HyperX Cloud Alpha S 7.1 Gaming Headset Review
By: Alex Rowe
Tags: Gaming, Music, Headphones, Technology, Audio

Launching today, the HyperX Cloud Alpha S is more than just an iteration on one of the best-sounding gaming headsets ever made.

Indeed, it firmly takes its place as the “flagship” of HyperX’s mainstream wired headset offerings.

It combines the stellar audio performance, design, and comfort of the Cloud Alpha with a features package that outdoes the venerable Cloud II.

If you’re looking for the best headset that HyperX offers below $150, this is it.

OVERVIEW

The HyperX Cloud Alpha S is a closed-back, wired gaming headset with a robust features package. It sells for $129.99, and it’s available in a nice new blue color.

That’s right, it’s a break from the standard red-and-black color scheme that has long been the company’s trademark.

At a first glance, this looks just like the Cloud Alpha. But a number of smart build and feature changes have been made in exchange for your extra $30.

The ear pads are thicker and more comfortable. If you’re not a fan of leatherette, you can switch to the newly-included sports fabric ear pads. The headband materials have been tweaked for a softer fit. The headset now features adjustable bass levels thanks to bass port sliders.

And as the cherry on top, the Cloud Alpha S includes a new 7.1 USB audio card. Unlike some previous “7.1” offerings from HyperX, this is a true 7.1 audio device which registers as such in Windows 10.

Not only that, but HyperX offers multiple firmware updates for users to choose from with different EQ profiles and virtual speaker positions.

In many ways, this feels like the Alpha’s final form.

It’s a powerful competitor for the recently-released Logitech G Pro X, and seems perfectly-designed for folks like me who were frustrated that Cooler Master omitted the Takstar Pro 82’s bass sliders from the MH752 when they licensed it as a gaming product.

If you’re a PC gamer, this is one of the most robust options at this price point.

And if you’re on consoles, the improved comfort and bass sliders may still be worth the $30 premium to you.

SOUND QUALITY

Since the Cloud Alpha S shares its ear cup design with the original Cloud Alpha, it has a small row of bass ports along the top of the cups in addition to the bass sliders near the bottom.

Thus, I was expecting that with the sliders fully closed, the Cloud Alpha S would sound just like the original Cloud Alpha, and that it would add more and more bass in the two open positions.

I was wrong.

HyperX shipped my evaluation pair with the sliders in the middle of three positions, and in that position these sound just like the original Cloud Alpha.

The bass is warm and accurate, and the much-hyped Dual Chamber Design really works to keep it separate from the mids and highs, which are as reasonably clean and accurate as they’ve ever been.

I’ve long-recommended the Cloud Alpha as a great just-warm-of-neutral headset at this price, and that’s not changed with the S model.

You can hear the Dual Chambers in action if you play around with the sliders while they’re on your head. Opening them all the way boosts the bass region by several dB, providing a fun slam to the low end.

I’ve used this headset for the last four days, and spent most of my time with the sliders fully open. It’s easily my favorite of the three positions.

It gives the headset a bassy thick sound, but without screwing up the rest of the range or thickening up the mids. It’s impressive, and while it’s not in the same league of bass response as HyperX’s exceptional Cloud Orbit, or as refined as the Arctis Pro Wireless, it’s darn close…which is all you can ask at this lower price.

Closing the sliders cuts almost all of the low end out, sort of like the closed position on the old Custom One Pro.

The bass ports on the tops of the cups that I mentioned earlier have been blocked off with some type of foam sound damping material, which is why you have to use the middle position to mimic the original Alpha.

With the ports closed, the sound takes on a slightly anemic, slightly thin quality that I don’t love. You’ll hear bass energy trying to happen and then it’ll immediately cut itself off.

On the plus side, closing the ports increases the isolation slightly and allows you to focus on the mids and highs. If you’re a footsteps fiend, or want to do some listening for hiss in a recording, or just need the most isolation possible, then it’s a good option.

But I’d wager most people will want to use the middle or the fully open positions. Even with the ports open, you’ll still get enough isolation to use these in a loud coffee shop without blasting your audio.

During my testing, I played several hours of Borderlands 3, GreedFall, and Resident Evil 5…a classic that I know the sound of very well.

I personally like a little extra bass energy when I’m gaming, and the open position is great for that while still maintaining all the detail and clarity the Cloud Alpha is famous for.

These are technically the most bass-heavy headset HyperX produces outside the Warm EQ mode on the Orbit, so if you’re a bass fan, this is the HyperX product for you.

It’s also an exceptional headset for most genres of music, and a little kinder to badly-compressed pop music than a more critical “audiophile” headphone will be.

The Logitech G Pro X offers a slightly more bright, more neutral sound…but it’s not as “fun” out of the box.

Fortunately for HyperX, their virutal surround implementation totally destroys Logitech’s.

VIRTUAL SURROUND DONGLE

I was delighted when I plugged in the dongle and it showed up as a 7.1 device on my PC. This joins the Cloud Revolver S’s Dolby Headphone dongle as the second HyperX device to properly support 7.1 game and movie audio for PC users.

Unlike the Revolver’s sound card, HyperX has taken a stab at crafting their own custom virtual surround system here. The results are quite interesting!

On the firmware update page for the dongle, HyperX offers two choices of EQ profile. The “FPS” profile offers a slightly larger emphasis on bass for gunshots and explosions, and the “Sound Widening” profile is more neutral, with sharper highs.

Unlike the abysmal Logitech G Pro X surround sound, neither of these profiles ruins the audio with too much bass.

The new dongle has a white LED instead of the red one featured in the old models. That, and proper support for surround source audio.

The EQ is a little tweaked over the standard stereo listening mode, but feels tuned to bring out the best the headset’s default sound signature has to offer.

Neither available profile has too much fake room echo, and both offer a bit of a volume boost for those of you who want things louder.

The “Sound Widening” profile offers a standard virtual 7.1 speaker setup with the channels emanating from the directions you’d expect.

The “FPS” profile shakes this up, and sees HyperX going for it with their own custom virtual speaker placements that are unlike any other virtual surround system I’ve ever heard.

The front left and right channels get pushed out to the sides, and the standard surround channels are closer in and seem to have a bit of a height component.

It’s…interesting and different, and while I personally prefer the sound of the “Widening” profile, I think it’s awesome that HyperX tried something new with a truly custom virtual surround tuning that’s not just marketing hype.

Installing a different firmware is a painless one-click process, and while it may not be as adjustable as the Cloud Orbit, it’s still nice to have this option. I look forward to seeing if they release any additional profiles in the future.

Instead of the standard mic volume buttons other HyperX dongles offer, here there’s a game/chat balance feature. That’s probably a more practical inclusion, since I’d wager most users will set their mic volume once then never touch it again.