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A closeup of the HyperX Cloud Earbuds II sitting on a wooden table with the accessories surrounding it.

HyperX Cloud Earbuds II review

Inexpensive, unexceptional wired gaming earbuds.
By

Published onSeptember 28, 2023

5.9
HyperX Cloud Earbuds II
The bottom line
The HyperX Cloud Earbuds II aim to be an on-the-go option for handheld gaming enthusiasts, but unfortunately, due to their poor acoustic noise isolation, they're not practical to use on the bus or train. They are serviceable as an at-home pair of earbuds, however.

HyperX Cloud Earbuds II

The HyperX Cloud Earbuds II aim to be an on-the-go option for handheld gaming enthusiasts, but unfortunately, due to their poor acoustic noise isolation, they're not practical to use on the bus or train. They are serviceable as an at-home pair of earbuds, however.
What we like
Comfort
Decent microphone
Well priced
What we don't like
Isolation
Sound quality
5.9
SoundGuys Rating
5.9
User Rating
Rating Metric
Our Rating
User Rating
Isolation / Attenuation
1.0
5.4
5.0
Durability / Build Quality
6.5
7.3
7.0
Value
6.0
5.3
5.0
Design
6.5
7.3
7.0
Connectivity
6.5
4.7
5.0
Portability
8.5
5.5
6.0
Feature
6.0
6.5
7.0
Comfort
6.5
5.0
5.0

The HyperX Cloud Earbuds II are pitched as a great companion when using the Nintendo Switch or the Steam Deck on the go. They have a unique design that prioritizes comfort. However, are these the earbuds you’d want to grab when you’re out and about with your games? Do they hold up when listening at home or playing on Discord with friends? Let’s find out.

Editor’s note: this is the first version of the article. Updates will follow as the market changes.

About this HyperX Cloud Earbuds II review: We tested the HyperX Cloud Earbuds II over a period of one week. The company provided the unit for this review.

The HyperX Cloud Earbuds II are intended for anyone needing a pair of wired earbuds for on-the-go gaming and listening. With a built-in microphone, they are a fine choice if you need to make voice calls.

What’s it like to use the HyperX Cloud Earbuds II?

Someone is holding the HyperX Cloud Earbuds II with the earbud tips clearly visible to the viewer.
The HyperX Cloud Earbuds II have an unusual ear tip shape that are comfortable, but they really harm the noise isolation by failing to provide a good seal.

The HyperX Cloud Earbuds II are a pair of wired earbuds intended for gamers and commuters first and foremost. These earbuds are fairly straightforward design-wise. The 1.2m long cable includes an inline microphone and multifunction button, with the HyperX logo featured on the outer shell of the earbuds. The feature that sets these earbuds apart is the shape of the ear tips. Four different ear tip sizes are included (one pair comes included on the earbuds, with three pairs that can be easily swapped out). These ear tips do a good job of making the HyperX Cloud Earbuds II comfortable, although it makes for a less snug fit compared to more traditional earbud tips. This also causes some issues with isolation, which I’ll get to later.

How do you control the HyperX Cloud Earbuds II?

A closeup of the HyperX Cloud Earbuds II inline microphone and multifunction button against the backdrop of a wooden table.
The multifunction button is a nice feature, but not every device will know what to do with it.

The HyperX Cloud Earbuds II have a single multifunction button located on the section of cable that connects to the left earbud. This multifunction button can be used to answer calls, play music, open your voice assistant, or move to the next song depending on if you short press it, long press it, or double tap it. This works using the TRRS connector to send signals to the phone that do not interfere with audio playback. Do note that this functionality varies between phones and other mobile devices.

How do you connect the HyperX Cloud Earbuds II?

The HyperX Cloud Earbuds II sitting on a wooden table with the carrying case and different ear tips clearly visible.
The inclusion of a carrying case and multiple sizes of ear tips is appreciated.

