Welcome back everyone, to another one of my reviews, and this review is for a headset mentioned in PCGuide’s list of best gaming headset in 2019, the new HyperX Cloud Flight. What I believe this is HyperX’s first wireless Gaming headset, so how does it stack up compared to the other gaming/wireless headsets that I own, the SteelSeries Arctis 7, Lucidsound LS40 and the Razer Man O’ War, I have hyperlinked them to there reviews on the site if you wish to check them out.
So here we are a headset that can be used with PC, PS4, and the PS4 Pro, and when viewing the product before you purchase, you can see the headset on the front cover, with a cushioned headband, and earcups and what looks like a boom mic. The technical information that they would like you to know on the front include;
- GAMING GRADE WIRELESS HEADSET WITH LONG-LASTING BATTERY LIFE
- SIGNATURE HYPERX COMFORT
- IMMERSIVE IN-GAME AUDIO
That’s new, they now state Signature HyperX Comfort instead of – Signature HyperX Memory Foam wonder why that is, well who cares, marketing I guess. Also to note that the headset works and is certified to work well with Discord and Teamspeak, not to mention many other VOIP platforms. Comes with a two-year warranty, which is great, as sometimes a headset can last forever, sometimes they don’t, or sometimes you simply break it accidentally. The last thing on the front is the icon stating that the headset will last 30 hours, this is something I shall be testing somehow.
Moving to one of the sides they promote some of the teams them sponsor, instead of just a short amount, I have decided to take a pic of the site to showcase how many esport teams that actually sponsor, and there is a lot.
As you can see there is a shit tonne, HyperX is really pushing themselves into the eSports Arena and being the No1 brand to own, not just as an esport star/ team but also a gamer in general. It is a good marketing idea, as fans of the teams, will see them using their gear and want the same gear themselves. On some occasions, I have seen teams using different gear, as the event is sponsored by other peripheral manufacturers.
Moving to the back of the package we get to know a little more about this wonderful new headset.
- Durable, Adjustable Steel slider for the headband
- 90° Rotating Ear Cups with LED Lighting Effects
- Detachable Noise-Cancellation Microphone
- Intuitive Audio and Mic Controler
The headset is suitable to use with the following VOIP programs;
- Teamspeak
- Discord
- Skype
- Ventrilo
- Mumble
- Raidcall
We also find out right at the bottom that the headset can be used with the Xbox One, Xbox One X, and Mobile by using the supplied 3.5mm Audio jack cable.
Unboxing, is something we all love doing right? come on, that new item arrives, shiny and new, you are either a ripper, that rips open your new product, with no regard to the packaging and just wants to hold that new shiny item. Or you are a person like me that finds something sharp and slowly pulls the sharp instrument through the gap where the company has decided to stick down the joints, trying not to damage anything along the way. Then you slowly remove the product, unravel the cables and set your product up just right.
With HyperX products, Headsets for this review, the main box holding the headset, can be accessed by removing the sleeve, then flipping open the lid, when nosing inside, you notice the instruction manual, very basic and a welcome note from HyperX General Manager ‘Anders “GR8V1K1ng” Willumsen’. Throwing them to one side you remove the clear plastic that is happily holding your new headphones in place, with the help of more plastic under that, making these headphones rather well secure, for any journey home or delivery.
Like with all my audio reviews for headphones, it is great to have some actual audio footage for the mic while playing a game for a short amount of time, don’t want to make you fall asleep so here us a video of me playing Warhammer: Dawn of War 3, chapter 1.
Please be aware that, this video I set the mic to the max and the audio to 3 bars with the Xsplit Gamecaster software, the same setting I use with all my recording, this is to help the microphone come through more clearly, over the sounds of the game. I was not at my best sorry, due to a personal loss to myself and my partner.
OK, moving on, before tears start rolling again, the headset, let us compare the weight to my No1 gaming headset so far the SteelSeries Arctis 7 which weighs in at 371g, the flight comes in at 295g with a boom mic attached. So its actually lighter than my No1 wireless headset.
Moving on to the ear cups, padding is different, the SteelSeries Arctis Range use AirWeave Ear Cushions which are amazing to have over your ears, HyperX use memory foam instead and leather for comfort, which again feels great. The only difference really would be noise dampening and noise isolation, due to SteelSeries using AirWeave you can hear more of the world around you, and people around you can also hear what you are playing when playing games/music etc and a certain sound level. You don’t get much of an issue with leather Ear Cushions used with the HyperX flight, noise dampening from the outside world is improved upon and so is noise isolation from the headphone.
The ear cups can be moved 90°s so you can rest them flat down or on your shoulders nice and comfortable, they also have a little flex moving the ear cup in and out, see video below for more information.
Then we come to the headband, I much prefer a headband like the ones used on the Arctis range, just because it floats on your head and offers great comfort, and helps to distribute weight more accurately. The flight, you could say uses a more static headband with a minimal amount of headband cushioning, it feels OK, not good or excellent, I personally would prefer more. The headband expands to a good length on both sides, with a solid metal frame to boot, so it should fit many head sizes rather well, without any doubt in my mind, that it is not going to break that easily. There is also the HyperX Branding etched into the top of the headband for visual aid, just in case you did not know what headset you were picking up (kidding).
