Hyper X/Kingston has been working on a lot of hardware, which ranges from ram, mice, keyboards and even headsets. At PAX East 2017 I had the chance to check out quite a few products in person, but one headset I got the chance to review was the Cloud Stinger. What is this headset? The HyperX Cloud Stinger is a Lower-end Gaming Headset that retails for $49.99. The real question though is, how good can this thing be for only $50? I’ll be evaluating the headset based on 5 points.
Evaluation Criteria:
– Design
– Features
– Audio Quality
– Voice Quality
– Price
Upon opening the box and seeing the HyperX Cloud Stinger Gaming Headset in person for the first time, I was rather impressed. For being on the lower-end of gaming headsets, I was pleasantly surprised with the build quality and appearance of the product. I knew that given the price point the body of the headset was most likely going to be made entirely out of plastic, but I didn’t expect the headset to look and feel as nice as it did.
The HyperX Cloud Stinger is a simple yet rather professional looking piece of hardware. It is an all-black plastic headset with a matte finish and a classy feel. The body of the headset is made almost entirely out of a lightweight durable plastic which is then padded with leatherette memory foam cushions along the headband and around the ear cups. Inside of the headband there is an adjustable steel slider which clicks into place, stays put, and makes adjusting a breeze. The headset is sturdy yet forgiving enough that it doesn’t rattle or creak when flexed. Solid construction with no creaking or rattling.
One of the things I usually struggle with the most when it comes to headsets is finding one that fits my tiny head. The HyperX Cloud Stinger is a perfect fit for me and it’s comfortable! I can wear it for hours on end. I also wanted to make sure that this headset fit people with larger heads so I asked a couple of my friends to try it out for a few hours and deliver their verdicts. Both of my friends said that it fit them and was comfortable to wear. I think one of the reasons that it is so comfortable and easy to wear is because it weighs in at only 275 grams (9.7oz). This headset was built for prolonged wear and comfort.
Now depending on the type of person you are, features may or may not matter, but to me the features are extremely important! The listed features for the HyperX Cloud Stinger include:
– Lightweight headset with 90-degree rotating ear cups.
– 50mm directional drivers for Audio precision.
– HyperX signature Memory foam. Adjustable steel Slider.
– Intuitive Volume control on headset ear cup.
– Swivel-to-mute noise-cancellation Microphone.
– Multi-platform compatibility.
To be honest, I really wasn’t expecting much in regard to features. I knew I wasn’t getting multiple sound controls or crazy LEDs, but I have to say HyperX didn’t disappoint me.
My absolute favorite feature on this headset is the 90-degree rotating ear cups. I travel A LOT, so having a headset that I can flatten out and lay between my laptop and journals is AMAZING! It takes up less space than a regular headset so I don’t feel like I’m forced to leave it behind or be stuck with earbuds when I travel. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to have a headset again that doesn’t have this feature without feeling like I’m missing something!
The next best feature on this bad boy is the Swivel-to-mute mic. I often forget to turn my mic back on when I’ve muted myself in game, so the fact that I now have this feature and can just flip up the mic to mute myself and flip it back down to resume my conversation is stellar. It’s so much easier than having to remember to unmute myself with a button or in a voice-talk client. It also adds to how easy this thing is to travel with.
These two features alone make the HyperX Cloud Stinger one of my favorite headsets, but of course that’s not all it has. The multi-platform compatibility is great because that make this the only headset you will ever need since you can switch and use it on your PC, or PS4. The volume control is discrete yet intuitive for ease of use, and the steel slider headband ensures that the headset stays put. I’m honestly shocked that a $50 headset came with so many useful features. That’s what I call a good deal!
Sound wise, I was blown away by the HyperX Cloud Stinger. This headset’s audio is on par with many of the more expensive gaming headsets. The headset gets pretty loud, and game sounds and audio in general comes through beautifully. The only thing regarding the audio that I wish was included with the headset is the ability to manually adjust the sound settings on the headset via a control switch.
Possibly my least favorite part about the HyperX Cloud Stinger headset is the microphone. Unfortunately, lower-end gaming headsets (and gaming headsets in general) are notorious for having cheap mics so I wasn’t too heartbroken. The good thing about this mic is that it doesn’t really pick up much (if any) background noise. The downside of the mic is that it’s cheap and can sometimes sound like you are either in a tunnel or really far away from the mic even though it’s right in front of your mouth. This can be especially annoying to others in voice chat since they can have a hard time hearing you.
Now if you haven’t picked up on it already, I think this headset is a pretty good bang for your buck. At $50, you can’t do much better than this in terms of quality gaming headsets. Is it the best gaming headset on the market? No – and if you want to spend big bucks to get a top-of-the-line headset, then you do you, but why break the bank when you can a high quality and perfectly capable gaming headset for a much lower price?
The headset looks good, feels good, and does exactly what a quality gaming headset should for a fraction of the price of other premium gaming headsets. If you’re on a budget but want to get more out of your gaming/listening experience, then you can’t go wrong with the HyperX Cloud Stinger. From its quality build to its features, this headset is a winner. It’ll definitely be coming with me on all of my business trips!
