperX

Before we take a look at this specific product, it’s a good idea to start with the company. HyperX started in 2002 by producing high-performance memory products, such as flash drives and PC RAM. You may have heard of their memory products called Predator, Beast, and Savage. This gives you a good idea of where they were going with these products.

In the mid-2010s, HyperX started getting into the gaming accessories market, producing mouses (mice?), keyboards, and headphones. They also started sponsoring gaming teams, in particular, partnering with the NBA 2K league.

So, in short, this is a solid gaming company. They know what gamers need, what works, and what frustrates them, and their products reflect that.

Cloud II Wireless Overview

So, let’s take a look at one of these products, the Cloud II Wireless over-ear headphones. The Cloud II comes in two formats, wired and wireless, and the performance and design are very similar for both. We’re going to focus on the wireless version since wireless is simply what’s hot right now, and for good reason.

Some specs

These are aluminum framed over-ear headphones with a detachable mic. With the mic in, they weigh 10.9 ounces (309g), and with it out, they’re 16.6 ounces (300g). That mic basically weighs nothing. They charge via USB and come with a charging cable that’s 1.6 feet (0.5m) long. The earcups are lined with memory foam covered by leatherette.

The big earcups are filled with 53mm drivers that produce a big, full sound. These drivers have a frequency response of 15-20,000Hz, which covers the full range of human hearing (20-20,000Hz).

Plus, it gives you a bit of pressure at the bottom end. You can’t hear it, but you can still feel it. Like most quality headphones, these phones have a total harmonic distortion level equal to or less than 1%.

Let’s look at the wireless features next

First off, you can get about 30 hours of use from a full charge, on medium volume anyway. These guys use a low-latency 2.4GHz connection and have a range of up to 65 feet (20m). This is for line-of-sight, so expect corners and walls to reduce this range significantly.

Finally, the microphone is an electret condenser microphone that’s bi-directional and noise-canceling. It has a response of 50-6800Hz, which is plenty to get your voice across while filtering out lows and highs that can cause distractions and distortion.

Performance

Now that we know the specs, how do they total up to perform as a headphone set? First off, we can talk about durability. The fact that they’re made from aluminum with quality steel springs means that you’re not going to have to worry about the frames breaking from minor impacts as they might on other headphones.

You’re not going to have to worry about them slipping either. The springs give a good solid clamping strength without going overboard and squeezing the heck out of your head. As a result, these are some of the most secure-fitting gaming headphones on the market.

Memory foam is a nice touch in the leatherette earcups. And while the leatherette lining can get a bit warm and sweaty like most over earphones, it still stays supple. If you need less heat, the interchangeable velour cups can help you with that. They’re lighter and breathable, though they can’t block out noise as effectively.

Outside of comfort

Sound quality is the most important quality of any set of headphones. Here, the big 53mm drivers pull off some pretty huge sound. But that’s just the start. When you’re gaming in a 3D space, you need to be able to pick up sound cues all around you.

For this reason, HyperX has put its virtual 7.1 surround sound system on board. Like a 7-way speaker system with a subwoofer, this virtual system re-maps sounds from your listening experience to your headphones.

Things sound very convincingly like they are all around you, not just coming from just two single points like with most headphones. Therefore, these rank among the best surround sound gaming headphones.

Communicating in real-time

The microphone’s performance is also crucial when you’re playing on a team. Luckily, this mic isn’t going to let you down. It has a light-up mute indicator to let you know if you’re on or off team speak. Even better, it comes with noise-canceling to keep any of the annoying sounds surrounding you from bleeding into your conversations.

It also has built-in mic monitoring, which crucially allows you to hear yourself and judge the level of your voice while you listen to group chat. Altogether, these are some of the best gaming headphones with a microphone currently on the market.

How about the connection?

With a 2.4GHz low-latency connection, things are about as close to live as you can get. Now, the range of these headphones is 65 feet. But, if you push that limit, you’ll find some latency and even full breaks follow. However, I’d say 65 feet is plenty of range. I can run into the kitchen and grab a snack, and that’s only about 25 feet away from my chair.

Top Features

The noise-canceling microphone is Discord, and TeamSpeak certified. So, if you want some of the best Discord headphones, these deserve serious consideration. It keeps out what needs to be kept out and is specifically tuned to pick up only the normal range of human vocal frequencies. And it’s detachable when you don’t need it in your way. Perfect.

Versatility

These headphones can be used with pretty much any system you want to throw at them. They’ll work with Xbox, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and, of course, any PC. You can plug their USB adapter into a PS4 or Switch dock and simply plug and play.

They can also be paired up to your phone or tablet, whether it’s an iOS or Android device. As you can see, these are some of the most compatible gaming headphones on the market today.

Comfort and Fit

The earcups here are really comfortable and great for keeping sounds where they belong. They’re also interchangeable. You can wear the leatherette cups for better sound blocking and memory foam for a more comfortable fit.

The velour cups provide a better soundstage and are breathable and cooler to wear. It’s great to have a choice and to be able to change these out in a matter of seconds.

HyperX Cloud II Wireless Review – Pros and Cons

Like any product out there, nothing is perfect, and this headset isn’t either. You just have to weigh out the pros and cons and see if this is the right headset for your needs.

Getting Connected

These wireless headphones are compatible with many different devices. All you need to do is plug the USB toggle that comes with them into your Switch or PS4, and you can plug and play with these headphones. On a PC, you may need to plug in the toggle and then select these headphones in your Audio Devices menu.

To pair, just hold down the power button on the headphones until a light starts to flash. If the toggle is plugged in, this should pair them up automatically.

For smartphones or tablets

You can still pair these headphones, although it’s a bit less elegant. You’ll need a USB adapter like a charging cable to connect the toggle to your phone. From there, you can pair the toggle with your headphones in the usual way. You’ll have a dangling toggle, but at least the headphones will work.

Before getting started using these headphones

You should be aware of a much-needed firmware update. No matter what you’re using the headphones on, you’ll first want to plug the toggle into a PC and go to the HyperX website to download and install the newest firmware update. This only takes a few minutes, but without it, your mic won’t work properly, and the 7.1 virtual surround won’t work on PS4.

Looking for more Awesome Gaming Headphone options?

Then, we have you covered. Simply check out our in-depth reviews of the Best Razer Gaming Headsets, the Most Comfortable Gaming Headsets, the Best Gaming Headset, the Best PC Gaming Headsets, the Best Xbox One Headsets, the Best Wireless PlayStation 4 Headsets, and the Best Nintendo Switch Gaming Headsets you can buy in 2023.

Also, take a look at our detailed HyperX Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset Review, our Astro A40 TR X-Edition Review, our PlayStation Gold Wireless Headset Review, our AmazonBasics Pro Gaming Headset Review, our Logitech G432 Review, and our Sennheiser Game One Review for more amazing gaming headphones currently on the market.

HyperX Cloud II Wireless Review – Wrap-Up

The Cloud II Wireless model headphones from HyperX represent a solidly built and great sounding set of gaming headphones. While designed for gaming, they can be used for music and group meetings just as easily. The headphones are durable, comfortable to wear for long periods, and sound great.

At the same time, there can be some compatibility issues to deal with. You’ll need to immediately update the firmware, which won’t be perfect right out of the box.

They also don’t work perfectly with Xbox at the moment, so if this is your preferred system, you may want to look elsewhere. But for other systems, you can do a whole lot worse than these powerful, immersive headphones.

Until next time, game on.