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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Accuracy
    5. Mid Accuracy
    6. Treble Accuracy
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation
    2. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Wired Connection
    2. Bluetooth Connection
    3. Wireless Connection (Dongle)
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PlayStation Compatibility
    6. Xbox Compatibility
    7. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC vs HyperX Cloud Alpha

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC
HyperX Cloud Alpha

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Jan 17, 2024 03:14 PM

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Tested using Methodology v1.6

Updated Mar 25, 2024 06:56 PM

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SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC Picture
HyperX Cloud Alpha Picture

Variants

  • Arctis Pro GameDAC (Black)
  • Cloud Alpha (HX-HSCA-RD) (Black/Red)

Our Verdict

SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC

HyperX Cloud Alpha

While the SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC and the HyperX Cloud Alpha are similarly performing wired gaming headphones with great boom microphones, the SteelSeries offer slightly more features. Both headphones have inconsistent bass and treble delivery but only the SteelSeries offer a companion app with a graphic EQ plus presets so you can tweak the sound to your liking. They also have DTS 7.1 virtual surround support, and their controls allow you to channel mix on the fly. On the other hand, the HyperX are slightly more comfortable and have a better build quality. 

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Arctis Pro GameDAC
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Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

7.6
7.9

Mid Accuracy 
 

8.4
9.1

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC Design Picture 2
HyperX Cloud Alpha Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Over-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

No
No

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

7.5
8.0

Comfort Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC Comfort Picture
HyperX Cloud Alpha Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.9 lbs
0.7 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

1.2 lbs
0.9 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

6.2
5.3

Controls Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC Controls Picture
HyperX Cloud Alpha Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Decent
Decent

Feedback  

Great
Okay

Call/Music Control  

No
No

Volume Control  

Yes
Yes

Microphone Control  

Mute/Unmute
Mute/Unmute

Channel Mixing 
 

Yes
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
No

Talk-Through 
 

No
No

Additional Controls  

Presets
No
Show Text 

Breathability 
 

5.4
6.3

Breathability After Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC Breathability After Picture
HyperX Cloud Alpha Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

8.3 °C
6.2 °C
Show Text 

Portability 
 

5.7
5.7

Portability Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC Portability Picture
HyperX Cloud Alpha Portability Picture

 

7.4" (18.8 cm)
7.3" (18.5 cm)

 

6.8" (17.3 cm)
6.0" (15.2 cm)

 

3.0" (7.6 cm)
3.2" (8.1 cm)

Volume  

150.00 in³ (2,458.05 cm³)
142.00 in³ (2,326.95 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No
Show Text 

Case 
 

0.0
5.5

Case Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC Case Picture
HyperX Cloud Alpha Case Picture

Type  

No case
Pouch

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

Volume  

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

6.0
8.5

Build Quality Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC Build Quality Picture
HyperX Cloud Alpha Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

7.0
6.5

Stability Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC Stability Picture
HyperX Cloud Alpha Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC Angled Picture
HyperX Cloud Alpha Angled Picture

Side Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC Side Picture
HyperX Cloud Alpha Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC Front Picture
HyperX Cloud Alpha Front Picture

Rear Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC Rear Picture
HyperX Cloud Alpha Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC Top Picture
HyperX Cloud Alpha Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC In The Box Picture
HyperX Cloud Alpha In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Amount 
 

0.4 dB
0.22 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-2.59 dB
-2.4 dB
Show Text 

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

5.4
5.8

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

1.33 dB
1.03 dB
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Accuracy 
 

8.6
8.9

Bass  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

2.01 dB
1.61 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

10 Hz
10 Hz

Low-Bass 
 

-1.81 dB
-0.62 dB

Mid-Bass 
 

-2.69 dB
0.39 dB

High-Bass 
 

-0.7 dB
2.79 dB
Show Text 

Mid Accuracy 
 

8.4
9.1

Mid  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

2.19 dB
1.25 dB

Low-Mid 
 

0 dB
1.44 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-1.07 dB
-0.93 dB

High-Mid 
 

-3.28 dB
0.43 dB
Show Text 

Treble Accuracy 
 

6.4
6.5

Treble  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

5.25 dB
5.1 dB

Low-Treble 
 

-5.42 dB
-2.72 dB

Mid-Treble 
 

-1.93 dB
-1.16 dB

High-Treble 
 

-9.05 dB
-7.07 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.6
7.3

Peaks/Dips Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.44 dB
1.65 dB

Dips 
 

1.56 dB
1.8 dB
Show Text 

Imaging 
 

8.7
8.9

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.16
0.18

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

3.53
6.69

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.71
0.33

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

2
1.18
Show Text 

Passive Soundstage 
 

6.1
5.7

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

5.02 dB
3.09 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

6.68 dB
3.79 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

18.19 dB
12.45 dB

Openness 
 

4.9
6.5

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

3.9
2.6
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

2.0
0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC Virtual Soundstage
HyperX Cloud Alpha Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

