HyperX Cloud II or Arctis 5

[Driimit]

I've spent a very good amount of time reading reviews and viewing youtube videos of these headphones. And I know it's a mostly subjective matter. But still wanna know which one should be "better" and why. I'll use them for gaming, movies and music. Let me summarize my thoughts so far.

The main pro of the Arctis 5 are:

1.Its non-gamer, non-aggressive yet stylish look

2. Overall very positive reviews throughout the net despite being a new product 

3. Steelseries using the same high-end drivers in all their headphones in the Arctis series. And the high-end drivers which are used in the Siberia 840 and similar products are really good in that price range as far as I've read.

3. dts 7.1 surround sound (I know virtual surround sound is considered inferior to real surround but still it's something I wanna experience, mainly because I never used any surround sound headphone and I wanna experience on my own. So please don't tell me it doesn't matter)

4. Most importantly the conception I got after reading the reviews is it boasts a more "natural" sound without any boost to the bass, mid or treble (unlike most of the gaming headphones which are bass heavy and using distortion to sell as "bassy  gaming sound")

     source: https://medium.com/@Xander51/steelseries-arctis-5-review-the-best-most-affordable-headphone-and-headset-on-the-market-e4b311d9b452

5. I've no inclination for bass-heavy sound. Also Steelseries Arctis 5 can be customized with their own software which as far as I've read has a broad range of options. So if I need a bit of extra bass I can always enhance it.

 

The main pro of the Cloud II are:

1. I can't go wrong with it. I know The original Cloud were very good. And so is it. It's an old proven headset.

2. Again very good reviews on the net.

3. Cloud II are a rebranded Qpad QH-90 with a few tweaks which again were very good.

 

My problems with choosing the Cloud II:

1. It's relatively bulkier and gamer look

2. It's being relatively bass heavy and Arctis reportedly having a more neutral sound.

    source: https://medium.com/@Xander51/the-headphone-showdown-steelseries-arctis-vs-everything-eef7f6cfb286

3. Cloud II scoring rather poorly in audio quality in this test: http://www.pcgamer.com/we-tested-23-mainstream-gaming-headsets-to-find-the-best/2/

    Steelseries Siberia 350 did better in the same test in terms of audio quality. And Arctis 5 should have a superior driver than Siberia 350 if its true that they are using the same high-end drivers in the Arctis series which were previously used only in their high-end models.

 

The real problem is that I've not found so far any review/video that compares the two headphones directly apart from the medium.com link I gave. All other comparison are reader-made and done in response to posts similar to mine.

 

 

Also I've read about the Razer Kraken Pro V2 and other headsets. But I don't like their bulky gamer looks. And I know Sennheiser Game Zero/One are supposedly the best headsets for pc gaming in 150/160$ price range, but I won't go over around 100$ . You can tell me if you have other suggestions.

Also please don't tell me to buy a separate headphone and microphone. I know that is a very good option, but not a viable solution right now for me. 

 

So share your  thoughts on these two headphones and any suggestion you have as to what should I buy or if you have suggestions on any other headphones in this price range. Thank you.

[Lethalmonk]

dont get a gaming headset. Get a headphone and mic separately. 

Look at z reviews for good gaming headphones and mics for ur  budget

 

[Spuriae]

Used Sennheiser G4ME One's for $70. Replace the pads if you want, though the seller cleans the pads before shipping. 

 

Otherwise, I'd be cautious about recommending the Arctis until real reviews start coming out (anyone can write a review on Medium). If you're considering Clouds get the Cloud Cores or Cloud 1's; the 7.1 dongle the Cloud II comes with is worthless.

 

 

[Jason_Tan_]

I have the cloud II's and I love them. I don't agree with people saying that there is too much bass, they are surprisingly flat from my experience.

[LukaH]

if you get the cloud 2 in all black they don't look like a gaming headset plus no lighting on them so i'd argue the Arctis 5 look more "1337". but it seems to me you are not after gaming headphones but rather good sound which there are better options out there i'm sure.

