HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless review

Like many who work here, I was a PC Gamer reader long before I saw my own words plastered on the site. Something that I would often be a bit taken back about was the love from this team for a specific headset. The HyperX Cloud range of cans is perhaps the most praised thing to exist on this site, and that makes me, for one, very jealous. But gosh, I now have to wonder, does HyperX vape? Cause damn do they make some serious Clouds.

The HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless is the newest device in this royal lineage, and it seems to be filling those huge shoes mightily. The biggest drawcard for this headset is the new huge battery. This is offering up to 300 hour battery life while in wireless mode while still keeping the headset relatively light and comfortable. It's a pretty massive feat and I think HyperX has actually pulled it off.

Out of the box this unit was reporting having about 80% charge, so I decided to leave it there to see how well that held. I spent a workday listening to music and checked the battery again. I swear it still said 80%. I have been using this thing for gaming and music listening pretty consistently for the past week and we aren't even at 50% yet. I have not charged this headset once since I got it and it feels like a trick. I'm going to have to plug it in to test charging, before I will have to actually charge it, and that's just wild.

The Cloud line is always touted for comfort and despite the hefty battery this still definitely fits the bill. I'm someone who struggles with too much weight or tightness on my head, and I have a real sensitivity to uncomfortable headsets. The top band is thick and has soft padding underneath. This coupled with the equally soft earcuffs makes for a very cozy experience, and does an excellent job of blocking out noise. There's no active noise cancelling, but the seal of the cups come dangerously close. They also don't squeeze at the sides of my head, or constrain my ears. I do find the Alpha gets a bit weary on very long wears, but it's still one of the more comfortable headsets I own and can easily last out a work day.

Above: Take a listen to the above recording to hear what the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless' microphone sounds like with out of context gaming quotes. 

That impressive battery life is of course, a best case scenario. A lot of that has to do with the volume you're running the headset at, and volume is probably my only real complaint. It's absolutely loud enough but I can listen to it at full volume and still be fairly comfortable. It's clean, crisp and very clear for the levels, but also just not the loudness you'd expect for 100%. The difference between about 50% and 100% is definitely notable, but doesn't feel like the huge gap it normally would be. Most other headsets I couldn't have set to these levels and still wear, and while I still prefer the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless sitting at most 70–80% it seems wrong that I can't blow my eardrums off when cranking it right up.

But the sound quality truly is incredible. Music sounds amazing. It's always fun to listen to some of my favourite sound heavy songs on a good pair of cans and try to pick the different instruments or bites used. These do an excellent job, and are definitely one of the better gaming headsets I've used to listen to music on. They're on par with the Epos H3Pro Hybrid I reviewed earlier this year, but don't have the added functionality of Bluetooth or noise cancelling, which really isn't needed for a pure PC gaming headset.

When playing games the directional sound is also very nice. I was able to easily locate hidden batteries by directional beeps in Deep Rock Galactic, and had a wonderful time bouncing along to the tight beats of Shadow Warrior 3. I loaded up some Doom Eternal and promptly terrified myself. If you've ever wanted to know what it sounds like having a Cacodemon suddenly show up and whisper sweet blah-things into very specifically your left ear then these can absolutely deliver. Footsteps are nice and clear for creatures who have them, and spatial sound works an absolute treat. 

They even work really well with my PS5, which is always a bonus. A+ would have my soul leave my body again.

Sadly, the mic is your fairly standard affair and while it will work just fine for chat in games, it's very basic and uninspired when it comes to sound quality. 

The Cloud Alpha is, however, nowhere near as understated as the Epos. While the mic is removable, these have a bunch of gamer chic in their aesthetic. The red trim is a lovely vibrant metallic colour which looks better in person than it does in pictures. The HyperX branding is out and proud, so while these are great for listening to music on the train, they're also fairly high profile. There's no hiding the gamer cred with these bad boys on your head.

I struggle to imagine a customer who wouldn't be happy with these as a wireless gaming headset. They're pricey, but within reason for their specs, and they certainly deliver on everything you could want for gaming, and  listening to music, on your PC.