Closer Examination

The HyperX Cloud Revolver S is based on a dual-headband (sometimes also called "suspended headband") design which can often be found on heavier hi-fi headphones for one good reason: it works exceptionally well in terms of evenly distributing the weight of a headset and ensuring absolute comfort. The Cloud Revolver S is no exception to that rule. You simply pop it onto your head without having to adjust anything - the inner headband stretches exactly by as much as is necessary for it to fit your head, with the outer one serving as the connection between the left and right ear cup and the thing that keeps the whole headset together. The outer headband is made out of steel and the inner one is covered in foam and pleather, with a nice etched HyperX logo and white stitching along its entire arch.


On each side of the outer steel headband is a rubberized insert that can easily be removed. My first impression was that its purpose was merely decorative, and I considered it a bad call on HyperX's behalf as it doesn't look very pretty. However, after removing both inserts, it became clear why they were there, which is to prevent the steel headband from ringing. This is a problem I ran into with various other headsets that used a steel outer headband, so it was wonderful to see that HyperX came up with a solution for it. If you don't plan to take this headset outside, which is certainly an option with the Cloud Revolver S, you can safely remove them, as you won't hear any ringing of the headband while seated.


The Cloud Revolver S is not only a great-looking headset, but one that really feels luxurious in your hands. HyperX did so not only by using steel for the headband and ear cup frames, but by also coating the outer parts of both ear cups with a layer of fine rubber. I only wish they hadn't chosen the glossy black plastic to put between the ear cups and ear cushions. A matte black plastic would work so much better here, as would extending the rubber coating all the way to the ear cushions themselves.


The outer sides of the ear cups look like something you could perhaps see in the engineering room aboard the USS Enterprise. It's worth noting that the details here are colored white, which is one of the few details that differentiate the Cloud Revolver S from its cheaper sibling, the Cloud Revolver (no 7.1 Surround Sound and no USB sound card) whose details are painted red.


I'm just going to come right out and say it: I have no idea what the "Signature HyperX Memory Foam" is supposed to be. What I can tell you with certainty, though, is that the massive, oval-ear cushions are exceptionally soft, and they surround the ears completely. Their inner dimensions are 7x5 centimeters, which should be more than enough to fit ears of all sizes. They don't leak sound out or let it in, which makes the Cloud Revolver S a safe choice in a room where someone sitting fairly close to you wants no sound coming from your direction at all.


The supplied microphone is detachable, and its hole is made in a way that makes it impossible to position improperly. If you're wondering why you would even want to be able to detach it, the reason is quite simple - it won't be in the way if you decide to use the Cloud Revolver S outside of your home. I actually kept moving it between my apartment, where I used it for gaming, and my office, where I just wanted to have it for my music-listening sessions. I was quite happy to have the ability to yank the microphone out and leave it at home because it made it easier to throw the headset in my backpack without a worry in the world; more so if we consider the fact that the microphone can't be folded, pivoted, or moved in any other way or direction once it has been plugged into its slot.


The microphone itself is quite long, perhaps even slightly too long as I had to bend it closer to my mouth in order for my teammates to hear me come through loud enough. If it were a tad shorter, that probably wouldn't be necessary. When you decide to bring its large capsule closer to your mouth, you'll simply bend it any way you like, and its rubberized arm will stay in its new position.


The cable that runs down from the left ear cup is heavily braided and looks like it would be hard to cut even if someone wanted to do so on purpose. The same goes for all the other cables included in the box. That main cable is 1 meter long and terminates in a 4-pole TRRS 3.5-mm plug. If you plan to connect the Cloud Revolver S to your mobile device or console gamepad, that's what you'll use.


PC users will plug the main cable into the supplied USB sound card, which also serves as an in-line controller with a couple of dials and buttons used to control the headset without having to install any drivers. In fact, you couldn't install drivers even if you wanted to as they simply don't exist. The position of this sound card is a bit awkward (remember, it will be located a full meter down the cable), and it's unclear where one is supposed to put it. Sitting in the lap? Clipped to a shirt? I'm not sure, but what I can tell you with certainty is that I kept moving it around between games and unsuccessfully tried to find an optimal position for it.


The biggest button is quite obviously used to turn on Dolby Headphone Surround 7.1. The button below it mutes the microphone. Both glow red when active. On the opposite side of the USB sound card is a useful clothes clip.


There are two dials on the right side of the USB sound card. The upper one is used to control the sound's volume and the one below it adjusts the microphone's output volume.


On the left side of the USB sound card is a single button. Pressing it switches between three different equalizer settings. The currently active one is marked with a white LED right next to the button. The bottom LED tells us that the Bass Boost audio preset is active. The middle one is called "Flat" and the upmost one is called "Vocals". After you go through all three, pressing the button again will turn the presets off to simply leave you with the headset's default sound signature. More on the characteristics of the aforementioned presets in the audio performance section of this review.

Interestingly enough, there's also an undocumented feature to the left-side button, one I couldn't find a single word about in the user manual, official website, or anywhere else. If you press and hold it for a couple of seconds, you'll activate a so-called microphone-monitoring mode. Everything picked up by the microphone will be heard through the headphones with almost no perceivable delay. This prevents you from talking too loudly or sounding nasal. In a way, it emulates the experience of using a pair of open-back headphones. I should mention that the microphone picks up quite a bit of ambient noise while in this recording mode, including mouse clicks and mashing of the keyboard, so that can be slightly annoying. Even though I enjoyed using this feature on headsets like the SteelSeries Arctis 5 and 7, Corsair Void Pro RGB Wireless, and Turtle Beach Stealth 450 more than on the HyperX Cloud Revolver S, simply because of the way it was implemented, I was still happy to have it as an option and kept it activated almost all the time.


Finally, if for some reason you want to connect the headset to a device that uses two separate 3.5-mm TRS plugs (i.e. a high-quality sound card), you'll be able to do so thanks to the supplied 2-meter-long cable that splits a single 3.5-mm TRRS plug into a separate audio input and output.