Following up HyperX’s respected but aging Cloud Stinger (released in 2016), the Cloud Stinger 2 has a much-needed more modern design without sacrificing the pleasing audio quality it’s always delivered for the budget-friendly price of $50. It remains one of the most comfortable gaming headsets under $100 you’ll ever clamp over your ears. Hopefully, the rest of the Cloud Stinger line will follow in its soundsteps.
Among the updates from its predecessor, the Cloud Stinger 2 has an expanded frequency response on both ends, an updated headband with rotating earcups more similar to HyperX’s higher-end models, a bendier boom for the mic and a more conventional on-ear volume dial. The noise-canceling mic is less sensitive by 0.5 dBV, but it’s still par for its class.
If the updates mean less to you than cost, you can still get the original Cloud Stinger for a new low price of $25 to $30, which makes it a great option in that price class. HyperX has also dropped the price of its popular Cloud 2 to about $50, and for that money the Cloud 2 delivers a lot more. It’s a hair heavier at 9.7 ounces (275 grams, up from 9.6 ounces or 272 grams), but it includes an in-line USB-C adapter that allows for better software control, virtual 7.1 surround, a detachable mic and more.
I always thought the old Cloud Stinger looked kind of cheap, or at least a little too budget. The Cloud Stinger 2’s redesign brings it more into line with the rest of HyperX’s headset look. Aside from the aesthetics, you no longer have to extend the headband to rotate the earcups — a benefit for those of us with small heads, at least according to gaming headset manufacturers. And they remain comfortably loose hanging around my neck.
But the headband loses its steel support, switching to flexible-feeling plastic, though it also now has a scale on the extension for consistent repositioning.
The new mic adopts a similar design to that of many new budget headsets.
Lori Grunin/CNET
The new boom mic adopts the same design as we’ve seen in a lot of budget headsets: A braided sheath attached to a plastic rotating hinge. On some inexpensive models, that type of sheath isn’t as durable as more upscale headsets — it can wear at the spot where it connects to the plastic — but that’s something that will only appear over time.
It still has the relatively thin memory-foam, leatherette-covered cushions. I’m not sure if it’s new or if I just didn’t notice it before, but they’re thin enough that if I squeeze the headset, my ears touch the driver section on the inside. That’s not necessarily a good or bad thing, just a little disconcerting. They’re not too thin to feel amazingly comfortable, though.
The sound remains quite good for the money, and like before gets a little spatial boost from the DTS Sound Unbound app on Windows and Xbox (for DTS Headphone:X compatible headsets). Music is bright — big on the treble and midtones, not so much on the bass — but that’s pretty typical for these, since they don’t have any equalization controls. Explosions aren’t as rumbly, but dialog, gunshots and the like should be quite sharp.
There’s a slight amount of hiss in the mic, but no more than most analog PC headsets, and chat should sound crisp. The noise canceling is pretty passive, and it blocked out my air conditioner but didn’t really suppress the sound of the keyboard — a quiet linear optical model, although I do tend to pound on the keys.
Unless some critical failure surfaces with the design once it’s been out for a while, the Cloud Stinger 2 should be as much of a crowd-pleaser as its predecessor. It’s still an excellent budget pick, as well as a great analog-only option.
