After the success of the Hyper X Cloud Pro Gaming headset Kingston went back to the drawing board to make a product that would be a worthy successor. The question was, how do you top something that is that good? The Hyper X Cloud Pro was (and still is) an amazing headset. The sealed enclosures for the larger than normal drivers along with the tuning make them one of the best headsets you can get for the money. Kingston’s team decided that throwing in their own USB audio controller, complete with simulated surround and amp, would be a good start. We had the chance to play with a set during CES 2015 and also got one to bring home. Since then we have used them in multiple environments and with more audio sources than we can really put in a single article. So now we can tell you if the Hyper X Cloud Pro II is worthy of the name or not.
Value -Value is another very subjective topic. What is expensive to some might be a deal to others. You can look at this topic in multiple ways. One is raw price and the other is what you get for the money. Each is accurate and both are correct ways to look at price/value. We tend to look at features, performance and real-property when we discuss value. However, we also take into account the raw cash cost of the item. The Kingston HyperX Cloud II headset will set you back around $100 from the majority of online stores. This is not a bad price point when you consider you are actually getting a sound “card” with it that gives you the option of virtual surround sound and a small headphone amp. The $100 price is also much less than many other headsets on the market that do not have any surround option and that feature much smaller drivers to boot.
Conclusion -We put the HyperX Cloud II head to head with the original to see if Kingston was able to outdo their first stab at the audio market. For the most part we can say that they have done so. The new design does have some issues that were disappointing (the head strap padding and short headphone cable), but it also makes up for that with nice improvements in other areas. The audio quality from the Cloud II is excellent if you are using the 7.1 feature or not. You are still getting the clean and tight audio that is very hard to find from other manufacturers. Kingston is moving in the right direction with the Cloud II, and we expect to see some great things from them in their next product. We have heard from them that they will be taking a more active lead in design and actual manufacture of the next generation which can only be a good thing for the consumer.
With their combination of build quality, audio performance and price we are awarding the HyperX Cloud II our Editor’s Choice award.
