HyperX is responsible for some of the best and most popular gaming headsets ever, and for good reason. In particular, the HyperX Cloud Revolver has long been highly regarded for its high level of comfort and its top-notch audio quality, as we found in our review. Now, HyperX is back again with the HyperX Cloud Revolver S, a headset aimed at being a serious step up from the original HyperX Cloud Revolver.
The HyperX Cloud Revolver S offers a number of features that the original Cloud Revolver does not have — like, for example, Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound.
But is the headset worth the $150? We put it to the test to find out.
Design
The first thing to look at is the design of the headphones, and it really looks quite nice. The HyperX Cloud Revolver S offers a very similar design to the original Cloud Revolver, albeit with a few small changes. For starters, the Cloud Revolver S replaces the red highlights with white ones, which helps give it a slightly sleeker and more refined look. That’s not to say that we don’t like the red highlights on the original Cloud Revolver — we do.
Apart from that, however, the design remains largely unchanged. You’ll still get the same super high-quality metal frame, as well as the same style of swivel earcups that conform to the shape of your head. It’s a nice design, and we’re glad HyperX has stuck with it — especially as it will help buyers choose between the Cloud Revolver and the Cloud Revolver S based on features rather than look.
The metal frame is nice for a number of reasons. Firstly, it’s solidly built, but secondly its design, coupled with the elastic-attached headband, helps the headphones quickly and easily adjust to the size of your head. That’s to say, there’s no need to adjust the headphones before putting them on. Just slide them on, and the elastic will stretch to the right size.
Unfortunately, that frame does also create a sound issue — tap it, and it’ll vibrate. A lot. HyperX has thankfully included rubber attachments with these headphones that dampen most of those vibrations, however the issue is still somewhat there.
In the box you’ll find the headphones themselves, as well as a Dolby 7.1 surround sound attachment, and a detachable microphone. Both of those additions are very nice. The surround sound extension is well-built, and offers volume controls for both the audio and the microphone. You’ll also get buttons to quickly mute the microphone and to activate the surround sound. Even the cable is well-built, thanks to its braided nylon coating rather than plastic.
In general, the HyperX Cloud Revolver S headphones look great and are very well-built. There’s a fair amount of plastic in the construction of the headphones, but we never felt like they would break. There is the issue of the frame vibrating — but it’s seriously diminished thanks to the included rubber attachments.
Comfort
Perhaps the most important thing to consider when it comes to gaming headsets is comfort, and that’s no different for the HyperX Cloud Revolver S headset. Thankfully, however, this headset really feels quite nice.
As mentioned, the headband automatically adjusts to your head size, but on top of the automatic fit, the headband also features a nice amount of foam. That’s also true of the foam in the earcups — there’s plenty to go around, and even after hours of use the headphones were nice and comfortable. In fact, it was pretty easy to forget that the headphones were on at all. The headphones do get a little warm, but not overly so — and it didn’t detract in a big way from the comfort level of the headphones.
Sound
One of the main selling points with the HyperX Cloud Revolver S headphones is that they boast Dolby 7.1 surround sound, which is available to users through the USB-powered sound card. Like other headphone-based surround sound systems, that sound card basically takes the audio it’s being fed and treats it to be better suited to surround sound, which we found generally gives better directionality and helps make the headphones a lot more immersive.
It really sounds quite good. Headphone-based surround-sound can often be a bit hit and miss — and we think HyperX has done very well in this case. We used a few different games in the testing of this surround sound, but most prominently played Star Wars: Battlefront.
On top of the relatively nice surround sound quality, the headphones generally offer a good sound. The low end is quite well tuned, and there’s a nice low-end rumble that’s pretty necessary in a pair of gaming headphones — especially for those that play shooters and games where there might be deep and rumbling explosions. These headphones handle that well.
The mid range is also well-done. You’ll get a slight boost in the upper mids, which helps voices to stand out. That’s helpful if you intend to talk with teammates.
The high-end is well tuned, but we could have used a little more of it — that could help things like blasters and lightsabers have just a little extra crispness to them, and it would certainly help in listening to music with these headphones too.
In reality, though, the headphones are quite good at handling music on top of game audio.
There is one thing to note about the sound quality of these headphones, and that’s that they don’t block out much room noise. The headphones are semi open-back, which is good for sound quality, as it helps in the stereo separation a little, but if you generally play in a noisy environment you may want to keep in mind that they’ll let in a fair bit of outside noise.
Microphone
The microphone that comes with the HyperX Cloud Revolver S is well-built and sounds pretty nice. It’s generally best suited to talking to team members rather than recording podcasts or Let’s Play videos, but it could still serve those purposes too if you’re on a budget and don’t want to buy a dedicated mic.
The microphone is also relatively good at block out any outside noise. Sure, those on the other end of the line may still hear bits and pieces, but your voice will be front and center — which is exactly what you want.
Conclusions
The HyperX Cloud Revolver S is an excellent gaming headset. HyperX has taken an excellent headset, in the original Cloud Revolver, and made it even better. Sure, that’s not to say it’s perfect — it’s not. It still has issues with noise from the frame, which is a little annoying. But if you’re looking for a great gaming headset with surround sound capabilities, the HyperX Cloud Revolver S is for you.
| Store | Price |
|---|---|
 |
$149.99 |
 |
$149.99 |
| HyperX | $149.99 |
| Frequency response | 12Hz – 28kHz | Active noise cancellation |
No |
| Driver size | 50mm | Noise attenuation | Unknown |
| Driver type |
Dynamic | In-line controls | Yes |
| Design |
Closed | Microphone | Yes |
| Sensitivity | 100.5dB | Earpad material | Memory foam |
| Rated impedance |
30Ω | Magnet material | Neodymium |
| Total harmonic distortion |
<2% | Water resistance | No |
| Rated input power |
30mW | Battery life | N/A |
| Maximum input power |
500mW | Wireless distance | N/A |
| Wireless connection |
No | Cable length | 1m |
| Wired connection |
Yes | Case type | N/A |
| Detachable cable |
No | In-the-box |
|
| Weight | 360g | Colors | Black |