[Driimit]

1 hour ago, Lethalmonk said:

dont get a gaming headset. Get a headphone and mic separately. 

Look at z reviews for good gaming headphones and mics for ur  budget

 

Please read what I said in my original post. I know its a good option but not a viable one right now.

 

56 minutes ago, Nimrodor said:

Used Sennheiser G4ME One's for $70. Replace the pads if you want, though the seller cleans the pads before shipping. 

 

Otherwise, I'd be cautious about recommending the Arctis until real reviews start coming out (anyone can write a review on Medium). If you're considering Clouds get the Cloud Cores or Cloud 1's; the 7.1 dongle the Cloud II comes with is worthless.

 

 

Thanks but not wanna buy a second-hand one right now. I don't live in the US and my friend will be buying it from US. So buying new pads is not a practical option either. Btw Arctis 5 is reviewed in tomsguide, ocaholic and other places too which should be relatively more trustworthy I guess. But yes being a new product it doesn't have that much reviews from trusted sources.

Also why Cloud

Cores or Cloud I over Cloud II? The 7.1 surround sound comes as an extra if the sound quality is equal otherwise. Or you think the Core have better sound quality?

Besides I do want to buy a surround sound headset despite knowing its virtual and inferior to true surround sound(as I said in my original post )

56 minutes ago, Jason_Tan_ said:

I have the cloud II's and I love them. I don't agree with people saying that there is too much bass, they are surprisingly flat from my experience.

Okay thanks. Does it have software for customization(equalization etc)?

36 minutes ago, LukaH said:

if you get the cloud 2 in all black they don't look like a gaming headset plus no lighting on them so i'd argue the Arctis 5 look more "1337". but it seems to me you are not after gaming headphones but rather good sound which there are better options out there i'm sure.

Any specific suggestion on better options?

[Spuriae]

52 minutes ago, Driimit said:

Thanks but not wanna buy a second-hand one right now. I don't live in the US and my friend will be buying it from US. So buying new pads is not a practical option either. Btw Arctis 5 is reviewed in tomsguide, ocaholic and other places too which should be relatively more trustworthy I guess. But yes being a new product it doesn't have that much reviews from trusted sources.

No reviews from real audio people, though. 

Cloud I's and Cloud Cores are physically the same as the Cloud II's but come with an extension cable instead of the dongle. If you really want surround you can get it free here for any headphones (it's all just software). 

[LukaH]

3 hours ago, Driimit said:

snip

yeh I personally can't (not big on audio) i use cloud 2 headphones but the 7.1 surround dongle is nothing impressive. that is why i paired the headset with the sennheiser gsx 1000 and i am blow away how good it is especially for a software type solution (for 7.1). mind you 100$ for the cloud headset and 200$ for the gsx i think you can do better with a 300$ headset. true the gsx isnt just a 7.1 dongle it does much more but we are not talking about that are we.

[Driimit]

39 minutes ago, Nimrodor said:

No reviews from real audio people, though. 

Cloud I's and Cloud Cores are physically the same as the Cloud II's but come with an extension cable instead of the dongle. If you really want surround you can get it free here for any headphones (it's all just software). 

Yeah I've seen the Razer software too. So you believe Dolby or DTS 7.1 is absolutely 100% marketing? Doesn't matter to any extent whatsoever?

[Driimit]

6 minutes ago, LukaH said:

yeh I personally can't (not big on audio) i use cloud 2 headphones but the 7.1 surround dongle is nothing impressive. that is why i paired the headset with the sennheiser gsx 1000 and i am blow away how good it is especially for a software type solution (for 7.1). mind you 100$ for the cloud headset and 200$ for the gsx i think you can do better with a 300$ headset. true the gsx isnt just a 7.1 dongle it does much more but we are not talking about that are we.

Yeah got you. Thanks for the info

[Jason_Tan_]

On 4/30/2017 at 1:15 AM, Driimit said:

Okay thanks. Does it have software for customization(equalization etc)?

