HyperX Cloud Stinger Core Wireless Review

HyperX was once a brand that only made memory products, however, these days they are one of the leading peripheral brands on the market. Over the years, we saw them release a wide range of Incredible mice, keyboards, what's more. Of course, today the focus is on their award-winning head, the latest, the Stinger Core Wireless! The market is packed with incredible headsets, despite the successes, HyperX really does have their work cut out for them today. HyperX Cloud Stinger Core Wireless Fortunately, this headset does seem very well equipped. Being wireless, you're never going to be tripping over the cables, which is always good for those long gaming sessions. They've designed the headset to be lightweight and durable, with plenty of memory foam and ergonomic features. Of course, you also get a range of on-board controls, a foldaway microphone, and support for both PlayStation and PC devices. Features Gaming-grade wirelessLightweight comfortImmersive in-game audioDurable, adjustable steel slidersConvenient onboard audio controlsSwivel-to-mute noise-cancelling micCompatible with PS4 and PC What HyperX Had to Say "Enjoy wireless freedom at a great price. The wireless HyperX Cloud Stinger™ Core is a lightweight, durable headset that's ready to play on PS4 systems. Chat with your friends online and enjoy clear communication with your squad thanks to its noise-cancelling microphone. Get immersed in your gaming and lose yourself in your audio entertainment with Cloud Stinger Core’s rich sound. It also features onboard audio controls on the earcup and a convenient swivel-to-mute mic." - HyperX Packaging The packaging for the headset, is really well designed, with a nice clear photo of the headset on the front, it was a quick rundown of all the main features. Around the back of the box, there are four smaller images breaking down the various ergonomic features, well as the drivers. Below all of that, you get all the technical information too. The headset is very well packaged too, with a folding plastic shell keeping all of the hardware protected, as well as small recesses for the dongle and charging cable. You'll also find the usual assortment of documentation. The headset comes with a USB Type-C charging cable, although you could easily substitute this for one of your own if required. However, you will need to use the official HyperX dongle to pair the headset with your device, as simple as plug and play. A Closer Look The design of this headset really is fantastic, play well to the strength of the new PlayStation 5. It has a matching matte white finish that looks pretty striking on its own, but also some subtle blue hints around the drivers, giving a nod to the official PlayStation colours. However, it's just a nice looking headset overall and even if you're only going to use this on PC, I think a lot of people will appreciate the overall aesthetic. Down the side of the headset you will find a simple HyperX logo, nothing too over the top no RGB lighting, not even simple LED lighting; just a crisp and clean looking design overall. Another important thing to note here is that the drivers use a closed-back design. This means the sound will be locked in and ambient noise will be blocked out a lot more. This is further enhanced by the thick memory foam padding on the ear cups, which comes with a rubber gasket around the lower edge which again will help lock in the sound. The memory foam is very forgiving, and comes with lovely and soft cloth covering that provides exceptional comfort during those long gaming sessions. However, it's the overall weight of the headset that provides the most comfort, it feels lightweight enough for comfort, but it still has a weight of quality about it too. There is a good range of ergonomic adjustments available too, allowing you to tip the drivers a few degrees in each direction. It might not seem like much, but it can make a huge difference to the overall fit and I found it to be very comfortable overall. You get quite a lot of padding on the headband too, further enhancing the overall comfort of the headset. A lot of headsets recently seem to skimp on the headband material, I'm glad to see HyperX haven't followed that trend. It's also nice to see a headset that has such a long-range of adjustment in the headband slider. I often find many headsets never extend far enough provide me with a comfortable fit, but this one has more than room to spare even for me. That being said, the minimum size makes the headset small enough to be used by children too. Performance The drivers on this headset are "only" 40mm, so I was worried that they were going to lack the kind of low-end punch I desire in my headsets. However, that simply isn't the case and they pack quite a mighty punch that I wasn't expecting. The sound is thick and deep overall all, and it is likely helped by the closed-back driver design. It locks in the air that's moving around in the ear cups, which helps produce a much deeper low-end response. For listening to movies and music, it certainly put a big smile on my face. The overall clarity is really good, And I never had any issues with distortion, crackling, or even any wireless connectivity issues. Even running this thing at high volumes for extended periods didn't throw up any issues for me. There's a lot of detail in the mid-range, which really brings out the detail in guitar-heavy music, clarity of the high-end is excellent too, leaving dialogue and vocals ring in bright and clear the whole time. It is a little more tuned towards a "wow" factor than being studio accurate, but honestly, I am perfectly ok with that as I turn to increase the bass and the trouble slightly myself anyway. When it comes to gaming, the headset really shines, I've been playing the Elder Scrolls Online with this headset for a couple of nights now, and everything from the fantastic musical score and SFX sounded wonderful, even over the general rubble of people chatting with me on discord. Even with a lot of various sound sources playing at once I didn't feel that the mix was muddled and was able to hear everybody and everything clearly. Furthermore, everybody was able to hear me clearly as well, as the microphone on this headset very competitive. It has a good frequency range to it, It doesn't pick up much ambient noise, and overall the noise cancellation on it it is better than I would have expected for this price range. Of course, it's not going to rival the desktop microphone solutions HyperX produces, but it'll get the job done. I do prefer a detachable microphone, as I don't actually use one as often as I used to, but this one does fold-away when not in use. The good thing about that is it will also automatically mute itself when folded up out of the way. When you do want to use it, pull it down and bend the boom to a suitable position, and you're ready to rock. It couldn't be easier. How Much Does it Cost? The HyperX Cloud Stinger Core Wireless Gaming Headset is available directly from HyperX for just £74.99. That's a very competitive price for a wireless gaming headset. All that wireless tech, additional batteries, etc, adds to the cost, but you'll struggle to find a better-equipped headset for less! It's cheaper than the equivalent from Turtle Beach, SteelSeries, Logitech, Razer, and more. Overview The latest headset from HyperX might not be their most extreme, high-end, expensive, flagship model. However, is clear that it still has a lot to offer to gamers, and just general PC users overall. At this price range it's certainly competitive and one of the more affordable wireless gaming headsets out there right now, at least for many of the big-name brands. For what your paying, you do get a lot in return. HyperX promises a battery life of around 17 hours. I got a little under 14 hours, but for the purpose of this review, I was running the volume pretty hard most of that time. That being said, it's unlikely that you'll be having a single gaming session of that length. Even if you do get close to that run time, the USB Type-C port means you can quickly charge the headset, or even charge it while playing from something like a USB power bank. The headset is very well suited to gaming. It has a really good quality microphone, drivers that really put the wow factor into the game audio, and it's comfortable. Overall, it really ticks all the basic boxes for a gaming headset. However, I found it just as enjoyable for listening to my favourite albums, enjoying some YouTube content, and watching a movie. A good headset should sound great no matter what you throw at it and that's exactly what you'll get from the Cloud Stinger Core Wireless. Should I Buy One? A stylish design, durable build quality, comfortable ergonomic, and a fantastic microphone and driver combo make this one of the most competitive wireless gaming headsets out there right now. While I could argue that there are better headsets out there, you'll certainly have to pay a lot more for them, but I can't think of a single wireless headset that is better for less.