HyperX has long been one of the biggest names in gaming accessories, and that extends to the company’s gaming headsets. Its latest offering is the HyperX Cloud Flight S, which may not offer the same features as the slightly older Cloud Orbit S, but in this price range, it still looks to be an excellent option.
The headset offers wireless connectivity, a hefty 30-hour battery life, and more. But is it worth the $160? We put the headset to the test to find out.
Design
The HyperX Cloud Flight S looks like a HyperX headset. The headset offers the HyperX logo on each ear cup, has a detachable microphone, and more — and it looks like a natural evolution from previous HyperX headsets, like the Cloud Mix.
On the left ear cup, you’ll get a power button, a button to engage 7.1 surround sound, and a microphone input. Unfortunately, you’ll also find a MicroUSB port. We were frustrated to see this port instead of a USB-C port — it’s 2020, and no one should be using MicroUSB any more. The left headset also has four mappable buttons, which can be mapped through the HyperX NGenuity software. On the right ear cup, you’ll find a volume wheel.
The left ear cup actually hides more than just controls and ports — it also supports wireless charging. In other words, when you’re not using the headset, you can simply plop it down on a Qi-compatible charging pad, and it will charge — meaning you should never run out of battery. HyperX sells a charging pad for the headset, but it works with any Qi charger. HyperX’s ChargePlay Base has a USB-C port built into it too — making the fact that the headset only has MicroUSB even more baffling.
One port that is missing from the headset is an aux port. While many other wireless headsets allow you to plug in a cable for wired mode, this headset does not. That’s a pretty major omission — and will introduce frustrations if you use multiple gaming systems, for example.
In the box, apart from the headset itself, you’ll find a microphone, and a charging cable. There’s also the wireless dongle, which you’ll need considering the headset doesn’t support Bluetooth. It’s not a huge selection of accessories, but it’s everything you’ll need to get started.
Comfort
The HyperX Cloud Flight S is a gaming headset, and as such it’s built to be comfortable. Thankfully, it achieves a high level of comfort pretty easily. The headset has plenty of padding in the ear cups and under the headband, and as a result of that you’ll easily be able to wear the headset for hours on end.
The only potential downside in the comfort department is the fact that the headset is a little heavy. Again, it’s not a huge deal — and many won’t even notice it.
Sound
The sound quality of the HyperX Cloud Flight S is pretty good — but it’s not amazing. There are headsets out there that perform better, but for a headset in this price range, it does the job fine.
The bass response, for starters, is good. Explosions are powerful and deep, while gunshots will offer a satisfying thud. When listening to music, you’ll get strong kick drums and smooth bass guitars. The bass extension could have been a little deeper, but it’s more than good enough for most uses.
The mid range seemed a little scooped, but not overly so. You’ll still get a relatively warm low-mid response, while high mids offer enough “crack” to make audio relatively exciting.
The high end isn’t as crisp and detailed as some may be looking for, but it’s still fine.
The headset also offers a 7.1 surround feature, which can help make the overall gaming experience a lot more immersive. It can introduce some harsher tones to gaming, especially in the high mids, but that mostly translates to music listening — and you probably wouldn’t listen to music with 7.1 on anyway.
Performance
The HyperX Cloud Flight S may not have Bluetooth built into it, but for gamers, that’s probably a good thing. Instead, it uses a 2.4GHz connection with the included dongle. We found that it retained a good connection throughout testing, with almost no latency to be found.
The battery life of the headset is pretty stellar, coming in at 30 hours on a single charge. If you use the wireless charging feature, you probably won’t have to worry about the battery life of the headset — but we were still impressed with the battery life on offer.
Conclusions
The HyperX Cloud Flight has a lot going for it — but to truly take advantage of it, you’re going to need to be willing to give up some features. It’s a little frustrating that the headset doesn’t allow for wired connectivity, and we wish a wireless charging pad came with the headset, but it still bodes well for HyperX’s upcoming headsets, and if you’re willing to make those sacrifices it will be well worth the purchase.
But is it the best in its price range? Well, that depends. If you like those extra features, it’s a great choice — but if you’re simply looking for the best wireless headset in this price range, the SteelSeries Arctis 7 is the headset to beat.
Still, considering the high quality, we’re awarding the HyperX Cloud Flight S the Headphone Review Bronze Medal.
| Store | Price |
|---|---|
 |
$160 |
| HyperX | $160 |
| Frequency response | 10Hz – 20kHz | Active noise cancellation | No |
| Driver size | 50mm | Noise attenuation | Unknown |
| Driver type | Dynamic | On-ear controls | Yes |
| Design | Closed | Microphone | Yes |
| Sensitivity | 100dB | Earpad material | Memory Foam |
| Rated impedance | 32Ω | Magnet material | Neodymium |
| Total harmonic distortion | <1% | Water resistance | No |
| Rated input power | Unknown | Battery life | 30 Hours |
| Maximum input power | Unknown | Wireless distance | 10m (33ft) |
| Wireless connection | 2.4GHz | Cable length | N/A |
| Wired connection | No | Case type | N/A |
| Detachable cable | No | In-the-box |
|
| Weight | 320g | Colors | Black |