No it does not have any software equalizers. Just the buttons on the dongle. I would not consider myself to be that into audio, but from what I have seen (heard) this headsets is pretty good even with the included dongle. Initially I wanted to be able to customize the equalizer to add more bass, but overtime I guess I got used to the sound signature or it just broke in, whatever happened I enjoy them much more now. Mine are the black and gray ones that I got for a black Friday sale at best buy for $40 off. I really like how they included the normal pleather and fabric ear pads as I love the fabric ones and in addition to that, my favorite thing about this headset is that it has a mic audio combo jack which means that this can be used for all my devices. The mic is detachable which is okay, but is a bit annoying compared to the ones that can be pulled in or out like the razer ones, which are more convenient imo. With the fabric ear pads my ears never overheat and positional audio is much better than their pleather counterpart which is a point for the cloud II's, considering most other headphones don't give you that option unless you want to buy additional ear pads.

[nicobombai]

It should actually be, Cloud Core vs Arctis 3.

SQ wise i prefer the Cloud core (its exactly the same with cloud 2 without the extra accessories) than  Arctis 3 (exactly the same with 5 model, difference is only the usb soundcard connector, u can still use the surround sound feature if you want to by using the SS engine).

 

Virtual Surround sound (5.1 and/or 7.1) are mostly marketing gimmicks which usually sucks and mostly are software which can be downloaded on the internet..

 

But SQ wise, its better to stick with a proper headphone and a separate mic

[Scruffy90]

I have the cloud iis and like them for what they are. I had issues with the USB dongle and volume, mic adjustments, but it was resolved with a FW update. Haven't had issues since.

[Driimit]

2 hours ago, nicobombai said:

It should actually be, Cloud Core vs Arctis 3.

SQ wise i prefer the Cloud core (its exactly the same with cloud 2 without the extra accessories) than  Arctis 3 (exactly the same with 5 model, difference is only the usb soundcard connector, u can still use the surround sound feature if you want to by using the SS engine).

 

Virtual Surround sound (5.1 and/or 7.1) are mostly marketing gimmicks which usually sucks and mostly are software which can be downloaded on the internet..

 

But SQ wise, its better to stick with a proper headphone and a separate mic

Have you used both?

 

1 hour ago, Scruffy90 said:

I have the cloud iis and like them for what they are. I had issues with the USB dongle and volume, mic adjustments, but it was resolved with a FW update. Haven't had issues since.

Ok.. Thanks for the feedback.

[nicobombai]

20 hours ago, Driimit said:

Have you used both?

Yes. Arctis & Clouds are going the same path, selling the same products but with different accessories at different prices.

Arctis sounds like TAD300 but closed version, where as clouds are similar with Takstar pro 80.

 

Headphones + separate mic is the best combo period, unless you're limited by budget of course..

[Driimit]

On 5/3/2017 at 8:21 AM, nicobombai said:

Yes. Arctis & Clouds are going the same path, selling the same products but with different accessories at different prices.

Arctis sounds like TAD300 but closed version, where as clouds are similar with Takstar pro 80.

 

Headphones + separate mic is the best combo period, unless you're limited by budget of course..

I'm limited by availability more than budget. Because I don't live in the US and my friend is bringing it from US.

BTW don't u guys think Hyperx Revolver is better than Cloud/Cloud II ? As tested here:  http://www.pcgamer.com/we-tested-23-mainstream-gaming-headsets-to-find-the-best/2/ and other sites.

[nicobombai]

18 hours ago, Driimit said:

I'm limited by availability more than budget. Because I don't live in the US and my friend is bringing it from US.

BTW don't u guys think Hyperx Revolver is better than Cloud/Cloud II ? As tested here:  http://www.pcgamer.com/we-tested-23-mainstream-gaming-headsets-to-find-the-best/2/ and other sites.

We here prefer headphones more than headsets, well majority of us here, they provide better value with the performance provided. Mic wise we like standalone/separate mic..

