HyperX - Cloud II

If it helps your purchase, I bought the HyperX Cloud II in 2016, a year after it came out. I've used it nearly every day since - it's flawless honestly. If you can get a Kingston version, definitely grab it. I cannot stress how well and sturdy they've held up for nearly a decade.

I understand. When I switched from Cloud IIs to X2HRs, it sounded there was absolutely no bass because I was so used to the Cloud II's warmer tuning. I liked the Cloud IIs significantly more until I got used to the new tuning. Simply reducing the loudness of higher frequencies can make things seem muffled, and reducing the loudness of lower frequencies can make things seem tinny. It's all in comparison with what you're used to. I don't know if the difference you experienced is due to the "brain burn in time" or weird audio processing (sometimes the headphones come with "7.1 surround sound" emulation which ruins the audio balance), so that's why I recommended that you drive them a little longer. Generally it's recommended to turn all audio enhancements off (spatial audio, 7.1, windows sonic etc) if you want the best tracking, unless it's built for the game (like Cryspatial is). You honestly don't have much choice at your budget if you want a significant "upgrade" in tracking quality compared to the Krakens. The Cloud IIs are generally known as having decent sound quality but I'm not sure what changes they made with the IIIs.

Wish i still had my kingston hyperx, they sadly died, but are still my favourite headset I've ever had

Yeah that same part has broken on every pair of HyperX Clouds I've owned. I had two pairs that lasted decent length, but then I just opened a new pair like 2 months ago and that piece is already broken again. I used to be a fan but now I'm searching for a new brand.

Ive had good experience with the HyperX cloud range

Kingston cloud 2's they sound so perfect and trusted by many pros either that or like a beyerdynamic headphone

Yeah I had the pair before they sold the company then bought a pair after they sold it and there's a major difference in quality

HyperX Cloud II, currently $59 on Amazon. Cheap and very good for the price. Had one for about 7 years, then finally went wireless.

Caveat, I'm a PC gamer that doesn't use headsets these days, but I have a sorta big head, I've encountered this SO much lol. But when I did still opt just for headsets before I switched to PC and set myself up with a boom arm mic rig + studio headphones, I loved HyperX's headsets for fit & comfort. I had a Cloud II and I wore those things to DEATH even after I started playing only PC. They fit just right and have really big cans so they don't squash my head like a lemon. I also tried a friends Logitech's Astro A50's recently and they're pretty nice, they don't feel like shit on my ears, but, the price tag leaves a lot to be desired. At least for me, anyway, but I'm on a really tight budget.

I use the Hyper X Cloud and love it

the hyperX cloud is a good fps headphones and have a decent mic

If it helps your purchase, I bought the HyperX Cloud II in 2016, a year after it came out. I've used it nearly every day since - it's flawless honestly. If you can get a Kingston version, definitely grab it. I cannot stress how well and sturdy they've held up for nearly a decade.

Most of the ones you just listed are double or almost triple the cost of the Cloud 2's too. So how about some that cost around $100 or less instead of $150-200+ I don't mind my Cloud 2's but if I can find something better for a reasonable price I'm game. I've tried the Cloud 3's and they aren't as loud as the Cloud 2's so I returned those. They also advertised the 3's come with DTS but according to Hyperx the DTS is already built into the USB cable which the Xbox doesn't recognize. I'm currently sitting here looking at the FiiO JT1 box that I'm waiting for the UPS guy to come pick up since I'm returning those too. Everyone said those were supposed to sound so great and they sound way worse than my Cloud 2's do! I even bought a boom mic cord for the FiiO JT1 since I was sure this had to be the best ones so far and now I'm gonna probably be stuck with a $25 cord I can't use on anything else! IDK I'm still waiting to get the cord then I'm going to see if I can return that as well. I'm wanting the best budget headphones I can get for ARC Raiders. So any lower priced recommendations are welcome. They just need to sound better than my Cloud 2's. They also need to have a microphone. Preferably a boom mic.

