It sounds very good, the material feels good, it is firm, it is not 100% leather but it feels quality, I have been using it for a few months, the battery works very well, between 5 to 6 hours, you can also use it while charging, overall very good product. I bought it second hand at an incredible price.

Pros:

- The most comfortable headset I've tried over the last 5 years
- Light but well built
- Great background/ambient noise cancellation
- Extra long cord which gives more than enough cable to play with if you have a long run for cable MGMT (could be seen as a con but pretty simple to use a velcro cable strap to make it more manageable)
- Speaker/MIC volume controls are easy to find without looking and can be clipped to your clothing to make it easier.
- Impressive audio quality with great 7.1 3D surround (hasn't failed me in FPS type games)
- Option to completely remove MIC by unplugging it is very convenient if you aren't using it and don't want it hanging to the side in your peripheral vision.

Cons:

Honestly I don't have anything I would truly consider a con with this headset. The couple of things that come to mind would be considered more room for improvement or redesign.

- At times I find that the mute switch on the side of the main control panel can be difficult to toggle because of its size and lack of protrusion from the slot the slider is in. If the surface had slightly better design for grip or was a button/switch instead I think that would make it easier
- If there are issues stemming from the USB section of the headset cord, the section that would still allow you to plug into the standard 3.5" jack is to short to do without an extension.

Overall Review:

So I tend to overlook the process of leaving reviews after I purchase new products and have enough time using them to leave a proper review. I just happened to be browsing through the headsets and read through some of the reviews on the HyperX Cloud II and felt that I needed to leave a detailed and proper review for this headset.

Let me start by stating that my profession is in the IT industry and I have thorough knowledge when it comes to computers and electronics. I've been with the same company for 6 years now and have owned/tried close to 2 dozen different headsets. This headset is hands down the most comfortable headset I have tried to date. The individuals on here that left a review saying they weren't are not wearing them correctly or didn't adjust them properly. They are the only headset that I have been able to wear all day, 5 days a week without hurting my ears or where the top rests on your head. That being said the leather ear pieces are by far much more comfortable than the other set which is some kind of velvet material.

I'm currently wearing my first headset which I bought over 3 years ago now and have had no issues. I bought a second set in gunmetal grey to leave at work which I have been using for about 2 years now.
I don't baby them by any means, but anyone who treats their possessions with care should have no issues with the audio card failures mentioned in other reviews that I saw. I've dropped mine on the floor (which is concrete) a few times and have never really put any thought into much else aside from ensuring I store them properly when I'm done.

The complaints and negative reviews left regarding the sound is bogus. That being said this headset is a gaming headset, not a headset specifically designed for listening to music like Beats or Bose which those individuals need to remember when they purchase them. The sound surpassed my initial expectations and the 7.1 surround works very well, but that will also depend on the audio program/driver you use with them on the PC. I suggest that you don't use what Windows offers natively. As for the MIC and any comments regarding it being to quite, I'll just come out and bluntly state that they are an idiot. There is a MIC volume control on the control board of the headset to adjust, integrated mic input settings within windows you adjust, as well as MIC input settings that are stand alone within most programs you use with it as well. As I stated in the Pros above the background/ambient noise cancellation is pretty decent as well. Only time I've seen it picking up background noise is if I have the MIC sensitivity turned up.

When it comes to all the reviews that pertain to individuals that were attempting to use these with a console gaming system like a PS4, they are all null and void if you have no intention to try using these on a console as well. This headset was not designed for use on a console, even though it might still be compatible. Console systems from playstation and xbox have and always will function better with wireless based hardware or hardware made by them.

On one last note, regarding all the negative reviews I see due to the fact that someone received a faulty /flawed unit or something was messed up with their shipping, that should not have any direct relevance with a review. The one exception to that would be after you engage customer support to have the faulty unit replaced. 99% of the time you will get great support and expedited shipping with no extra cost so don't jump the gun just cause you get peeved and for those of you reading through reviews, take any of them based on this topic with a grain of salt.

