For the past couple of years, I've made do with cheap (okay, really cheap in fact they should have probably been paying me to use them) headsets - ranging from five pounds to, wait... for it a massive fifteen pounds. Now I'm not a audiophile but I do like good sound for games, movies etc. My previous 'sets have been barely making the grade, 'functional' you could say. You could say, but you'd really be scraping the barrel of nice things to say. So it was about time that I got a new pair, preferably one that was comfortable and delivery descent sound.I looked at many many many different ones over the past few weeks and most were all pretty much the same as the others, very similar frequency ranges etc etc. Saw the Hyperx Cloud II being talked about and liked what I read and saw on preview sites. Ordered mine on Wed and it arrived on Monday - and since I live on the dark side of the moon (according to just about every site I go to) this was much better than expected.
The first thing I noticed was the packaging. Well, kinda obvious really isn't it, as it's hard to see inside until you open it. But what I mean is that the wrapping was very good, the box was very sturdy and could easily survive some clumsy delivery drivers fumbly hands. The physical quality of the 'set is good. I can't compare it to other models in the same prices range, but I certainly have no complaints to that.
As of right now I've been using them for four hours straight, and they are still very very comfortable. I have a large head and wear glasses, and have no problems at all, could wear them for several more hours without any undue problems.The sound quality is amazing. I've been playing Elite: Dangerous, which has an amazing soundscape, or at least that's what I thought before using these. Oh My Giddy Aunt! It turns out there were a lot of very subtle sounds and effects I was missing before. So that means I can heartily recommend these for games. Especially Elite: Dangerous. Raising the volume on these cans is a sure way to deafen yourself. Full volume and no distortion. Everything still clear as a bell. A loud bell mind you, don't blame me if you start asking about the whereabouts of some woman called Esmeralda.
The virtual 7.1 however is the weak point. It sounds odd. Tinny, stretched, flat. Or something like that, I prefer, and still use Razor Surround ( free from their Razors site )
The cable (two parts, one attached to the 'set, that other has the soundcard/volume control and is connected to your PC via USB) is around three meters long in total, covered in braided material.
I've not had a chance to really use the mic yet so can't comment. However in testing it seems better than what I've used in the past, so that's good, right?
The little carry bag, spare ear pads and plane connector are all good too.
If you are thinking of getting a set around this price, check these out and compare them to others. The frequency of the 'set is likely to be equal to if not way better than others. The comfort is ace, quality of build is fandabbydozy.
Buy it. No really, unless you're looking for something specific - in that case you wouldn't be looking at gaming headsets, right?
