HyperX Cloud Alpha – Gaming Headset with In-line volume control

I've been getting back into gaming recently and have found using headphones a must for FPS where hearing footsteps or voice comms is essential. Up until now, I've been using a pair of Sony MDRs with the phone mic to talk to squadmates. They've worked well but when a squaddie, who was standing next to me in-game, said he could hear footsteps and I couldn't I realised I might be missing out on a tactical advantage. We both had the same audio settings and did some tests. Playing back the video clips revealed that my headphones just weren't relaying sounds effectively. Time for a new headset. I looked at reviews for AGES and kept jumping from brand to brand. One brand that consistently got good reviews was HyperX. Eventually, I decided these were the brand for me but I still couldn't decide between the Cloud Alphas or the ones made for PS4. My reasoning was the Cloud Alphas apparently had an audio drop when used via a PS4 controller. In the end, I went with the Cloud Alphas anyway. And boy am I glad I did. They are super comfy and I'm able to wear them for several hours without issue. They are just as comfy as the Sony MDRs they replaced but the MDRs to have angled speaker grills which help with ear clearance a little. It's not a problem for me but if you have larger than average ears, you may experience contact between the speaker grill and your ear. The mic is awesome. It is so clear that everyone I game with regularly has noticed the difference. They reckon it sounds like I'm in the same room as them. I've tested it while streaming, too, and it sounds just as good as a dedicated mic. It offers great noise cancellation, too, which I have tested with two kids playing in the same room while chatting to squadmates. They couldn't hear them at all. The sound is great. The headphones pick up so much more sounds and I can hear footsteps in-game from quite far away. I can even hear hostiles re-plating or reloading in Warzone, which has given me a huge advantage. The audio is also very loud with plenty of adjustment to suit anyone's hearing. I mean you can turn it down so low you can't hear a thing or crank it up 'till your ears bleed. I don't know what other users have been doing to say their audio was quiet while using them on a PS4. One criticism on the sound is the bass. I noticed a slight difference in the lack of punchy bass tones compared to the MDRs. This is most notable with explosions and getting hit markers when shooting. They are not as crisp or deep but rather a little bit muddy. However, you do still get those sounds and you eventually get used to it. All the other sounds are so much better and precise it becomes a very small trade-off. I've also tested the headphones for music and they are pretty good but due to that lack of clear bass tone, the MDRs have the edge while listening to tunes. Finally, I did a phone test with them, too. Although they would qualify as a very elaborate handsfree kit, they do a very good job, with possibly the best phone call audio I've ever experienced. People on the other end of the call have commented on my clear audio back to them, which just adds another confirmation as to how good the mic is. Do I recommend them? Hell yeah! Don't hesitate. Buy them!

Professional Review After extensive research into wired headphones for my PC, I decided to upgrade from my Razer Carcharias, which have served me well for over a decade but are now showing their age. I tested several alternatives, yet none delivered the same impactful sound quality when paired with my Creative Katana v2 Soundbar. Wireless and USB models, in particular, tended to sound artificial to my ears. Ultimately, I chose the Alpha headphones, and the experience has been outstanding. The audio is exceptionally well-balanced, with punchy bass, crisp treble, and clear mids. Directional sound is precise, allowing me to easily identify the origin of in-game effects such as footsteps, gunfire, or missiles—significantly enhancing immersion. Feedback from teammates has also been positive; the microphone delivers clear voice transmission with minimal background noise, outperforming my previous setup. While some reviews suggest the bass is lacking, this appears to be more a limitation of onboard soundcards found in certain motherboards. In my own testing, the difference was clear: when connected to a PC with basic onboard audio, the bass impact was noticeably reduced compared to the richness achieved with my soundbar. Comfort and build quality are equally impressive. The headphones are lightweight, and the cushioned ear cups provide a snug fit that blocks a substantial amount of ambient noise, though they are not fully noise-cancelling. The detachable microphone is flexible and easy to position, while the included 3.5mm cable and extension ensure straightforward plug-and-play connectivity. Durability also seems promising; the construction feels solid and should withstand long-term use with proper care. For users with a capable PC soundcard—whether onboard or dedicated—the Alpha headphones are an excellent choice that deliver immersive audio performance and reliable communication. Highly recommended.