The HyperX Cloud II Headset is a step above your typical gaming headset, yet the cost isn't unreasonable for what you get.

Firstly, the build quality of the Cloud II is excellent. The arms that attach the headband to the earphones are made out of metal, and feels very sturdy. The backs of the earphones are also metal, as well as the support inside the headband. Surrounding the headband is a fake leather cushion with contrasting stitching that feels high quality. The Cloud II uses memory foam covered in fake leather for the ear cups, but also includes velour ear cups that are relatively easy to change out once you get the hang of it. The rest of the headphones are covered in matte soft touch plastics that do not creak or groan as you place the headset on your head or move it around. The Cloud II's cable is braided with cloth so that it resembles a shoelace, and also feels very nice considering the price.

The only piece of the headset that feels kind of cheap is the inline remote, which is hard black plastic. The inline remote contains the USB sound card, and has a 1/8th inch aux jack for the headset. The remote also has controls for volume, mic volume, mic mute, and the simulated 7.1 surround sound.

Sound quality is quite good with this headset. It can't touch the Sennheiser HD 558's, which are open-back and can be found on Amazon for between $100 and $150. The HD 558's also have no USB sound card included, simulated surround sound, or integrated microphone, they are audiophile headphones. Back to the Cloud II, sound quality isn't perfect, it definitely is bass heavy, and the mids are missing some detail along with the highs, but they still sound good, and don't sound as bass heavy as most gaming headsets, which is a plus.

Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring sounds terrific in these headphones, with slightly boomy bass and understated mids not getting in the way too much of the music. Similarly, All Systems Go - The Launch from the Apollo 13 soundtrack sounds excellent, with the strong bass not overwhelming the treble too much. Sound quality when you don't use the USB sound card depends on your audio source. Keep in mind this headset has large speakers, and they take quite a bit of power, so when using it with a phone or other aux source, you may not get enough power to the headset to sound great. That said, some brief tests with my Galaxy Note II sounded very good, though they still don't sound as quite as good as the Sennheiser HD 558s.

Kingston decided to throw in a set of velour ear pads too, which give a more open sound to the headphones, a side effect of this open feeling is that bass is significantly reduced, although that makes the headset sound more accurate and less tiresome for ears. As far as comfort, both the fake leather and velour ear pads are extremely comfortable, and they are both circumaural, that is to say they both surround the entire ear rather than resting on the ear or inside the ear. If you need to hear what is going on around you, try out the velour pads. If you want to be isolated from the world or are used to the bass heavy sound from Beats headphones, use the fake leather ones. I've settled on the fake leather ear cups for now, but I really do like the accurate sound with the velour cups too, it really depends on your taste.

The Cloud II also comes with a black plush storage pouch, removable microphone, and airplane adapter in the well-designed packaging. The first interaction you have with a new product is the packaging, so I think it was wise of Kingston to provide some of the best packaging for a headset I've ever seen. The included microphone won't win any awards, but it works, and I haven't had any of the problems that people said they had with the original Cloud microphones. Audio recorded from the microphone sounds okay, not spectacular, but not terrible either. It's certainly good enough for Skype or to chat with other gamers.

Although I love the Cloud IIs, they are not perfect. As I mentioned, the audio quality focuses more on the bass at the cost of treble and mid tones, but there are also some design faults. For example, because they used metal arms to connect the earphones to the headband, they had to run a cable from the headband to each earphone, which takes away from the look of the headset. The headset is rather heavy compared to other headsets and headphones I have tested, although that is excusable because they are both well-made and comfortable.

