HyperX Cloud Alpha S

[Inle]

Building upon the success of the analog HyperX Cloud Alpha, the Cloud Alpha S keeps everything that was great with the original, but adds an USB sound card to the mix, which makes it slightly more expensive. We take a thorough look to see if the extra features are worth the added cost!

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[cucker tarlson]

worth it over cloud alpha ?

I wonder how the built in sound card changes things if you tested this vs cloud alpha running on a low-end mobo with some entry level alc8xxx audio.

 

[Inle]

worth it over cloud alpha ?

I wonder how the built in sound card changes things if you tested this vs cloud alpha running on a low-end mobo with some entry level alc8xxx audio.

I covered this in the conclusion:

With all that in mind, while the HyperX Cloud Alpha S is undoubtedly a very good gaming headset, if you have a decent integrated sound card or a proper external sound card, it makes no sense to buy it over the original analogue Cloud Alpha. It's more expensive and brings no noteworthy benefits. On the other hand, if the sound card you're using causes microphone hiss, sound distortion, and similar issues, the Cloud Alpha S becomes an interesting option. Interesting, but not the best out there, as I'd still go for something like the fantastic SteelSeries Arctis 5 (reviewed here), which nowadays goes for as little as $70. You can even go wireless, either with the $80 HyperX Cloud Flight (reviewed here) or $115 SteelSeries Arctis 7 (reviewed here).

 

[cucker tarlson]

I covered this in the conclusion:

With all that in mind, while the HyperX Cloud Alpha S is undoubtedly a very good gaming headset if you have a decent integrated sound card or a proper external sound card, it makes no sense to buy it over the original analogue Cloud Alpha. It's more expensive and brings no noteworthy benefits. On the other hand, if the sound card you're using causes microphone hiss, sound distortion, and similar issues, the Cloud Alpha S becomes an interesting option. Interesting, but not the best out there, as I'd still go for something like the fantastic SteelSeries Arctis 5 (reviewed here), which nowadays goes for as little as $70. You can even go wireless, either with the $80 HyperX Cloud Flight (reviewed here) or $115 SteelSeries Arctis 7 (reviewed here).

very good conclusion imo.
it gives you choice.
pay extra for a better board every time you upgrade or pay for such headphones once and stick to budget boards.

I wonder about this vs cloud alpha + some entry level SB card tho.