Before trying this, I'd done a lot of searching and bought and returned some other headphones/headsets. This might be because I was quite specific in what I desired: I wanted good, well balanced sound (not too heavy on the bass or anything!), a cabled connection ideally with in-line controls, comfort and ideally a microphone that could be positioned and kept out of the way when not in use. Seems simple? It wasn't until I found these! I'd typically aimed to pay around the £40-£50 range - and feel I was really lucky to get this quality at the price I paid (around £45 at the time - might have been on offer) - especially since others I'd tried at that sort of price hadn't been good or lasted, and I was gearing up for the £60 - £80 range if these didn't work out. I love the sound quality and the surround effect - it feels very natural and clear, the bass doesn't dominate. The microphone is both bendable and removable - so a lot of the time I just use these as headphones without the microphone attached (ideal, in my mind, as it reduces any stressing on cables etc from bending). When I do use the microphone voice is clear. The inline controls on the cable offer mute microphone (very handy for when doing zoom calls and wanting to be certain your not going to accidentally speak - though it's important to remember its there! Few times when they were new I was like "Is the microphone not working? Ah, no - just the mute on!"). and a wheel to control the volume of sound - much better than an up/down volume button in my mind. I only wish there was the option to pause/play/move forward/move back when listening to music, allowing you to stow the device away and control it from the cable - but it hasn't, so best way around this is to get an additional little add on cable if this is something you like to do too. (It seems very hard to find headphones/headsets that tick all the boxes, and sound quality I think trumps inline controls) Biggest thing I love is that almost a year on from buying is they still work! So often there's fatigue around the cable joints and that becomes the weak point. The fabric covered cable doesn't tangle - but I have found it gets sort of permanent kinks/bends in it that can't straighten? It's a problem with other fabric covered cables too - so just life I think - but main thing is it's still working without a problem! AND - this was a big selling point to me - the fact the cable can be removed means it could be replaced: no more replacing entire sets of headphones/headsets just because the cable's stopped working! They also come with a nice bag - ideal for storing them, cables or detached microphone in when not in use - and an extra cable for connecting to devices with a port each for microphone and headphones. Other than the solid bends in the cable and lack of play/pause controls the main downside is that they're a bit bulky. Not great for resting the head to the side when travelling or resting with them on, and a bit bulky for travelling with - but that's just how they are. I absolutely love them and am so relieved to have a headset that works so well and so long already compared to others I've tried - and with no problems in sight and the reassurance that I should be able to replace the cable if there are problems, I highly recommend these!

Short version; these are very good headphones, worth the asking price. I have been using them in PUBG and footsteps are nice and clear. I also tested them with some music and they sound very good. Long version; when choosing headphones you have to be aware of something; inside the cup is a speaker. Speakers have a magnet. The bigger the magnet, the better the bass. Ergo, heavy headphones should sound awesome, but they can hurt your head when worn for an extended period. So, you need good padding on the headband and ear cups. The headphone chassis need to be light so it doesn't add more weight, but also needs to be durable. It's all a trade-off. It seems to me that these HyperX Cloud Alpha's have drawn a good compromise between the parts needed to make some great headphones. They feel heavy, but durable, and the padding is great. I played PUBG for a while, and I can't tell any difference between the Alpha's and the Corsair HS50 Pro's I was using. When I listened to some music, I tried an eclectic selection of songs, and played at different volumes. The Alpha's coped with everything I could throw at them, even at max volume. I really like the way the Alpha's look, as the red chassis parts stand out nicely in an overall minimalistic design. I like that very much. I also like the way you receive two cables. One is a simple 3.5mm to 3.5mm. The other is a 3.5mm to individual pink mic and green headphone 3.5mm for the back of a pc. As for the mic itself, I have a separate HyperX desk top mic that I use, so I can't say if the headphone mic any good. I have given this headset 4/5, as the last star comes from reliability, and I haven't had them long enough to say how reliable they are. They're going to have to last at least 2yrs to beat my HS50 Pro's, and I only retired those because the leather on the cups is peeling off. I have kept them as spares.

I got this on a deal, and it was well worth it. I've used the Cloud 2s for so long, and I've made the switch to the Cloud Alpha, and I'm liking the sound quality a little better with this headset. The mic quality is perfectly fine, and my friends don't think it's bad over Discord. For gaming, I find that these are perfect for competitive games, where footsteps are heard much more easily and precisely. These fit comfortably over my ears, and I don't get the squeezing sensation after hours of use like the Clouds 2 gave me. I've used this for almost a year, and I have had no issues with it whatsoever. I highly recommend this.

