Today I want to introduce you to the Hator Hyperpunk 2 USB 7.1 gaming headset. In fact, it is a set of Hator Hyperpunk 2 headset and Hator Crystal 2 sound card. The devices have recently appeared on the market, namely in September – October this year. From the main features we can immediately emphasize good technical characteristics, well thought-out ergonomics, 7.1 sound and most importantly – a small price of the set. After acquaintance and testing Hyperpunk 2 USB 7.1 left good impressions, so I decided to tell more about it in my review. I’m sure this set will interest many gamers who are looking for an inexpensive and at the same time high-quality gaming headset. Traditionally, I will start my review with brief technical specifications.
Headphones
Microphone
Sound card
For many gamers, Hator is well known for their quality yet affordable devices. The Hator Hyperpunk 2 USB 7.1 is no exception. In the official Hator online store the price for this model is $60. By the way, at the time of writing the review, the headset in black color (HTA-845) was also discounted – the price was $52. As far as I am concerned, this is the TOP for this money.
The headset comes in a cardboard box in Hator’s signature palette of bright yellow and black. In terms of design and information, the packaging is standard. On the front side and on the sides of the box you can see the brand logo, the name of the headset model and the image of the device itself. On the back there are detailed technical specifications in 3 languages: Ukrainian, Polish and English.
In the box itself, the basic package awaits us:
The headset has a bright and attractive appearance in the brand’s signature colors. The headband and ear cushions are black in color, while the earcups and headphone body are bright yellow. In my opinion, the design feature of this line of headsets lies in the available colors. There are 5 colors available: white, black, yellow, purple and mint.
Black and white will appeal to those who prefer classic, understated design of accessories. Yellow is, you could say, the signature color of Hator. By the way, as you could notice, the headset came to my review in this color. But mauve and mint are for fans of bright original colors and designs. By the way, depending on the color, the designation of the models differs as well:
In terms of ergonomics and build quality, the headset is excellent. The headband is soft and flexible, with a fabric covering. Ergonomic fabric ear cushions filled with memory foam. And, most importantly, the headset’s ultra-lightweight design weighing only 180 g. Thanks to these solutions, you can forget about fatigue, headaches and sweaty ears even during long gaming sessions. Pressure on the head and ear lobes is minimized, and the materials provide excellent air circulation.
But, in my opinion, this solution has a small disadvantage – insufficient sound insulation. Unlike the medium hard headband and leather ear cushions, which have a high pressure force, in this case the soft headband and fabric ear cushions fit less tightly, so they do not provide sufficient sound insulation. For the user it is not so critical, but the surrounding people may be disturbed by the loud sound coming from the headphones. Now I will tell you how it is in practice.
For example, I played Battlefield 2042 with the Hator Hyperpunk 2 USB 7.1 at 60 and 40% volume levels. I could hear no mechanical keyboard tapping, mouse clicks, or extraneous conversations in the room at 60% or 40%. That is, no extraneous sounds at all, except for the game itself. But my wife at 60% volume could clearly hear not only the sounds of explosions and shooting, but also the voices of the operatives in the game. You could even hear what exactly they were shouting. At 40% volume, no more voices could be heard, only shooting and explosions. And all this at a distance of about 3 meters. What I’m saying: if you like to play at medium-high volume, and even at night (like me, for example), and there is someone else in the room besides you, then insufficient soundproofing can create a certain discomfort for others.
However, this headset doesn’t give me any headaches or ear sweat at all. I played almost continuously with the Hator Hyperpunk 2 for about 6 hours and I was comfortable. Which is something I can’t say about my main headset with the hard headband and leather ear cushions.
In terms of comfort, fit, adjustability, everything is good. The headphones sit comfortably on your head without you feeling them much. The adjustment range is more than enough to customize the fit specifically for you. The headset fits both small and large heads equally well.
The connectors are standard: 3.5mm for the detachable microphone and 3.5mm for the headset itself. Both are located on the left earpiece. If the microphone is not used, its connector can be covered with the supplied rubber plug, which will make the accessory look more aesthetically pleasing and tidy.
The volume control is located on the sound card. There are also full mute and microphone buttons on the device.
The 3.5mm audio cable is 1m long and the USB Type-A sound card cable is 1.5m long. In general, the total length of the headset cables is 2.5 meters. This is actually quite convenient, especially for those who have a PC standing far away or don’t have audio outputs on the front panel.
If the total length is too long, a rubber adjustable cable tie is included. You can simply coil up the excess, secure it neatly with the cable tie and stash it away.
The Hyperpunk 2 headset features 50mm drivers with neodymium magnets. The frequency range is from 10 Hz to 22 kHz. Claimed impedance is 64 ohms. Sensitivity 114 dB. Maximum power 20 mW. The potential of the headphones helps to reveal a complete sound card 7.1 Hator Crystal with a maximum frequency of 48 kHz.
The sound of the headset is without exaggeration excellent. Especially when you consider the price of this set. When I tested the headset, I heard clear, rich, juicy, voluminous sound in games. Especially in those where the sound component is well developed.
