HyperX has refreshed their first wireless gaming headset with the new Cloud Flight S. Like the Pulsefire Dart (its review here), Qi wireless charging is added with virtual surround sound support.
Unboxing
The outer cardboard sleeve sports the same white and red color scheme, which is the standard from HyperX products. A list of features, translated into nine different languages, is printed at the back. The Cloud Flight S headset is both Discord- and TeamSpeak-certified to work in game chats.
The side of the box provides the details about the internal battery and wireless receiver. The Cloud Flight S has the same non-removable 1500 mAh lithium-ion battery as the older Cloud Flight. It is advertised to last for 30 hours with a single charge.
There are the USB wireless receiver, detachable microphone and a micro USB to USB Type-A charging cable (1.0 meter) inside the packaging. A quick start guide and HyperX support card are included as well.
HyperX Cloud Flight S Wireless Gaming Headset
The Cloud Flight S utilizes a similar overall design from the Cloud Flight with the closed-back ear cups. The whole headset is made out of matte black plastic, and HyperX gets rid of the LED logos and exposed red cables. Without the microphone, it looks like a standard pair of Bluetooth headphone. The ear cups can be rotated by 90 degrees, which can be laid flat around your neck or table when not in use.
The left ear cup houses most of the ports and buttons. There are a 3.5 mm audio jack for the microphone, a micro USB charging port, a 7.1 virtual surround sound button and power button. The volume wheel can be found on the right ear cup.
Gone is the large mute button on the top of the left ear cup, replaced by the four tiny re-programmable buttons. They are defaulted to control mic monitoring/sidetone, mic mute and game/chat volume balances.
The ear pads on the Cloud Flight S are a lot thicker and more supportive than those in the Cloud Flight. Your ears should have great clearance away from the headset’s drivers.
The metal frame provides up to 11 distinctive steps on both sides for size adjustments. The swivel joints of the Cloud Flight S have a slightly different design than normal headsets, which will lock the ear cups in place for wireless charging.
The noise-cancelling microphone is detachable via the 3.5 mm audio connector. A red LED ring is installed at the front, which will light up when the mic is muted. The arm can be bent to move the microphone to the desired position.
For the Cloud Flight S, HyperX completely removed its capability to use a wired connection. You can only operate and listen with the headset is via the included USB wireless receiver. It is compatible with PC, PS4 or PS4 Pro. Like most gaming-grade wireless peripherals, audio data is transferred through low-latency 2.4 GHz radio wave. HyperX claims to have a maximum range of 20 meters or 65.6 feet.
Review
Design
The Cloud Flight S weighs in at just 315 grams, which is very light as a wireless gaming headset with a big internal battery. Thanks to the soft cushion on the ear pads, wearing the headset for prolonged sessions is not a problem. I found it fits me more comfortable and secure than the original Cloud Flight, maybe because of the slightly increased clamping force or thickness for the padding.
The four dimple-like buttons offer more granular controls without the need to open the NGENUITY software. It is nice to have the ability to remap them to the users’ likings. The slightly recessed buttons do a great job in preventing accidental touches.
Features
The Cloud Flight S is added with similar custom-tuned 7.1 virtual surround sound from the Cloud Alpha S (its review here). It can be activated with the dedicated button, and is compatible in both PC and PS4 consoles. I notice the overall volume boost with the surround sound switched on. The 3D effects are immersive and offer accurate directional sound, with greatly expanded sound-stage and depth. The NGENUITY software will automatically optimize the sound profile, if it detects a specific number of games are playing, such as Rainbow Six Siege and Apex Legends.
The Qi-compatible charging coil is located on the left ear cup, which allows for wirelessly charging the Cloud Flight S. An small green LED will start flashing to indicate that the headset is receiving power. Although HyperX has released the ChargePlay Base Qi charger for the Pulsefire Dart mouse and the headset, it will need to be purchased separately.
It would be awesome if the Cloud Flight S to have Bluetooth connectivity, which extends the headset supported platforms to smartphones and tablets. Combined with the stealthy black design, the headset can be used at public places and not limited to just gaming at home.
Sound Quality
The Cloud Flight S is powered by two 50 mm neodymium driver, which outputs relatively balance sound. Like most gaming headset, the bass is emphasized and punchy, while mids and highs are accurate and clean. The virtual surround sound feature puts in slightly more bass, that makes explosions and gun shots in games/movies more satisfying.
The beefier ear pads contribute to the better passive noise isolation for the headset. The ear cups can seal more snugly around your ears, even if you are wearing glasses.
Microphone Quality
The detachable microphone sounds almost identical to the one in the Cloud Flight, despite HyperX stated it with a wider frequency response (50 Hz to 18 kHz). The aggressive compression issue from most wireless headset is still present. Voices through Discord is clear with good background noise-cancellation. The addition of the mute LED and sidetone feature is helpful.
You can listen and compare to the various microphone samples here, from the gaming headsets we tested previously.
Wireless Range and Battery Life
With the USB receiver plugged into the back I/O, the Cloud Flight S has great wireless reception, which I do not experience perceptible lags or dropouts. The rated 20 meters of range should allow users to use the headset in almost all possible scenarios.
The Cloud Flight S (including the Cloud Flight) still have one of the best battery life among most wireless headsets, at up to 30 hours per charge. The elimination of the LEDs should drastically decrease power consumption. For our particular headset, I typically get around 25 hours to 30 hours of usage with the 7.1 virtual surround sound turned on (at 50% to 70% volume).
You probably do not have to worry about the battery life, if you own a Qi-certified wireless charger. The headset will automatically recharge, by simply placing it on the pad overnight after each gaming session. Otherwise, you can top up the headset via the micro USB port, which should be a USB Type-C port for a 2020 gadget.
Software
The Cloud Flight S will function normally without any software, but it can be further customized through NGENUITY (Beta). You can control the audio and microphone volume, as well as toggling the mic monitoring/sidetone. Unfortunately, there is still no equalization settings for the sound.
The four side buttons are re-configurable to perform certain actions. However, the NGENUITY software is required to run at the background, due to the lack of onboard profiles and memory.
Conclusion
The HyperX Cloud Flight S is an outstanding upgrade over the Cloud Flight, which fixes a couple of my previous complaints (7.1 virtual surround sound and microphone sidetone feature). The build quality is solid with the extremely comfortable ear pads’ cushion. The implementation of Qi wireless charging makes recharging the headset more convenient, not to mention the already excellent 30-hour battery life.
The Cloud Flight S costs $159.99 USD (MSRP) with a 2-year warranty, while the Cloud Flight drops to $139.99 USD (MSRP). It is on the expensive side of the wireless gaming headset market, which is $10 USD more than the SteelSeries Arctis 7. However, I do think the newly-added features are worth the small $20 USD premium over its predecessor. The Cloud Flight S offers the only option currently to be able to wirelessly charge via the Qi standard.
For more information, you can visit the HyperX product page. The headset can be purchased from your local/online resellers or the links below from Amazon or Newegg.
- Amazon US: HyperX Cloud Flight S Wireless Gaming Headset
- Newegg US: HyperX Cloud Flight S Wireless Gaming Headset
Thanks HyperX for providing us the headset for review. (Review Sample)
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