I've had the opportunity to test all sorts of gaming headphones this year. I've tried expensive ones, cheap ones, wired, and wireless. Headsets with new materials, new driver designs, heavy ones and light, metal and plastic. So, when HyperX, a company I know more for its computer memory than its audio, sent me their lastest extremely conventional black and red headphones, I was skeptical. In a relatively short time they have crowded out the other sets I have. They are the 'phones I choose regardless of price or design almost all the time when I'm gaming.
The HyperX Cloud Alpha headphones do just what they're supposed to do. The sound good, particularly when gaming, and while they might not be my choice for extended hi-fidelity music listening, they deliver just the right sound balance when I'm immersed in play. Just as important, they are comfortable. The pads don't make my ears super hot, and I even almost forget I'm wearing them after a while. While some headbands, particularly the one's made from plastic, sometimes feel like I have my head in a vise even after a short amount of listening, the HyperX is, to quote Goldilocks, "just right".
The new design this year features a dual chamber that is claimed to improve the quality of the sound, decrease distortion, and provide a less muddy sound. The science of it all is a bit of a mystery since, counterintuitively, the bigger chamber is used for the higher frequencies, the smaller for low and midrange tuning. Regardless of the physics, it seems to work well. The result is un-thumpy bass that works well in most games. If you're looking to recreate the electronic super-sub sound of a disco, you should probably try something else, but the sound here was good enough for me, and didn't lead to ear fatigue the way some others do.
I also really liked the pads. Sometimes leatherette cushions get sweaty and hot, but I never had that experience here.
The microphone was good enough for gaming and voice chat. I also used it for dictation with Dragon Natural Speaking and had good results.
Let's be blunt, these are not the flashiest looking headphones on the market; they are not designed to scream out "look at me". They have no lights, the boom mike is flexible, but bulbous and kind of ungainly. However, the leatherette headband is stitched in red that matches the metal that holds the ear pads. The sides of the pads have the HyperX logo in metallic red. The boom mike is removable, and the fabric wrapped audio cable is, too. The unit actually comes with two cables. One has an in-line mike and is about a meter long that can be plugged into a phone (if your phone still has a connector!). The second cable is an adapter primarily for pc gamers. It extends the length and terminates in separate jacks for audio and microphone. This is typically the way PC audio cards connect up to the outside world.
On the other hand, you can buy custom packs to match the gear to your favorite games or give it a particular look. Frankly, I'm delighted not to have to pay extra for that bling in the base set.
Do the HyperX have 8.1 surround sound? No. Are they wireless? No. Did I miss those features as implemented on other headsets? Not one bit. These sound good, feel great, seem to be built to last.