Again, I’d like to take Battlefield as an example, because the sound here is above reproach. I think you should test gaming headsets in games like this one.
After about 6 hours of playing Battlefield 2042 with Hator Hyperpunk 2, what can I say? The sound is just great: clear, rich and spacious. Explosions, shooting, shell casings falling to the floor, screams, chaos on the battlefield. All this Hyperpunk 2 conveys very realistically. The audibility of the environment is also excellent. For example, several times while sitting in an ambush, I heard the sounds of footsteps somewhere behind me. Looking at the map, I realized that there are no allies around, which means that the enemy is trying to bypass me. In the end, thanks to the sound, hearing the full picture of what was going on around me, I successfully worked ahead. From this we can conclude that this headset is just perfect for various kinds of battle royales.
Another example of a game with a well-developed sound component is Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. For those who are familiar with this game, there is no need to explain anything about the sound. But for those who are not familiar with it, I will say a few words for better understanding.
According to the plot of the game, the main character suffers from psychosis – constantly hears voices in her head and various auditory hallucinations. The developers tried to convey all this in the game as accurately as possible with the help of sound. We can definitely say that the sound is the main feature of the game, everything else is secondary. During the work on the sound they even used special technologies, like binaural recording. That’s why this game is also perfect for testing.
What can I say after spending a couple hours with this headset in Hellblade – it sounds really cool. Yes, Hyperpunk 2 won’t deliver the level of top-end headphones in this game. But the sound is still very decent. The first time I played Hellblade on TV just with the sound from the speakers. Now I think I need to go through it properly – with headphones.
As for listening to music. You can also listen to music in Hyperpunk 2 without any problems, the headset sounds quite good. The only point is that it is better to turn off 7.1 for music. Still, it lacks a bit of bass. The problem with the lack of bass can be partially solved by equalizer. In general, gaming headsets are more suitable for gaming. You can listen to music, but you should not expect super high-quality sound.
A few more words about the volume level – it is enough for my eyes. The headset itself is very loud. At a level of 70% it already becomes loud for your ears. At 100% the sound will be heard not only by you, but also by people in the next room. By the way, at a minimum volume of 2%, the sound in the headphones is still clearly audible. Conclusion: Hator Hyperpunk 2 USB 7.1 volume is excellent.
The microphone frequency range is 100 Hz – 10 kHz. Signal-to-noise ratio ’64 dB. Sensitivity -42 dB. In the settings you can turn on/off the microphone gain, adjust the volume level, there is a function to reduce noise.
The microphone sounds good. I tested the microphone in several games and had no problems with it. My teammates heard me well, my voice is clear, without distortion. And what else do you need from a gaming headset microphone?
To evaluate the quality of the microphone, I recorded some voice samples. In my opinion, the quality is quite good.
The headset has its own proprietary software – Hator Crystal 7.1. The program is simple and intuitive. With its help you can customize headphones with microphone to your preferences and make finer adjustments of technologies like Xear Surround Max or Xear SingFX. Let’s take a closer look at the program.
Hator Crystal 7.1 has 2 main sections of settings – for headphones and microphone. To get to the advanced settings, you need to right-click on the corresponding icon and select what you need in the drop-down list.
Of the available headphone settings, there are: volume control, disambiguation frequency, equalizer, ambient effects, 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter, Xear SingFX, Xear Surround Max.
I think it is clear from the names of most of them what they are and what they are responsible for. Only the last 3 settings should be clarified.
7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter – technology of virtual multichannel sound. Here you can not only enable/disable 7.1 sound, but also manually adjust the volume and location of each channel.
Xear SingFX – allows you to adjust the tone of your voice or mute it altogether. Interesting stuff. You can mock the voices of your favorite artists or teammates. Or muffle them completely. I haven’t found any other practical use for this function.
Xear Surround Max – spatial sound improvement. The only available settings are on and off.
Of the microphone settings, there’s volume control, discredit frequency, Xear SingFX and noise reduction.
Xear SingFX for microphone – with it you can change your voice and reduce echo. You can make your voice higher, lower, and even change its gender. In principle, the chip is cool. But I should note that the transformed voice sounds unnatural, so you should not expect much from Xear SingFX.
In general, Hator Crystal 7.1 is a useful program and performs its functions perfectly. I haven’t noticed any bugs or any problems in its work. The only thing to which one can be annoyed is the absence of any audio demonstration. It would be nice to add something similar to the 7.1 audio setup menu.
Hator Hyperpunk 2 USB 7.1 is a great affordable gaming headset. Cool design, great ergonomics and quality build. But the most important thing is the sound, which is really pleasing to the ear. In the review I mentioned the lack of sound insulation, but I can’t say that this is an unambiguous minus. A compromise was needed here, and it was made in favor of user comfort. My verdict: I can unequivocally recommend Hyperpunk 2 USB 7.1 to those who are looking for a high-quality and at the same time inexpensive gaming headset.
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