HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless Review: The 300-Hour Gaming Headset

The latest addition to HyperX's Cloud range, the Cloud Alpha Wireless is, as the name suggests, built to deliver sound without a single cable. HyperX makes much of the listening quality, but the maker prefers to stress a battery life that is uncommon for this kind of accessory — exceptional, even. Fact or hype? This review is based on that published test, not on a hands-on trial of our own.

The wired Cloud Alpha is, without doubt, one of the best gaming headsets HyperX has brought to market, though being wire-only it could never win over every player. Now HyperX has cut the cord with this Wireless version, which naturally pushes the price up: it will take solid arguments to convince at this level, and a battery, however excellent, will not on its own soften the blow.

At HyperX the thinking seems to be that you should never change a winning team. The Cloud Alpha is a well-regarded model, and the Cloud range as a whole has been a hit with players, so there was no question of reworking the design: the Cloud Alpha Wireless is the spitting image of its predecessor — the same overall silhouette, the same colours, the same little details that set it apart. It is a largely black headset, with a few red inserts — HyperX's signature shade — on the central headband and on the HyperX logos on the ear cups and their mounting arms. Nothing aggressive or truly novel, but welcome touches on a headset that above all exudes a job well done, with genuinely remarkable finishing, not least in the stitching.

That stitching stands out most on the central headband, which uses a little foam and a smart faux-leather covering over a metal structure that is both robust and flexible. It sits comfortably on the crown and never causes pain. The metal continues into the arms holding the ear cups, though there is a small regret here: those arms have no hinges, so the fit is a touch more spartan than on the very best. It is nothing catastrophic, though, since HyperX has kept the frame flexible; the headset settles easily on the head, the cups enclose the ear well, and ten height levels suit almost every head shape. The lack of hinges does mean you cannot rest the headset on your shoulders — increasingly fashionable — or fold it flat for transport.

Being wireless, the Cloud Alpha Wireless carries a battery that, sadly, cannot be removed. As is often the case, the left ear cup is the hub, if a modest one: a socket for the detachable microphone boom, a USB-C port for the 50cm charging cable, a power button, a status LED and a mic-mute button — which would have been better placed on the boom itself. The right cup is more spartan still, carrying only a volume wheel; the microphone level, then, cannot be adjusted independently. Connection is wireless-only, via the supplied USB-A dongle, and it could not be simpler, a voice in the cups confirming the link and the battery level. There is nothing to fault in the weight either: at 335 grams it is not the lightest, but more than acceptable.

HyperX mentions a dual chamber in each cup and 50mm dynamic drivers with neodymium magnets, but that is about all the technical detail it offers. Even so, it takes only moments to be won over. This is a closed-back headset — a matter of taste — but the sound is very balanced and quickly reveals its great clarity. Voices are nicely reproduced and, more importantly, there is no marked weakness anywhere across the spectrum; the upper mids are perhaps slightly recessed while the default tuning gently exaggerates elsewhere, as is classic on gaming products. HyperX's NGENUITY software easily counterbalances that colouring, the only real gripe being that it runs on Windows alone — no other operating system, no console.

The spatialisation is good, with an impeccable default stereo image, and the dongle even carries a 24-bit audio circuit — not necessarily decisive in use, but no bad thing. As so often, the enthusiasm cools for DTS Headphone:X, which ships with only a two-year activation; after that trial you must pay again, and the effect hardly astonishes. The microphone, on the other hand, is impossible not to love. A pity HyperX has no way to tuck the boom into the left cup — flexible though it is, you have to unplug it to stow the headset — but there is nothing to fault in the precision and clarity of the voice it sends to teammates. It does pick up a little ambient noise, but nothing serious, and what stands out is how natural the voice sounds, free of any interference: a model of its kind.

It would be impossible to end without a word on the battery, HyperX's rallying cry for this product. The headline 300 hours is only reachable with the microphone off and the volume below half, but even across repeated gaming sessions with friends at a higher volume the test comfortably passed 100 hours, with the indicator still reporting more than 60 per cent remaining — and, to top it off, a full charge takes under five hours.

Despite the high price, the Cloud Alpha Wireless is not the finest gaming headset around: the audio is not as precise as the category's leaders. But it does far more than cover the essentials, with a base sound that is balanced, warm without excess and nicely precise, and the equaliser built into NGENUITY is a real asset, even if it is confined to Windows PCs. It can also count on an excellent level of finish, remarkable comfort even over long sessions, and a microphone that will delight your teammates. Above all, though, its main appeal is a battery so gargantuan that you almost forget to charge it. A thoroughly well-rounded model, and a purchase with very little chance of disappointing.