The HyperX Cloud Earbuds II connect using a traditional 3.5mm analog headphone jack. This ensures a wide range of compatibility including the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X thanks to the headphone jacks in the controllers. It also works with PCs (although for desktop PCs the cable is a bit on the short side), as well as handheld consoles like the Steam Deck and the Nintendo Switch. Smartphone gamers will need a dongle if they have a newer phone that does not have a headphone jack.

How well does the HyperX Cloud Earbuds II attenuate noise?

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One of the biggest shortcomings of the HyperX Cloud Earbuds II is how poor the noise isolation is. When listening with these earbuds on the bus or train, I found them to be inadequate at blocking outside noise. This is especially egregious considering that these are meant to be used for gaming on the go. No matter if I was playing Starfield on my Steam Deck or if I was listening to a podcast I was unable to focus on what I wanted to listen to. The earbuds are better suited to a quieter environment such as your living room or basement.

How does the HyperX Cloud Earbuds II sound?

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The frequency response we measured for the HyperX Cloud Earbuds II falls significantly short of our in-house headphone preference curve. The poor ear seal results in a notable lack of bass. This results in most music, especially dance and hip-hop tracks, to sound less than impressive compared to other earbuds. There are also some deviations from our preference curve in the high end. The songs X and Y by Moving Units sounds different to how I’m used to as the cymbals are poorly represented by the diminished high end. This also impacted the gaming experience. While playing Starfield on my Steam Deck with the HyperX Cloud Earbuds II, I found that the sounds of gunfire were less impactful than expected; however the voice acting of the game shone through and it was still a perfectly playable experience. Playing Lumines Remastered on the Nintendo Switch was similarly underwhelming due to the poor representation of the bass-heavy dance music found in that game.

How good is the HyperX Cloud Earbuds II’s microphone?

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The HyperX Cloud Earbuds II’s microphone is quite useful for long play sessions with friends over Discord or when playing online multiplayer games with teammates. Although it does pick up outside sounds in louder environments, it generally picks up your voice fairly well. You can listen below and tell us how you think it sounds in the associated poll.

HyperX Cloud Earbuds II microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

HyperX Cloud Earbuds II microphone demo (Office conditions):

How does the microphone sound to you?

478 votes

Should you buy the HyperX Cloud Earbuds II?

The HyperX Cloud Earbuds II with the HyperX logo being shown on the outside of the earbud shell.
The HyperX Cloud Earbuds II aim to be a great pair of gaming earbuds for use on-the-go with devices like the Nintendo Switch, but it falls short.

While the HyperX Cloud Earbuds II are reasonably priced, they fall short in several key areas. They’re not good at blocking outside noise, which makes for a rough time when used for gaming on the go. The sound quality and mic quality aren’t great. It has some wins when it comes to comfort. If you’re often irritated by more traditional earbud tips then you might find some value in giving these a try, but for the most part there are much better options on the market for wired earbuds, especially ones meant for gaming.

HyperX Cloud Earbuds II
HyperX Cloud Earbuds II
HyperX Cloud Earbuds II
Comfort • Decent microphone • Well priced
MSRP: $39.99
The HyperX Cloud Earbuds II aim to be an on-the-go option for handheld gaming enthusiasts, but unfortunately, due to their poor acoustic noise isolation, they're not practical to use on the bus or train. They are serviceable as an at-home pair of earbuds, however.

What should you get instead of the HyperX Cloud Earbuds II?

The Logitech G333 earbuds on a wooden surface, with the included USB-C to 3.5mm connector alongside them.
The Logitech G333 includes a 3.5mm to USB-C connector, making it easy to use with modern smartphones so long as you don’t forget the dongle.

If you want a wired pair of earbuds that exceed the HyperX Cloud Earbuds II in key areas like sound and isolation, you should check out the Logitech G333 earbuds, which currently retail for $28 at Amazon.

Based on its excellent sound profile, we also recommend the JBL Quantum 50 for $34 at Amazon.

Frequently asked questions about the HyperX Cloud Earbuds II

Yes, the HyperX Cloud Earbuds II come in two colors, black and red. We received the black model for this review.

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