The HyperX Cloud Alpha might just be the one of the best wired gaming headset we’ve ever tested at a price point of below ₹10,000.
Sound enthusiasts would argue that ₹10,000 is only an entry-point for audiophile grade sound, and that is a very valid argument. In comparison, a Sennheiser HD 650, known to be the go-to no-brainer headset for audio enthusiasts, costs ₹34,000. Where would these dynamics put the HyperX Cloud Alpha, which is meant primarily for gaming, and secondarily for multimedia consumption (movies, music)? Let us explain.
Design, Build and Comfort
Simply holding the HyperX Cloud Alpha for the first time, you get the feeling that this is a really, really well built pair of cans. There is much attention paid to the quality of construction, which is impeccable to say the least. The looks are on the aggressive side, because, like we mentioned before, this is a gaming headset after all. But unlike most gimmicky gaming headsets, the HyperX Cloud Alpha is the real deal. The headphones have red-accents throughout its body. This red is not brash or in your face, it is subtle and deep and goes well with the look of the headphones.
There is much attention paid to the quality of construction, which is impeccable to say the least.
The structure of the HyperX Cloud Alpha is provided by an aluminium frame. The drivers are enclosed in smooth, matte finish plastic. There are no creaks and cranks, no flexes, everything is put together really well. These cans are built to last, that is for sure.
The band of the Cloud Alpha isn’t self-adjustable, as with other HyperX headphones like the Cloud Revolver. Yet, they fit your ears snugly, without being too tight. Once you place the headphones over your head, you immediately feel the grip without being overpowered by the pressure. Out of all the other HyperX headphones we have tested, the Cloud Alpha is surely the most comfortable one. The headphones are pretty modular too. The main 3.5mm cable is removable, so is the microphone. You can replace the earcups too! So you don’t need to replace the entire unit if your cable goes bust. Just buy a dual sided 3.5mm cable, that shouldn’t cost more than ₹ 500.
Comfort over long sessions is subjective. The Cloud Alpha uses leatherette material on the earcups, with lots of memory foam padding. We feel that natural fibre is much comfortable for long sessions, but leatherette isn’t bad, just, it ain’t the best. On a positive note, leatherette does a better job in sealing the sound, so incase you’re travelling on a plane, you won’t be disturbing your neighbours. Overall, we’d call the comfort levels excellent. We’ve tested these cans for over a month of heavy use and the padding is still intact. Things do get sweaty during 3-4 hour gaming sessions, due to the excessive use of padding. They’re not the most breathable cans.
We’ve tested these cans for over a month of heavy use and the padding is still intact.
The HyperX Cloud Alpha headphones is suited only for the desk. For active and outdoor use, they won’t be ideal. Mainly because of their size, and movement causes them to slip off your ears. The Cloud Alpha comes with a carrying case, for if you want to put your headphones in your backpack.
Sound Quality
Our favourite part of a headphone review! The HyperX Cloud Alpha shine in this department. For a price of ₹ 10,000, they sound pretty good. They perform well throughout the entire sound spectrum. The bass in deep, punchy and well-balanced without being bloated. It extends to as low as 10Hz, which is great for a headphone of this price. Certain levels of deep high bass get overemphasised and lead to warmness of the sound. The bass doesn’t overpower the neutral mids and the highs.
The mid-range is good too. It is flat and even throughout the spectrum, producing good vocals and instruments. The mid-range is still prone to being muddied by low-bass. The speed and clarity is good, so is the imaging. When things get sparkly, there is some loss of detail, particularly in the upper end. The soundstage could have been better. It creates an illusion of the sound in the listener’s head, instead of in front of the listener, which is how it should be, particularly for gaming focused headphones.
Sound isolation wise, obviously you won’t be expecting in-ear or active noise-cancellation level of isolation. If you’re travelling in a plane or using public transport, the rumble of the engine will be clearly audible. Even voices of people conversing around you is audible. Regardless, we won’t recommend the HyperX Cloud Alpha for outdoor or on-the-go usage.
Grenade blasts have a “thump” to their sound, adding to the immersion in video game.
The sound signature, while performing good at music and movies, is arguably most suited for gaming. Grenade blasts have a “thump” to their sound, adding to the immersion in video game. We tested in on the ASUS Xonar DX sound card, and that improved the mediocre soundstage of the Cloud Alpha considerably. We would recommend this fairly cheap sound card to everyone!
Microphone
The detachable microphone is made of brushed matte finish good quality flexible stem. The mic is sufficiently padded with filter, to remove thuds and thumps. The mic unit comes with volume and mic on/off controls.
The HyperX Cloud Alpha comes with a great boom microphone. They do a great job in capturing detailed, full and clear sound, without distortion. In noisy environments, they do well in blocking out majority of the ambient noise. For recording speech, this microphone is pretty good to say the least. The voice recordings are full in body and texture. They lack the airiness of say, a proper speech recording mic like the Blue Yeti, but they can still do a pretty neat job.
Conclusion
The HyperX Cloud Alpha are a versatile set of headphones. They’re built to last and modular in their approach. They don’t have any useless features, everything is simple and straight forward. Their comfort level is good, but for long sessions they can get a little ward. These headphones are more suited to desk and stationary usage. The sound quality on the Cloud Alpha is versatile too. You can enjoy music and movies as much as video games. The HyperX Cloud Alpha have great bass, balanced mids and high, and good imaging. Special props to the excellent microphone.
