Turtle Beach Elite Atlas vs. HyperX CloudX: Which headset should you buy?

The HyperX CloudX and Turtle Beach Elite Atlas look very similar on paper. The specs are near-identical — they share a color palette and feature set — so how do we go about comparing them?

CloudX vs. Elite Atlas: Battle of the details

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The Elite Atlas and CloudX sport relatively similar specs across the board. The CloudX has a slightly larger speaker at 53mm to the Atlas' 50mm, and the Elite Atlas has a slightly bassier frequency response, going down to 12Hz, while the CloudX goes up to 25kHz.

Despite this, the differences in frequency will be hard to discern in most scenarios, but Turtle Beach works directly with game developers to isolate and accentuate specific audio cues in games, and it really does work. You should hear footsteps and other enemy movements, weapon reloads, and other sound triggers a little more clearly on the Elite Atlas than on the CloudX, and I've certainly found that to be the case. That's not to say the CloudX is a slouch in the audio department, though.

The trade-off for Turtle Beach's audio profiling is that it can be slightly unnatural sounding at times, which impacts how well the headset handles music and movies. I'd argue that the CloudX has provided a better experience across the board in terms of audio, particularly so in music, even if the Elite Atlas provides a slightly more tactical soundstage for gaming. The differences between them are extremely negligible though, and difficult to reproduce. The truth is, you won't be disappointed regardless of which headset you pick when it comes to sound.

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Where the differentiation comes in a bit more is down to features. Both headsets sport a similar color palette, utilizing a metal framework and black fabrics. Design preferences are subjective, but the Elite Atlas' branding is a lot more subtle than the CloudX's, which has the large "HX" branding splashed across the cups, making it a little gaudy to wear outside. Both headsets are extremely comfortable, with detachable, highly flexible microphones and adjustable head straps. Turtle Beach utilizes a floating head band which conforms to your skull, whereas the CloudX uses a more traditional, cushioned headband. Both work fairly well overall, but I think the CloudX might edge out the Atlas slightly in the comfort wars, if for no reason other than how light it is. There's a reason they brand their headsets Cloud after all.

Where the Elite Atlas wins is in its customizability. Taking some cues from Astro, the Elite Atlas speaker cushions and reverse plastic plates are attached conveniently with magnets, allowing you to swap them out. There are a range of speaker plates that celebrate various major esports teams available on Turtle Beach's website, with the ability to purchase replacement cushions if yours get worn out. There's no such visual customizability on the HyperX CloudX, and while the range of accessories for the Elite Atlas isn't that broad right now, it'll no doubt expand to include more brands as time moves on.

CloudX vs. Elite Atlas: Which should you buy?

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So, which should you buy? I think quite honestly on this one, it comes down to which headset you prefer the look of. They're extremely close in terms of quality and sound. The CloudX is slightly more natural sounding, but the Elite Atlas provides a superior gaming tactical advantage. The CloudX isn't as customizable as the Elite Atlas, but it is a little lighter to wear. Also, the CloudX is also a bit cheaper, saving you $10.

If you play a lot of multiplayer games like Call of Duty, Battlefield, Overwatch, or Fortnite, I'm more inclined to recommend the Turtle Beach Elite Atlas. If you play a lot of single-player cinematic games, the CloudX might be the better choice for you. But if you don't mind either one, pick the one that you think looks cooler, because the differences are almost too close to call! You won't be disappointed, either way.