HyperX Cloud II vs Cloud Alpha vs Cloud Alpha S [Review and Comparison]
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Overview and Differences
Headphone Audio Quality
Microphone Audio Quality
Convenience
Build Quality and Comfort
Verdict
Overview and Differences
Overview
The HyperX Cloud II, Cloud Alpha, and Cloud Alpha S are all gaming headsets with headphones and a detachable microphone. The devices were released in that order, so there have been slight refinements with each model.
Each device comes with an audio cable with 3.5 mm headphone jack plug at the end.
I bought my Cloud II for $92, Cloud Alpha for $85, and Cloud Alpha S for $124. Click the links to see current pricing on Amazon.
Differences
Left to right: Cloud II, Cloud Alpha, Cloud Alpha S.
Here are the key differences between the HyperX Cloud II, Cloud Alpha, and Cloud Alpha S:
The Cloud II and Cloud Alpha S come with a USB sound card that also functions as a volume mixer, but the Alpha comes with a splitter. You plug the 3.5 mm jack plug into the sound cards and you can connect to consoles or PC via USB. To use the Alpha’s mic and headphones on PC, you’ll have to use the included splitter. This is problematic for laptops with only one jack.
The headset volume of all three can be adjusted on the devices themselves. However, the Alpha requires system settings to change the mic volume, the Cloud II has physical mic volume controls, and the Alpha S volume requires changing the system volume or NGENUITY.
The Cloud II and Alpha S have access to a 7.1 surround sound effect enabled by the sound controller.
The Alpha S has physical bass adjustment sliders on the bottom of the ear cups.
The Alpha S connects to NGENUITY, and it has mic monitoring and game-chat balance volume mixing.
The Alpha and Alpha S have detachable mics and audio cables. The Cloud II only has a detachable mic.
The Cloud II is a bit looser and has slightly softer leatherette than the Alpha and Alpha S.
The Cloud Alpha and Alpha S have a slightly more balanced sound signature than the Cloud II.
In short, the Cloud II’s padding is a bit softer and has a looser fit, but the Alpha and Alpha S have a bit more accurate sound. The Alpha S is the most convenient.
Headphone Audio Quality
Playing Need for Speed Payback with Cloud II.
Call of Duty Warzone with Cloud Alpha.
Resident Evil 3 with Cloud Alpha S.
I tested each of these headsets across several games and music genres: All three of these headphones seem to be EQ’d out the box for FPS games and favor accuracy over immersion and bass.
Alpha and Alpha S
To me, the Alpha and Alpha S sound identical when the Alpha S bass sliders are all the way open. The highs and mids are clear and detailed. Neither one has much bass, though. Putting the Alpha S bass sliders to its middle or closed setting makes them sound too tinny and they don’t have any body.
Cloud II
The Cloud II has similar bass to the Alpha and Alpha S. However, certain upper-mid frequencies are a higher pitch than they should be, and some highs can get piercing. While playing Resident Evil and Call or Duty Warzone, footsteps sounded like everyone was wearing high heels and the clacking was a bit obnoxious. But if you want to pinpoint your enemy’s position, that’s actually a great thing!
There’s a bit better detail overall in the Alpha and Alpha S, that you’ll likely hear most in music. I listened to “Soft Rock Star” by Metric and the instrumentals don’t come through quite as crisp as the Alpha and Alpha S.
Surround Sound
7.1 Surround Sound effect enabled on the Cloud Alpha S.
The Cloud II and Alpha S have a 7.1 virtual surround sound effect that you can enable with the USB controller (or NGENUITY for the Alpha S). I dislike the effect. The surround sound effect does a few things:
First off, it creates a reverb effect, so there’s a slight echo to everything.
Secondly, it makes sounds that should only come from one speaker, also sound in the other. To compensate for this, it makes the sound louder in the speaker it was supposed to come from. It’s a nice gimmick, but not actually very helpful.
Lastly, it drops the bass down even lower. Maybe one day I’ll like “surround sound” in headphones. But for now, 🚽.
Headphone Quality Bottom Line
When playing FPS games online, my main choice is the Cloud II.
Bass sliders on the Alpha S.
Games overall feel more realistic with the Alpha and Alpha S, but you actually gain a tactical advantage with the Cloud II because footsteps stand out more than the other two.
The biggest weakness with all three of these headphones is they have minimal bass, but HyperX doesn’t have any equalizer software to tune them. That makes them a poor choice for listening to music, watching movies, or playing non-FPS games where you might want immersion over clarity.
Convenience
Cloud Alpha with its splitter.
Mute button and headphone volume slider on Cloud Alpha.
Here I’ll focus on how easy it is to use each of these headphones in terms of connection and controls.
Connection
Each device comes with an audio cable with a 3.5mm jack plug. The Alpha and Alpha S audio cables are detachable.
