HyperX cloud alpha or 2

[TheOnlyXenoT_T]

I am looking to buy a new headset and i am thinking about the HyperX Cloud alpha but it doesn’t have surround sound and the cloud 2 has but i have read that the alphas are better so which one should i choose for gaming and comfront?

[Exaco]

Alpha is better but also harder to drive. 
In general i would not recommend them, get something like HD 598SR ( Used if you live in US/CA ). They will last long ( 10-20years mby ), has replaceable cable and in-line mic that will be good enough for talking ingame ( or you can get separate desk mic ). About comfort you will be able to sleep with them on and u wont feel any pressure point/heat or things like that.

598SR is open back so it wont be suitable for use in loud environment or somewhere where u could possibly disturb someone due to their sound leak at high volumes.
About the Surround you don't need it, 598SR simple stereo sounds alot better and more realistic than any surround i've ever heard thanks to its open-back design.
If you need closed back headphones i would recommend Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80ohm, Beyerdynamic MMX300 Mk-II or Samson SR950 ( don't get fooled by SR950 looks and price because they should sound better than hyperx clouds ). 

[TheOnlyXenoT_T]

5 hours ago, Exaco said:

Alpha is better but also harder to drive. 
In general i would not recommend them, get something like HD 598SR ( Used if you live in US/CA ). They will last long ( 10-20years mby ), has replaceable cable and in-line mic that will be good enough for talking ingame ( or you can get separate desk mic ). About comfort you will be able to sleep with them on and u wont feel any pressure point/heat or things like that.

598SR is open back so it wont be suitable for use in loud environment or somewhere where u could possibly disturb someone due to their sound leak at high volumes.
About the Surround you don't need it, 598SR simple stereo sounds alot better and more realistic than any surround i've ever heard thanks to its open-back design.
If you need closed back headphones i would recommend Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80ohm, Beyerdynamic MMX300 Mk-II or Samson SR950 ( don't get fooled by SR950 looks and price because they should sound better than hyperx clouds ). 

Sorrly for the late respond and thanks but these are all stuido headphones and some are really expensive besides the samson SR950 looks nice and cheap but another question what is open back and closed back and another question  is surround sound really much better then a Good pair of quality stereo headphones ?

[Exaco]

4 hours ago, TheOnlyXenoT_T said:

Sorrly for the late respond and thanks but these are all stuido headphones and some are really expensive besides the samson SR950 looks nice and cheap but another question what is open back and closed back and another question  is surround sound really much better then a Good pair of quality stereo headphones ?

Surround in headphones is impossible in first place, but the "virtual surround" is just software audio adjustement to make it sound more distant ( goal to increase soundstage and maybe imaging ) in expense of sound quality, you can make surround on any headphones using something like free "Razer Surround" software. If you mean surround that you want to hear enemies from 360 ( all possible directions, then good stereo headphones does that just fine ).

I used to love virtual surround on various crappy headphones that i had years ago but when i got my first decent Open Backs i installed it and it didn't made any difference just made it sound weird, because the stereo headphones was already doing so well, so you can get an idea how unimportant the surround is.

In terms of sound quality and realism for both music listening and gaming:
Good pair of studio/audiophile open-back stereo headphones > Good pair of studio/audiophile Closed-Back stereo headphones > Stereo Headphones with Virtual Surround ( Most gaming ones w/ option to turn off the surround ) > Headphones with "Real Surround / Multiple drivers on each side" ( this one is complete gimmick and worthless garbage ). 

Most gaming headphones suffer from bad frequency response and overall lack of quality which means they don't reproduce the sound well ( for example most common gaming response: has way too much bass, mids barely exist or heavily blended with lows and treble is too random - too silent at some khz and too loud at others ), while "Studio" headphones tries to keep the frequency response as flat as possible, so the sound reproduction is as accurate as original recording or whatever so you can hear the sounds exactly how it was made and there's so called "Audiophile" headphones which also aims for flat response but with more color and mood to it, so its alot more satisfying to listen to or game with ( DT 770, HD 598SR is one of these just in the Entry level ), but DT 770 is more V-Shaped which means the Treble and Bass is emphasized and mids recessed.


