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Kingston HyperX Cloud Stinger Review

This headset has a great mic and offers strong value for more limited budgets
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Kingston HyperX Cloud Stinger Review (The Kingston HyperX Cloud Stinger is a good choice if you are shopping on a limited budget.)
The Kingston HyperX Cloud Stinger is a good choice if you are shopping on a limited budget.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Price:  $50 List
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Manufacturer:   Kingston
By David Wise and Austin Palmer  ⋅  Jul 31, 2024
67
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#10 of 16
  • Comfort - 40% 6.0
  • Audio - 30% 6.9
  • Microphone - 20% 7.7
  • Ease of Use - 10% 7.1

Our Verdict

Earning a Best Buy Award, the Cloud Stinger is our favorite headset for tighter budgets. This headset is decently comfortable, sounds great, and is quite convenient and easy to use. On top of all that, it has a particularly exceptional microphone, making it an awesome headset on its performance alone. Add in its bargain price, and it is easy to see why it merited an award and the title of Best Headset on a Tight Budget. Get the scoop on how it stands up to the competition in our review of the best gaming headsets.
REASONS TO BUY
Inexpensive
Exceptional microphone quality
REASONS TO AVOID
Not the most comfortable
Sound quality could be bette
Editor's Note: We updated this review on July 31, 2024, to share updates to the HyperX Cloud Stinger. Details below.

Compare to Similar Products

 
Awards Best Buy Award
Best on a Tight Budget
Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Gaming Headset
   
Price $50 List
$39.99 at Amazon
$130 List
$121.99 at Amazon
$100 List
$54.99 at Amazon
$60 List
$46.99 at Amazon
$60 List
$56.56 at Amazon
Overall Score Sort Icon
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Bottom Line This headset is a great bargain option, holding its own with the top models while costing considerably lessThis headset offers great audio, superior comfort, and a fantastic microphone –- the only knock against it is that it is cordedIf you want a great headset that does well across the board and won't blow your budget, look no further than the Cloud IIDespite some shortcomings, this headset still delivers above average audio qualityDespite its affordable price, lacks comfort and features, leaving much to be desired
Rating Categories Kingston HyperX Clo... Kraken V3 HyperSense Kingston HyperX Clo... SteelSeries Arctis... Astro Gaming A10 Gen 2
Comfort (40%)
6.0
9.0
8.0
6.0
4.0
Audio (30%)
6.9
8.6
6.6
6.2
5.2
Microphone (20%)
7.7
8.3
6.8
7.5
6.6
Ease of Use (10%)
7.1
4.9
6.2
6.0
6.2
Specs Kingston HyperX Clo... Kraken V3 HyperSense Kingston HyperX Clo... SteelSeries Arctis... Astro Gaming A10 Gen 2
Connection Type 3.5mm USB USB or 3.5mm 3.5mm 3.5mm
Measure Max Cordlength 10.5 ft 6.4 ft 10.6 ft 9.1 ft 7 ft
Wireless or Wired Wired Wired Wired Wired Wired
How to Mute Lift mic Button Switch Button Lift mic
Detachable Microphone No Yes Yes No No
Mute and Volume Control Location Headphone Headphone Inline (USB only) Headphone Mute: Headphone
Volume: Inline
Measured weight (cable hanging) 9.5 oz 13 oz 10.9 oz 8.8 oz 9.4 oz
Measured Inner Ear Cup Opening 1-5/8" X 2-9/16" 1-1/2" X 2-1/2" 1-1/2" X 2-9/16" 1-3/4" X 2-1/4" 1-3/16" X 1-3/4"
Ear Cup Shape Oval Oval Oval Oval Rectangle
Ear Cup Fabric Type Leatherette Memory foam, leatherette, cooling mesh Leatherette
Velour included
Fabric mesh Fabric mesh
Downloadable Software No Yes No No No
Surround/Spacial Audio No Yes Yes No No
Manufacturer Stated Platform Compatibility PC, Mac, PS4, Xbox One (older version controllers may require an adapter) PC, PlayStation, Switch (docked mode) PC, Mac, PS4, Xbox One (older version controllers may require an adapter) PC, Mac, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox (Series X, S, and One), Mobile PC, Mac, PS5, Switch, Xbox (Series X and S)

Our Analysis and Test Results

The HyperX Cloud Stinger we tested is shown on the left, followed by the new Cloud Stinger 2 on the right.
New Version Released
Since we tested this headset, Kingston has unveiled the HyperX Cloud Stinger 2. The headsets are quite similar in functionality, but there are some external design changes, which can be noted in the comparison photos above. We hope to retest this model at our next review cycle to determine whether it's still worthy of our Best Buy Award. In the meantime, we are linking to the updated model, which is more readily available for purchase.

Performance Comparison


kingston hyperx cloud stinger - comfort is key and the hyperx cloud stinger provides.
Comfort is key and the Hyperx Cloud Stinger provides.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Comfort


Responsible for the largest percentage of the overall score at 40%, comfort is the most important trait for a gaming headset. While this is a relatively subjective metric, we had a large panel of different testers try out each headset for an extended period of time, then aggregated the results to determine the scores. The Stinger did decently well, earning a 6 out of 10, comparing somewhat favorably with the rest of the pack.


