Brand new from Pepcom in San Francisco, I got the chance to check out the HyperX Cloud Revolver S gaming headset, which is the second in the Revolver lineup and 7th in the cloud family. The first Cloud Revolver only being out for a year, has already set a high standard of the quality and comfort even against veteran headphone makers. So, let’s see how a 7.1 Dolby upgrade handles.
Visually, The Revolver S has a similar design to its predecessor, the Revolver, with the exception of white accents instead of red. The “backbone” of the headset is a light steel support frame that flexes and adjusts to the wearer, requiring no mechanism for actual adjustment. As for comfort, your head and ears will not touch any part of the metal or plastic frame as they are surrounded by very soft leather, memory foam cushion with white accents sewn in across the top, and HyperX logo on the sides.
Even though the outside is very similar, the difference begins to show with the attachments and the interior; the first thing to catch my eye was the Dolby button on the USB audio control box. And my first reaction was to run to the PC, plug this thing in and go all out. But, I had to hold off as I have to stick to my method of review and read the quick start guide: Read it all now and play later. So, what did I learn? I can plug in the USB audio controller into my PlayStation 4 and run it out to my controller, then with a Y splitter, and connect them both together to get a Dolby sound at my controller. If being wired into your PS4 isn't for you, simply use the attached 3.5mm jack and you are on your way.
I found that one of the best ways to test the 50mm drivers of the Revolver S is by using test tones from Dolby.com and downloading their test-tones and trailers. Yes, they're annoying but are very useful in getting everything calibrated and properly tested. If background noise isn’t your cup of tea, YouTube has some test sounds and they will get the job done, sort of as they're stuff isn't exactly surround sound. Doing the downloadable test works best for me via PC since it consistent and I know what to look for. After I finished that up I did my second favorite thing, which is watching a movie. I’ve read the Dark Knight is great sound wise, and it’s been a while, so off I went.
Now, I did use the Revolver S for actual gaming; along with the Fury S gaming mouse pad, I killed two birds with one stone. For PC gaming I tend to fall back to my favorites WoW (World of Warcraft), Diablo III, and Star Wars: Battlefront Ultimate Edition. I also used them on the PS4 with Battlefront (again), Overwatch, Destiny, and Diablo III.
The Bang:
Gaming with HyperX products has been the best for me these past two weeks as I've happily gone from PC to PS4 and back again. And my audio world has been rocked with the HyperX Revolver S. With the connected Dolby receiver on I can follow all types of sound horizontally and vertically with amazing clarity. And when I've had enough of listening to background orchestra music, I change over to my own tunes (lately it’s been "Raid the Arcade" from Armada). Now, when I switch over to the PlayStation 4 and I don’t want to be fully wired, using the Revolver S 3.5mm jack to the controller works great too. When watching movies or listening to music with the Revolver S, I found the quality to be phenomenal; listening to music (320kbps) while I work and chilling at home has been at studio quality. And the overall sound has been crisp no matter what device I attach them to. Finally, I find the Revolver S to be quite comfortable even after long hours of play; the wide band and the memory foam distribute the weight and pressure evenly giving you a snug but breathable fit, even when wearing glasses.
The Slack:
N/A
The HyperX Cloud Revolver S is a mouthful to say but it's definitely worth remembering as HyperX have been raising my expectation with each roll out of their gaming accessories. The HyperX division has only been out for a few years and they're starting to make an aggressive move against the veterans in the field. I'm giving the HyperX Cloud Revolver S Gaming Headphones 5 out of TOV 5 star for being one of the best gaming headsets I've had the pleasure of using as well as being legitimately a high-end gaming headset with studio-grade performance.
