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HyperX Cloud II Wireless
The HyperX Cloud II has been a classic in HyperX’s stable for a long time now, and it’s still a decent option, but it’s showing its age. The HyperX Cloud II Wireless is the answer to that problem. This wireless gaming headset brought slight refinements to the Cloud II’s design for an additional $50. After spending a week with the Cloud 2 Wireless, we feel ready to inform you whether that markup was justifiable.
Editor’s note: This HyperX Cloud II Wireless review was updated on July 19, 2024, to include formatting updates and new isolation and frequency response charts.
Gamers looking for something that sounds good and works easily on multiple platforms should pay attention to this headset. Remote workers will also appreciate how comfortable it is.
What is the HyperX Cloud II Wireless like?
If you’ve ever worn a HyperX Cloud II or even a HyperX Cloud Alpha, you know what to expect when putting the HyperX Cloud II Wireless on: something comfortable as heck. This wireless gaming headset is made mainly of aluminum, with a flexible headband and ear cups that feature thick memory foam cushions covered in soft leatherette. The headphones are made of hard, matte-textured plastic and feature black metal panels on the side.
Basically, this is a sturdy, super comfortable gaming headset. The aluminum keeps things light, and the band offers just the right amount of tension to feel secure but not too tight. If you’re looking for a headset you won’t mind wearing while you spend all day on a Zoom call, this is it. People with glasses might not find it quite so comfortable, but the softness of the ear pads makes establishing a decent seal pretty easy.
How do you control the HyperX Cloud II Wireless?
The headset sports a pretty minimal suite of onboard controls: a volume dial on the edge of the right headphone and a power button and mic mute button on the edge of the left.
Should you download the NGenuity app for the Cloud 2 Wireless?
For everything else, you’ll need to install HyperX’s Ngenuity app, which lets you adjust mic volume, sidetone, and power saver functions and turn on virtual surround sound. Ngenuity is a pretty standard gaming accessory app—so it’s not terribly exciting—but it works, and it’s laid out well enough.
How do you connect the HyperX Cloud II Wireless?
Using the HyperX Cloud II Wireless is pretty easy, too. It’s a plug-and-play affair with a minimal hardware interface. The headset connects to your platform of choice using a 2.4GHz USB wireless RF dongle. There’s no 3.5mm connection option, so you’re basically limited to using the headset with the PlayStation 4, PC, and Nintendo Switch when it’s docked.
What is it like to game with the HyperX Cloud 2 Wireless?
The HyperX Cloud 2 Wireless offers a great, straightforward gaming experience. It’s comfortable enough to wear for multi-hour sessions, and its battery life means you can fit more than a few in before needing to charge.
Playing games with the headset was similarly great. It handled the surround sound demands of Overwatch, as well as the stereo experiences in games like Hades and Dauntless on PC, all while in a Discord call. There aren’t separate game and chat channels, like in some gaming headsets, but it’s not hard to keep everything clear using the HyperX Cloud II Wireless.
On console, things like virtual surround sound aren’t available, but the headset nonetheless handles games very well. I never ran into any issues playing Genshin Impact on PlayStation 4 or Pokemon Sword on Nintendo Switch. However, Microsoft’s compatibility limits and the lack of a 3.5mm option mean you can’t use this headset with the Xbox One. If you’re gaming on PlayStation 5, this won’t have any issues with the console’s built-in 3D audio feature and will work well, too (it works with any headset the console can connect to).
How is the battery on the HyperX Cloud II Wireless?
Battery life among gaming headsets has improved pretty much across the board for a year or two now. Not too long ago, the best you could expect was around 16 hours of playback time. These days, headsets routinely stretch past 24 hours. However, the HyperX Cloud 2 Wireless joins an even smaller group of gaming headsets by cracking the 30-hour mark. At a consistent volume of ~75dB, the headset can last 32 hours and 3 minutes. It also charges using USB-C, so topping it up only takes an hour or two.
Does the HyperX Cloud II Wireless block out noise?
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The HyperX Cloud II Wireless offers isolation on par with most gaming headsets, which means its attenuation is generally not great. You won’t run into any issues with the typical sounds of home, but you’re probably als0 not in danger of missing any doorbells anytime soon (depending on how loud you have the volume). Outside, this headset won’t fare as well, but the USB dongle means its portability is pretty limited anyway.
How does the HyperX Cloud II Wireless sound?
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The HyperX Cloud 2 Wireless offers very accurate audio for a gaming headset, accurately outputting audio up to around 4000Hz. The dip in the highs isn’t all that worrying, either—it’s a fairly common trait in headphones and is meant to mimic the response of our un-occluded ears.
