The Kingston HyperX Cloud II headset is almost identical to the one we reviewed last year. This one does not come in my favourite white and black combination, but there is always hope that Kingston will release that variant down the road.
It does however feature the same anodized aluminium frame, which in this instance is a rich – almost Christmassy – red. The rest of the earcups are a silicon coated, matt black plastic with an aluminium centre featuring the HyperX logo.
The inside of the earcups are cushioned by memory foam with (at stock) a leatherette coating, though you can replace this with the included velour option if you prefer.
The microphone jack is located on the left hand side of the headset, the same as the data cable. It comes with a little rubber plug that keeps it from getting dusty when not in use and has a bespoke connector to prevent you plugging in something that is not applicable. However internally, it does use a standard two thread, 3.5mm connector.
If you are unsure which way around the headset goes, there are little indicators on the base of the headband on each side to let you know. The band itself can be extended about two inches on each side for those with larger heads.
The headband uses the same memory foam and leatherette cushioning as the standard earcups and has a red stitching along the edge which gives it a real quality feel. The HyperX logo is similarly stitched into the top to the same standard.
While the headset's default connector is a short, 3.5mm braided cable, making it compatible with smartphones, the Xbox One, PS4 and (the non-advertised Wii U), if connecting to your Windows PC or Mac, you will want to plug it into the 7.1 amplifier, which comes with its own little volume control for the microphone and headphones and ends in a gold-plated USB connector.