The HyperX Cloud Stinger is here but does it have enough to Sting dead the competition!?
Kingston has been around the block for many years now and wooing in PC enthusiasts & gamers alike with their impressive and sturdy line of memory and storage devices. But lately in an attempt to explore new territories & regaining lost ones they are expanding their presence in the world of gaming headsets and boy they are making ripples for sure! Their Cloud Stinger has been one such attempt which cemented its legacy as one of the best gaming headsets in the industry offering a balance of almost everything one can ask for at an unbelievable price point.
At just around $50 or Rs 3,500 in India the HyperX Cloud Stinger utilizes 50mm neodymium drivers to deliver a thump pumping audio quality at a maximum 18Khz all working perfectly with almost any device you can name of including PC, cell phones, tablets and even gaming consoles of the latest generation.
With an impedance of 30 Ohms and a maximum output power of 150mW we're looking at around a 50mW output higher and almost-double the Ohms on offer than competing headsets, once again accentuating the HyperX quality I have experienced in the past.
What's in the Box!?
HyperX Cloud Stinger comes to us in the HyperX signature packing style and color scheme. The box is mainly black with hues of wine red in terms of color scheme and has the product image right in the center of the box occupying most of the real estate. Product name is written on the top left side and its major selling point of wide compatibility with various devices is clearly stated on top.
Open the box and you find the headset resting securely in a foam cavity covered by another foam sheet which is placed inside a black cardboard box for extra protection.
The packaging included the Stinger headset, an extension cum splitter cable and a welcome card from Kingston Technologies. This is quite a basic packing and accessory set but i don't expect anything extra for a product at this price point so nothing to complain over here.
A look at the Stinger!
Looking at the headset itself we see that it is an all black product which is made out of premium quality plastic and has the HyperX logo on each cup. The cups have steel sliders extension & can rotate a full 90° inwards for easy storage and wearing around the neck. We also find the signature memory foam on these cups which we are used to seeing on every HyperX headset by now and these foam cups are really good in terms of comfort and designing so we hope the same from the Stinger aswell.
The headband is also made out of plastic and has the HyperX logo on top with the memory foam underlying it. Also the unidirectional mic on the left earcup is flexible which can be bend into an orientation as per the users requirement and is easy to mute and activate with an easy swivel, put it up and its off and pull it down to your mouth and its active.
The right earcup has has a volume slider to adjust the in game volume and its quite easily accessible compared to an in line volume controller if you ask me which sometimes gets lost swinging around with the wire. Also the wire on the HyperX Cloud Stinger is not braided but covered with silicon which is non sticky and doesn't kink. The wire ends up in a four pole single 3.5mm jack and is 1.7m long which can be further extended with the Y-Splitter 1.3m cable ideally for PCs and Laptops.
Time to hit the Chords!
Gaming Performance
Since the HyperX Cloud Stinger aims at gaming, obviously, we tested it with some of our all time favorites, Crysis 3 and Battlefield 1 for its excellent blend of audio, Middle Earth: Shadow of War for its pitch perfect environmental sounds and NFS: Rivals well simply 'coz I like that game!
In Crysis 3 we had no issue whatsoever in listening to or understanding what Prophet was saying and noises were greatly distinguished in the heat of battle, even of the crickets in the NY jungle! Battlefield 1 came out fully immersive especially when it came to sitting inside the battle tanks or listening to aerial bombing happening across the field. In Shadow of War we could really feel the voices coming from different directions and interestingly even though the bass on these headphones are acceptable they didn't distort the sounds of footsteps from behind and I was able to pin point the enemy location making it a great choice for eSport players including CS:GO. The engines of Bugatti or Lamborghini never revved any better and we were blown away by the deep bass these cups had to offer.
Also the mic is static free and picks up noise at low levels, a bit of a nasal comes in but with a bit of an adjustment that can be taken care of. Even though its quite flexible I didn't feel it to be flimsy at all in terms of build quality which is quite good since we adjust the mic often during gaming sessions.
Music, Movies & Miscellaneous Stuff
For movies and music I plugged in the Cloud Stinger into a ALC 1220 codec based audio solution on my PC motherboard and also we tested it with an Apple iPhone 5S and iPhone 7 for basically musical playback. Firstly we went in for a wide variety like the dialogue intensive Schindler's List & 12 Years a Slave to high pitch titles like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and Fast and the Furious 8, all came out in exceptional quality.
Bryan Adam's Heaven and some of my all time favorite Bollywood songs sounded great with exceptional lows accompanied by a good treble. Eminem Legacy and Rap God were as clear as they can be with bass nearing perfection for a gaming headset, even at full volume songs from 3 Doors Down, Motorhead or Metallica didn't crack displaying the true power of the 50mm drivers that it uses. The only issue that one might face is with the mids here since they tend to get over shadowed by the lows and the high bass which is quite common for gaming headsets but for this price I can't really much complain but only appreciate the great audio quality that these cups have to offer.
My Verdict
HyperX as a gaming brand doesn't really disappoint with its offerings but with the HyperX Cloud Stinger it has not only delivered a yet another impressive product but its a game changer for the budget gamer. The headset is not build like a tank but is sturdy due to the high quality of plastic used and the steel sliders instead of plastic ones which impart some rigidity to the whole frame.The cups are soft and don't make the ear too hot or itchy due to sweating even after long usage, I like the fact that they rotate to a 90° making it easy to wear around and also store in a drawer or carry bag. Mic is good and you can't ask for anything more for a $50 price tag but the real shiner is the audio quality that the Stinger offers. Its clear, crisp and to the point for hardcore gaming and even for casual music and movies a times. I've seen headsets almost double or more the price of the Stinger offering inferior audio quality so the Stinger sure shines out here for sure.
"The HyperX Cloud Stinger is build solid, sounds perfect, looks great and is priced to the point making it a perfect recommendation for every gamer on a budget who wants a bang for their buck & even more!"
Pros -- Looks good
- Aptly priced
- Good Sound quality
- Comfortable Fit
- Cups rotate at 90°
- Mic is quite clear and receptive
- Made out of plastic
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