INTRODUCTION

   It's no secret that the electronics industry is now currently overrun with countless "promoters" whose sole purpose is to steer consumers away from the main aspects that really matter in products. The only reason i point this out in today’s review (especially since this has been happening for years) is because last week i happened to stumble upon the channel of one such person who's headset "articles" only focused on brand name, looks, build quality and comfort levels (mainly however design) and left out just about everything in regards to audio performance. Now i have to admit that i just might be out of touch when it comes to what's "selling" online today but as I’ve said numerous times in past reviews when a headset arrives in our lab our primary concern is in fact audio performance. That's not to say that things like comfort, materials used, looks and system compatibility don't matter because they obviously do but if audio performance is subpar/mediocre or just doesn't live up to our expectations for that said product everything else matters not. HyperX is one of those manufacturers with a very good track record when it comes to gaming headsets and today, we'll be checking their latest Cloud Alpha S 7.1 Surround Sound model.

   HyperX is the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the world’s largest independent memory manufacturer, with the goal of providing gamers, PC builders, PC, console and mobile power users with high-performance components. For 16 years, the HyperX mission has been to develop gaming products for all types of gamers – high-speed memory, solid state drives, headsets, keyboards, mice, charging accessories for console players, USB flash drives, and mousepads – to the gaming community and beyond. The award-winning HyperX brand in known for consistently delivering products that deliver superior comfort, aesthetics, performance, and reliability. HyperX gear is the choice of celebrity ambassadors, pro gamers, tech enthusiasts, and over-clockers worldwide because it meets the most stringent product specifications and is built with best-in-class components. HyperX has shipped over 60 million memory modules and 7 million gaming headsets worldwide.

   As its name clearly states the latest Cloud Alpha S Gaming Headset belongs in the same family as the Cloud Alpha model (review here) so it's no wonder that they share almost the same design (the color theme however has changed from black and red for the Cloud Alpha Pro to black and metallic blue for the Cloud Alpha S). Inside the earcups of the Cloud Alpha S HyperX has placed 50mm dynamic stereo drivers which thanks to a dual-chamber design they feature a frequency range/response of 13Hz-27KHz with 65 Ohm impedance and SPL at 99dB (almost identical to the numbers of the Cloud Alpha Pro). Moving to the detachable noise-cancelling boom microphone it's discord certified, comes ready with a foam windscreen and sports a frequency response of 50Hz-18KHz with -38dB sensitivity. What really separates the Cloud Alpha S however from the Cloud Alpha Pro are the rear earcup bass reflex port sliders (adjustable bass levels) and the bundled audio mixer which is basically a 7.1 surround sound USB card that always according to HyperX drastically improves positioning audio.