HyperX - Cloud II

Long time audio enthusiast here who also happens to work for one of the major brands of gaming headsets and microphones (as a test engineer), as well as a former test engineer for [AEA Ribbon Mics](https://aearibbonmics.com/) (high-end studio ribbon mics) so I've got plenty of experience in all of these. Hi-Fi and professional products will almost always outperform gaming ones. And regarding separate components, that's actually a classic in audio products. The higher-end you get, the more you tend to separate out components. Amplifiers are a great example of this. Receivers by-definition are a preamp, power amp, and tuner built into a single chassis. As you move up, you start separating things out. First the tuner (leaving you with an integrated amplifier + separate tuner), then the preamp and power amp, and then you can even get into the very high-end, where you end up with separate power amplifiers per channel. Despite getting less functionality, these separates actually tend to cost considerably more because they're usually built for considerably higher-end performance. This isn't to say that decent quality gaming audio products don't exist. Gaming headsets have come a long way in the last decade. They used to pretty much be universal garbage, but there are some very decent ones now. I'd say the HyperX Cloud II is the first decent one I can think of (go figure, it was essentially Hi-Fi headphone from a major ODM with a boom mic). The Steelseries Arctis Nova products have generally been pretty good for gaming headsets from my experience. I also think you might be under-estimating what "high end" audio is. Audio gear has an insane price range, with many types of products having a range of below $100, to over $10,000, or even $100,000 (yes, that is per component, not an entire setup). Obviously that's getting into extreme/boutique gear, way past the point of diminishing returns, and not at all what I would recommend for you, but it makes the point that a lot of people don't realize just how insanely expensive high-end audio can get. So with that said, you really need to set a budget. Right now, we have no way of determining how "high-end" you can afford and what might be a good fit for you. For wired vs wireless, wired has more potential if it has a standard passive analog input (because this allows you to connect to external headphone amplifiers and DACs). Note that I said potential. You could plug wired equipment into the most garbage of integrated audio to a $1000+ headphone amp. The performance of a modern wireless gaming headset (which will use a proprietary 2.4 GHz dongle) and a wired USB-only gaming headset will be about the same (assuming that we are talking identical products otherwise). By USB-only, I mean a gaming headset that does not have a detachable USB dongle (if the dongle can be unplugged, then you can usually just use the 3.5mm connection with whatever gear you want, just like a passive Hi-Fi headphone). Surround sound doesn't come from a headphone (for the most part). It comes from DSP (though to be fair, this can be built into a gaming headset). better virtual surround sound solutions will take in multichannel data which tends to work better than just taking in 2 channels and trying to "expand" that into surround sound. Above all, I wouldn't worry too much about this in your headphone purchasing decision. You can buy solutions like Dolby Atmos with Headphones and DTS Headphone:X to gain virtual surround sound capabilities. On the microphone side, there are a number of options. "High-end" would be XLR, which also requires a [USB audio interface](https://www.sweetwater.com/c695--USB_Audio_Interfaces). I'd look into broadcast-style (more of a form factor than a performance thing) dynamic microphones for home use. Going the XLR route will age well since professional microphones don't really age-out (for the most part). Audio interfaces also tend to last a very long time. You have to deal with that initial price barrier of entry though. I'd say that you want a minimum of $200 just for your microphone setup if you want to consider XLR. If that's not an option (or worth it, especially just for something like chatting with friends), then I'd go with a decent USB microphone instead. Now, I want to point something out about microphones that a lot of people new to them don't realize: it's not just about the microphone itself but how you set it up and use it. Microphones are heavily affected by their environments and microphone technique is a thing. If you do get a standalone microphone, save some budget for a microphone arm or stand that allows you to get the microphone close to you (around 6" or so is good). From the microphone's perspective, getting closer to the mic improves the ratio of what you want to pickup (your voice) vs what you don't want to pickup (pretty much everything else). Additionally, when you get close to the mic, you can lower the sensitivity (by lowering the gain), which works in-tandem with this better ratio to help you keep your background noise down. To put this simply, if you give a professional recording engineer a cheap but good mic (like a Shure SM57) and someone who has no idea what they're doing a high-end mic (like a vintage Neumann U 47, which will often cost over $20,000), there's a good chance the recording engineer with the SM57 is going to get better results. Ultimately, I'm happy to help give you product suggestions, but there isn't enough information here yet to do so. You've got to give us some kind of budget (approximate is fine). Also, if wireless is a must, you basically have to go with a gaming headset. Bluetooth is not a good choice for gaming due to its latency. Even if you do go with a gaming headset, you can still get an external microphone if you'd like (but do note that you can only monitor your microphone in real time by connecting directly to it or your interface if you get an XLR mic, which requires an analog connection, meaning that this won't work with the majority of wireless gaming headset).