The Cloud II and Alpha S come with a USB audio controller while the Alpha requires a splitter that comes in the box. This means you cannot use the microphone on the Cloud Alpha with a laptop unless it has a mic input. My laptop doesn’t. The headphones will work, but the mic won’t be detected.
For consoles, specifically the PS4, this doesn’t matter since you can connect the 3.5mm audio cable directly into the controller. For desktop PCs with a separate mic and line out jack, this also won’t be problematic.
Lastly, I couldn’t get the mic to work for my Android phone on any headset I tried.
Cloud II with its mic and USB controller.
Cloud II USB controller.
Controls
The headphone volume can be adjusted on all three devices. The Cloud II and Alpha S can adjust the system volume using the included sound controller. The Alpha has a dial on the audio cable.
The Cloud II mic audio can be changed on the device’s controls, but you’ll have to adjust the volume of the Alpha in your system’s sound settings (specifically mic input). The Alpha S mic volume must be adjusted in your system’s sound settings or in NGENUITY.
To mute each mic, the Cloud II and Alpha S have a mute button on the side of the USB controller, and the Alpha has a slider on the audio cable.
And as mentioned earlier, 7.1 virtual surround sound has a dedicated button on the Cloud II and Alpha S USB controller.
Alpha S exclusive controls
Alpha S USB controller.
The Cloud Alpha S has a couple exclusive controls including side tone (mic monitoring) and game-chat balance. The can be accessed on the mic controller itself or HyperX’s NGENUITY software.
(As of this writing, you don’t actually need NGENUITY to control any aspect of the Alpha S.)
Sidetone
Pressing the mute button for 3 second activates sidetone or mic monitoring. Basically, you can hear yourself in your headset and make sure your audio sounds as it should. Nice!
Game-Chat Balance
This feature is exclusive to PC. Reportedly it worked on PS4 before, but it no longer does.
The Cloud Alpha S actually accepts audio from two “channels” - game and chat. By default, programs will output audio to “game”, but in most communications software like Discord, Zoom, or even your browser, you can select Alpha S chat as the output device. You’ll hear both your game audio and voice chat audio at the same time.
You can then increase the volume of both at the same time using the + and - buttons on the USB sound controller. To change the volume separately, you can use the buttons on the right which will make either the game or chat louder and the other quieter in your headset. This is super useful so your Discord partners don’t get drowned out.
Here’s a Reddit post with a HyperX rep describing exactly how to set it up.
Convenience Summary
The Cloud Alpha S wins in the convenience department. Game-chat balance and sidetone are very useful features, and connecting through USB is easier than having to use the Alpha’s splitter every time.
Microphone Audio Quality
Cloud II.
Cloud Alpha.
Cloud Alpha S.
Here is sample audio from all three headsets.
The best mic is the Cloud Alpha. It’s actually decent quality for a headset even though it is very easy to plosive and the sound isn’t very full. The Cloud II sounds muffled, and the Alpha S sounds super compressed and distorted.
I suspect the low mic quality of the Cloud II and Alpha S are probably due to the USB controller.
All three of these mics are way too quiet in my opinion even when boosted to their highest volume. The Alpha S was hitting around -24 dB, Alpha at -20 dB and Cloud II about -18 dB.
Comfort and Build Quality
HyperX Cloud II, Cloud Alpha, and Cloud Alpha S in order.
The Cloud II, Alpha, and Alpha S have similar designs and are all well built and very comfortable. It’s easy to forget you’re wearing these - especially the Cloud II.
The metal adjustment frame ensures longevity, and the foam on the bottom of the headband is perfectly plush.
The leatherette earcups feel great on all three, but I give the advantage to the Cloud II, because it’s a bit softer. In addition, the fit itself on the Cloud II is slightly looser than the Alpha and Alpha S which clamp a bit harder. From what I can tell, there’s no difference between the build of the Alpha and Alpha S.
The Cloud II and Alpha S also come with replacement earcups, but they’re made of a cloth-like material. Good backups, but the original earcups are great.
Since I have to pick a winner, the Cloud II feels the most comfortable. It’s just so soft!
Verdict
Cloud II, Alpha, Alpha S.
If you want comfort and a tactical edge in FPS games, I recommend the HyperX Cloud II. If you want overall more realistic sound, I recommend the HyperX Cloud Alpha.
However, if you want maximum immersion in games and full, deep bass, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
I don’t think the price increase on the Cloud Alpha S is justified. It’s more convenient than the Alpha with the controller, but headphone quality is the same as the Alpha and the mic sounds worse. When you’re spending that kind of money, you are probably better off getting cheaper dedicated headphones and a dedicated USB mic.
Amazon Listings
HyperX Cloud II: https://amzn.to/3xvVKN0
HyperX Cloud Alpha: https://amzn.to/3wIAzY0
HyperX Cloud Alpha S: https://amzn.to/3vHDten