Cloud 2 are better value and performance compared to revolver imo. Revolver is too pricy and the difference in price and performance is not justified. I tried all the headsets from HyperX even the revolver s, clouds core/1/2 are still better..

[Driimit]

6 hours ago, nicobombai said:

We here prefer headphones more than headsets, well majority of us here, they provide better value with the performance provided. Mic wise we like standalone/separate mic..

Cloud 2 are better value and performance compared to revolver imo. Revolver is too pricy and the difference in price and performance is not justified. I tried all the headsets from HyperX even the revolver s, clouds core/1/2 are still better..

Ok. So your point is Cloud II sounds better than Revolver irrespective of price, right?

 

And regarding headphone over headset suggest me a 100-120$ headphone that you think is better than the ones being discussed. And if possible why.

[kokakolia]

13 hours ago, Driimit said:

Ok. So your point is Cloud II sounds better than Revolver irrespective of price, right?

 

And regarding headphone over headset suggest me a 100-120$ headphone that you think is better than the ones being discussed. And if possible why.

For $110 it's hard to beat this combo:

 

Status Audio CB-1:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Status-Audio-Closed-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B01BDX1IVW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494199866&sr=8-1&keywords=status+audio+cb-1

 

V-moda Boom Pro:

 

https://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-BoomPro-Gaming-Headset-Headphone/dp/B00BJ17WKK/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1494199917&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=vmoda+boom+pro

 

The mic just plugs into the headphone and you effectively have a perfectly integrated headset. Both the mic and the headphone are of higher quality than what you typically get with a headset, including the Cloud Core. 

 

EDIT: If you don't mind open-back headphones, then the Philips SHP 9500 can be found under $70 on Newegg. They're also 100% compatible with the V-moda Boom mic. IMO, it's an even better deal but it leaks a lot of sound and sound isolation is null. 

Edited May 7, 2017 by kokakolia
missing info

[Driimit]

10 hours ago, kokakolia said:

For $110 it's hard to beat this combo:

 

Status Audio CB-1:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Status-Audio-Closed-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B01BDX1IVW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494199866&sr=8-1&keywords=status+audio+cb-1

 

V-moda Boom Pro:

 

https://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-BoomPro-Gaming-Headset-Headphone/dp/B00BJ17WKK/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1494199917&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=vmoda+boom+pro

 

The mic just plugs into the headphone and you effectively have a perfectly integrated headset. Both the mic and the headphone are of higher quality than what you typically get with a headset, including the Cloud Core. 

 

EDIT: If you don't mind open-back headphones, then the Philips SHP 9500 can be found under $70 on Newegg. They're also 100% compatible with the V-moda Boom mic. IMO, it's an even better deal but it leaks a lot of sound and sound isolation is null. 

Status Audio CB-1 seems to have got ok reviews, not great. Any other suggestions? Mic isnt my main concern. I'm not much of an online gamer.

[Driimit]

The Sennheiser HD 558 is 80$ right now: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/sennheiser-audiophile-over-the-ear-headphones-titan/1700513.p?skuId=1700513

Will it be better in terms of sound quality than the Arctis or Cloud II? Also what about soundstage?

 

Also what's different in hd 558 than a GAME ONE in terms of sound quality and sound stage? (considering HD 558 is not marketed as a gaming headphone)

 

P.S. I know HD 558 doesn't come with built in mic.

[Driimit]

The Sennheiser PC 350 SE is going for 100$ in newegg too. What about that? What will be better in terms of sound quality and soundstage between this and HD 558(going for 80$ on best buy now)??

Waiting for your thoughts...

[Driimit]

Can you guys elucidate on the HD 558 vs PC 350 SE topic(or other products in this price range or on sale)? Because the sales will not last indefinitely and I also don't live in the US, so I'll actually tell my friend to buy it(or not) depending on my research and your opinions. So I've a limited amount of time. I've already spent quite a few hours on these related topics but still interested to hear your thoughts. Thanks...