HyperX Cloud Flight S wireless headset hands-on: I love the surround sound, but the mic could use some work

HyperX recently made a new addition to its Cloud Flight wireless headset line with the HyperX Cloud Flight S. Upon first glance there isn't much different other than a slight change in coloring on the earcups (goodbye stereotypical gamer red), but the Cloud Flight S actually offers a lot more than its older sibling. I've had about two weeks of hands-on time with the headset so far, and it's my new favorite out of the several that I own. Granted, this is also my first wireless headset, but I still think I can speak towards its overall quality.

The most significant upgrade with the Cloud Flight S is that it supports 7.1 virtual surround sound, and there's a button to press on the headset itself that lets you quickly toggle between surround sound and stereo. You may not normally notice a difference if you aren't listing to either type back-to-back, but when you can switch between them at a moment's notice, the drastic difference in quality is immediately noticeable. Surround sound is just much, much better. There are no two ways about it.

As opposed to the regular Cloud Flight, the newer Cloud Flight S also has chat balance options on the left earcup, letting you adjust the volume of your game and chat simultaneously. This is also where you can mute your mic, now complete with an LED to indicate when it's muted. I've always hated not knowing whether or not I'm muted on certain microphones, and this takes the guessing game out of it without having to awkwardly repeat "Can you hear me?" to my friends a couple of times.

What I, unfortunately, couldn't try out was its Qi wireless charging functionality. I was unable to get my hands on the separate charging pad that you need for it. Regardless, the headset held up to its claim of roughly 30-hours of wireless usage between charges when I'd need to grab the included micro-USB cable.

As much as I can rave about it, I also think the microphone could have been a lot better. As it stands, it's just painfully average. There's nothing special about it, and you can (and should) buy a much nicer microphone if you're thinking about streaming games on Twitch or Mixer.

So should you buy it? It honestly depends on how much you want to spend. Wireless headsets aren't cheap, and for $160, this one is a tad on the expensive side, though certainly not the most expensive by any means. Just based on my own personal experience, I'd say it's definitely worth the price. I love using it and I can't see myself going back to any of my other headsets in the near future. Considering everything that it offers — combined with the comfort and audio quality — HyperX did a great job.

We'll have a review up next week where you'll be able to read my full thoughts.