The Low-Profile HyperX Cloud Mix 2 Deftly Blends ‘Gaming Headset’ and ‘Casual Headphones’
Even some of the best gaming headsets aren’t the best lookers – housing large audio drivers and packing in cutting edge features along with a big battery does take up space. But every now and then, we get a hybrid that balances the design principles of a pair of casual headphones while still delivering what you expect from a proper gaming headset; it’s one aspect that makes the Alienware Pro headset one of my current favorites. You can also include the HyperX Cloud Mix 2 in the conversation thanks to its smart, sleek design and solid sound quality – and if you need something that can do it all, and do it well, HyperX offers a great option here.
HyperX Cloud Mix 2 – Design and Comfort
When I took the Cloud Mix 2 out of the included hard case, I was a bit surprised at how understated it is as a gaming headset. It sports a fairly low profile with smaller earcups and a super lightweight design. It saves a significant amount of weight by mostly using plastic for its frame but still has aluminum forks and internal headband, so it still has some of the durability you see in HyperX’s other offerings. You can twist and contort the headset a reasonable amount, retaining some of the build quality from the likes of the Cloud III, and the swiveling earcups are a convenient touch considering the Cloud Mix 2’s multiple use-cases.
Despite the smaller footprint, the earcups still fit around my ears, although ever-so-slight. This is an over-the-ear headset after all, but if you have bigger ears, you may have some issues since there isn’t much room inside the earcups. However, the Cloud Mix 2 remained comfortable for long sessions thanks to the soft memory foam earpads and the relatively light clamp force. One minor thing to note is that since the circumference of the earpads is smaller, it puts some pressure on areas around my ears that are a bit more susceptible to pain, but thankfully it wasn’t too much of an issue after adjusting the headset periodically.
Other than the low-key HyperX logo on each earcup, you aren’t going to see extravagant branding or RGB lighting on the Cloud Mix 2, which further helps the headset be used like normal headphones. Each earcup has a tab you can pop out and presumably customize yourself, but there’s also a little slot inside the left earcup to store the 2.4GHz wireless dongle if you take this headset on the go. While you get USB-C and 3.5mm cables in the box, there’s also an extension hub for the 2.4GHz USB-C dongle to help keep the signal clear in more complex or spread-out PC and console setups.
As for controls, the onboard button layout is a bit messy and took some time to get used to. On the right side, you’ll find the noise control button that cycles through active noise cancellation, transparency/ambient mode, and standard listening. Next to it are the connectivity button, which is a little hard to distinguish since there isn’t really a tactile difference, and then the volume wheel. On the left side is the power button, microphone mute toggle, 3.5mm audio jack for wired use, and the USB-C port. You may be wondering where the microphone is – well, there is no boom mic and is actually built into the headset itself, similar to Sony’s Pulse headsets for PS5; again, this helps maintain a slim profile without sacrificing features.
HyperX Cloud Mix 2 – Software and Battery Life
Since there isn’t any RGB lighting or fancy features, there isn’t much to customize with the Cloud Mix 2 outside of a handful of EQ presets built into the HyperX Ngenuity software. Here, you can also toggle the noise control settings (ANC or transparency mode) and set the volume and microphone gain. Downloading a whole software suite for just those things is a rather minor inconvenience, and I wish I could cycle EQ presets on the headset itself to save myself from having to pull up the software.
Monitoring battery life through the Ngenuity software is the way you’d keep tabs on the headset’s charge, but didn’t need to check very often thanks to its impressive capacity. Without any noise control from a full charge, the Cloud Mix 2 is said to last around 70 hours on 2.4GHz connectivity and 110 hours via Bluetooth. What’s better is that it maintains around 50 hours and 70 hours, respectively, with ANC on, which puts it above my current headset-heaphones hybrid in the Alienware Pro. I used the Cloud Mix 2 for about 10 hours a day for five days, bouncing between noise control modes and only got to the low battery notification on the fifth day – I’d say battery life is a big win here.
HyperX Cloud Mix 2 – Performance
Solid comfort, some smart design decisions, and superb battery life are all well and good, but how does the Cloud Mix 2 sound? Pretty damn good, all things considered. It uses 40mm drivers, which are fairly standard for gaming headsets to pack a decent punch, and they’re tuned to create a great balance across all frequencies and without much distortion at high volumes. That said, it has a somewhat flat audio profile, which isn’t inherently bad, it’s just that the finer details in the sound experience tend to blend with others rather than jump out at you in pronounced ways.
The Bass Boost EQ preset in the Ngenuity software helped it uplift the low-end a bit more without drowning out the other frequencies. I found the other EQ presets to be too compromising in some way, either with the Gaming setting sounding a little too tinny and the Music setting sounding slightly muffled. I wish I could tune it myself in the software because it seems there’s untapped potential here, but what’s here performs just fine.
I liked jumping across music genres, from bass-heavy hip-hop to synth-laden J-Pop, to hear how the Cloud Mix 2 held up and loved how full the headset sounded despite its more compact build. It didn’t feel like the slim design came at the expense of the part that really matters: sound quality – especially considering the natural noise isolation is fantastic. And when it comes to ANC itself, I was genuinely impressed. While I’d give the slight edge in straight-up sound quality to the Alienware Pro, the Cloud Mix 2’s ANC is just a tier above in blocking out your surroundings.
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As always, I played some ranked matches of Counter-Strike 2 to get a sense of how it holds up in a more intense gaming scenario, and its positional audio kept me competitive. Sussing out footsteps, gunfire, and specific enemy actions (like reloading and grenade bounces) worked well. These kinds of audio cues do sound more nuanced on higher-end headsets, which you’d really notice if you’re a super-competitive player, but by no means would you be at a disadvantage with the Cloud Mix 2. When it comes to something less sweaty like Final Fantasy XIV (unless you’re still Savage raiding), the Cloud Mix 2 was great at balancing the audio onslaught of that game with music, sound effects, and battle cries firing off in dungeons and raids.
While I like the design choice of tucking in a built-in microphone for convenience’s sake, you aren’t going to get great clarity out of it. Especially in contrast to the fantastic mic on the HyperX Cloud III, the difference in quality is drastic. However, the voice isolation is top-tier and blocked outside and ambient noise better than most headset mics. My voice did come through on Discord calls and Audacity recordings clear enough to understand, but don’t expect it to match what a boom mic can do.
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