The biggest downside to the design of the Cloud IIs is that because the inline remote is on the USB connected side, when using these headphones with a PS4, smartphone, or other aux in devices, there is no way to adjust the volume from the cord. Don't get me wrong, the headset works with USB in the PS4, sound comes through just fine, but none of the buttons on the inline remote function, so there is no way to mute the mic or adjust the volume of the headset or mic while gaming on the PS4. Also, the simulated surround sound does not work with the PS4, but that's to be expected. It is nice that the inline remote has two red LEDs, one which lights up the HyperX logo, and one that lights up the 7.1 button when it is pressed. Also, it's worth noting that when pressing the volume up or down buttons, the headset makes a beep to let you know you pressed a button. The beep is the same whether you turned the volume up or down though, which seems strange. Also, there is no light to indicate when your microphone is muted, which would have been nice.

I wish Kingston included an analog inline remote with the Cloud II as well, so we would still have those volume and mute controls even when using the headset with consoles or other devices. As it is, the original Cloud may be better for console gamers. Speaking of the original Cloud, one of the main differences between the two is the USB sound card, which allows for the simulated 7.1 surround sound. It should be stressed that this is software simulated surround sound, so the sound card is taking whatever audio you're feeding it, and adjusting it to sound sort of like it would if you had an actual surround sound setup. The effect is similar to the SRS WOW effect on older versions of Microsoft Windows Media Player, or Dolby Digital Plus available on some sound cards. It makes the audio sound further away from you, and increases special awareness somewhat, although it doesn't come anywhere close to actual surround sound. In the Cloud II, it's a nice feature to play with, but it does come at a cost to sound fidelity, which is why I usually leave it off. With proper surround sound input, it does sound good, but it's really up to you whether you use it or not.

Overall, the HyperX Cloud II headset is well worth the $100 for what you get. The headset is very well made, extremely comfortable, and has very good sound quality. The USB sound card works well, and simulated surround sound is fun to play with, but I would have liked to see an inline remote for aux only devices too so this headset would be easier to use with consoles and other devices. Included accessories are all good quality and are great to have, and the packaging is the best I've seen for a headset. If you are looking for a PC gaming headset that is comfortable, has a reasonable price, and is just a tad bass heavy, this is definitely the one to go for. If you need a headset for console gaming, the original Cloud may be a better bet because the inline remote works with consoles. Finally, if you want something that sounds flat, accurate, you don't need a mic or you're willing to add your own mic, and want to stay under $200, definitely go for the Sennheiser HD 558.

Hey guys, I'm a tech nerd so I'm really hoping this review helps at least someone with their purchase decision. That said, I hope Kingston customer support and/or the shipper reads this to help with one very major problem, but I'll get to that in a second......

First off, shipping was excellent. Received in basically one business day considering I ordered on Friday evening and got on Monday (with Prime). This is the absolute best packaging I have ever seen with headphones. It really makes you feel you're getting something really special even though its under the $100 mark. I'm going to keep the box it's so damn nice.....

Now the important stuff. I've been using my Bose AE2 headphones for a few years now (have them on my head while writing). I swear by them but I've been researching my butt off to find a pair of phones with a mic attached that would work with my PC, PS4 and XBone. After reading reviews for weeks I decided to make the plunge. This set seemed to make the top 5 so many times I figured I couldn't go wrong.

On PC, using the USB simulated 7.1 surround sound is pretty dang cool. A very cool feature that you're basically paying an extra $20 bucks for over the original Cloud. More importantly though, that extra $20 for the Cloud II gets you the single plug in for both audio and mic which is very important if you're planning to use this on a console. Anyways, the sound, the bass, the highs and mids are all very powerful on PC.

On PS4, very excited to report you actually can use the USB and cheat your way into using the 7.1 surround sound even though they will tell you it's not possible. The PS4 Gold series headphones use simulated 7.1 audio just like this can do on PC. So, after reading a ton before making the purchase I found that if you plug in the USB into your PS4 before turning it on, there is a little trick you can do to make 7.1 work. As soon as you boot up the system and the USB dongle lights up, hit the 7.1 button a couple of times and it will eventually light up. Sure enough, the damn thing works to simulate 7.1 even though they don't promote it. This is a bug btw so PS4 could eventually patch it to either work without having to do the trick or completely remove it so it forces you to buy their PS4 Gold set to get the 7.1 surround sound as originally intended.

