The HyperX Cloud II is omnipresent in headset recommendations. It is recommended again and again in various forums online – and rightly so. It has a solid sound, it is super comfortable and has virtual 7.1 surround sound. Now there is a successor, or an upgrade – the Cloud II Wireless! This eliminates the annoying cable and makes everyday use easier.
HyperX became big as a brand for gaming peripherals from Kingston and was recently bought out by HP. HyperX has always impressed with quality products that are optimized for gaming. Whether the wireless version of the Cloud II can score as well as the original, you can find out here in the test.
Specifications
| Driver | Dynamic, 53mm with neodymium magnets |
| Type | Wrap-around, closed back |
| Frequency range | 15 Hz-20 kHz |
| Impedance | 60 Ω |
| Sound pressure level | 104dBSPL/mW at 1kHz |
| weight | 300 g |
| Weight with microphone | 309 g |
| Cable length and type | USB-C charging cable (0.5m) |
| Battery life | 30 hours |
| Radio range | 2.4 GHz, up to 20 meters |
| Price | € 138.03 * |
Exterior Features
The Cloud II Wireless arrives to us well secured. Also included is a charging cable, the microphone, a USB dongle, and a windscreen for the microphone. The USB-A dongle is relatively large, but for stationary use, even this size should not be a problem.
Already at first glance you can see that this is a Cloud II. The typical design has been adopted – the standard version shows a mix of red and black.
The black ear cups are held in place by red aluminum straps. The straps can be adjusted with locking steps, so this headset should fit most heads – even on large heads, the Cloud II Wireless is very comfortable. The headband also features red stitching, which adds to the overall look.
The headband is padded by a very soft leatherette cover. The headset weighs only about 300 g – together with the comfortable headband, it is also suitable for longer gaming sessions. The microphone is modular and can thus be removed if necessary.
Completely new compared to the “normal” Cloud II are the control buttons – due to the omission of the controller in the cable, these have migrated to the headset. On the back of the left earpiece, there is an on/off button and a mute button, plus a power LED. On the right side is a volume wheel.
Just one less cable or actually an upgrade?
One question comes to us directly – is the Cloud II Wireless “just” the Cloud II – in wireless? Or are there actually other points that have been optimized?
To be blunt – there are upgrades. However, these are very subtle – the Cloud II was already a good headset after all. The most noticeable and also most beautiful point is the microphone. An LED ring has been added, which lights up when the microphone is muted. So you can already see in the peripheral vision that you are muted.
The other hardware-related changes are more design-related and thus very subtle. The microphone is a bit narrower and less clunky, the suspension of the earphones has become narrower, and the HyperX lettering on the top is more nicely finished. The overall wearing comfort is very good, as it was with the original Cloud II – the slightly lower weight makes it even more comfortable.
The wireless functionality is great. The headset connects to the dongle independently and the range is great. Through several walls is no problem in our scenario – this is definitely above average. Possibly it may be due to the large dongle?
HyperX NGENUITY – a battery-only indicator?
Another difference is the use of the NGENUITY software. In this one you can change some options – but it doesn’t really offer more options than the Windows control itself offers. Primarily, we used it to display the battery level. The software is still in beta – maybe more use or even more functions for the headset will follow.
Besides the visual display, one is notified when the battery level is at 15%. Thus, due to the long battery life of about 30 hours, you still have enough time to plug the headset into the cable. Basically, the headset can be used while charging, but unfortunately the included cable is very short. The fact that you can use the headset while charging is basically a nice consolation, but the cable is so short that this is almost impossible. So if you often forget to charge, you should get a longer cable – fortunately, USB-C is used here.
Recommendable sound, solid microphone
In terms of playback quality, the Cloud II Wireless is definitely convincing. Games, music and voice are reproduced clearly. Especially for a gaming headset, the sound is great – the bass is well-tuned for action-packed scenes, yet it doesn’t dominate too much in music playback. Important background noises, such as footsteps in shooters, do not fall by the wayside either.
The headset also has a 7.1 surround mode. This can either be activated by tapping the on/off button, or alternatively via the software. In this mode, basses are primarily more powerful, the sound is clearly changed – for the more original and pleasant sound, we recommend the standard sound – this sounds much less muffled, the trebles seem clearer and rounder. Most games don’t really gain much in terms of “surround” with this mode either – locating enemies (e.g. in Counter-Strike or similar) also works well via stereo.
We have recorded a small video for you to show the voice quality. We think that the microphone is quite acceptable for the typical gamer – the other party can understand you relatively clearly, the volume is appropriate and there is little to no overmodulation.
Conclusion
HyperX can definitely build headsets, there’s no doubt about that. The comfort, the functionality, the audio quality – all points speak for themselves. The looks have stood the test of time and the workmanship is – as you would expect from HyperX – top notch.
The original Cloud II was already a super product. Not without reason you can find it in various places online – it is justifiably always worth a recommendation. The Cloud II can also be recommended without reservation.
Nevertheless, there are also minor points of criticism from our side. The USB-C cable is unfortunately very short and it also feels unpleasant to install the software just to display the battery status. At the same time, the almost unneeded software is also a plus in a way – few rivals have that level of plug-and-play.
With a price of €169.99, however, the headset is by no means cheap. We think it lives up to the price. It convinces in many places, and it’s impressive how comfortable and lightweight a wireless headset can be. Still, we hope the price will come down a bit and it might end up in the region of the Logitech G Pro X, which also did well for us.
HyperX Cloud II Wireless
Workmanship
Comfort
Sound quality
Recording quality
Features
Value for money
92/100
A great wireless headset with thoughtful improvements over its predecessor. Unfortunately, the price is quite high and a longer cable would have been nice.