Lows, mids, and highs
This headset should be great for pretty much any kind of music. The neutral-leaning frequency response may mean that bass in genres like EDM lacks the impact that some expect. Still, you definitely won’t run into any issues with distorted sound or auditory masking with the Cloud II Wireless. In Strange Timez off the new Gorillaz album, everything from the piercing echoed notes at the beginning of the song to subtler bleeps and bloops running throughout to Damon Albarn’s affected backing vocals comes through very clearly.
In-game, a frequency response like this means you shouldn’t have any issues in just about any kind of game. Avoiding the typical boosted bass means you shouldn’t even have much trouble picking the sounds of footsteps out from the din of gunfire in games like Fortnite or Valorant.
How is the microphone on the HyperX Cloud II Wireless?
The HyperX Cloud II Wireless offers a pretty average microphone for a gaming headset. The bass response is especially typical and no doubt tuned to combat the proximity effect, where the bass in someone’s voice will blow out a microphone when too close to it. It’s not as steep a drop-off as many gaming headsets have, but the bottom line is still the same: people with deep voices may find they sound a little tinny and a little quiet when speaking into this microphone.
HyperX Cloud 2 Wireless microphone demo (Non-standardized):
How does the microphone sound to you?
Should you buy the HyperX Cloud 2 Wireless?
If you’re looking for a gaming headset that’s comfortable, simple, and reliable, you should probably buy the HyperX Cloud II Wireless. Recently, we’ve seen it go on sale for as low as $109 USD, which is a 27% discount.
The HyperX Cloud II Wireless is a great example of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” logic at work. Physically, the headset features very few changes compared to its wired counterpart, and that’s a good thing. When it came out in 2015, the HyperX Cloud II was one of the most comfortable gaming headsets on the market, and it still is. The addition of wireless capabilities, paired with a decent enough microphone and audio on par with the HyperX Cloud Alpha, makes this a pretty sweet deal for under $150. Plenty of far more expensive gaming headsets aren’t nearly as pleasant to use.
The HyperX Cloud II Wireless doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it doesn’t need to. This headset nails the fundamentals and offers just enough features to fit right into almost anyone’s gaming setup.
It’s a little hard to justify spending the money on the Cloud II Wireless now that the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless is out. The Cloud Alpha Wireless has a nearly identical design to the Cloud II, so it’s very comfortable. It also has great sound and a decent microphone. However, while the Cloud II Wireless has good battery life, the battery of the Cloud Alpha Wireless is borderline market-breaking. Clocking in at over 327 hours on a single charge, you could leave something playing for almost two straight weeks before needing a recharge—that’s more than enough to justify the extra cost.
What should you get instead of the HyperX Cloud 2 Wireless?
The HyperX Cloud 2 Wireless has since been succeeded by the HyperX Cloud III Wireless. Unfortunately, we found the new model to suffer in sound quality, but it did have an outstanding battery life. Read our full review to see if it matches your priorities.
That said, this isn’t necessarily the best gaming headset for everyone. If you’re only interested in PC gaming, headsets like the Logitech G Pro X and Razer BlackShark V2 both offer more expansive software features, and comparable audio—there’s even a wireless G Pro X and wireless BlackShark V2, if you don’t mind spending more.
If you’re a ride-or-die console gamer, something like HyperX Cloud Flight Wireless checks all the same boxes. Sure, you can’t connect to the PC HyperX NGenuity app, but most gaming platforms handle all the fancy features you need anyway.
If you’re a Nintendo die-hard, the Cloud II also doesn’t offer a ton for you. Offerings from SteelSeries like Arctis 1 Wireless will probably do more for you, with their USB-C dongles and excellent battery life. And if the Cloud II Wireless battery performance isn’t enough somehow, the SteelSeries Arctis 7+ surpasses 70 hours and has the same USB-C dongle as the Arctis 1. The recent Razer Barracuda X is also a great USB-C wireless option, with its ultralight build and solid audio.
If you’re an Xbox One gamer, the Cloud II Wireless really doesn’t have anything for you. Gaming headsets like the Razer Kaira Pro and Corsair HS75 XB both offer Xbox Wireless support and don’t even need dongles to connect (though they’re only worth using with an Xbox)—the Kaira Pro even supports Bluetooth.
Frequently asked questions about the HyperX Cloud II Wireless
No. The HyperX Cloud II Wireless doesn’t have any flashing lights, aside from the one that indicates the mic is muted.
No. The HyperX Cloud II Wireless does not have active noise cancelation, only passive isolation.
There is both a wired and wireless version of the HyperX Cloud 2 available for purchase. However, the wireless version is much more expensive, so make sure you buy the right one.