Open Back vs Closed Back, this guy does good job explaining it ( 770 is closed, 990 is open  )

Basically Open back advantages is:
- Better Steps positional audio
- Sounds becomes more separated and clear
- Ear "breathing" ( no sweating atleast for me even if i sit like 10hours straight with them on in 30+ celsius room ).
- Has bigger soundstage ( it feels like surround, not like its coming from your head, in some cases you can even tell the distance where the enemy is, not only direction, if you never used them you can sometimes get jumpscared, because some sounds sound like they're coming from ur room or somewhere close to you, once i got pretty convinced that someone smashed my window, but turns out it was from random video on youtube   )

And the cons is: sound leakage + almost no noise isolation so you can hear your environment if ure not using them too loud ( which i highly prefer so i can hear if someone is calling me + there's no uncomfortable isolated feeling and no weird whooshing in ears ).


P.S. HyperX Cloud's was based on somewhat Low End studio/monitoring headphones "Takstar 80 Pro" thats probs also the reason why they got so popular, because gamers got a taste of how studio headphones sound like and feel like on the head, however Takstar/Cloud's has crappy treble, also they kinda has weird Left/Right balance, many people also claim that 30$ SR850 or Superlux 668B ( Semi-Open ) sound alot better and they also claim that music is not enjoyable on Cloud's which is red flag for poor sound quality ( too bad i had no opportunity to test it myself, but i imagine they should be OK and not that bad but still far away from something like HD 598 ). 

[TheOnlyXenoT_T]

2 hours ago, Exaco said:

Surround in headphones is impossible in first place, but the "virtual surround" is just software audio adjustement to make it sound more distant ( goal to increase soundstage and maybe imaging ) in expense of sound quality, you can make surround on any headphones using something like free "Razer Surround" software. If you mean surround that you want to hear enemies from 360 ( all possible directions, then good stereo headphones does that just fine ).

I used to love virtual surround on various crappy headphones that i had years ago but when i got my first decent Open Backs i installed it and it didn't made any difference just made it sound weird, because the stereo headphones was already doing so well, so you can get an idea how unimportant the surround is.

In terms of sound quality and realism for both music listening and gaming:
Good pair of studio/audiophile open-back stereo headphones > Good pair of studio/audiophile Closed-Back stereo headphones > Stereo Headphones with Virtual Surround ( Most gaming ones w/ option to turn off the surround ) > Headphones with "Real Surround / Multiple drivers on each side" ( this one is complete gimmick and worthless garbage ). 

Most gaming headphones suffer from bad frequency response and overall lack of quality which means they don't reproduce the sound well ( for example most common gaming response: has way too much bass, mids barely exist or heavily blended with lows and treble is too random - too silent at some khz and too loud at others ), while "Studio" headphones tries to keep the frequency response as flat as possible, so the sound reproduction is as accurate as original recording or whatever so you can hear the sounds exactly how it was made and there's so called "Audiophile" headphones which also aims for flat response but with more color and mood to it, so its alot more satisfying to listen to or game with ( DT 770, HD 598SR is one of these just in the Entry level ), but DT 770 is more V-Shaped which means the Treble and Bass is emphasized and mids recessed.


Open Back vs Closed Back, this guy does good job explaining it ( 770 is closed, 990 is open  )

Basically Open back advantages is:
- Better Steps positional audio
- Sounds becomes more separated and clear
- Ear "breathing" ( no sweating atleast for me even if i sit like 10hours straight with them on in 30+ celsius room ).
- Has bigger soundstage ( it feels like surround, not like its coming from your head, in some cases you can even tell the distance where the enemy is, not only direction, if you never used them you can sometimes get jumpscared, because some sounds sound like they're coming from ur room or somewhere close to you, once i got pretty convinced that someone smashed my window, but turns out it was from random video on youtube   )

And the cons is: sound leakage + almost no noise isolation so you can hear your environment if ure not using them too loud ( which i highly prefer so i can hear if someone is calling me + there's no uncomfortable isolated feeling and no weird whooshing in ears ).


P.S. HyperX Cloud's was based on somewhat Low End studio/monitoring headphones "Takstar 80 Pro" thats probs also the reason why they got so popular, because gamers got a taste of how studio headphones sound like and feel like on the head, however Takstar/Cloud's has crappy treble, also they kinda has weird Left/Right balance, many people also claim that 30$ SR850 or Superlux 668B ( Semi-Open ) sound alot better and they also claim that music is not enjoyable on Cloud's which is red flag for poor sound quality ( too bad i had no opportunity to test it myself, but i imagine they should be OK and not that bad but still far away from something like HD 598 ). 

Wow thanks for the time you took to write this and i really like the dt 770 but do you know another good headest but open back because my family is starting to get annoyed because i can’t hear them shouting at me