The very best gaming headset I’ve examined is not made by SteelSeries, and it is on sale at Amazon

In the course of the Amazon Spring Sale, it can save you $43 — that is 28% — on the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wi-fi gaming headset.

It has been about two years since I first obtained my arms on the HyperX Cloud Alpha wi-fi headset for testing right here at ZDNET, and I am very happy to tell you dearest light readers that it is nonetheless simply as spectacular now because it was then. Earlier than, I would been utilizing hardwired fashions just like the HyperX Cloud Alpha S and Audio-Technica ATH-M20X for dependable connectivity and near-infinite energy. However I can actually say that the Cloud Alpha has transformed me to wi-fi headsets for all the things from Zoom requires work, PC gaming, and streaming music. 

With a very outstanding 300-hour battery life, I solely need to cost the headset as soon as a month, and the devoted 2.4GHz USB connection offers me glorious, low-latency audio and regular, dependable connectivity. And for those who’re trying to improve your gaming headset, it can save you $42 on the Cloud Alpha Wi-fi proper now at Amazon.   

Pricing

The Cloud Alpha Wi-fi headset retails for $199.99, which is $40 greater than their Cloud Flight S that options Qi wi-fi charging and seven.1CH encompass sound and $50 greater than the Cloud Revolver with studio-quality audio, removable 7.1CH encompass sound module. And proper now at Walmart, it can save you $60 on the Cloud Alpha Wi-fi, bringing the worth to only $130 and making it a bit extra accessible to PC and console avid gamers who need a high-quality headset, however do not wish to pay a premium worth. On the time of writing, there wasn’t any info on worldwide pricing, however accounting for conversions, you possibly can count on the Cloud Alpha Wi-fi to promote for round £153 within the UK, €184 throughout Europe, AU$269 in Australia, and CA$252 in Canada. This places the headset on the increased finish of pricy for gaming-specific headphones, but it surely’s nonetheless comparable with different wi-fi headsets. As for whether or not the Cloud Alpha Wi-fi is value each little bit of that $200, my verdict is: virtually. Whereas there are some nice qualities and options, there are some things that do maintain the headset again from being nearly good. 

Consolation and high quality

The Cloud Alpha Wi-fi has the same design to the wired model, with purple aluminum stabilizer forks and accent stitching on the headscarf in addition to a removable mic. Each ear cups function on-board controls, with the left-hand facet supplying you with entry to the ability button and quick-mute button whereas the proper facet has the amount dial. The dial takes some getting used to, since I at all times need “quantity up” to have the wheel flip in direction of the entrance a part of the ear cup, but it surely’s a pleasant approach to modify issues on-the-fly. The wheel has a pleasant stress to it, so you do not by accident crank your quantity as much as 100 and blow out your eardrums or slap it all the way down to absolute zero in the midst of a dialog on Zoom or Discord. 

The USB-C charging port can be on the left-hand ear cup between the mute button and the microphone jack. The included charging cable is on the quick facet at about 18 inches, which is not an issue in case your monitor or keyboard has USB ports or for those who primarily use a laptop computer. But when your solely port choices are on a desktop tower otherwise you largely recreation on consoles, you may need to put money into a for much longer cable if you wish to use the headset whereas it is charging or not have it dangling precariously on the sting of your desk or leisure heart. 

The Cloud Alpha Wi-fi can be fairly snug to put on, even throughout lengthy gaming periods or workdays. It weighs simply 322 grams with out the mic (335g with it connected), which is barely greater than the Cloud Alpha S which weighs in at about 308g. However being free of a USB cable tether makes the headset really feel a lot lighter than it’s. With extra freedom of motion, in addition to the tremendous snug reminiscence foam ear cups and headband, you will not really feel weighed down after hours of making an attempt to beat Margit, the Fell Omen in Elden Ring or a full day of Zoom conferences at work. The headset additionally has lighter clamping stress than the Cloud Alpha S, which makes it extra snug to put on with blue mild filtering or prescription glasses or when you’ve got a bigger head.

