In late 2020, HyperX released the Cloud II Wireless to the market, which is a upgraded cordless version of the reputable Cloud II gaming headset. It offers up to 30 hours of battery life and supports virtual 7.1 surround sound.
Unboxing
The signature red and white color scheme continues on the Cloud II Wireless’s packaging, like every other products from HyperX. At the back of the cardboard box are a few highlighted features of the headset, translated into 10 different languages. The headset is certified by two popular voice chat software, Discord and TeamSpeak. Our particular sample has a part number of HHSC2X-BA-RD/G.
Cloud II Wireless is compatible with PC, PS4 and Nintendo Switch, which can be customized via the NGENUITY (Beta) software.
There are the usual HyperX Support and Thank you cards in the box, as well as a quick start guide. You also get the microphone pop filter, USB wireless adapter and a short 0.5-meter USB Type-A to Type-C charging cable.
HyperX Cloud II Wireless Gaming Headset
The Cloud II Wireless uses an overall identical design as the wired version, apart from the thicker ear cups to houses all the additional components and batteries. The headset are mostly made out of matte black plastic with an aluminium frame (painted in sharp red). The ear cups cannot be swiveled by 90 degrees, but can be pivoted up and down to fit on differently-sized heads.
Almost all of the controls and ports are located on the left ear cup, including the status LED, power button, mute button, USB Type-C charging port and 3.5 mm microphone jack. The right ear cup only houses the volume wheel.
Unlike the Cloud Flight S, there is no re-programmable button on the top of the ear cups. The ear pads are covered in leatherette material and packed with memory foam. They are thick enough to keep your ears away from the headset’s drivers. The inner dimensions are around 65 mm x 40 mm.
The embossed HyperX logo on the headband is surrounded by red stitching.
The metal frame allows for up to eight distinctive steps of size adjustments on each side. The headband has gel-like cushion to help support the headset’s weight.
The noise-cancelling condenser microphone looks completely the same as the one on the Cloud Flight S from the outside. It is detachable via a 3.5 mm audio connector. The arm is bendable to move the microphone closer or further away from your mouth. A red LED ring will light up, when the mic is muted. HyperX also provides a foam pop filter in the box, that should limit plosives (pop sounds) being recorded into the microphone.
The Cloud II Wireless does not come with a wired mode, which the headset can only be used through the included USB adapter. Audio data is transmitted via 2.4 GHz radio wave, which is claimed to have up to 20 meters or 65.6 feet of wireless range. The size of the USB receiver is similar to a normal USB flash drive, with a length of about 60 mm.
Review
Design
Despite having an internal battery, the Cloud II Wireless is actually lighter than the wired Cloud II. It weighs in at about 309 grams (~ 311 grams on our scale), including the removable microphone. The ear pad cushion is not as thick as the Cloud Flight S, yet is still fairly supportive for long gaming sessions. Clamping force is good, which is able to hold the headset in place without being too strong. HyperX does not sell any first-party replacement ear pads for the Cloud II Wireless, though there are plenty of options for third-party ones in the market.
Features
Apart from the normal stereo sound output, you can switch to the custom-tuned HyperX virtual 7.1 surround sound on the Cloud II Wireless. Although the 3D effect is not as immersive, intense and detailed as the Cloud Orbit S, that headset costs over $300 USD. In supported games and movies, it provides accurate directional sound and slightly expands the sound stage. Personally, I enjoy the virtual surround experience from the Cloud Flight S more, because of the better depth, clarity and auto-optimization feature.
The status LED will flash green or red light to indicate the battery level, without the need to open the NGENUITY software. Holding the power button or mute button will toggle the 7.1 surround sound or mic monitoring on/off.
Sound Quality
Fitted with two 53 mm neodymium drivers, the Cloud II Wireless produces reasonably high-quality sound as a gaming headset. It has a neutral and balanced sound signature, with great bass response. In music, instruments separation is clear enough, but vocals are a little too loud for my liking. Footsteps, gunshots and explosions in games can be identified and located without much problems. The ear pads offer decent passive noise isolation.
Microphone Quality
The microphone is capable of recording your voice cleanly, without it being muffled. Compression and processing are still more aggressive than comparable wired headsets. Keyboard clicks and background noises are mostly suppressed. Overall, it should work perfectly fine for voice chats and video calls, unless you are streaming. Real-time mic monitoring/sidetone is helpful to prevent you from shouting at the microphone unintentionally.
You can listen and compare to the various microphone samples here, from the gaming headsets we tested previously.
Wireless Range and Battery Life
The rated 20 meters of range is more than enough for most users. The wireless reception is stable without noticeable latency/lag, when the USB adapter is plugged into the back I/O of the computer. Audio started dropping out, when the signal needed to pass through two thick concrete walls of the apartment.
The Cloud II Wireless, along with the Cloud Flight S and Cloud Flight, remains to have some of the best advertised battery life of 30 hours. It is equipped with a 1500 mAh (5.55 Wh) non-replaceable lithium-ion battery. In my testing, the headset lasts around 26 hours to 31 hours with virtual 7.1 surround sound turned on at 50% to 70% volume. It is nice to see a USB Type-C charging port, which is way more durable and user-friendly than old Micro USB.
Software
The Cloud II Wireless headset can be further customized, using the NGENUITY (Beta) software. Our sample is updated to firmware version 4.1.0.0. You can enable/disable the virtual 7.1 surround sound and mic monitoring (sidetone), as well as adjusting the volume levels for the headset and microphone. The battery percentage is shown on the top right corner. However, the software is rather basic, compared to other competitors. It lacks advanced features, such as Equalizers (EQ) presets or built-in microphone filters.
Conclusion
The HyperX Cloud II Wireless is built on top of the tried and tested classic design from the wired Cloud II headset. The company is able to put the extra electronics and battery into the headset, without making it too heavy to be worn uncomfortably. Audio quality is satisfactory in most scenarios. The incredible 30-hour battery life and 20-meter of range outperform most wireless gaming headsets in the market. The NGENUITY software is simple, but needs more features and customization options.
The Cloud II Wireless costs $149.99 USD (MSRP) with a 2-year warranty. Its price is right in line with other well-established companies. In comparison, the Logitech G733 LIGHTSPEED, SteelSeries Arctis 7, Razer BlackShark V2 Pro are priced at $129.99 USD, $179.99 USD and $179.99 USD (MSRP) respectively. All of them have shorter battery life (29 hours vs 24 hours vs 24 hours) than the Cloud II Wireless, and their own choices of virtual 7.1 surround sound solutions (DTS Headphone:X 2.0 vs THX Spatial Audio).
You can purchase the headset from your local/online resellers or the links below from Amazon and Newegg.
- Amazon US: HyperX Cloud II Wireless Gaming Headset
- Newegg US: HyperX Cloud II Wireless Gaming Headset
Thanks HyperX for providing us the headset for review. (Review Sample)
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