HyperX Cloud Alpha S review

The HyperX Cloud Alpha was, and still is, one of the best gaming headsets of all time. For the price, basically no headset can match it in terms of sound quality, comfort, and build quality, but it had a few flaws: it has an average microphone and no extra features. The HyperX Cloud Alpha S is HyperX's new, more feature-rich premium tracker.

But is this headset making solid additions, or is it trying to reinvent the wheel?

Editor's note: This HyperX Cloud Alpha S review was updated on April 9, 2021 to include a microphone score, based on our reader survey. Thank you for voting!

Who is the HyperX Cloud AlphaS for?

PC Gamers

looking for the HyperX Cloud Alpha, but with more features. p>

home workers

who want something comfortable enough to wear all day.

What is it like to use the HyperX Cloud Alpha S?

The headset looks utilitarian, but the features are so much more than that.

Right off the bat, it's pretty obvious where the HyperX Cloud Alpha S comes from: it's unmistakably a Cloud Alpha. Everything from the shape to the materials is either nearly identical or is clearly inspired by the helmet we all know and love.

This gaming headset is made from the same material as its predecessor, with a metal headband and thick plastic hinges and ear cups. The ear cushions are made of the same soft foam and leatherette we loved before. Velvet ear pads would have been a better choice for gamers with glasses, but you should still be able to get a

pretty strong seal

with the extra fabrics included, at least they're softer than leatherette. All in all, this is an equally

robust and comfortable

than the original Cloud Alpha. However, there are also new things.

When surround sound is on, the 7.1 button lights up. The mic mute button also lights up red when muted.

It is much more than a

PC headset

than the original Cloud Alpha. While the HyperX Cloud Alpha S is also a 3.5mm gaming headset

, it includes a USB adapter with an audio control unit. There are buttons here to enable the included virtual 7.1 surround sound and manage game and chat audio.

In addition to this, the HyperX Cloud Alpha S also features vents on the bottom of both earcups intended to allow bass adjustment, similar to those found on the

Beyerdynamic custom game

. You can open each fully or halfway, and change each helmet independently.

The position of the vents feels like it has a greater impact on isolation than bass output.

Using the headset is fairly straightforward, despite the added bells and whistles. Whether you use the HyperX Cloud Alpha S with its USB adapter or simply as a 3.5mm headset, this is strictly a

plug and play

. If you want to use virtual 7.1 surround sound, you will need to install

HyperX's Ngenuity app

, but once you activate it, you won't need to use the app again.

Like the original Cloud Alpha, the HyperX Cloud Alpha S features a detachable 3.5mm microphone and functions essentially the same. It's easy to position and use, it works well on Discord and other voice chat services. There's not much in the box with the HyperX cloud Alpha S. The headset comes with a detachable microphone, USB adapter and extra fabric ear cushions, plus an assortment of flyers and of manuals.

Gaming with the HyperX Cloud Alpha S

The HyperX Cloud Alpha S is best suited for PC gaming, but it works pretty much anywhere.

The HyperX Cloud Alpha S's gaming experience is pretty solid, all told. Play games like

Overwatch

and

Dauntless

on PC, the

surround sound

feature worked fine. The headset was never uncomfortable, even after hours-long sessions. I played almost all of

Final Fantasy VII: Remake

on Playstation 4 using it, and it handled the orchestral score and chaotic battle sounds extremely well. However, the console experience was marred by the lack of comparable features with the PC.

Not having surround sound on the console is a little disappointing, but the stereo performance of the headphones

is good enough that it's not that bad - it's not the most glaring issue with headset use on a console, at least. The original HyperX Cloud Alpha sported an in-line control unit to mute the microphone and adjust the volume, just like the Cloud Alpha S. But now that those controls are part of the USB adapter, there's no online commands available while playing on console.

If you move to play

Animal Crossing

on Switch, it's not that important: the volume controls on the handheld console are easy to reach, and the mic won't work on most games anyway.

