When it comes to gaming peripherals for the PC platform, there are a number of great manufacturers and companies that can come to mind. HyperX is one of those companies that have proven credibility with both casual and professional gamers. With that said, gamers may take immediate notice when new products and lineups are unveiled, one of the latest being the HyperX Cloud Alpha.
From streamers, professional gamers, to casual gamers, headsets are one of the necessities to speak with your team and friends while enjoying the video game audio experience. This is not HyperX’s first stab at headsets, but it seems that their previous iterations to release really crafted their ability to make an excellent listening experience.
With the Cloud Alpha, HyperX focused on positioning drivers and that’s where they came up with a two chambers design. Through the two chambers, HyperX was able to split the drivers to allow separation between the highs and mids from the bass.
Essentially, you’ll experience a rich and full sound through this design. I was happily delighted that this would be the case, the HyperX Cloud Alpha was able to produce a sound that would be capable of hearing everything clearly both in-game, voice chat, or simply music.
The latter of the situations is another aspect with the HyperX Cloud Alpha that would make this headset more of an enticing purchase. While the Cloud Alpha can be used as a traditional headset, the microphone is detachable, turning the headset into a nice pair of headphones.
Speaking of the microphone, you’ll find that your teammates and friends will hear clearly, though it may not be a replacement from a dedicated microphone when it comes to streamers. Our biggest gripe with the microphone, and really the entire headset in general, is the lack of an audio playback option from your microphone.
This may not be an issue for everyone, but for those who like to hear their own voice while communication rather than the muffled voice through the headset may find this as a major letdown. There are workarounds for this such as a USB mixer, but this would cost consumers another purchase.
Design wise, you’ll find the standard red-and-black color scheme, an aluminum frame, and hard plastic. Gamers can also adjust the headset to fit their head and being an over-ear headset, there could be some concern about a clamping pressure.
Surprisingly, the headset was rather relaxed on my head and I think a good portion of that has to be due to the memory-foam padding on the headband and earcups. Memory foam made the headset comfortable and didn’t feel like my ears were burning up from a lack of airflow.
Outside of that, inside the box will be the inclusion of a standard 3.5mm cord to use the Cloud Alpha as a standard headphone, an extended cord that splits into a headphone and microphone connection, the detachable microphone, and a carrying pouch to store everything when the headset is not in use.
We should also make mention that the standard 3.5mm cord can only be plugged in one way, we learned that the hard way at first. Furthermore, the 3.5mm cord has the ability to adjust the volume going into your headset along with a microphone mute.
All-in-all, with the connectivity for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, VR, and mobile, you’ll find that the HyperX Cloud Alpha is a tough pass for just $99.99.
Disclosure: A unit was provided for purposes of this review.
