HyperX Cloud II w/ 7.1 Surround Sound | One of the best for $99!
HyperX Cloud II w/ 7.1 Surround Sound | One of the best for $99!
2015-02-05
this video is brought to you by NCI XCOM
great technology selection and service
hello everyone this is Dmitry with
Haruka Knox and this is the Kingston
HyperX cloud this was their initial
introduction into gaming audio they've
teamed up with Koopa to co-develop this
headset and you can actually find the
Koopa equivalent on the qh9 T but with
Kingston actually offering a better
value at slightly lower price point so
this is the Kingston HyperX cloud 2 and
update the design to an already popular
gaming headset the cloud the original
cloud now with a $99 price tag because
of an included USB dongle for virtual
surround sound and there is your $20
premium price tag because of it one very
important aspect about the originals it
will still be for sale so for those not
needing the USB dongle that comes with
cloud 2 can save some cash and go with
the original so the few physical changes
between the cloud 2 and the predecessor
are the red coating on the aluminum
support for the ear cups that on the
initial headset was black and you can
also get a gray version with the cloud 2
the second change was the added Kingston
writing on the inside it's a very
insignificant difference and lastly the
single 3.5 millimeter jack on the cloud
2 that integrates both the headphone and
the microphone signal while it was split
on the original and since the formula
for the headset is already top notch I'm
glad they didn't mess around but to
quickly recap the cloud 2 is very well
built it's flexible size adjustable the
padding on the headband is just right
without any particular pressure points
the light structure is awesome for long
gaming sessions and I love the
synchronous color accents all around
especially the thread for the headband
that literally ties things nicely with
the design I do appreciate the fairly
compact nature of this headset as you
can see looks quite nice it's not
gigantic in any way and it feels like it
can take a head being thrown in the back
from mobile use you can actually use it
without the microphone if you want to
just use it for music for example
outside it doesn't look like
as typical gaming headset anyway but
this gives me time to also reflect back
on the original HyperX cloud and I'm
happy to report there's been no major
annoyances no breaking parts only light
scuffs on the leather and the plastic on
the exterior the only concern that I've
brought up to Kingston was the actual
connection cable and headset this is
because on the original sample the cable
had a little bit of motion that made me
first believe there was some sort of
fault with the joint I can hear it
moving inside the ear cup luckily this
has not affected audio quality and to my
surprise out of the box cloud HyperX ii
had the exact same issue less movement
but they same story so if you encounter
any type of no audio interferences or
any type of issues that you know may be
left on the right channel is not being
recognized properly then potentially
check the cable and to see exactly how
much movement there is because that
could be the problem so coming out to
the microphone it is removable it's
awesome if you want to use the cloud for
mobile use it is extremely flexible and
stays in desired position and what
you're hearing now is being recorded
with the cloud 2 through the USB dongle
it's possible for gaming for just new
people can't hear you that's all that
matters really I wouldn't use this use
this to stream also this microphone is
very sensitive make sure to place it
away not too close to your mouth so it
also doesn't pick up your breath and it
has noise cancellation so I'm going to
start typing on the keyboard so you can
hear how much of that is picked up by
the microphone so noise cancellation is
present it mutes the background elements
pretty well but not totally isolating
just your voice the ear cups are
interchangeable a set of velour ear cups
is included they are oval to accommodate
for the height of your ear with great
feeling leather cushion and extra
padding in the center piece to avoid
discomfort if your ears reach they're
this small but very important feature is
usually found on more expensive
headphones like the dt 990 pro's and
that is my main gaming driver by the way
so seeing this padding on the HyperX
cloud is very much appreciated and give
us a like if you want to see my personal
gaming audio setup and we'll make sure
to sign
five and finally let's take a look at
what makes the cloud two different this
USB sound dongle on the one end we've
got a USB 2.0 for connectivity to your
PC a 3.5 millimeter input jack for
plugging the headphones on the other end
the dongle is very small but controls
the headphones and microphone volume
independently with the plus and minus
there's an awkward to reach mic mute on
the left side and the shirt clip as you
won't like this dangling on the ground
the star of the show however is the
immediate 7.1 virtual surround sound
button in the center with illumination
for clear indication when that is
enabled and I think this is really meant
for individuals on gaming notebooks or
if you don't have a proper sound card or
an outdated motherboard design then this
plug-and-play device is super convenient
to get that virtual surround sound
without having to tinker in your own
equalizer settings so like I said it is
driverless it's just plug and play it's
a 16 bit 48 kilohertz DAC that there's
more than capable and driving the cloud
- and anything above about 50% volume
would cause hearing discomfort it's a
really clean signal pass-through no
complaints here
there's no coloring in the audio
signature and the 7.1 profile works
really well for gaming
whatever equalizer profile Kingston has
created to simulate multi channels and
enlarged audio depth is definitely
working and we give them a huge thumbs
up and as soon as those numbers light up
your audio environment expands the
stereo projection becomes surround and
it feels like the sound is no longer
coming from the headset so close to the
head but for much larger audio sources
in the distance and that's very good to
hear you get a really good sense of
distance for faraway gunfire the
positional cues are now slightly more
engaging compared to what you hear in
stereo mode and please please please
make sure to put on the velour earpads
is they're not as isolating as the
leather ones and I think that
complements the 7.1 profile better
without compromising on tight bass that
you get the treble is detailed and the
mid-range is not depressed so you can
pick out voices very clear bounce of
objects in your environment like
grenades and as soon as you enable that
7.1 profile clear audio separation
between
all types of elements becomes a little
bit more difficult for example footsteps
become less detailed because everything
is pushed back but you get an extra
sense of where those footsteps came from
and this USB dongle is not a bad idea if
you don't want to tinker with your own
equalizer settings and this plug and
play solution should appeal to many
including myself for gaming on my laptop
as I do use a desktop DAC and an open
style of headphones for my regular
gaming needs however the HyperX cloud
brings us to extra color variations of
the headset all the same awesome build
and sound properties of the original and
now with a favorable USB dongle for a
click of a button surround sound that
actually works well I think the $20
premium is right in line with what you
get however the originals are still up
for sale if you want to save some cash
and want to use your own DAC or your own
sound card but once again we are giving
the HyperX cloud too damn good a word
and if you are in the market for a new
excellent sounding pair with a decent
microphone you should consider the cloud
and we'll that concludes this review
thank you so much for watching don't
forget to Like and subscribe if you want
to see more similar content and we'll
see you in the next one
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.