If you play on a

Xbox One

Where

PlayStation 4

, you have to adjust the volume in the menus of the respective devices of the consoles, which is frankly very annoying. When I was playing

Final Fantasy

, every time I wanted to lower the headphone volume, I had to pull myself out of the game to do so, which wasn't really a practical solution. p>

While most of the headset experience is as good as the original Cloud Alpha, this change makes the HyperX Cloud Alpha S a much less practical option for

console games

p>

. It's the same on newer consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. However, the upside of using the Cloud Alpha S with them is that you won't have to worry about lack of surround sound - both next-gen consoles offer their own surround sound standards, compatible with almost anything which is plugged into the 3.5mm jack on the controller.< /p>

How does the HyperX Cloud Alpha S sound?

There are a lot of variables to consider when determining the sound of the HyperX Cloud Alpha S. The configuration of the bass vents changes the bass response quite significantly. When the vents are fully closed, the bass output drops by as much as 15dB at points one-sixth the volume. On top of that, while most of the time turning on surround sound doesn't significantly change the frequency response

, here it increases the output of mid and high frequencies almost everywhere. Even if you don't have the Ngenuity app installed, just pressing the button and the USB adapter changes things very significantly.

This is about the least accurate option.

Opening the vents significantly improves bass accuracy.

Pressing the surround button not only makes the highs and mids sharper, but also a bit louder.

This is about the most precise setting for the helmet.

The HyperX Cloud Alpha is most accurate with the vents open and the surround sound button depressed. There are some minor dips here and there, but the headphones deliver fairly accurate bass, midrange and treble output.

If you're playing on PC, you always have the surround sound button pressed whether you're signed into Ngenuity or not. The bass vents are a bit more up to you - maybe you want the bass to be a bit quieter in-game, and so keeping it closed makes more of a noticeable difference in isolation than sound.

If you're playing on console, hitting the surround button isn't an option. This means that you will have to settle for slightly over-emphasized bass, a slight de-emphasis in the mids and a fairly severe de-emphasis in the treble.

Almost everything will sound as it should while listening to music with the USB adapter. If you're using the 3.5mm connection (or haven't pressed the surround sound buttons), under-emphasized mids and treble means that sounds

voices, strings and some cymbals

will be much less clear.

In

Ibitlan

Mdou Moctar's dreamy, heavily affected lead guitar part normally leads the song, but here it fades into the bassline. You'll still be able to hear everything if you pay attention, but what normally sounds very distinct just isn't with the HyperX Cloud Alpha S. When listening, I flipped the surround sound back and forth , and the results were pretty obvious.

Closing the vents has as big an impact on isolation as bass output.

An isolation board like this still isn't great for a gaming headset, but clearly having extra holes in the headset doesn't help.

Similar to its frequency response, the HyperX Cloud Alpha S's isolation is also a bit difficult to gauge. If you are simply looking for the most seclusion

you can get, but keeping the bass vents closed is your best bet. In fact, with the vents closed, the Cloud Alpha S achieves pretty solid isolation for a gaming headset - nothing close to active noise cancellation, but enough to block out some of the usual house sounds. However, as I mentioned above, closing the vents impairs bass output, so it's really a trade-off. Do you want more accurate sound or do you want to block out your surroundings. Admittedly, changing back and forth is pretty handy, so if your surroundings change, being able to adjust is actually quite nice.

What is the quality of the microphone?

If there was one thing the HyperX Cloud Alpha S could have easily improved over the Cloud Alpha it was the microphone, too bad it didn't.

The biggest disappointment of the HyperX Cloud Alpha was its

microphone

p>

, which was a quiet, understated bass response to the detriment of anyone with a deep voice. These are extremely typical issues with all gaming headset microphones, but with an otherwise exemplary device, it's a notable disappointment. The Cloud Alpha S's microphone provides clear sound and works well for programs like

Discord or Zoom

—but the de-emphasis in the bass range (intended to combat the< /p>

proximity effect

) can make you feel like you're talking through a tin can. It's also quite quiet, so you'll probably need to increase your output. Listen for yourself:

https://www.soundguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/HyperX-Cloud-Alpha-S-mic-sample.mp3

Loading survey

HyperX Cloud Alpha S vs. HyperX Cloud Flight S

The headset's power button and surround sound button are on its left earcup, while its volume wheel is on the right one.

