Review: Kingston HyperX Cloud II

Millions of people play games. Some of us play very casually, others play at an elite, competitive level, and most of us fall somewhere in the middle. No matter how you play, though, you might want some equipment to make that experience a little more immersive and communicative, and for that, many have turned to gaming headsets. There’s literally hundreds of those types of products out there, ranging from bargain-bin knockoffs to professional-grade units; it’s a crowded market, to be sure. Today, we’re narrowing things down a bit and taking a look at the newest iteration of one of Kingston’s higher-end offerings: the HyperX Cloud II. Whether you just want Sonic Generations to sound a little better, or you need a quality headset to improve your e-sports play, you might want to check this one out.

Taking the product out of its rather luxurious packaging reveals that there’s a lot more in the box than just the headphones. Included is a spare set of ear cushions, a headphone splitter, the new USB control box, and a padded travel bag. Build quality is very solid, with no one aspect of the product or its accessories feeling cheap or underwhelming; metal, memory foam, and textured wire fabric reflect its price point well. Its microphone is detachable, so if you want to use the headset without it, you have that option. My only real complaint is a minor one; the rubber cover for the mic jack isn’t connected to the headset itself, and since it’s so small, I ran the risk of losing it several times.One of the Cloud II’s biggest selling points is its exceptional comfort level, and as I’ve mentioned in the past, it readily and fully delivers on this. After several multi-hour gaming sessions, the headset never once felt uncomfortable or intrusive. Even while playing with my bulky glasses on, the fit felt natural and accommodating; it really is one of the most comfortable gaming headsets I’ve ever used. The unit’s audio technology provides the dynamic, accented experience you’d expect from a product such as this thanks to on-board DSP, or digital signal processing; it basically makes everything sound a bit richer and punchier. It may not win over many serious audio enthusiasts, but for everyone else, the sound quality should leave you more than satisfied. The microphone delivers in spades as well; after thorough testing across PS4, Xbox One, and several different PC messaging programs, no one I interacted with found any issues with the quality and clarity of my voice.

The headset supports 7.1 surround sound through the new USB control box, which gives you easy access to volume and microphone controls in addition to hardware-driven driver support.  Thanks to the unit’s strong noise cancellation, the surround sound effect is noticeable and fairly immersive, so it’s unfortunate that it only works on computers. The PS4 supports the headset through either USB or the controller’s headphone jack, but both input methods only allow for stereo quality. Sadly, the Xbox One doesn’t recognize the USB box at all, and since the controller uses a proprietary mic jack, you’ll need to purchase a headset adapter to use the headset with that console. Regardless of the platform, though, it still delivers excellent game audio; everything from the PC port of Sonic Generations and some emulated Genesis classics to Halo 4 and Destiny sounds really good.

The HyperX Cloud II normally retails for around $100 and comes in gunmetal gray, red, and pink. Ultimately, whether or not you should think about spending that much on something like this depends on what you’re looking for. If all you’re looking for is a simple way to talk to your friends online, then this might be overkill for you. That said, if you’re in the market for a high-quality headset you can use with just about every device you own, then I’d strongly consider giving the Cloud II a look.

Note: TSSZ News received a complimentary Cloud II headset as part of its PAX East booth tour in March. Kingston had no influence over the content of this article. More information about our disclosure policies can be found on our Policies page.