Also backing HyperX. They were my go to brand before I stepped up into boom mics and audiophile headsets. My old Cloud 2s I've had for something like 7 to 8 years and my kids still use them. For the price point I doubt you could do better and they are definitely good enough.

I've been using Hyper X for years, I love them

Wired Hyperx, because EVERY BT buds are waking up my Deck randomly.

I like my wired hyperx also but recently got a steel series bluetooth been using that needed a new bluetooth headset since my turtle beach headset decided to crack on both sides after about a year

@op I have the ath-m50x bt2, best headphones I've ever owned. I had the razer blackshark v2 pro before this, but the charging port went out, or had some other electrical issues like a month after I got them... Quite sad as I loved how they looked and sounded. They're my blender hearing protection now haha. I do have a blue desk mic tho so if you don't, I might consider other headphones. Also, I would consider not doing Bluetooth as the above person isn't, I have issues in certain games with the Bluetooth protocols in windows. Black ops 6 and rocket League are the easiest example, as soon as a match starts and I connect to voice chat, bluetooth immediately and fully crashes until I restart my computer. System Bluetooth settings get laggy, I can turn off Bluetooth but it won't turn back on and it shows no Bluetooth adapter. It is a known issue, and for most turning off hands free telephony in windows fixes, but def doesn't for me. This however doesn't happen in most games and ABI is amazing with them as are most games. I have my old hyper x cloud 2 wired for those games XD.

hyperx cloud ii, right now i have one of the corsair hs headphones. dont remember which but id say hearing is good

i had mine for like 7 years. they are solid. i do agree these are a banger combo for an all in one headset. But. i recently upgraded to a standalone headset with an amp dac and a standalone mic i already had. the difference is night and day in quality. While i do recommend these for budget or people who cant be bothered but this is by no means the headphone endgame

Tbh I really like the official. Ive had the hyperX cloud II (predecessor) and Steelseries, and while they sound decent... I found the Steelseries makes my ears hurt after like 20 mins. Good mic, decent sound quality too. It just squeezed my head. But, depending on your head shape/size and ears, it may not be an issue. They just clamp down too hard, too much of an angle, imo. The cloud II's were my fav. Comfy, could wear them for a few hours even. The mic was hit or miss, and did eventually break. Im an adult, I take care of my stuff - it should have lasted quite a bit longer. Idk if this issue carried over to the newer models. Only other complaint was that it was a bit heavy, and it would make my ears sweat. The official though? Ticks all the boxes. Comfy, light, good sound, great mic, and wireless! And the battery lasts a good while - like I dont think they ever actually died while in-use. I just plugged them in when I was done and they were always good to go. Id say they have a good 20 hours at least.

In my opinion I had the 1 for the longest time. It started to fall apart, the ear covers anyway. Got the replacements on Amazon for 15 bucks and they still work perfectly since 2021. The cloud 2s I bought and tbh they hurt my ears after wearing for several hours. Good for short sessions and bad for long sessions. Id go 1 cause the ear cushions are better suited for long sessions. Even though they aren't wireless.

Every headset I've ever owned has broken down on me except for my HyperX Cloud II's. I handed them down to my girlfriend and they're still going strong several years later. They probably don't sell them anymore, but I'm sure there's an updated version by now.

To answer your headset question, I have found the HyperX Cloud headset to be amazing... The battery life is witchcraft - you can go weeks without needing to charge. Decent sound quality as well and everyone online always compliments how clear I sound... HyperX did a great job with those. To everyone else discussing Headsets vs. Headphones: If it's amazing sound quality you seek, you will be disappointed again and again trying Headsets. You want Headphones! While sound quality is a focus for most companies making Headsets, they have Cost of Production to think about when it comes to designing the overall product. Essentially, they have a budget. Since Headsets have voice input and other factors such as compatibility with cross-platform and convenience of Wireless Technology, this budget gets spread thin... You will never find optimal sound quality in Headsets period!