The removable microphone comes with a detachable foam windscreen, which is nice for those who choose to not use one or if you want to rapidly clear the mic or windscreen itself. It additionally contains a versatile growth arm that makes adjusting the mic fast and simple, although it does not keep in place in addition to I would love. The versatile arm has a little bit of “spring” in it, which suggests it bounces again a little bit for those who attempt to push all of it the best way up, down, or to the facet. It is not a deal breaker, however for those who like additional mic placements, it may be a problem to maintain pushing the mic out of the best way; and if that is the case, you would be higher off detaching the mic altogether in favor of a separate, devoted microphone just like the HyperX QuadCast S or SoloCast USB microphones.

Audio and HyperX NGENUITY app

The sound high quality you get with the Cloud Alpha Wi-fi headset is top-notch. Every ear cup contains a twin chamber driver system that separates mid and excessive tones from the bass notes for a persistently clear, crisp sound. Even the notification voice is pleasantly clear reasonably than the tinny, robotic voice you usually get with true wi-fi headsets and earbuds. The notification immediate lets you already know when the headset has been powered on or off, has linked or disconnected out of your laptop or console, and battery share so you possibly can care for any points that pop up or know precisely how lengthy you possibly can preserve taking part in Elden Ring earlier than you want to recharge your headset. 

To get essentially the most out of your Cloud Alpha Wi-fi, although, you may must obtain the HyperX Ngenuity desktop app. This can be a easy program that permits you to modify microphone and headset quantity extra exactly, toggle mic monitoring on and off, allow the DTS Headphone: X audio driver, and even create your individual customized equalizer settings. And for those who hate the concept of single-purpose purposes cluttering your desktop, don’t be concerned: the HyperX Ngenuity app is designed to work with your entire HyperX peripherals like keyboards, mice, and microphones so you possibly can sync RGB lighting results and rapidly entry settings for every gadget. The Ngenuity app additionally permits you to see precise battery ranges for the reason that voice notification rounds to the closest 10 p.c. 

With DTS Headphone: X spatial audio enabled, you may not solely be capable of higher pinpoint audio cues in video games like footsteps, enemy hearth, and environmental risks, but it surely makes listening to music and movies extra gratifying as properly. With it enabled, dialogue sounds clearer and music feels extra strong, which helps for those who’re like me and exhausting of listening to. I are inclined to hearken to podcasts and let’s performs whereas I work, and relying on the tone and timbre of what voice I am listening to, dialogue can sound muddled and fuzzy, which is irritating since I will usually have to wash forwards and backwards within the audio or video to completely perceive a single joke or remark. With DTS Headphone: X, it helps clear up ambient “hiss” and audio within the decrease registers to vastly enhance your listening expertise; which is ideal for once I’m marathoning the It Will get Bizarre podcast’s cryptid episodes or restarting the Sport Grumps’ playthrough of Sonic Growth for the fifteenth time as a result of it is my solely dependable supply of serotonin. 

Other than podcasts and YouTube movies, I additionally put the Cloud Alpha Wi-fi via the gamut with my Steam library and favourite PS4 video games. On PC, I examined the headset with DayZ and its Livonia DLC and the Halo: Grasp Chief Assortment. 

In DayZ, it is simple to get complacent as you spend quite a lot of time in empty, open areas touring between cities in an effort to scavenge for meals, weapons, and clothes, which leaves you susceptible to shock assaults from zombies that randomly spawn in farmhouses and fields. The spatial audio helped higher determine and pinpoint the telltale growls and screeches every zombie kind makes, permitting me to keep away from single enemies in addition to small clusters that both weren’t definitely worth the effort of eliminating or weren’t a sensible combat to choose. It additionally helped higher determine the place participant hearth was coming from and the way distant it was so I might work out simply how a lot time I needed to stuff as many chlorine tablets and bandage rolls from the hospital in my pockets as I might earlier than somebody in a home costume and motorbike helmet beat me to demise with a rock in an effort to steal my Not-Pepsi and canned pork. 

