After donning the original HyperX Cloud Alpha headset two years ago, we concluded there was no better gaming headset around. Then the upgraded Cloud Alpha S arrived last year, and while also a great headset, we said in our review that it is not worth the price bump from the base model. Now that Amazon Prime Day is here, it is a different story—you can snag it for a ridiculously low $59.46 today.
You have to be a Prime member to take advantage of this deal (you can sign up for a free trial). Also note that the discounted price will only show up at checkout—the product page lists the regular price, and interestingly, even the advertised "Prime Day Deal" blurb on the product page says the price will be $89.99 at checkout. However, Amazon actually applies a double discount (I took a screenshot). I'm not sure if this is a mistake or if it was always intended to be slashed in half. Even at $89.99, though, it's still a little cheaper than the regular Cloud Alpha, and worth the money.
Compared to its predecessor, the Cloud Alpha S adds a USB dongle/mixer with large buttons, making it easy to adjust the balance between game and voice audio (each one has its own individual button).
HyperX also added virtual 7.1 surround sound to this headset, which you can also enable by pressing a dedicated button on the mixer. In his review, Samuel found that enabling 7.1 surround made certain sounds easier to make out (like the squelch of Geralt's boot on a muddy road in The Witcher 3), but it also tends to distort "almost every noise."
Other differences include new bass sliders on the back of each ear cup, a slightly better detachable microphone, and blue accents instead of red.
