Kingston HyperX Cloud II - Review

Based on looks, you’d be hard-pressed to immediately tell the Kingston HyperX Cloud II apart from its excellent predecessor, the HyperX Cloud. Even slipping it on your head doesn’t help distinguish the two; its memory-foam headband and over-the-ear velour cups feel the same as the original Cloud. You can wear this headphone for hours without getting a headache or having your ears pinched. I’ve played music through a whole work day, listened to podcasts during my commute, dedicated a couple of hours to Dota 2 before transitioning to Bloodborne, then wrapped up the night with a couple of episodes of Daredevil without a single complaint about fit. This line of headphones is still the most comfortable I’ve ever used.

But pipe in any audio, and some welcome differences emerge. While its 53mm drivers still deliver the same pounding bass and clear mid/high tones as before, the Cloud II’s 7.1 surround sound changes the experience of games I’ve already poured hours into. The reverberating scream of a shotgun blast (and accompanying splintering of drywall) in Rainbow Six Siege’s alpha seem terrifying whether you’re on the giving or receiving end; Dota 2’s chaotic mess of audio cues gain some clarity; and tracking the movement of players in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive becomes easier. With the emulated 7.1 activated, finer details such as distant waterfalls, croaking frogs, and stray bullets I’d never heard before suddenly appeared. These kinds of small touches make the Cloud II a notable improvement over the original. It doesn't change the way I play these games dramatically, but it enhances experiences I thought I knew in and out.

Note for PS4 and Xbox One owners: though Kingston does advertise the Cloud II as compatible with current-gen consoles, be aware that this headset provides only stereo audio on those platforms.

Upgrades to sound isolation and the microphone go a long way as well. With the Cloud II, nearly everything (aside from extremely loud noises like sirens or shouting coworkers) outside the edges of my gaming screen is silent. Plus, unlike its predecessor, it doesn’t suffer from sound bleeding. The new noise-canceling microphone also kept my game audio (and those noisy colleagues) from blotting out my voice when updating teammates on enemy locations.

The Cloud II also features an updated remote—a much-needed fix from the first headset. On the original Cloud, the remote came with a few feet of dangling cords that piled up and even pulled on the headset; I often had to rest its cables in my lap to minimize the mess. I also couldn’t always tell if I hit the mute switch accidentally, which often happened when dealing with those cables. On the Cloud II, questionable setting indicators have been replaced by clear icons, and they live on a more practical remote that features a rear clip. Now you can attach the switch to your clothes or desk, giving the lengthy cords enough slack to prevent tangling, tension, or the occasional unplugging that you had to deal with before.