August 22, 2017
$84.99
10.5 oz
9.2 x 8.25 x 4.65 in
If you’re looking for a great pair of gaming headphones, the HyperX Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset should be your go-to choice. Wondering why? The gaming audio experience with the headset is genuinely unbeatable at this price range.
But that’s not the only reason the HyperX Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset became so popular in the gaming community. It offers a no-frills experience that keeps the unwanted complications out of gaming sessions.
In addition to that, it checks all the boxes required to deliver you an enhanced gaming audio experience. You can learn about this fantastic gaming headset in this in-depth HyperX Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset review.
HyperX Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset
Redefining affordable wired-gaming headsets
TL:DR;
The HyperX Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset is a good pick for any gamer. It has a robust driver setup that lets you get all the details of in-game audio. The microphone has excellent recording quality, making it easier for you to communicate with your teammates.
What’s more important is that the microphone does a great job of separating your voice from the background noise. So you can speak confidently regardless of how isolated your gaming setup is.
Also, HyperX has nailed the design of the headset. The Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset is comfortable enough for an entire-day gaming session. However, unlike some of the other gaming headsets, this pair of headphones has no software support. That means you can’t do any sound customization without third-party software.
The Specs
- Driver: Custom Dynamic 50mm Drivers With Neodymium Magnets
- Frequency Response: 13Hz to 27kHz
- Sensitivity: -43dbV
- Frame Type: Aluminum
- Microphone: Electret Condenser Microphone
- Microphone Polar Pattern: Bi-directional
What’s in the Box?
- Detachable Headset Cable
- Detachable Mic
- PC Extension Cable
Stuff I like
- Comfortable design
- Great passive seal
- Stellar sound performance
- Detachable microphone and cable
- Superb microphone recording quality
Stuff I like less
- No software support
- The microphone is a bit wonky
Where to get it
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First Impressions
The HyperX Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset box matches the HyperX accessories’ overall theme. It has a bold yet very sleek black, white, and red theme. And, of course, like any other offerings from HyperX, the unboxing experience is quite pleasant.
HyperX gaming headsets have been a staple for gamers. The entire range consists of high-quality headsets at highly competitive price points. And the HyperX Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset isn’t an exception in that regard.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a competitive or a casual gamer; the Cloud Alpha has pretty much everything that you can ask for. But how good it actually is? Let’s delve a bit deeper.
Build Quality and Durability
For the Cloud Alpha Gaming, HyperX prioritized durability and comfort. The forks and band of the headset are solid metal. And each of the moving parts of the headphone has robust joints and thick padding. Such build quality makes the headset capable of taking anything you throw at it.
Another great aspect of the HyperX Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset is that it comes with a detachable microphone and cable. Thanks to this, you can easily replace the cable and the microphone if you’ve somehow damaged them.
Comfort and Wearing Experience
Regarding the comfort level, the HyperX Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset features chunky ear pads. They offer a great seal, but most importantly, they allow you to game for prolonged hours without feeling any ear fatigue.
On the note of the seal, the headband plays a crucial role in this regard. It’s adjustable, meaning that you can easily get the perfect seal from the earcups. A good seal for a gaming headset means that the headset won’t move around when you move.
Most importantly, with a good seal, you don’t need to worry about the headphones sliding down when your head gets a bit sweaty.
Noise Blocking Performance
Even though the HyperX Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset doesn’t have any Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), it does a great job of blocking out external noise. With the seal, you get passive noise canceling from the headset. However, don’t expect to get complete isolation if you’re in an environment with too many loud noises.
Besides, the seal of the HyperX Cloud Alpha can effectively tackle audio leaks. That means anyone who’s in your room won’t hear what you’re hearing.
Overall Sound Performance
As the sound isolation of the HyperX Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset is great, you can hear all the small details from the in-game sounds. The story is the same for music and other audio files.
The headset doesn’t really alter the sound coming from your gaming setup. This means you can hear all the sounds exactly like how the gaming device sends them to the headset.
And, of course, the little details from the audio signals won’t get lost in transition.
Bass
Cloud Alpha offers a great bass performance. The drivers inside can reproduce lower bass than most other gaming headsets within this price range. As a matter of fact, it even does better when compared to some of the pricier gaming headphones.
Now, while the frequency range is almost flat and pretty even, the high bass is a bit overemphasized. For those wondering, the high bass is responsible for the warmth of the sound. Considering that, in specific scenarios, the headset can sound a bit muddy.
You should also note that the bass delivery off the headset hugely depends on the seal. So, if you don’t adjust the headband correctly and get a proper seal, the bass performance will seem pretty average.
Mids
Like the bass, the midrange performance of the HyperX Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset is impressive. The overall midrange is even throughout the entire sound range. This flat nature eventually results in well-balanced vocal sounds.
However, the drivers emphasize the lower end of the midrange frequency a bit too much. For that reason, in some cases, the vocal sounds may seem a bit thicker than they originally were.
But considering the overall mid-range performance is excellent, you may not notice this issue on the lower mid-range.
Treble
While the Cloud Alpha passes with flying colors in bass and midrange, its performance in terms of treble is mediocre. The low-treble response of the drivers does start flat and pretty even.
However, after that initial range, there’s a significant dip and stays the same in the early mid-treble region. This dip makes the drivers sound less detail-rich in terms of articulation of vocals.
You’ll also notice the same issue when listening to lead instruments. But again, this treble signature of the headset will not affect your overall gaming experience.
Imaging
The imaging of the HyperX Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset is excellent. To be exact, the left and right drivers of the headset can match the sound exceptionally well.
This is quite important for a gaming headset as you don’t want to mistake a sound from the left for a sound from the right.
Controls
One of the things that every gamer will like about the HyperX Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset is that it comes with built-in controls on the wire.
This remote houses the volume wheel and microphone mute switch, allowing you to quickly change the audio playback and microphone state without pausing or minimizing the game.
Connectivity
As a wired gaming headset, the HyperX Cloud Alpha comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack. This jack makes the headset compatible with almost all gaming setups. That includes PC, PlayStation 5, mobile, Switch, Steam Deck, and more.
However, unlike some of the other gaming headsets, the Cloud Alpha doesn’t have any fancy software. So, don’t expect to get 3D audio or other immersive audio features on the headset.
Microphone Quality
The microphone of the HyperX Cloud Alpha is a bit wonky. But it has what it takes to fulfill all your demands of voice chats. However, if you have a deep voice, the recording quality may be slightly different on different voice clients.
It tends to under-emphasize a range of fundamental tones. But for the majority of gamers, the microphone quality will be more than good enough.
Conclusion
The HyperX Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset is indeed a worthy option as one of the best gaming headsets. It offers a good mix of durability, sound quality, microphone performance, noise blocking, and, most importantly, extreme value.
For a sub-$100 range, HyperX has done pretty much everything right with the headset. But it would’ve been nice to see some software support for the headset. That could’ve made this pair of headphones deliver even more value than it’s offering now.
Slava is a man of mystery and no-one seems to know exactly where he is at any point in time. When he isn't enjoying writing about all things audio and technical he can be found researching his next project of interest. The man never rests.
This post was last updated on 2024-10-31 / Some images from Amazon Product API & some links may be affiliate links which may earn us a commission from purchases.