Within the Halo: Grasp Chief Assortment, the spatial audio wasn’t a lot of a assist throughout the primary story mode, however did assist in on-line multiplayer as I used to be violently slapped again to highschool Friday nights spent making an attempt to rocket soar to a particular, barely-accessible ledge within the Blood Gulch map to arrange store because the world’s worst sniper.

With my PS4, I used the Cloud Alpha Wi-fi whereas taking part in Private 5 Royal, Yakuza 0, and The Final of Us Half II. Sadly, for those who use the headset with a console just like the PlayStation 4 or Xbox Collection X, you lose the power to allow the DTS Headphone: X spatial audio, so the in-game sound wasn’t fairly the identical stage as what you will get on PC. However it was nonetheless an excellent expertise. Not having a cable that connects the headset to the controller felt rather more snug since I used to be free to carry the controller in my lap, lowering arm and shoulder stress that always crops up throughout marathon periods; particularly for those who’re all scrunched up within the nook of your sofa as a result of it is Sunday, you do not have wherever to be or urgent duties to finish, and you’ve got nested in a mound of blankets and throw pillows since you’re An Grownup™ and you may spend 13 hours perfecting your Yakuza 0 karaoke scores if you wish to. 

Whereas the headset itself does not have any form of lively noise canceling options, the reminiscence foam ear cups and 50mm drivers do an excellent job of isolating recreation audio from background noise. I dwell very, very near a significant freeway, so visitors noise is at all times a difficulty. With the Cloud Alpha Wi-fi, the visitors noise was nonetheless audible, but it surely wasn’t as a lot of a distraction because it often is; which was particularly useful whereas I used to be taking part in Persona 5 Royal, which is a dialogue-heavy recreation and lacking a couple of strains (even with on-screen textual content and subtitles) may cause confusion and frustration all through story missions and mini-games.

Connectivity

The headset connects to your PC, PlayStation 4 or 5, or Xbox One or Collection X by way of a 2.4GHz wi-fi USB dongle which beneficial properties factors for simple use. Establishing the headset on my desktop was one of many best processes I’ve needed to undergo: I simply plugged within the USB receiver, waited for the drivers to put in, and double-checked that my audio output was routed via the headset reasonably than my displays. For my PlayStation 4, I plugged the receiver into the console, then double-checked the audio menu to ensure sound would play via the headset and that the microphone was acknowledged. For each eventualities, setup took simply a few minutes, which was a aid since some gaming headsets require prolonged driver installs or troubleshooting to deal with connectivity points. And as good because the wi-fi configuration is, and the way straightforward the setup was, there may be one evident strike in opposition to the Cloud Alpha Wi-fi: it does not have the choice for Bluetooth connectivity.

With out Bluetooth, you possibly can’t use the Cloud Alpha Wi-fi together with your smartphone, pill, or Nintendo Change. When you’re the type of gamer that has a devoted headset for play and completely different earbuds or headsets for music, you possibly can skip the following a part of the paragraph. However for those who’re like me and hate the concept of single-function peripherals, it might be a dealbreaker, if not a significant trigger for hesitation when purchasing. I’d have liked to see a versatile connectivity choice, letting you select both the USB receiver or Bluetooth. However seeing as none of HyperX’s present wi-fi headset lineup options any form of Bluetooth connectivity, it was a little bit of a pipe dream. Whereas I am unable to know for certain, I believe that foregoing any form of Bluetooth choice was deliberate in an effort to get essentially the most out of the built-in, rechargeable battery in addition to to assist preserve the retail worth considerably cheap; despite the fact that the Razer Opus wi-fi headset retails for a similar precise worth whereas not solely providing Bluetooth connectivity, but additionally THX-certified audio and lively noise cancellation (although the battery life is paltry compared).

