HyperX has been the go-to gaming headsets for games due to its comfort. The Cloud Alpha was a solid choice for anyone looking for a wired gaming headset. HyperX has refreshed this with the new Cloud Alpha Wireless, which boasts an insane 300-hours battery life. The HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless gaming headset retails currently at S$249.
Unboxing
In the box, you will find the following items:
- HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless Gaming Headset
- Quick start guide
- Detachable microphone
- Pop filter
- USB-C to USB-A cable
Build quality and design
The HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless retains the overall look of its wired sibling Cloud Alpha, having the metal frame with holes holding up the ear cups. The design features the classic black and red HyperX look, with red featured on the logo on the ear cups, frame, and stitching of the headband. At this moment in time, the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless is only available in this black/red combo. No word of an all black model yet.
When it comes to build quality the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless feels very solid due to its use of an aluminium frame. The headband is also immensely flexible and there was no creaking or flexing heard when I extended or twisted it. The adjustment rails of the headset feature little nubs along the frame which makes it easy to check the amount that you have extended.
Perhaps a reason why the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless is built like a tank could be due to its lack of adjustability. You cannot fold the ear cups in for portability, nor can they swivel in to angle to your face shape. The ear cups are fixed in one position bound by the aluminium frame.
As for controls, you can find the power button, mute button, and the charging port on the left ear cup while a single continuous volume knob is found on the right ear cup. I like how the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless uses a concave button for its power button, and a convex button for the mute button so that is is easy to differentiate which want you are going to press just by feeling it. Both buttons have good tactile feedback on press, and the volume knob has a nice amount of tension.
I like how there will be a voice prompt of your battery status when you power on the headphones, and when you mute/unmute the microphone.
Comfort and fit
HyperX is known for their comfort, and the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless was no let down. The cushioning of the headband is not the plushiest but I am actually amazed by how the headband is able to distribute the weight so evenly across my head that I don’t feel much of its 335 grams (with mic attached) weight.
The clamping pressure of the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless is also very well tuned. It is still firm enough to offer a good seal but loose enough to not feel tight on your ears. The soft leatherette ear pads felt great on the skin and was well-cushioned. The ear pads are not the thickest, so those with larger ears may find your ears touching the inner lining of the ear pads. Thankfully for my ears they fit just nice, and they do a good job in providing a good seal around my ears.
As leatherette ear pas tends to get warm after prolonged periods of use, it would have been nice to see HyperX include an alternative set of ear pads, such as a mesh/cloth option. This way people can choose if they want to prioritise breathability or sound isolation.
Sound quality
The HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless are equipped with 50mm dual chamber drivers, which in theory offers dedicated drivers for bass to prevent it from muddying the mids and highs. Overall sound signature of the Cloud Alpha Wireless has a slight bass boost for a warmer sound.
Bass is loud and boomy, giving you that satisfying rumble and punch from explosion sounds. It also creates a fuller sound especially in open world games. Midrange have good accuracy, with vocals and instruments being present in the overall mix. There is definitely more emphasis on the lower mids compared to upper mids. Treble was clear but I would say is the most subdued frequency in the overall curve. Having said that, I have no issues picking up footsteps in Valorant.
Imaging performance is great on the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless. Placement of sound cues such as footsteps and ability sounds in Valorant, or traffic noises and environmental sounds in open world games were accurate and easy to pinpoint.
NGENUITY software
HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless has the NGENUITY software which allows you use equaliser to use predefined EQ settings or set up your own custom EQ which can be useful if you want to boost up the treble. You can also also enable DTS X and see the precise battery life. DTS X opens up the soundstage slightly but HyperX does warn that it may impact in-game latency so you may want to think twice before using it competitive games.
You are also able to set up customs presets that will load individual audio customisations. This can be useful if you find certain EQ to work better with some games.
Microphone quality
The HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless is Discord Certified but I wouldn’t say that the microphone is spectacular. The quality of the recording is average compared to the other gaming headset that I’ve tested. Having said that, recording quality is consistent and stable with my voice sounding clear throughout my game, but there is not much depth to it so it my voice lacks body and fullness.
I’d say that the midrange is more the focus of the microphone output, so it works well for its main use case of gaming comms. The microphone was very adept at handling pops of sounds (such as pronouncing your B, P, T, etc) so that there’s no spike in your enunciation. When in a noisy environment, the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless is able to cancel out most of the background noise while maintaining my voice with good clarity.
Battery life
We are finally addressing the headline feature of the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless, which is its 300-hour battery life on a full charge. I have been using the headset for close to two weeks and the battery is still at 90%. It is simply amazing how long I can use the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless without needing to charge. My previous daily driver of ATH-G1WL required me to charge every few days, and sometimes I had to charge it mid-game. I am very impressed at how HyperX manages to achieve such a long battery life while maintaining the same form factor as its wired sibling.
If you’re like me and don’t want to be bothered to charge your headset regularly, the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless is one of the few in the market that offers such a long battery life.
Connectivity
A slight drawback of the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless is that it only works wirelessly. There is no 3.5mm audio jack located on the headphones, and you cannot use it via USB as well. Thankfully, the insanely long battery life means that it is quite unlikely that you’d need to use it wired. Having said that, it does limit the versatility of the use of the headset as you can only use it with a PC and a PS4/5.
The wireless connectivity was reliable, and I did not encounter any audio dropouts or lags during my time of testing in games or watching movies with the Cloud Alpha Wireless.
Conclusion
HyperX has built on a great foundation of the popular Cloud Alpha to deliver a solid gaming headset in the Cloud Alpha Wireless. It boasts an immersive full sound along with a whopping 300 hours of battery life that I actually appreciate as I really dislike having to charge my headset every week. On top of that, the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless is really comfortable to wear for long hours of gaming sessions. At S$249, it is priced slightly on the high side, but if you prioritise comfort and battery life on a wireless gaming headset then the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless delivers both really well.