That letter S adds $30/£30 to the price tag (it’s $130/£120), and for that you get new bass adjustment sliders, a mixer that can change the balance between game and chat audio, and—the pièce de résistance—virtual 7.1 surround sound, which you can toggle on and off.

Using the headset is pretty straightforward, despite the added bells and whistles.
A simple light indicator would’ve solved that. When I’m sat down my desk with the headset wire fully unwound, the mixer is near the floor, which is hardly handy if I want to quickly change the volume. All and all, the HyperX Cloud Alpha S is a great headset. There is a noticeable bass boost—more prominent than the original Cloud's, and probably the result of the aforementioned dual chambers.

Tom's Guide reviewed the HyperX Cloud Alpha two years ago, and we came away impressed with the headset's sound quality and comfort, especially considering its sub-$100 price. Should I get the Cloud Alpha S or the Cloud Alpha and an amp unit later on?

The Cloud instantly leapt to the top of most people’s headset recommendations and there it’s stayed. The accessory has the right idea, but I wonder if there was a better way to implement its controls.

Bass is also very precise, and I didn’t notice any distortion/rattling whether blasting test frequencies or dodging explosions on Call of Duty: WWII’s Omaha Beach. I’ve no doubt HyperX designed the Alpha around dual driver chambers, and that the tech works as intended. The headset doesn’t reach low enough into the sub-bass to really sound thunderous, but it’s full and loud, with plenty of midrange detail. The headband is generously padded, as are both earcups, and the Alpha manages to stay reassuringly tight on the head without clamping down on the jaw or transferring pressure to your temples. You can add virtual surround sound to any old headset by downloading software, so what’s special about the Alpha S is not the presence of surround sound, but that HyperX has specially tuned and tested the tech specifically for this headset.

Receive news and offers from our other brands? Great sound The HyperX Cloud Alpha S is a souped-up version of the Cloud Alpha, which we reckon is the best gaming headset you can buy right now, and I therefore had high hopes for it … As stated above, the mixer has an awkward design, and the surround sound isn't great. At the same time, the SteelSeries Arctis 5 and Razer Kraken Tournament Edition both offer similar features and comparable sound for $100 apiece. Then there's the mic, which has a clear, but quiet, pickup and a tendency to broadcast background noise.

The Cloud Alpha, as Phil noted in his review, already performed well with low-end sounds. The lack of high-end presence comes through in The Crystal Method’s “Born Too Slow.” The opening guitar riffs sound slightly underpowered, and while the backbeat gets enough attention to anchor the track, it doesn’t have quite the ominous, driving low-end thump it should. The mic mute button also glows red when muted.

Flicking the slider does produce a bass bump, but it’s a small one, and I wasn’t suddenly blown away. It was how loudly they came crashing through the cabin I was in. It literally hurt my ears. Each earcup features comfortable memory foam padding wrapped in faux leather, with matching padding on the underside of the headband. To turn it on, you just press the big 7.1 button in the middle of the mixer. But it doesn't quite make our list of best gaming headsets. Everything from the shape to the materials is either almost identical, or clearly drawing inspiration from the headset we all know and love. It sounds clean, though it can get slightly sibilant if you keep it too close to your mouth, even with the wind filter. The Cloud Alpha, as Phil noted in his review, already performed well with low-end sounds. Frequency response: 13Hz-27,000Hz All of the ambient sounds came rushing in; I could seemingly hear a pin drop in an adjacent room. Yes, it can be fiddly turning game sounds down and Discord up every time you start talking to a friend, but once you’ve done it, you’re all set for the hours ahead. Playing Doom (2016) with the Cloud Alpha S is satisfying, with the guns, rockets, and demon snarls sounding appropriately powerful, with plenty of low-mid presence. With the Cloud Alpha, HyperX might finally have a legitimate successor. sounds of vocals, strings, and some cymbals, https://www.soundguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/HyperX-Cloud-Alpha-S-mic-sample.mp3. In fact, with the vents closed the Cloud Alpha S achieves pretty solid isolation for a gaming headset—nothing approaching active noise cancelling, but enough to block out some of the usual sounds of the home. Surround sound on the Cloud Alpha S had a universally metallic twang, almost like it was coming over an AM radio. Like the Alpha before it, the Alpha S offers a rich audio-based experience. Now armed with … Even if you don’t have the Ngenuity app installed, just pressing the button the USB adapter changes things very noticeably. But does this headset make solid additions, or try to reinvent the wheel? Even three years on, the Cloud design is one of the best around. But, you may decide that the extra bells and whistles aren’t worth an extra $30 to you. ... HyperX Cloud Alpha S Review Under $140. The biggest difference between the Cloud Alpha S and its predecessor is the USB mixer. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer. Fans of wireless gaming headsets will probably find a little more to enjoy in the HyperX Cloud Flight S or the SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless—the Arctis 1 Wireless in particular sounds basically as accurate as the Cloud Alpha S and works the same across platforms (albeit without surround sound). Compared to the previous model,… The results were satisfying. If there was one thing the HyperX Cloud Alpha S could have easily improved over the Cloud Alpha it was the microphone—too bad it didn’t. This is especially true when one considers the HyperX Cloud Alpha S gaming headset. You’re stuck with faux-leather. This is much more of a PC-focused headset than the original Cloud Alpha. In The Witcher 3, for example, I was able to hear the squelch of Geralt’s boot on a muddy road more clearly, which added to the atmosphere.
The Alpha accomplishes this with merely an incredible stereo presence, no 7.1 software fakery like many of its peers. It’s not a bad deal at all, especially if you are already looking at the Alpha or another quality set with a median price tag.

Swapping out ear cups is a pain, and the mic is still just OK. The remote holds the audio processing electronics, along with a large button that lights up with 7.1 when the simulated surround is enabled. Whether you’re using the HyperX Cloud Alpha S with its USB adapter or just as a 3.5mm headset, it’s pretty strictly a plug and play affair. But it didn’t help with the direction of sound: when I closed my eyes and tried to guess where each noise was coming from in the game world, it made no difference whether I turned the surround sound on or off. The Cloud Alpha S is a solid headset, easy to wear and functional for gaming. Receive mail from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors? All told, the HyperX Cloud Alpha S is a little perplexing. I rolled my chair over the cord and got my legs tangled up in it multiple times per day.

It’s better than the overcompressed treble of the original Cloud, but it still could use fine-tuning. $30 is a lot of extra money: you’re essentially paying a third more for tech that, while giving you different options for your audio, doesn’t work as well as it should.

The next big addition is the advanced mixer, which controls the volume and can mute the detachable mic. Sound effects, voice work and orchestral scores all came across loud and clear in every game. Audio comes in clean and clear across …

It’s pretty stunning. That means you’ll have to settle for slightly over-emphasized bass, mild de-emphasis in the mids, and pretty severe de-emphasis in the high range. What I found was that the headset already had a base level of surround sound implemented before activation. Sound 9.5/10. However, the implementation of those features, through the use of vents in the headset and a USB adapter, affect isolation and audio output in sometimes not-so-great ways.

At the same time, all of the sounds turned hollow. Pretty much everything will sound as it should while listening to music with the USB adapter. Instead of the standard red and black exterior of the original, the Cloud Alpha S sports a much more elegant and sleeker black and blue design. It’s comfortable to wear and the sound is punchy—but the addition of surround sound doesn’t justify the inflated price.


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