In the world of gaming headsets, you often have to do a fair amount of research as well as trial and error to find the perfect match for your needs. With prices ranging from $300.00-$50.00 many times a gamer must balance budget with performance and too often has to settle for something in their price range.
That being said, we often see sets of a high price range that offer more features but often an audio quality on par or below more reasonably priced units which again forces a consumer to do their research before they buy.
The new Kingston Hyper X Cloud II is a new contender into the gaming headset market, and is a significant upgrade over the Cloud I without a significant increase in price. The comfortable and durable unit comes in Gun Metal or Red and offers 7.1 Surround Sound via a USB channel. The detachable microphone has been upgraded to feature noise and echo cancelling features which is ideal for those using voice dictation or doing broadcasting as well as for your gaming needs.
The unit has memory foam for the headbands and ear cups which makes it a very comfortable fit especially for movie watching and extended gaming sessions.
Naturally audio quality is key and I am happy to say that the Cloud II offers a superior sound quality that is enhanced by a an audio control box and virtual surround sound which helps the unit to be certified for pro gaming and by Teamspeak for the quality and clarity of the audio that is offered.
The rich layered nature of the sound lets you have a sense of depth and distance across low, medium, and high tones. You can hear objects from a distance as well as close up in their proper distance ratio instead of being one wall of sound.
In a multiplay game being able to hear footsteps at a distance or up close, and the same with gunfire is often the difference between survival and another frustrating defeat. The Cloud II gives gamers what they need and best of all at a price that is affordable as you can find units online in the $90 dollar range.
Some users may find the unit a bit heavy, but I had no issues with it during extended testing and have other staff members trying it to see if they experience any issues. So far, from the sleek, durable, yet comfortable style to the high-quality audio, there really is nothing we can find fault with in the Cloud II. As such if you are looking for great performance at an affordable price, the Cloud II is the choice for you.
