If you are looking for a budget gaming headset that still performs well and elevates your gaming experience to new heights, the Hyperx Cloud Stinger is a solid choice. This bulky headphone is surprisingly lightweight due to its plastic frame body. Comfortable nonetheless, the result of investing in sound quality over a flashy exterior, the Hyperx Cloud Stinger has slowly become the go-to budget solution for many gamers who enjoy long gaming sessions.
While compromising on peripheral features, the Hyperx Cloud Stinger delivers the core basics very well. This is what you can expect from a budget gaming headset. However, does the Hyperx Cloud Stinger still stand strong in 2021? Scroll down as we go under the hood of one of the most popular budget headsets in this Hyperx Cloud Stinger Review.
HyperX Cloud Stinger Review Contents:
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Design & Comfortability
Despite cheaper components, we are a big fan of the Hyperx Cloud Stinger due to its minimalistic design and all-black approach. As an affordable headset, it offers a premium finish to what is a very straightforward design. But at the same time, it is not too flashy. It’s like a premium budget design.
Given the reduced manufacturing costs, you will see no aluminium or steel in the design. That being said, the plastic body of the Hyperx Cloud Stinger has a matte coating and a very pleasing weight to the body. For the minimalist, the Hyperx Cloud Stinger will slot nicely into your home or gaming room decor.
The build quality is also sturdy enough to take a beating, without being too heavy on your head. There is nothing worse than a gaming headset that crumbles with any force. This is super common with cheaper headsets and it is great to see that Kingston managed to navigate smoothly around this.
For padding, we were genuinely quite surprised. Having expected the headset to be highly uncomfortable, the Hyperx Cloud Stinger offers amazing and cushy padding with memory foam in the cups. For longer gaming periods, this was much appreciated. The earcups also rotate which is kind of cool. Through this, we were able to achieve a better fit for our oversized head. Additionally, players can take the earcups off.
Sound & Audio Quality
Unsurprisingly, one of the primary reasons why the Hyperx Cloud Stinger is one of the most popular gaming headsets on the market is due to its impressive sound quality. Audio is at the pinnacle of any good headset and the Hyperx Cloud Stinger does not make habit of letting the team down.
Comparing similarly priced headsets, the sound quality of the Hyperx Cloud Stinger knocks all of its competitors out of the park. Testing with both dialogue, game cinematics and music, the overall result was really impressive. We would even go as far as stating that the Hyperx Cloud Stinger could compete on audio with the next tier up of gaming headsets.
The mid-frequency is very prominent with the audio driver used in the Hyperx Cloud Stinger. As a result, you get crisp audio quality. Unfortunately, when it comes to very high or very low frequencies the Hyperx Cloud Stinger does struggle slightly. Some players may also find that the Hyperx Cloud Stinger gaming headset lacks some bass.
That said, with spatial awareness, you will be able to elevate your gameplay and listen to your favourite music without a hitch. The Hyperx headset series has often performed well with sound quality and the Hyperx Cloud Stinger is no different.
Microphone
Sporting a fairly decent boom mic, players will also enjoy the fairly decent recording and input quality. There is nothing worse than somebody with a crappy microphone and once again, the Hyperx Cloud Stinger will not disappoint.
With a natural-sounding relay, the microphone on the Hyperx Cloud Stinger comes with excellent gains. Just keep in mind that you will get the best result with your Hyperx Cloud Stinger within quieter environments. Although the noise handling is fairly decent for the mic to pick up your voice (even with a loud environment) it is nothing amazing.
Price & Value
When talking about gaming headset prices, the range is ridiculous. For a gaming headset under $80, the Hyperx Cloud Stinger is honestly a seriously good investment. While there is compromise on the design, there is very little compromise on the important goodies such as the audio quality and microphone. It’s somewhat incredible that a budget headset can sound this good.
If you can spare a few more bucks, you can always go for higher-end Hyperx Cloud headset variants. However, if your budget is capped at $80 AUD, the Hyperx Cloud Stinger is solid.
There are many headphones with double or even triple the price, that do not sound anywhere close to the way Hyperx Cloud Stinger does. Kingston really knows how to pack a punch in the headset industry with their great value-for-money headsets.
The Not So Good
Now for some bad news. Firstly, despite being extremely lightweight, the Hyperx Cloud Stinger lacks portability due to its size. So, it can get really frustrating if you want to use these headphones while commuting. Due to their large circumference, they also cannot be easily stored around your home.
Secondly, the Hyperx Cloud Stinger model is not wireless and does not have wireless capabilities. Therefore, you will need to upgrade to a more advanced model to acquire wireless freedom. The headset is designed for gaming purposes and this is where it truly shines. However, once you go wireless, you never go back!
Lastly, we have already discussed some light issues with sound quality when listening to extremely high or low frequencies. However, that one is not such a biggy because the Hyperx Cloud Stinger sounds great!
Hyperx Cloud Stinger Review Verdict.
All things considered, we have graded this Hyperx Cloud Stinger review a solid 88%. If you compare the Hyperx Cloud Stinger to a high-end headsets like the Turtle Beach Elite Atlas Aero or the Astro A50 Gen 4, you will be bitterly disappointed. But that is not comparing apples to apples.
For a budget gaming headset, there is not much better than this product. The headset works on your PC, Mac, Smartphone, Games Consoles and pretty much anything you can name. The model offers a simple, sturdy design with great durability designed for gaming purposes. They are fairly comfortable for a long gaming session and offer good quality audio to take care of all your gaming needs.
Overall, we were highly impressed with what Kingston has been able to fit within the headset while still ensuring that the price tag is accessible for most. That said, should you want wireless headphones with a detachable mic for more casual use, the Hyperx Cloud Stinger is definitley not the one for you.
Content Disclaimer: This Hyperx Cloud Stinger Review is independently written. We have not been commissioned by Kingston, nor have we received any royalties for this article. This includes financial reimbursement, free advertising or the Hyperx Cloud Stinger Gaming Headset by way of gift.
Should you click on any link to Amazon and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission. But that’s just how we keep this website alive! Feel free to hit us up in the comments. We would be happy to answer any questions you have about our Hyperx Cloud Stinger Review.
HyperX Cloud Stinger Headset FAQs
Are you still undecided whether to buy the Hyperx Cloud Stinger after reading this review? Here are some of the most commonly asked questions that will hopefully help you make the right decision.
