Hyper X Cloud Revolver S Review

Another weekend has arrived another headset to take a look at, move over my Gear Duel TMA 2 by Fnatic and in its place for this review is the new Hyper X Cloud Revolver S, not to be confused in America with an actual Revolver,  you gun loving crazy people.

Now I have reviewed many headsets, which include the Logitech G933, Plantronics RIG500E, the one I mentioned in the first sentence, the Lusidsound Sound LS20 & LS40 and my Fav the Razer Man ‘O War. Back in 2016 I reviewed the original Cloud Revolver and I scored it a 9/10, the question is can this new version increase the score, stay the same, or get reduced? shall we find out?

Starting with

The Sales Pitch – What we see when sold on the shop floor.

As with the original Cloud Revolver, this one stands out proudly in a crowded room, with the headset viewable on the front of the box with some of its best selling features.

• 7.1 Dolby Surround Sound
• USB Sound Card Audio Control Box
• Advanced Noise Cancellation Microphone
• Studio-Grade Soundstage

On one of the sides, you see that this headset is bolstered by some of the biggest eSports teams, from the likes of Intel Extreme masters (ESL), Teamliquid and SK Gaming, if you wish to find out more about these go to www.hyperxgaming.com/esports.

Moving to the back there is some more selling features;

• 50mm Directional Drivers
• Detachable Noise Cancellation Mic
• Signature HyperX Memory Foam
• Durable Steel Frame

The headset is connectable with 1 x 3.5mm Jack, Microphone Jack + Sound Jack or USB.

The headset is suitable to use with the following VIOP programs,

• Teamspeak
• Discord
• Skype
• Ventrilo
• Mumble
• Raidcall

Moving now to UNBOXING

When removing the outer sleeve and nosing inside, you notice the warranty information, you get a total of TWO YEARS, so if your product is defective, you can request a replacement or a refund (Current Value of Product).

Removing the LID reveals the basic instructions and the headset behind some foam padding, not forgetting under the LID is a nice welcome message ‘Congratulations on joining the HyperX Team!’ Then a message from HyperX General Manager ‘Anders “GR8V1K1ng” Willumsen’. You can see the full message just below.

“Have no idea what is under the white sticker and no idea why it is there, but who cares 🙂 me lets find out, well I removed it, nothing, what was the point in that?”

Removing the foam from the top gives you access to the headset itself and By golly, does it look nice, everything is well padded for protection during delivery/storage, so you know nothing is going to break on these anytime soon, well during the sales period and you buying, unless it was not tested before leaving the manufacturers warehouse. There is always a small chance something can go wrong between manufacturing/testing and purchase.

The Mic Test

Now comes to the testing, so here it is a test of the microphone and a game called Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice from Ninja Theory. Why this game? it’s a game that uses surround sound to emulate the voices in Senuas’s head and it does a great job of doing it.

The First Use

Out of the box, setting it up is easy, as there is no need for software, so its as simple as plug-n-play and away you go, though 7.1 surround sound is only possible via the inline soundcard. However this is not 100% accurate, any headset can now give you ‘Surround Sound’ thanks to a new tab within ‘Windows 10’ called ‘Spacial Sound’. All you have to do is head to ‘Sound Devices’ choose the sound device you want to set up, right click and open properties, choose the tab  ‘Spacial Sound’, in the drop down menu choose Windows Sonic for Headphones or you can purchase Dolby Atmos for Headphones in the windows store. If you do not have Windows 10 you can grab Razers own free ‘Surround Sound’ software which also emulates Surround Sound on any headset or speakers.

Why did I tell you this? well, I have always found that Sound is better when connected up via 3.5mm jacks over USB and I know many sound enthusiasts would always choose a 3.5mm jack headset over USB or wireless any day.  So having a way of getting ‘Surround Sound’ on any headset I think is a great opportunity for many gamers to know about and take full advantage of.

First Overview

OK, I skipped this section and went straight to Mic Test, now I back tracked and discuss the actual headset itself. Detachable/Attachable Boom Mic is nice and flexible, but again as before there is no way to flip it out of the way when not in use. A suspension headband, this helps the headset feel lighter when in use, something similar to the Siberia V2 series from SteelSeries.

The headband has been modified from its original outing, with rubber inserts to stop to stop sound resonating into the earcups when the frame is clipped, its does the job to a degree, but does not 100% remove the issue. Braided cord, nice, that will stop the wires from tangling up, and the length, by golly, it’s long, very long.

Then there is the controller aka the USB Sound Card for the 7.1 DTS ‘Surround Sound’, I have a few issues with this, The DTS Button never lights up, like it should be doing, there are also 3 white Lights that tell you what DTS preset you are using on the side, this took around 2mins to loads up and start working. All these issues might just be my headset and might not be the same for every other headset, so take it with a pinch of salt.

When taking a closer look at the controller, you have the volume up/down, mic volume up/down, DTS side button that cycles through Music, Movie & Game presets and finally the mic mute button and DTS on or off button.

Yummy Scrummy – The Design

The design is as expected, precise and perfect,  from its suspension headband, that is padded really nice, to the embossed HYPERX logo. The ear pads are very well padded and super comfy when in use, the pressure on my head, is little to nothing. Each side of the ear cups has L & R  to indicate which side goes on which ear, with an HX logo painted on each side of the earcups.

Everything about the design is stunning, well thought out, even with the slight air hole on the outside of the ear cups to allow some air to flow inside the ear cups when in use, I cannot fault the design.

I have an idea though for a new headset lets have some sweet LED’s, the sides of the earcups are the perfect way to showcase sound volume and mic volume indicators and even have the HX logo illuminate, it should be possible with power distribution via USB.

The Sound

Thanks to its 12Hz to 28,000Hz you get to hear everything, as our human range of hearing frequencies goes up to a max of 20Hz, so it’s clear that these headphones are going to offer a lot more and a more clear range of sounds.  When in use, this is so true, these headphones, are incredible, as with the original Cloud Revolver Headphones the S version adds more scope thanks to the use of DTS. I have tested many headphones and for the sound, the HpyerX headphones always seem to do a better job at delivering sound.

Almost forgot the full borning specs

earphone

• Driver: Dynamic, 50mm with neodymium magnets
• Type: Circumaural, Closed back
• Frequency response: 12Hz–28,000 Hz
• Impedance: 30 Ω
• Sound pressure level: 100.5dBSPL/mW at 1kHz
• T.H.D.: < 2%
• Input power: Rated 30mW, Maximum 500mW
• Weight: 360g
• Weight with mic: 376g

Cable length:

• Headset: 1m
• Audio Control Box: 2.2m
• PC extension cable: 2m

Connection Type:

• Headset: 3.5mm plug (4 pole)
• Audio Control Box: USB
•  PC extension cable: 3.5mm stereo and mic plugs

Microphone

• Element: Electret condenser microphone
• Polar pattern: Bi-directional, Noise-canceling
• Frequency response: 50Hz-18,000 Hz
• Sensitivity: -44dBV (0dB=1V/Pa,1kHz