Our judging panel had a bit of a mixed response to the Stinger, with a few testers being okay wearing the headset for a full day, while others were only happy wearing the Stinger for about four hours or so. This headset definitely fits a little on the snug side, so it doesn't wobble at all, but some of our testers weren't fans of having their heads squeezed that much for long periods of time.

kingston hyperx cloud stinger - the stinger is a little on the snug side.
The Stinger is a little on the snug side.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

This product does have a padded headband, covered in leatherette. The ear cups are also covered in leatherette and have semi-soft padding. The ear cups have ample room — measuring about 1.625" wide and a little over 2.5" tall — but we did feel the need to adjust them every hour or so, as the pressure could end up being uncomfortable.

kingston hyperx cloud stinger - the cloud stinger fell into the middle of the pack for comfort...
The Cloud Stinger fell into the middle of the pack for comfort. Better suited for gaming sessions on the shorter side.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

This product is also on the lighter side, weighing in at 9.5 ounces and easily fit our testers that had larger heads or ears, albeit snugly, but that is just how this headset fits pretty much everyone.

kingston hyperx cloud stinger - the stinger has excellent audio, especially for its price point.
The Stinger has excellent audio, especially for its price point.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Audio


Next, we moved on to evaluating the audio quality of this gaming headset from Kingston. This headset delivers surprisingly high-quality sound — both voice and music — and scored very high in our set of benchmarking tests.


Starting off, the Stinger does a great job of replaying your teammates' voices, making them sound quite close to life, with very clear and understandable audio, but it does sound slightly flatter and less realistic than the top headsets.

However, we had some mixed results in our positional sound tests. Our panel of testers could usually identify the location correctly of loud sounds in games, like gunfire or vehicles, but struggled a little with quieter sounds, with plenty of people misidentifying where someone was walking quietly.

This headset also does a solid job at blocking out external background noise, cutting out about 45% of music or tv and reducing ambient white noise as well. The Cloud Stinger is great for listening to music, emitting extremely well-balanced sound.

The Cloud Stinger also delivered an admirable performance across our suite of benchmarking tests. It did amazingly well in the driver matching test, with the tone staying centered between left and right ears all the way through the test, matching the performance of the top headsets that cost hundreds more than the Stinger. It also did very well with a dedicated binaural recording, perfectly giving the illusion that someone was knocking on a wooden door behind you, as well as to your left and right. This headset performed well in our bass quality test, but we noticed some parasitic buzzing when the bass was boosted all the way to the top.

kingston hyperx cloud stinger - the cloud stinger has exceptional microphone quality.
The Cloud Stinger has exceptional microphone quality.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Microphone


Worth one-fifth of the total score, we moved on to judging the mic quality of the Cloud Stinger. It scored near the top of the pack here for its superior performance.


This headset does a solid job at picking up voices, though we noticed there was a slight buzz. Additionally, it can also be a bit punchy on B's and P's — something to consider if you know this particularly bothers other people that you play with. There was only a tiny amount of feedback if you tapped the mic, and it doesn't particularly overemphasize T's or S's.

kingston hyperx cloud stinger - the cloud stinger doesn't pick up as much background noise as some...
The Cloud Stinger doesn't pick up as much background noise as some of the other headsets.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

This headset also does a solid job at cutting out external noises, minimizing the sounds of a fan running in the background and failing to even pick up the sounds of a mechanical keyboard while typing. However, it does pick up the sounds if you are eating, though it does mute them slightly, so the crunching of crackers or chips isn't quite so annoying to your teammates. It also doesn't pick up side conversations all that well — a great trait if you usually play somewhere with lots going on in the background. People on the other end of the line could usually hear that there was someone else talking, but it was usually unintelligible or they only caught bits and pieces of the conversation.

kingston hyperx cloud stinger - the stinger was very easy to mute and control the volume on.
The Stinger was very easy to mute and control the volume on.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Ease of Use


For the remaining 10% of the total score, we ranked and scored how much effort it took to actually use each headset. We looked at whether there are inline controls, if the cord is detachable and how long it is, as well as if the microphone had a sidetone or is detachable.


The Cloud Stinger doesn't have inline controls, instead having controls right on the headset that allow you to adjust the volume.

kingston hyperx cloud stinger - the volume slider on the cloud stinger.
The volume slider on the Cloud Stinger.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

The mic is easily muted simply by lifting, and the cord is long enough at 10.5 ft. to give you ample room to move around your desk without getting caught. The cable is detachable, but doesn't give you the option to remove the mic or enable a microphone sidetone.

Value


Holding its own with headsets that cost four or five times as much, this headset is a fantastic value.

Conclusion


While the Cloud Stinger has a few flaws, it is an all-around solid gaming headset at a fantastic price. This product should be your first choice when shopping on a tight budget.

David Wise and Austin Palmer