HyperX Cloud III. The wired version probably has a lower latency than the wireless version. My son, who is notorious for being rough on headsets, had a set of Cloud II last for 6 years, and only recently replaced them with the newer model. And the ear pads are a common size for when they wear out.

Two suggestions. One is a pair of Grado SR60i. Second is the only headset I have seen last for my son with the giant melon head, and that's the HyperX Cloud 2 or 3. The microphone is detachable.

For PC headset I’ve had HyperX Cloud IIs for five years

Yo ando con los HyperX Cloud II y estan barbaros. Para la calle uso unos Senheisser HD 569 que estan zarpados tambien.

i just have some hyperx cloud2's wired. but use a boom mic when at mydesk....but the softphone software i use is also an app, so i can move calls to the mobile if i want to go and put the kettle on or make a sandwich :-D

Cloud 2 easy win imo

I have a HyperX cloud II that I’ve been using since 2018. but nowadays I would buy some Sennheiser headphones and pair it with stand/arm mic.

Hyper x cloud II and no because the company has been sold and the quality has dropped dramatically. I've had mine for 10 years now and still love them, but my friends that have gotten them in recent years have had them malfunction in one way or another.

11 years is a long time in today’s marketing-driven headphone and gaming headset market. When I say “gaming headset” I specifically mean one with a mic attached — nothing else. I’ve used the original **Sennheiser Game One** (2014) for 11 years now, and they’ve held up incredibly well. I play a lot — sometimes 6-7 hours at a time — and sort of semi-competitively back in the day. I’ve used them on Xbox with an Astro MixAmp Pro TR (which I kept after being tricked into buying an Astro headset many years ago). #TL;DR Comfort, durability, and sound quality have been unmatched for me for 11 years. I’d recommend the Sennheiser Game One to anyone — even second-hand in decent condition. They’re still better than the hyped **Epos PC38x** and the more modern **Epos H6PRO**. I’ve bought countless other headsets and headphones — but always end up coming back to the Game One. **And here’s why…** #DURABILITY I don’t baby my gear. I don’t keep it in a case. I toss it around. I’ve even slept with them on when earbuds weren’t available. Result: almost no wear and tear. The headband padding finally started coming loose after 10 years (a little glue fixed it). Probably my fault for not cleaning them well from dust and dirt over the years. Cable and ear pads? Still original. Never needed replacement. The fabric sleeve at the plug end of the cable has started to fray a bit (the actual rubber cable underneath is fine), but I’ve already bought a backup cable (that works fine) on eBay just in case. This one: https://www.amazon.com/ABLET-Replacement-Compatible-Sennheiser-Headsets/dp/B0CZST2KMH #COMFORT Very good, from my experience of having them on for 6-7 hours straight.. Maybe they feel slightly less comfortable than when they were brand new — but it could also just be my imagination. I still wear them for hours. The ear pads have probably flattened a little, because I can sometimes feel the inner driver housing or grill or whatever it is sitting close to my ears. Nothing major, though. And the clamp is still strong. #SOUND Again, I’ve tried so many other gaming headsets — from more expensive brands like **Audio Technica** to overpriced (and sometimes gimmicky) stuff from **Astro**, **Turtle Beach**, **Razer**, **SteelSeries**, etc. Then there’s the very hyped **Epos PC38x** (supposed to be basically the same as the Game One — hint: they’re not), and most recently the **Epos H6PRO Open** (back in the box after 10 minutes)… I keep looking, but nothing feels as good. Especially for sound-dependent multiplayer games like **Battlefield**. I can’t relax if the sound feels “off.” It honestly bugs me way too much and it doesn’t go well with my autism. Which is why I keep going back to the Game One. Watching a movie with bad sound is unbearable, right? Same thing here. These just sound alive. Fuller, warmer, wider. Like you’re hearing exactly what the game’s sound engineer wanted you to hear — uncompressed, with zero compromises. I’ve had some issues in **Black Ops 6** where spatial awareness felt worse, but that’s clearly a game issue, not the headset. No issues in any Battlefield games whatsoever and I’ve played them all. #The only alternative I’d recommend As I’ve made clear, I’ve tried many others, but the only other gaming headset I’d actually recommend is: **HyperX Cloud II** I bought the wired model around 2016, and honestly, I liked them a lot. Comfort, build, sound — all solid. But they’re not open-back, which I prefer for FPS games, so I gave them to my younger brother. Still, nothing has ever come close to making me as happy with the sound as the Sennheiser Game One. That’s my completely subjective opinion, of course — but the fact that I’m still taking the time to praise this headset 11 years later is probably a good indicator.

This is definitely the budget option in my opinion. I don’t require much though so I’m sure it’s nowhere near the best, but hyperx clouds have always been good to me