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Today’s best deals: HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless, Google Chromecast, and more


Today’s best deals: HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless, Google Chromecast, and more

Ars Technica

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for another Dealmaster. Our latest roundup of the best tech deals from around the web includes a new low on HyperX’s Cloud Alpha Wireless gaming headset, which is currently down to $140 at Amazon with an on-page coupon. While that’s still not quite cheap for a pair of gaming headphones, it is $60 off HyperX’s MSRP and $20 below the previous best price we’ve seen.

I’ve had the Cloud Alpha Wireless on hand for the past several weeks. As with most gaming headsets, they are a bit overpriced compared to standard headphones purely in terms of sound quality, as the “V-shaped” signature here bumps the bass and, to a slightly lesser extent, treble at the expense of some detail and emphasis in the mid-range frequencies. But what’s here is still good, especially next to other gaming headsets, lending bass-heavy songs and in-game explosions a good sense of impact. (It’s possible to customize the Cloud Alpha Wireless’ sound through a companion app, too, though that is only available on Windows PCs.) For competitive games, it’s also fine at locating sounds like footsteps accurately.

Like the wired Cloud Alpha—which we’ve also recommended—this is a highly comfortable headset to wear for hours at a time. There’s plush padding on the earcups and headband, and the whole build doesn’t clamp down too hard on the ears. Just note that it can let in a bit more outside noise than some other closed-back headphones in particularly noisy environments. The included boom mic is perfectly competent for casual gaming chat, too, though a dedicated USB mic will still sound much fuller. It’s also worth noting that these headphones can only connect over an included USB dongle, not Bluetooth or a 3.5 mm cable. This won’t be an issue if you use them with a PC or a PlayStation console (or a Switch’s dock), but for mobile devices or Xbox consoles (which require special wireless tech to work), it’s a no-go.

The main reason to look past any of the Cloud Alpha Wireless’ shortcomings, though, is its frankly ridiculous battery life. HyperX rates it at a whopping 300 hours, and based on our testing and that of other reviews, that claim isn’t far-fetched. I’ve kept a log of my own off-and-on usage of the headset for the past couple of months, and after nearly 150 hours of listening time spread across music, games, and podcasts, I have not had to charge the headset once. HyperX’s app, meanwhile, says there is still roughly 40 percent battery remaining. As always, exactly how much battery you get will depend on how loud you crank the volume, but either way, not having to worry about whether you need to charge your headphones’ battery for weeks, if not months, at a time is a significant perk that few, if any, other headsets can currently provide.

For what it’s worth, iFixit conducted a teardown of the headset and largely attributed this performance to a larger-than-usual battery and highly efficient chips, in addition to the lack of battery-draining extras like RGB lighting or active noise cancellation. In any event, the extreme longevity helps make the Cloud Alpha Wireless a standout pick among wireless gaming headsets.

If you’re more than happy with your current headphones, though, our deals roundup has plenty of other good prices on gadgets and gear we like, including Google’s Chromecast and Pixel 6a phone, the Xbox Series S, the latest MacBook Air, well-reviewed SSDs from SK Hynix, Samsung microSD cards, and more. You can check out our full curated list below.

Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.

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