The set works great with XBONE as well assuming you have the adapter needed to use headphones/mic into the controller. No complaints there.

Regarding the mic, using audacity to test PC, and the settings in PS4 and Xbone, the mic is probably the BEST option you're going to find (especially for the money). Even the $300 headphones can't compare to the mic. Audio is debatable but Kingston wins with the mic if that's important to you.

Regarding fit, I have a large head so I was worried. I'm happy to report they fit but just barely. If my big head was any larger I'd be screwed. I'm at max and it basically just fits comfortably. The fake leather pads it comes standard with feel great. I've not tested the extra set it comes with but i've heard it's a bit better if you struggle hearing yourself speak playing video games because it's a more open.

So here is why I didn't give this 5 stars and I'm hopeful someone can tell me I'm just doing something wrong. I am a drummer that was hoping to use this headset for my TD-11 Roland set. For whatever reason, it SUCKS! It's getting audio but it sounds like I'm drumming in an alley about 100 yards away. I have no idea why this headset is not compatible with something as simple as a drum module. If anyone knows what the hell I need to do to fix this or if Kingston has some kind of driver patch, please let me know. This headset is fantastic for gaming but if you're a musician, it's a piece of s*** out of the box. It's doing what I bought it for perfectly however which was gaming on PC, PS4, and Xbone and watching TV with headphones while the wife is asleep. It's worth way more than 100 bucks so if you're on a budget like me, this is a no brainer.

Help me with this damn drumset problem and I'll change to 5 stars and tell everyone to buy this thing. Hope this helps.

As an avid gamer, I've tried numerous gaming headsets over the years, searching for the perfect combination of comfort, durability, and, most importantly, exceptional sound quality. My quest finally ended when I discovered the HyperX Cloud II Gaming Headset. This headset delivers on every front, making it a must-have accessory for any serious gamer.

The first thing that struck me about the HyperX Cloud II is its premium build quality. The durable aluminum frame not only ensures longevity but also gives the headset a sleek and professional look. Unlike many other gaming headsets, which often feel cheap and flimsy, the Cloud II exudes confidence with its solid construction.

Comfort during long gaming sessions is crucial, and the Cloud II excels in this regard. The memory foam ear pads provide a plush cushioning that molds to the shape of your ears, ensuring a snug and comfortable fit. Even during marathon gaming sessions, I never experienced any discomfort or fatigue, thanks to the thoughtful design of the headset.

Of course, what truly sets the HyperX Cloud II apart is its exceptional sound quality. The 7.1 surround sound provides an immersive audio experience that enhances gameplay to a whole new level. Whether I'm exploring vast open worlds or engaging in intense multiplayer battles, the precise audio positioning allows me to hear every detail with remarkable clarity. From the thunderous roar of explosions to the subtle footsteps of approaching enemies, the Cloud II delivers a level of audio fidelity that truly enhances the gaming experience.

Another standout feature of the HyperX Cloud II is its detachable microphone. Whether I'm coordinating strategies with my teammates or chatting with friends during casual gameplay, the microphone delivers crystal-clear voice communication without any background noise or distortion. And when I'm not using it, the detachable design allows me to easily remove it, further adding to the headset's versatility.

Compatibility is also worth noting, as the Cloud II works seamlessly with a variety of platforms, including PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One. Whether I'm gaming on my console or PC, I can count on the Cloud II to deliver outstanding performance across the board.

In conclusion, the HyperX Cloud II Gaming Headset is a true game-changer. With its premium build quality, unmatched comfort, and exceptional sound performance, it sets a new standard for gaming headsets. Whether you're a casual gamer or a competitive esports enthusiast, investing in the Cloud II is sure to elevate your gaming experience to new heights. Highly recommended.