HyperX Cloud Stinger S Headphones Review

The HyperX Cloud Stinger S have a very similar style to the HyperX Cloud Stinger. They have an all-black plastic design, with gray accents instead of red accents like their predecessor. The boom microphone isn't removable, but it can be flipped up.

The HyperX Cloud Stinger S are very comfortable headphones. They're well-padded and lightweight. They also don't put too much pressure on the ears, so they aren't too tight.

The HyperX Cloud Stinger S have simple, sub-par controls. Like the HyperX Cloud Stinger, there's a slider on the right ear cup that lets you adjust the volume. Also, if you want to mute the microphone, you can flip it upwards.

The HyperX Cloud Stinger S aren't very portable. Like most gaming headsets, they have a bulky design that may not fit easily into your bag. However, unlike the HyperX Cloud Stinger, the ear cups on these headphones swivel down into a slightly more compact format, which is convenient.

These headphones don't come with a carrying case or pouch.

The HyperX Cloud Stinger S have a decent build quality. They're mostly made of plastic, aside from a metal plate in the headband. The ear cups are fairly plushy and covered by faux-leather. The hinges and the headband are plasticky and feel a bit weak. The cable is also quite thin.

These headphones are fairly stable. They aren't intended to be worn while working out, and they could fall off your head during high-intensity movements. That said, for more casual uses like gaming at home, they should stay on your ears without too much of a problem.

• HyperX Cloud Stinger S headphones
• Wired USB dongle
• Manuals

The HyperX Cloud Stinger S have a balanced, yet slightly bright sound profile. The extra boom and punch in the mix is ideal for action-packed scenes in your favorite games. They're suitable for listening to most music genres, too. That said, these headphones have an inconsistent audio delivery, so they may sound a bit different depending on their fit, seal, and positioning. There isn't an EQ or any sound customization features available.

The HyperX Cloud Stinger S have a middling frequency response consistency. Their audio delivery is inconsistent in the bass and treble ranges. Depending on their fit, seal, and positioning on your head, they may sound different each time you use them.

These headphones have great bass accuracy. The range is fairly flat and neutral, and the overemphasis in the mid and high-bass adds a boom and punch to the mix. However, the bass delivery varies depending on their seal, so your experience may vary.

These headphones have good mid accuracy. The low-mids are underemphasized, which thins out some vocals and lead instruments. The rest of the range is fairly even and well-balanced, for good clarity and presence.

These headphones have great treble accuracy. Instruments are present and detailed, and sibilants like cymbals are bright. However, because the treble delivery is inconsistent, your experience may vary.

The HyperX Cloud Stinger S have fair peaks and dips performance. The peak in the mid and high-bass adds a boom and punch to the mix. The dip in the low-mids thins out vocals and lead instruments, while the peak in the high-mids makes those same instruments a bit harsh. The peak in the mid-treble can also make sibilants piercing and painful.

The HyperX Cloud Stinger S have a great imaging performance. Weighted group delay falls below the audibility threshold, resulting in a tight bass and a transparent treble. The L/R drivers are well-matched in amplitude, frequency, and phase, so objects are localized and accurate within the stereo image. That said, these results are only valid for our unit, and yours may perform differently.

The HyperX Cloud Stinger S have a mediocre passive soundstage performance. The soundstage is perceived as large. However, due to their closed-back design, it doesn't sound very natural, open, or spacious, especially when compared to open-back headphones.

These headphones have a 7.1 Surround Sound feature available with the USB dongle. This feature can only be turned on with the companion software, and we don't test for it.

These headphones have a great weighted harmonic distortion performance. It falls within good limits at normal and max listening volumes, resulting in clear and pure audio reproduction.

We tested these headphones using these test settings. Our results are only valid with these settings.

The HyperX Cloud Stinger S have a poor noise isolation performance. They don't reduce any noise in the bass range, so you hear bass-heavy sounds like bus and plane engines. They do a slightly better job with higher frequency sounds like speech or AC units, but they can't fully block these noises. Consider the Cooler Master MH751 if you're looking for gaming headphones that can block out a little more ambient noise, especially in the mid and treble ranges.

The HyperX Cloud Stinger S have a decent leakage performance. They leak a bit of noise in the mid-range, but it falls below the noise floor of an average office and shouldn't be too noticeable unless you listen to your music at louder volumes.

The HyperX Cloud Stinger S have a flippable boom microphone.

The microphone has an impressive recording quality. Your voice sounds deep, full, and understandable to your teammates on the other end.

The microphone has a great noise handling performance. Your voice isn't likely to be drowned out by background noises, even if you're gaming in a noisy environment.

These wired headphones don't have a battery.

HyperX's NGENUITY software is sub-par. You can use the app to adjust the volume and the microphone level and to turn the 7.1 Surround Sound on and off. It can also be used to update the headphones. However, there isn't an EQ available, so you can't customize the sound profile.

These wired headphones aren't Bluetooth-compatible.

These headphones are wired-only, so they don't support a non-Bluetooth wireless connection.

The HyperX Cloud Stinger S come with a 1/8" TRRS audio cable that's compatible with your PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

These headphones are compatible with PCs and the PS4 over an analog and a USB connection. You can use the 1/8" TRRS audio cable to plug them into the console controller.

These headphones are compatible with the Xbox One. You can receive audio and use the microphone when you use the 1/8" TRRS audio cable to plug them into the console controller. Note that the USB dongle isn't compatible with the Xbox One.

These headphones don't have a dock, but they come with a wired USB dongle.