On/Off
No

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

DTS 7.1
No App
Show Text 

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.7
8.0

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.362
0.263

WHD @ 100 
 

0.122
0.094
Show Text 

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

Unknown
No Firmware

Power 
 

USB
Passive

Connection 
 

Wired
Wired

Codec 
 

PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz

EQ 
 

Default
No EQ

ANC 
 

No ANC
No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

Boom
Boom
Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation 
 

4.5
3.6

Noise Isolation  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Isolation Audio 
 

Overall Attenuation 
 

-13.24 dB
-11.06 dB

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Bass 
 

0.28 dB
0.56 dB

Mid 
 

-8.65 dB
-5.15 dB

Treble 
 

-32 dB
-28.86 dB
Show Text 

Leakage 
 

6.6
7.7

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

42.08 dB
35.21 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

No
No

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

Yes
Yes

Detachable Boom 
 

No
Yes

Mic  

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Recording Quality 
 

7.6
7.6

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

85.99 Hz
359.19 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

4.57 dB
3.04 dB

HFE 
 

10,240 Hz
10,540.06 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

5.105
0.459

Gain 
 

34.68 dB
30.13 dB
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

7.7
7.7

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

33.22 dB
32.11 dB

Noise Gate 
 

Always On
No

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

7.5
7.5

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

8.0
8.0

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

0.0
0.0

Battery Type 
 

No Battery
No Battery

Continuous Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Additional Charges 
 

N/A
N/A

Total Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Charge Time 
 

N/A
N/A

Power-Saving Feature 
 

No
No

Audio While Charging 
 

No
No

Passive Playback 
 

Passive Headphone
Passive Headphone

Charging Port  

None
None
Show Text 

App Support 
 

8.0
0.0

App Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC App Picture
HyperX Cloud Alpha App Picture

App Name  

SteelSeries Engine
No App

iOS  

No
No

Android  

No
No

macOS  

Yes
No

Windows  

Yes
No

Equalizer 
 

Graphic + Presets
No

ANC Control 
 

No
No

Mic Control  

Adjustable Level
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

Yes
No

Button Mapping  

No
No

Surround Support 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

10
9.9

Cable Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC Cable Picture
HyperX Cloud Alpha Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

USB Type A
No

Detachable 
 

Yes
Yes

Length 
 

5.00 ft (1.52 m)
4.40 ft (1.34 m)

Connector 
 

Mini B 8-Pin
1/8" TRRS

Latency - Analog 
 

0.2 ms

Latency - USB 
 

1 ms
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Connection  

Analog
Show Text 

Bluetooth Connection 
 

0.0
0.0

Bluetooth Version 
 

No Bluetooth
No Bluetooth

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

NFC Pairing 
 

No

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

No

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - SBC 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency Codec  

No Bluetooth Audio

AAC Support 
 

No

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A

iOS Latency 
 

N/A

Android Latency 
 

N/A
Show Text 

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

0.0
0.0

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - Dongle 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A
Show Text 

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

Wired USB 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

PS4 Wired USB 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

PS5 Wired USB 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

Audio Only
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Base/Dock 
 

7.8
0.0

Type 
 

Wired USB dock
No Base/Dock

USB Input 
 

Yes
No

Line In 
 

Yes
No

Line Out 
 

Yes
No

Optical Input 
 

Yes
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

No
No

Power Supply 
 

USB
No Base/Dock
Show Text 

Check Price

Black
Arctis Pro GameDAC
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black/Red
Cloud Alpha (HX-HSCA-RD)
Searching
Finding store
 
Black/Red
Cloud Alpha (HX-HSCA-RD)
Searching
Finding store
 
Black/Red
Cloud Alpha (HX-HSCA-RD)
Searching
Finding store
 
Black/Red
Cloud Alpha (HX-HSCA-RD)
Searching
Finding store
 
Black/Red
Cloud Alpha (HX-HSCA-RD)
Searching
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SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC

HyperX Cloud Alpha

Comments

  1. Comparison

SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC vs HyperX Cloud Alpha: Main Discussion

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