It’s been nearly a year since its introduction at Gamescon and people are still talking about the HyperX Cloud Alpha gaming headset. Released in September 2017, the Cloud Alpha is a cross-platform headset compatible with the big three: Xbox, PS4, and PC. Is this HyperX headset an improvement over its earlier Cloud models? More importantly, how does it hold up to our testing? Without further delay, let’s take a closer look in this HyperX Cloud Alpha gaming headset review.
Key Features
• Attractive black/red matte finish
• 50mm drivers, dual chamber design
• TeamSpeak and Discord Certified
• List price of $99
HyperX Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset Review
Per the Press Release
According to Tyler Needles, global audio business manager at HyperX, “The new HyperX Cloud Alpha is the first gaming headset to include our dual chamber technology to deliver unrivaled sound quality. Designed and tested in the HyperX labs, Cloud Alpha delivers the best possible audio performance, comfort, and build quality for the ultimate competitive advantage and will be used by top eSports pros globally.”
We’re fans of the brand so when the opportunity to review the gaming headset arose, we accepted.
Design, Features, and Fit
Except for its slightly larger size and some design tweaks, the Cloud Alpha headset looks very similar to its sibling, the Cloud II.
This newer gaming headset comes in two color options: a black matte finish with either gold or red accents. The gold and red aren’t that bright but somewhat muted.
The ear cups pivot up and down to fit a variety of head shapes. They don’t swivel as this motion is performed with the aluminum frame. Unfortunately, when you twist the frame, you hear an unpleasant crinkling sound.
The headband is rather thick and has the same type of memory foam which incorporates the ear cups. The gold or red stitching is well done with no thread out of place on the received sample.
Next up is the flexible noise-canceling microphone. There’s no right way to say this, so we’ll just come out and say the mic is kinda cheap. More on the mic in the next section.
Wrapping up the design are two braided cords. One has an inline controller for volume and mute, the other plugs into a computer.
Cloud Alpha Headset Specifications
• Frequency range: 13 Hz – 27 kHz
• Cable lengths: 1.3 & 2 Meters
• Driver diameter: 50 mm w/neodymium magnets
• Impedance: 65 Ω
• Sound Pressure Level: 98 dB/mW at 1 kHz
• Weight: 298 Grams
• Microphone frequency range: 50 Hz – 18 kHz
• Microphone element: Electret condenser
• Microphone sensitivity: -43 db
• Polar pattern: Noise-cancelling
• Weight w/mic & cable: 336 Grams
Cloud Alpha Headset – Impressions and Performance
The Cloud Alpha is one amazingly comfortable headset. Yet on the flip side, the microphone feels a bit cheap. Being a plug-in type, it has the feel of an airline microphone. Additionally, the actual microphone control is less than par as well. It’s a bit hard to locate all of the individual spin dials, and the microphone control is a bit ambiguous. For a high-tier headset, these cheap elements lead to a level of disappointment. Plus the set up was a pain too.
When playing YouTube videos, the audio was clear with good sound quality. I found that the headset worked perfectly fine, thus no downside here.
During gameplay of Rainbow Six Siege, the gaming headset excelled, great at finding roamers. I found two or three characters running around, and was able to locate them accurately . However, I noticed a significant problem with the mic as my teammates could not hear. The set up for the microphone is incredibly frustrating with plenty of tweaking taking place. Even after adjustment, it still was hard to use.
Fortnite, Attila Total War, Empire at War were a few of the other games I tried out with the HyperX headset.
The headset performed well during all of these games with zero difficulties. Overall it’s fantastic in its function and has terrific stereo sound, which in turn led to plenty of quality gameplay.
Final Thoughts
• Use: 7/10 – The use of the headset was adequate. It worked fine when used during the playback of music and while watching videos on YouTube. However, the poorly-designed microphone and the “multi part headset” idea was a horrible design choice that led to a lot of glitchy parts. It would have been wiser decision to have designed towards making the headset either PC or gaming console-specific rather than trying to make every player happy. Seeing as the microphone worked only once during a voice call, it’s receiving a low rating.
• Appearance: 7/10 – The aluminum back structure of the headset is decent while the cheap and fluffy microphone gave the headset a low tier look. The addition of a small and terrible looking volume/microphone control help emphasize this lesser look.
• Gaming: 8.5/10 – In solo player mode, the headset was amazing, however during team play, it was not. It worked only once in all team sessions, so it’s not receiving a higher score. I need a fully functional microphone.
• Comfort: 9/10 – It feels fantastic. It fit comfortably and was reasonably easy to adjust. I liked the leatherette surrounding the top. This allowed for comfortable, long gaming sessions.
Overall Rating: 7.8 out of 10
In summary, the HyperX Cloud Alpha gaming headset comes with 50 mm neodymium drivers, stereo sound, and in-line control.
The Cloud Alpha performed well in some areas like sound quality, and not so well in others like with the microphone as stated above. The multi-platform approach didn’t serve this headset well.
This gaming headset lists for $99.99. There are plenty of HyperX Cloud gaming headsets available with a variety of features, so compare away until you find the right one for you. It’s available for purchase on Amazon (see link below) for $99.99 as well as the HyperX website.
The headset supports Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, and numerous mobile and virtual reality devices.
Within each box comes the Cloud Alpha headset, 1.3 and 2-meter cables, a detachable NC microphone, and a soft carry bag.
What do you think of this HyperX Cloud Alpha gaming headset review? Do you agree or disagree with our verdict? Let us know in the comment section below or via social media. We’re eager to hear your thoughts.
Don’t hesitate to head over to the HyperX homepage to see their current line-up of products. The HyperX Cloud Alpha gaming headset comes with a 2-year warranty. Should you need to reach Customer Support, feel free to call one of these two numbers: 714-435-2639 or 800-435-0640 or check out their Support page.
This review was co-written with Gamer Jack Yang who conducted the actual review. All photographs are the copyrighted property of Kingston or Beantown LLC © 2017-2018.
FTC Disclosure: HyperX provided Beantown LLC with one (1) Cloud Alpha gaming headset sample for review purposes. Our writers opinions are 100% their own and are not paid product ambassadors.