The Microphone, what do you think? watch the video? its above, with me having a bash at Warhammer: Dawn of War 3 and sucking as always. I have always found HyperX mics to be amazing and work like a charm, but are they are par with SteelSeries Clear Cast? almost, they are not quite up there yet. This microphone is detachable, but I wish they would make a microphone that just pushes inside the ear cup instead. I hate leaving then microphone around my office when not in use, sometimes my damn cat finds them fun to play with.
Below is the video of me using the Arctis 7 clear mic, make up your own mind the settings are exactly the same for recording.
OK, Software? looking in manual, checking online, nope nothing, no software, now this is where I would bitch and moan, but for some reason I am not this time, why, well the microphone performs well out of the box, ok, I must admit I would like more control over it, like Microphone Volume, Sidetone or some more support for background noise cancellation. I would then moan about no Virtual Surround Sound 5.1 or 7.1, not this time, as I would simply say ‘there is no point in offering this as a perk’ as, Windows 10, which I hope most of you have now, offers Windows Sonic, which is Virtual Surround Sound for headphones, or you can purchase for a small price, Dolby Atmos for headphones which is much better than Sonic. I have tested the headset with both Software and as expected, provides great VR Surround sound to your ears in all games.
OK Sound, Like with all these HyperX Headsets, HyperX have sound slammed to rights, its perfect, from Treble to Bass, to everything in between, I know many audio enthusiasts would like more control, but for the avid gamer like myself and many others, it is not required, they simply perform well.
I played the likes of Project Cars 2, which I still suck at, even after many hours of playing the damn game, and you can hear cars from behind and to the sides, chuck on something like Star Wars Battlefield 2, from space battles to land battles, all the immersion expected with VR sound is there and bring the game to life in all new way. Music, well I enjoy Bass, Techno, Trance, and some good old school rock, all music sounds to me, I am not music enthusiast, good, enjoyable, audible.
More additions? well yes, the volume is controlled via a dial on the right ear cup, the mic mute is controlled on the left ear cup, by pushing down on the left ear cup same place the Hyper X logo is. You will hear two beeps, meaning the microphone is muted and one beep when the microphone is un-muted, there is no other way of telling the difference, maybe they should have added a small LED to the Microphone as well, just as a visual aid.
The headset can be charged using the supplied Micro USB Cable, which also requires a USB connection 2.0 or 3.0. If you wish to use the headset on your mobile device (not the new Apple phones because they are rip off merchants and want you to buy there own rip off shit) Xbox One, X Box One X or Switch there is a supplied 3.5mm audio cable, however, this is for audio only and the microphone does not work.
Then we have LED lighting, this is a first for HyperX on a headset, and I do like it, I would prefer RGB LED, however, I understand that HyperX is RED and RED is there primary colour, saying this, Razers primary colour is Green and they have moved to RGB as well. I must note, that Hyper X has announced a set of rather good looking RGB gear and if you are a fan of RGB lighting, like myself, get on over there and check them out.
The LED has three variations, ON, OFF and Breathing, each version is controlled by the power button. When the device is powered on, click once to breathe, click again to turn off, click again to turn back on steady. The LED also acts as a charger display, when it breaths, it’s charging, when it stops breathing it is fully charged.
And finally this 30HOURS of usage on the box, this took me 10 days in total to test, five days charging and 5 days testing, when testing, I would be pumping music through the device, not gameplay. The device was charged to max before each test, of course, I did not sit there and watch it change, I would charge it overnight, so there might be an overcharge, this I can not say.
- LED on, Mid Volume – I got max just over 10hrs, I tried a second time got just over 11hrs
- LED on, Max Volume – 8hrs first attempt, second attempt 8 hours again.
- LED Breathing, Mid Volume – 16.5 hours, second attempt, almost 18hours.
- LED off – Mid Volume – I got 29.5hours, Second attempt almost the same.
- LED off – Max Volume – 24.5 hours, Second attempt 25 hours.
As you can see I was unable to get the full 30hrs from the headset, might be due to overcharging, or volume levels, or a number of things, as we know when it comes to testing products companies have there own strict regulations and testing procedures.
Before my final thoughts, just in case you missed anything, here are the main features:
- Gaming-grade wireless with long-lasting battery life
- Signature HyperX comfort
- Immersive in-game audio
- Durable, adjustable steel slider
- PC, PS4™, and PS4™ Pro ready
- 90° rotating ear cups with LED lighting effects
- Intuitive audio and mic controls
- Detachable noise-cancellation microphone
Other than that, this headset is covered, so final thoughts, More padding required on the headband or a new design to distribute weight better, RGB Lighting please on an upgraded version, LED display on the microphone for visual aid (mic mute). Other than that, this headset is great, the sound is great, it works out of the box with no software required. The microphone is not the best mic I have used, but it is still a good quality microphone for a gaming headset. The Earpads and comfortable for those long gaming sessions, however, in the summer you might sweet a little using them due to them being leather and not cloth. You might be able to purchase cloth ear cups at some point in their store this I can not confirm.
Grab the headset from Hyper X or any good retail outlet
You must be logged in to post a comment.