The Cloud Alpha 2 is a very good successor to the Cloud Alpha — it still has excellent battery life (even if it's no longer quite as far ahead of the competition), is comfortable, and it has simultaneous dual-wireless connectivity. But if you're just looking for a great gaming headset, you can get similar audio and mic quality from HyperX's cheaper Cloud III headsets.
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The original HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless still beats out all other wireless headsets in at least one category: battery life. At a whopping 300 hours over 2.4GHz, no other headset has even come close — and the recently-launched HyperX Cloud Alpha 2 is, well... still only sort of close.
The new Cloud Alpha 2 is a wireless over-ear headset with an impressive battery life of up to 250 hours over a 2.4GHz wireless connection. It also features a slew of other updates, including a premium redesign, simultaneous dual-wireless connectivity, and a customizable desktop base station so all your audio controls are right at your fingertips. Of course, we should point out that the headset's 250-hour battery life drops to just half that (125 hours) if you're using the simultaneous dual-wireless connectivity. That's still pretty impressive — and it still beats almost all of the best wireless headsets we've tested (HyperX's Cloud III S Wireless gets 120 hours over just a 2.4GHz wireless connection).
The Cloud Alpha 2 Wireless is available now, in black, for a retail price of $299.99, though it's currently on sale at HyperX for $279.99 .
Design and Comfort of the Cloud Alpha 2
The HyperX Cloud Alpha 2 Wireless is a wireless over-ear (circumaural) headset with a detachable boom microphone and a separate, customizable desktop base station. It features a sturdy, premium build with a dark gray stainless steel headband and curved aluminum forks attached to large, oval-shaped plastic earcups. The headband has leatherette-covered foam padding, while the earcups have soft, velvety microfiber-covered padding.
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The Cloud Alpha 2 has an updated design that puts it in line with the other headsets in HyperX's current Cloud series — specifically, the wired HyperX Cloud III , the HyperX Cloud III Wireless , and the HyperX Cloud III S Wireless . The Cloud Alpha 2 has a more streamlined overall look than its predecessor, with aluminum forks that curve alongside the earcups and a premium-looking monochromatic dark gray-and-black color scheme. HyperX's HX logo is printed in silver on the side of each earcup, and "HyperX" is also printed across the top of the headset's steel headband. The headset doesn't have removable magnetic speaker plates like the Cloud III S Wireless, but I don't think that's a particularly big selling point for the Cloud III S Wireless.
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