Hyperx Cloud Revolver S Review – This new gaming headset marks a turning point at HyperX: new name, new look, new materials, new microphone. Above all, the manufacturer wants to seduce FPS enthusiasts by offering a model that would be studied for the practice of the genre thanks to excellent sound spatialization . Let’s see if all these changes risk turning the Revolver against its builder.
Ergonomics
Even if its atypical look may surprise you, the HyperX Revolver is an over-ear headset that benefits from good manufacturing quality, serious assembly, a large metal headband and plastic shells to protect the ear cups. The only details that bother us concern the apparent wiring between the top of the ear cups and the base of the lower hoop as well as the non-removable cable.
Apart from that, the helmet is both strong, light and relatively flexible, which bodes well for good durability if you take a minimum of care of your belongings. If you are often on the move, know that HyperX has chosen to get rid of the many accessories that were one of the strengths of the Cloud . So there is no storage case to protect the headphones or even an extension cable or additional pads.
Comfort
This Revolver uses a double headband that is increasingly found in the world of audio gaming . This choice is quite clearly inspired by what can be found at Steelseries with the Siberia 650, for example. The problem with this upper metal hoop is that it tends to resonate when wearing the helmet on the head and touching this part. Fortunately, the phenomenon is much better controlled here.
HyperX has kept the headband of the Cloud, but the foam here is a little more flexible and airy. The two earpieces are connected to the headband by a ball-and-socket pivot system that allows slight vertical or horizontal movement. The removable leatherette pads are similar to those of the Cloud: they are particularly thick and soft to the touch.
This combination adds a new dimension to the comfort provided. The Revolver sits naturally on the head and adapts quite well to different body types, especially larger heads. The weight is well distributed and the pressure points are homogeneous all around the ears. The pads do not provide an extreme feeling of heat.
Good Controler
However, we find that the pressure exerted on the top of the head is just a little too much for large heads in the first few hours, which can be annoying if you decide to do long sessions from the start. The shaping and softening of the pad are done little by little, but you always feel a little the arch in the end. A slightly more flexible and less thick lower arch could have changed the situation. The acoustic design is a bit more open, so the passive isolation is far from extreme. It still allows you to cut yourself off from the environment to be comfortable in the game.
The Revolver connects to console controllers and mobile devices via a particularly thick braided cable that measures about one meter. It ends with a 3.5 mm 4-pin mini-jack connector. A 2m extension cable, which terminates in a double 3.5mm 3-point mini-jack is also supplied. It embeds a command that allows you to control the listening volume via a continuous potentiometer and which allows you to mute the microphone via a switch. Like many other headsets, the Revolver does not have a dedicated computer application.
Audio
The sound performance of this headset is generally good. The rendering is certainly musical and the W signature is marked, but in the end it remains relatively controlled and precise.
The low end is delivered with great depth, but it’s not extremely warm. This remains controlled, however, because the membranes never really get carried away and there is only a small masking effect on the low mids. The voices are particularly well put forward. They are clear and intelligible, but female vocals lack a bit of warmth and therefore sound more pinched than male vocals.
This W signature is still a little marked in the high-mids/treble. The sibilance wakes up from time to time depending on the songs, just like the “fff” of the voices. The guitars, especially the electric guitars with distortion, are a bit sharper and more aggressive than usual. Our favorite pieces in this kind of case, signed The Dillinger Escape Plan and Oh, Sleeper, however, remain soft enough to be listened to without being too aggressive.
The Revolver offers a nice reproduction of stereophony even if, again, we expected even more width. However, the sound stage remains particularly readable and each element that composes it is easily identifiable. This is less the case in depth, especially on the evaluation of the distance in play. It is a little better than what the Cloud is capable of, but not as good as some other references.
Microphone
This model also innovates in terms of microphone. This one still remains removable and gooseneck, but it is now without windshield and protected by rubber. It is easy to handle and easily positioned in front of the mouth. It captures the voice very well and cuts out enough outside noise to be heard clearly. However, a small gain boost will not be too much to achieve a good level of capture.
Conclusion
Hyper took a risky bet by changing a large part of the codes that made the Cloud so successful . The new design of the Revolver is more comfortable and more adapted to different morphologies, but the many accessories have disappeared. The sound reproduction is really different, but it remains overall controlled and precise. In the end, and contrary to what HyperX announces, this model has nothing really special for FPS games. It will satisfy those looking for an effective closed helmet that does not isolate extremely, but which offers a greater feeling of ventilation.