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Gaming Headset Showdown: Razer BlackShark V2 Pro VS HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless
For years and years, you had to spend more than $300 to get what I’d consider a “flagship” wireless gaming headset. However, over the last few product cycles, the $150 price established itself as the new competitive market space and filled up with different choices. Now, to stand out from the pack, peripheral companies target a range just above that — offering flagship-style performance at half of what used to be the going rate.
The market won out, driving prices down and features lists up. Razer and HyperX are two of the biggest players in the gaming headset scene. Razer practically invented the modern gaming headset with the original Kraken, a garish and bass-heavy product that was still fun and sold like crazy. HyperX upended the proverbial table with the original Cloud, a blend of in-house design and licensed OEM components that proved gaming headsets could sound great.
Dozens of product iterations later we have today’s two contenders: The stalwart Razer BlackShark V2 Pro, and the new HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless. Both represent what I believe to be the pinnacle of each company’s wireless lineup, and both offer features aimed at enthusiast users. Razer doubled down on years of smart iterations to craft the BlackShark V2, while HyperX put basically all of their chips on battery life.
But which one is better?
Neither Razer nor HyperX paid me to write this, and I had no contact with either company during the production of this article. I bought both featured headsets with my own money. My full reviews policy lives here. None of the links in my articles are product affiliate links.
OVERVIEW
The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro goes for a standard price of $179.99 (official site here) but it also receives regular discounts. It’s available in a few different color ways. In the box, you get the headset itself and its wireless dongle and mic, a micro-USB charging cable, a 3.5mm wired audio cable, a cloth bag, and some documentation.
For connectivity, it uses Razer’s market leading HyperSpeed Wireless system, with fast performance and decent range. The…
