The Travel Bag

Finally, the HyperX Cloud II Gaming Headset comes with a mesh travel bag to store the headset and its accessories. It does a decent job of keeping everything in one place, but we would have preferred a proper bag with a zipper. Perhaps in the next version?

Our Evaluation

The HyperX Cloud II Gaming Headset is definitely one of the better gaming headsets we have had the opportunity to use. From the improvements they have made since the original HyperX Cloud which was released just last year, you can tell that they listened to the comments of their users and worked to make it better. As a result, the Cloud II is a much-improved version of the Cloud.

The audio fidelity produced by this headset is impressive, thanks to its high-quality neodymium transducers, aided by the enclosed ear cup design which cut down on ambient noise. Listening to Sam Smith cry "I know I'm not the only one..." brought literally tears to our eyes. Even The Madden Brothers sounded more inspiring telling us "We are done with being the silent many...". It was that beautiful.

Of course, the HyperX Cloud II is not an audiophile's headset. It's a gaming headset.

The addition of audio DSP into the control box imbued the HyperX Cloud II with additional capabilities which would delight the gamer - virtual surround sound, noise cancellation, automatic gain control and echo cancellation.

The 7.1 virtual surround sound capability is similar to virtual surround sound software like the Razer Surround Pro. It works quite well and offer a more expansive audio stage and better audio positioning. Best of all, there is no need to install any software. You don't even need to install a driver to enable it. On the other hand, the HyperX Cloud II does not offer additional controls of the audio DSP beyond what's available on the audio control box.

Even if we ignore those features, its much improved cabling and connections make it a much better headset to use than the original HyperX Cloud. We also liked the fact that the microphone is detachable, and easily attached when we need to chat on Skype or TeamSpeak. It's these little things that differentiate great designs from merely good designs.

Although we are concerned with the limited headband extension for those with larger heads, it was a comfortable fit for us. The ear cups were large enough to fully enclose our ears, which gave us a considerable reduction in ambient noise level. The use of leatherette may cause some sweating over long periods of use, but they also last longer than genuine leather.

Overall, the HyperX Cloud II Gaming Headset is a well-made, well-designed gaming headset. We would highly recommend it if you want a gaming headset with built-in virtual surround sound. It works great whether you use it to game or just to listen to music. We like it so much, we are awarding it with our Editor's Choice Award! Congratulations, HyperX!

For the lowest current prices on the Kingston HyperX Cloud II gaming headset, click here!

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