Battery life and charging

The largest promoting level for the Cloud Alpha Wi-fi is the bonkers 300-hour battery life, which blows not solely the remainder of HyperX’s wi-fi headset choices out of the water, however quite a lot of competing manufacturers as properly. To place it in perspective, HyperX’s Cloud Flight S has a 30-hour max battery life, the Corsair Virtuoso RGB Wi-fi headset offers you as much as 15 hours of play on a single cost, and the SteelSeries Arctis 9 offers you about 20 hours earlier than you want to plug it in. A 300-hour battery life means you possibly can play 8 hours a day for nearly 38 consecutive days earlier than you ever get a “low battery” notification. Sadly, I did not get the Cloud Alpha Wi-fi in time to check that metric, however I did spend the higher a part of two weeks listening to music, gaming, and streaming movies on consoles and PC. On the time of writing, I had simply hit the 50 p.c battery mark; and that is with DTS Headphone: X audio virtually perpetually enabled. 

I am totally impressed with how strong the battery is on this headset, and I believe that quite a lot of design selections assist it obtain the 300-hour mark. For instance, this headset has virtually no LED lighting besides what’s on the removable mic to provide you with a warning as to if or not it is muted. Having RGB lighting choices could assist full your private aesthetic, but it surely does take a toll on battery life; by eliminating it on the Cloud Alpha Wi-fi, HyperX was in a position to prolong play time fairly a bit. 

Quantity ranges may have an effect on battery life, and fortunately you do not have to crank it to 11 in an effort to get nice audio. Even with out the spatial audio enabled, sound is clear and clear sufficient at decrease volumes that I not often felt the necessity to contact the on-board dial or my PC’s audio mixer. I are inclined to preserve my quantity round 30 p.c since completely different audio sources have wildly completely different output ranges; anybody who has switched from a Spotify playlist to a Zoom assembly can attest to only how loud issues can get on the similar quantity share. And whether or not or not I had spatial audio enabled, 30 p.c quantity was nearly good for all the things from YouTube movies, Zoom calls, gaming, and binging season 22 of Escape to the Nation as a result of I like a quaint, thatched-roof cottage nestled amongst rolling fields stuffed with grazing sheep. When you choose increased quantity ranges, you will not get fairly as a lot life out of your headset, however what’s a handful of hours out of a number of hundred? 

One other function that helps prolong battery life is the auto-off when the headset is idle for about 10 minutes. This function is especially useful for while you neglect to manually energy down the headset after work or a recreation session, however type of annoying while you’ve disabled auto-play on YouTube and you want to continuously energy it on between movies since you wanted to complete one thing for work earlier than clicking over to a 5-hour video essay about iCarly or a 2.5-hour video about why RWBY is so disappointing. I am not solely certain how a lot the auto-off function extends the battery life, but it surely’s a pleasant contact both means since I have a tendency to only put the headphones apart once I’m completed taking part in video games or working and sometimes neglect to show them off beforehand. 

Charging the Cloud Alpha Wi-fi is straightforward and simple; a USB-to-USB-C cable is included with the headset so you need to use a port passthrough in your keyboard, a port in your monitor, or USB enter in your laptop computer, console, or desktop tower. Nevertheless, the charging cable is about 18 inches lengthy, making it solely too quick to comfortably use your headset whereas it is charging. Because it makes use of a USB-C cable for energy, you may simply substitute any charging cable for extra maneuverability. However for a whisker beneath $200, it will have been good to get at the least a 3-foot charging cable to be used whereas charging.

Conclusions

For the worth, the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wi-fi headset is a strong choice for each PC and console avid gamers in search of clear audio in addition to the power to create customized EQ settings or make the most of digital, spatial sound drivers. Nevertheless, the shortage of Bluetooth connectivity limits your use choices to computer systems and consoles with USB 3.0 ports to accommodate the two.4GHz wi-fi receiver; so no rescuing hidden Waddle Dees in Kirby and the Forgotten Land whereas ready to your Friday night time pizza and no listening to your exercise playlist in your telephone on the health club. The $200 price ticket is perhaps on the upper finish of pricy for a gaming headset, however the associated fee is backed up by essentially the most spectacular battery life accessible together with nice spatial audio, customized EQ settings, and strong construct. So for those who’re trying to put money into a wi-fi gaming headset that won’t solely ship top-notch audio on each PC and console but additionally final you for years to return, the Cloud Alpha Wi-fi is a worthy funding.