I don’t consider myself an audiophile or connoisseur of premium audio products. My wife and I just moved into our new house a few months ago and I haven’t even gotten around to installing proper surround sound in the living room even though the ceiling is already pre-wired for it — we’re just using a sound bar for now. All that being said, I do still appreciate a quality set of headphones and for what it’s worth, the wired headset landscape doesn’t get a whole lot better than the HyperX Cloud Revolver S.
Prior to receiving a HyperX Cloud Revolver S I’d been using a years-old HyperX Cloud headset so the difference is quite noticeable. A lot of gamers are making the transition to wireless headsets but anyone that uses VR frequently knows that 3D audio doesn’t transmit well over wireless or bluetooth signals. Wired is the way to go for audio in VR for the time being.
As a glasses-wearer comfort is a lot more important to me than it is for some people. When I cram my face into VR headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive my glasses get squished and my face feels uncomfortable. It’s just a cost of doing business with PC VR headsets. The PSVR is less of an issue, similar to the Windows VR devices, and are far more comfortable. As a result I often choose the headphones I’m going to wear based on my glasses accommodation. On-ear headphones that sit on top of my ears and press the edges of my ear into the rim of my glasses are a no-go for more than 10 or 15 minutes before it starts hurting.
Luckily the HyperX Cloud line is incredibly well-known for the supreme comfort of its memory foam ear cups. They rest comfortably on the side of my head and aren’t too heavy. The top strap of the Revolver S is also weighted and very flexible so it automatically compresses to the shape of whoever’s head is currently wearing it. This is a hugely beneficial feature to me. The microphone also detaches easily so you don’t have to worry about it getting broken or in the way if it isn’t needed. I always detached it when using it with a VR headset since every headset has a mic built-in anyway.
The sound quality is excellent as well. You can use the headset as either a standard stereo headset with just a straight audio jack plug or you can plug that end into the breakout box which extends to a USB plug that goes directly into your PC or console for virtual Dolby 7.1 surround sound. The stereo quality was fine, but it didn’t sound like a major improvement over the standard HyperX Cloud Revolver or even the older Cloud headsets. The real difference is once you enable the breakout box.
When the box is plugged in you get a total of five different audio modes. There is a button you can hit to cycle between baseline audio modes, a bass boost, a treble boost, etc. My favorite for most games and situations was with the single bottom light on for a delicious bass boost. The box also has buttons to turn on the full Dolby 7.1 surround sound and to mute the mic or change audio volume. You can clip it on the cord, your shirt, or wherever is convenient to get to.
The issue here is that using the box requires plugging into a USB port instead of just an audio jack. This means if you’re doing roomscale VR with a Rift or Vive you’re gonna have an extra cord running down to your PC. It isn’t as big of an issue on PSVR since you’re usually seated or front-facing anyway. But in the case of the other headsets having a whole other cord can get quite annoying. But if you’ve been stepping over cables for a year and a half already just attaching this cable to the headset cable or accounting for a new cord isn’t a huge deal. It’s frustrating because in order to really take advantage of this headset and fully utilize the excellent Dolby 7.1 virtual surround sound you really do need to plug in the USB portion.
Final Recommendation: Absolutely
The HyperX Cloud Revolver S is one of the most comfortable and versatile gaming headsets I’ve ever used. If you’re a VR-user then you should note a USB connection is needed to take advantage of the virtual surround sound, but it’s also just a great all-around headset too with top-of-the-line build quality, comfort, and sound output. This is now a permanent fixture at my desk and is my default way of experiencing music, VR, and all other games at my home.
You can purchase the HyperX Cloud Revolver S headset now starting at $149 from Amazon or Newegg.