One of the biggest differentiators between the HyperX Cloud Flight S and the Alpha S is the price: the Cloud Flight S is more expensive than the Alpha model. With that extra cash, you get a more versatile headset, as the Alpha S is PC-oriented, but the Cloud Flight S is more versatile. The latter works well with PC and Playstation 4, and you don't need any software to take advantage of the majority of features.

Both have a plastic construction, but despite the material, neither helmet is cheap. . Both use a 2.4GHz RF adapter to connect to your favorite console, and both have built-in chat audio balance controls; however, the Flight S model incorporates controls into the ear cup, while the Alpha S uses the audio control module.

The Cloud Flight S is the first gaming headset to support wireless charging, but it probably doesn't. be a game-breaking feature for most gamers. If you have a Playstation 4 and a PC, you'll be glad you splurged on the HyperX Cloud Flight S. Anyone who's strictly a PC gamer will be perfectly happy with the Alpha S, and even happier with the pocketed extra money.

If you buy the HyperX Cloud Alpha S

If you're a PC gamer, this is a pretty good option if you want a gaming headset. But, you may decide that the extra bells and whistles aren't worth the extra money for you.

The HyperX Cloud Alpha S doesn't improve on the good stuff to really feel like a step up from the original Cloud Alpha.

the

HyperX Cloud Alpha S

is a very solid gaming headset. It's very comfortable, sounds great, provides good isolation, and works on many platforms, but it doesn't always do those things to the same degree. If you're a PC gamer, you'll be hard-pressed to find a gaming headset with better sound and feel. If you're playing on console, that's not really the case (but it'll still get the job done).

HyperX Cloud Alpha S

All prices are quoted in USD unless otherwise specified. Prices may change over time and vary by region. Unfortunately, we cannot list Amazon prices on the site, as they vary widely by currency.

$ at Amazon

$129 at Best Buy

$88 at Target< /p>

Everything I just mentioned is great, but we think more people will want its predecessor. L'

HyperX Cloud Alpha

was and is one of the best gaming headsets on the market because it absolutely nails the basics like audio out everywhere, for a low price. The HyperX Cloud Alpha S offers more features, but doesn't offer the same execution. If you play on console, frankly you are better off with its predecessor.

If you decide to buy the HyperX Cloud Alpha S, be sure to do some

search for the best helmet supplier

for your needs. Some buyers prefer great customer service over extended return policies, while others just want an all-inclusive warranty. Every retailer has their pros and cons, so make sure you know what you're getting into before you open your wallet.

Alternatives to the HyperX Cloud Alpha S

The Logitech G Pro X Wireless has excellent microphone quality.

However, even if you are playing on PC, there are still alternatives to consider. Fans of wireless gaming headsets will likely find a bit more to appreciate in the

HyperX Cloud Flight S

where the

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless

—the Arctis 1 Wireless in particular sounds basically as accurate as the Cloud Alpha S and performs the same on all platforms (albeit without surround sound). Yes

a decent mic

is what you are looking for, the

Fnatic React

headphones are a great (if barebones) option at a reasonable price. the

Logitech G Pro X

also offers great mic functionality via software, but is more expensive. If you're still on something with a more classic HyperX aesthetic, the

HyperX Cloud II Wireless

will scratch that itch wirelessly (it even comes in classic red and black), which is great for living room gaming setups.

All told, the HyperX Cloud Alpha S is a bit confusing. Where the Cloud Alpha was stripped down, this helmet is fully equipped. However, implementing these features, through the use of vents in the helmet and a USB adapter, affects isolation and audio output in sometimes not-so-great ways. It's still a good gaming headset, great, actually, but it's not the slam dunk that its predecessor was.

After:

Best Wireless Gaming Headsets