HyperX Cloud Flight S  Headphones Review

The HyperX Cloud Flight S look slightly more premium and sleek than its predecessor, the HyperX Cloud Flight. They aren't too bulky and have a fairly simple and casual look, especially when you remove the detachable boom microphone. They're all black and don't look nearly as flashy or gamer-centric as some other options, such as the ROCCAT Elo 7.1 Air Wireless, which have customizable RGB lighting on their ear cups.

The HyperX Cloud Flight S are a bit more comfortable than the previous generation. They have better-quality padding on the ear cups that feel plusher and nicer to the touch. While they're a bit heavier and put a bit more pressure on the head, it isn't too noticeable and they should still be quite comfortable for most people to wear during long gaming marathons.

The HyperX Cloud Flight S' controls are adequate. The left ear cup has four mappable buttons which are spread apart and easy-to-use, though they can be a bit tough to press. Most controls give you some basic audio feedback in the form of beeps, but there are no voice prompts and, unfortunately, the button to turn 7.1 mode on/off has no audio cue at all, so it can be difficult to know whether it's turned on or not. The volume wheel has a bit more resistance to it and feels more premium than the previous version. Unfortunately, it's an infinite scroll that doesn't stop when you reach min or max volume, though luckily, it makes an obvious beep when it reaches either.

Like most over-ear headphones, the HyperX Cloud Flight S aren't the most portable. The ear cups swivel so the headphones can lay flat, which is nice if you need to put them in a suitcase or backpack. The ear cups now click in place when laid flat, so they're less likely to swivel back. These headphones also can't be used via Bluetooth or wired, meaning it's unlikely you'll take them around with you much, as they're meant to stay at home with your gaming setup.

The HyperX Cloud Flight S don't come with a case.

The HyperX Cloud Flight S feel quite well-built and are an upgrade over the previous version in this regard. The entire headset feels slightly more premium and is made of good quality plastic and padding. They creak less than the previous version and feel quite solid overall. If you're looking for an even better-built pair of HyperX headphones, consider the HyperX Cloud 2/Cloud II Wireless.

The HyperX Cloud Flight S's stability is only okay. They're designed to use at home while gaming and they fit snug enough on the head that it's unlikely they'll fall off. While they likely could be stable enough to run or jog with, they're limited by only working with their included USB receiver, so it's unlikely you'll use them with anything other than your gaming rig.

• HyperX Cloud Flight S headphones
• Detachable boom microphone
• USB transmitter
• Micro USB charging cable
• Manuals

The HyperX Cloud Flight S' sound profile is decently accurate and balanced, but with a few slight dips in the mid and treble ranges. Overall, they may sound slightly thin and lacking a bit of brightness and detail, though they're fairly well-tuned for video games, and gunshots and explosions will have a bit of extra thump without it being overpowering.

The HyperX Cloud Flight S are a bit more consistent among various users than the previous versions and many other over-ear gaming headphones. Glasses-wearers may find it difficult to get a proper seal, resulting in less bass. You may notice some inconsistencies with the treble range, so you may need to adjust them on your head slightly to get the same listening experience every time.

The HyperX Cloud Flight S' bass accuracy is excellent. There's a slight bump that'll help add a tiny bit of extra thump and kick to explosions and gunshots, but they shouldn't sound overpowering or thumpy.

The HyperX Cloud Flight S' mid-range accuracy is good. The underemphasized low-mid range will cause most vocals and leads to sound a bit thin, but it evens out by the mid-mid range so it won't be too noticeable.

The treble accuracy of these headphones is only okay. Unfortunately, most of the range is fairly recessed so vocals may lack detail and sound slightly dull.

The peaks and dips performance of these headphones is alright. The dip in low-mid will thin out instruments and vocals, while the dip in treble will cause those frequencies to be lacking in detail and brightness. The large spike in mid-treble will likely cause some sounds to be piercing and harsh.

The HyperX Cloud Flight S' imaging performance is excellent. The GD graph shows that almost the entire group delay response is within the audibility threshold which results in a tight bass and a transparent treble reproduction. Additionally, the L/R drivers of our test unit were very well-matched in amplitude, frequency, and phase response. This ensures an accurate placement and localization of objects (voices, instruments, video game effects) in the stereo field.

The HyperX Cloud Flight S' passive soundstage is disappointing. While the soundstage will likely be perceived as being very large, it may appear to be located inside the listener's head due to their closed-back design.

These headphones have a 7.1 virtual surround sound feature, though we don't currently test the effectiveness and only score whether or not the headphones have this feature.

The weighted harmonic distortion of these headphones is quite decent. There's very little distortion at moderate or high volume levels.

These are the settings used while testing these headphones; therefore, the results are only valid for these test settings.

The noise isolation of these headphones is disappointing. They don't have an ANC feature and do nothing to block low-end frequencies like engine rumble. They may help a bit with blocking out some background chatter, though they're only mediocre at this. Overall, these aren't the best for gaming in a noisy environment like a competition.

The leakage performance of these headphones is decent. At higher volumes, people around you will likely be able to hear what you're listening to. Given that these headphones are only designed for use while gaming at home, it'll likely be fine, though they may not be a good option for gaming in bed while someone's trying to sleep next to you.

These headphones have a detachable boom microphone.

The recording quality of the microphone is great. Your voice should sound full-bodied as well as being quite clear and understandable.

Update 11/08/2021: These headphones have been updated to test bench 1.5. In this update, we made changes to the way we test noise handling. We now use a subjective evaluation of our audio clips. This new method has resulted in different results than what we had reported in our previous test bench. As a result, the scoring of this box has changed, and we have updated our results.

The noise handling of the microphone is good. Even in noisy environments, it's easy for your teammates to hear you clearly.

The battery performance of these headphones is great. Their battery lasts over 33 hours, which is outstanding and is longer than the 30 hours they're advertised to last. They also have an auto-off timer that will turn them off automatically when left inactive for a certain amount of time. Unfortunately, they take a long time to fully charge, though you shouldn't have to do this too often. They use micro-USB for charging, and also support Qi-enabled wireless charging, so you can easily charge them by placing them on a wireless charging pad, which is handy.

The dedicated companion app for these headphones is decent. Unlike before, the app is now only available in the Microsoft Store, and it appears to be a beta version. These headphones now feature four programmable buttons that the previous version didn't have, and they can be mapped to a wide variety of uses within the app, from media controls to app launching. You can also save various profiles and switch between them easily. Unfortunately, unlike the Logitech G PRO X WIRELESS LIGHTSPEED Gaming Headset's and the JBL Quantum 800's companion app, there are no EQ options at all, not even presets, which is very disappointing.

These headphones don't support Bluetooth and can only be used via their proprietary USB receiver.

Update 11/08/2021: These headphones have been updated to test bench 1.5. In this update, we made changes to the way we test latency. We now use a click track in our software, and we measure latency three times and average the results. This new method has resulted in different latency values than what we had reported in our previous test bench, and we've updated our review to reflect these results.

The wireless performance of these headphones is outstanding. Their latency is quite low, so your audio and visuals should stay in sync with one another.

Unlike the previous version, these headphones can't be used wired, which is a shame. This means that they're limited to only being used at home and can't be used as your daily headphones, which is very limiting.

Since these headphones don't have a 1/8" port, they can't be used with Xbox One, which is disappointing.

There's no base or dock included with the HyperX Cloud Flight S. The included wireless dongle can be plugged into a PS4 but isn't compatible with the Xbox One.