Im a fan of HyperX since 2014. First time i bought their heafset i bought 2 at once as an investment for future. I have made a smart move. 2018 bought a cloud II version with usb connection and 7.1 suround sound switch. Here i am 2020 and i bought them again over dozens of headphones i looked at. Whats improved? Well designers clearly were listening for consumer reviews, i assume. The flimsy big controller is finaly compact and sturdy, plug connections moved from it further back onto cable. My old headsets took a lot of damage on this part, like stepping on it, sitting on it or acidentally jolting on cable damaging that plastic controller case. Braded cable is now fully braded and has a softer plastic cable inside, old ones used to get very stiff inside and eventually snap. All 3 headsets i had suffered same fate - stif cable snaped inside and was only held by a braded coating, eventually small cabled getting twisted and snapping. All sets had a weakspot where cable meets a speaker casing. Now this spot is replaced with a plug! Briliant. Cable is a bit shorter now to. Old boxes used to be packed in a hard box with all contents fitted in a masive peace of foam. Was screaming quality. Now its in a partialy soft shell with contents fitted in a see-through plastic mold. Not a problem, you open the box once, i get it. I never was a fan of "unboxing experience" but it certainly maid an impression first time i opened. They kept design of speakers same, by the looks of it. I dont know about tech details inside, but the sound quality is still exelent and i think 7.1 is built in now ? Very deep base. Theres websites dedicated to tone generation, you can test headphones yourself and be amazed. They allso removed a spare set of earpads. Used to be soft leather and soft textile in the box. Over all, soft leather over time begins to flake off and theres a lot of it on headset. Despite many reviewers complaining about bad earpads that headset comes with i can assure you, they must have elf ears. I used their headsets at home, in public, at work all day round. Never i sufered any disscomfort. Mic - still same, with a slightly modified slot shape. Never had problems with it. At the end of a day, this is exelent headset. 53mm drivers deliver amazing range of sound and sound cancelation is impecable. Buy these, you wont regret. Solid build that will last at least 2 years. I know it.

I give these headphones 5/5, it is comfortable, the sound quality is superb and it does not fall off my head. I use these headphones for my pc and play games such as valorant, call of duty and marvel rivals etc. I can hear steps of my enemies crystal clear. HOWEVER, since i am on pc i have the advantage of using an equaliser on my headphones which makes a HUGE difference. I EQ'd my hyperX alpha to add more bass and it sounds super amazing. When equalising it makes it suitable for music and gaming. I would still highly recommend these headphones to console players as they are your average gaming headset and you will literally receive everything you expect from an ideal gaming headset. The only con i have for the hyperx alpha is that If you are getting the hyperx alpha for your console, expect the sound to be mediocre. These headphone lack bass (which is why i eq'd them), but it does come with great clarity as less bass makes sound more clear. Other than that, they are amazing. I wish these were the headphones i first brought, i returned 5 headphones and hyperx alpha was the 6th headphone i got, and now i am satisfied. 😅 I went through so much research and even thought about getting iems over the hyperx alpha. At least my mind is at ease now! (Also i didnt talk about the microphone in this review as i got them for only listening, you can see how the mic sounds easily from a quick youtube search)

I have been using the amazing Audio-Techica M40x's but still wanted something more "multimedia content" oriented. After going through numerous reviews, I decided to give the cloud alpha's a try. First impressions after getting them out of the box is the quality of the materials used. Plastic and aluminium parts look beautiful and very durable while the paddings feel fantastic. The braided cable is detatchable and securely clicks in position. SOUND: I'm no sound expert but have used my fair share of headphones through the years. These ones are on the balanced side but sound very "warm". The bass is clear and big, not overwhelming though. Even more impressive is the fact that low frequencies don't drown the higher ones and there is no artificial bass humming going on. In both games and movies they give me exactly what I was missing from the Audio-Technica's: bigger and more solid sound, especially with sound effects like explosions. Another field I was curious on trying them was music. Gaming headsets tend to sound amazing on games and movies, but give too much of a character on everything, which makes them unsuitable for specific genres of music. To my satisfaction, Hyper-X has not fallen in that trap. The Alpha's are very responsive to the sound source and do not add colour of their own. You still get this pleasantly warm lows, but if the song doesn't give you bass, you don't get bass. I have to mention that there was a popping sound going on every now and then when I was using the headphones on my PC. After turning off the windows fast boot option, it completely disappeared, so this is something you may want to try if you experience the same problem. COMFORT: The cloud Alpha's are not a light headset. along with the pull of the braided cable they can be as heavy as 350 grams. The extremely soft padding around the ears does a great job keeping the tension away from your head, while it offers some decent noise isolation. The headband does not fall behind either. Even after hours of constant wear, the top of your head won't feel any pressure. And here come the one big problem with the headset: The ear chambers. No matter how I position the headphones, there will always be some contact between the ears and the drivers. The strange thing is that for the first 1-2 hours they feel extremely comfortable even with my glasses on and I'm not even aware of any pressure or contact, but after some point the top part of my ears is in great pain. People mention in comments that the ear pads have been updated from Kingston, so there is no problem anymore, but I think a got the old ones. Another solution is using some thick 3rd party pads, but I'm not a fan of this idea, since the Alpha's are already quite bulky. I think an angled driver like Bose does with their headphones would be a better design. Summing it all up, I think these headphones are some of the best you can get under £100 when it comes to sound and build quality. Unfortunately I can't recommend them for extended use as they only feel comfortable for a couple of hours.