Modestly but aesthetically
The headset made a positive impression on me from the first contact. The packaging, surprisingly, does not try to “scare” with a flashy design and slogans, clearly explaining why it is gamingproduct. Taking the headphones out of the box confirms that the manufacturer has met the needs of users who are already tired of aggressive designs of equipment for players and focused on neat simplicity (or maybe this is the specificity of the cheaper Kingston line?). There is no RGB lighting, even characteristic of many periphery. Instead, we get an aesthetic, almost uniformly black (except for the HyperX logo) construction. What immediately catches the eye is the quality of the headphones. You can see that we do not deal with the first, better equipment and despite the fact that the headphones are made mainly of plastic, it seems to be solid. This feeling is strengthened by the metal-reinforced headband. What’s more, for wireless headphones, they are really light and lie on the head very comfortably, even during several hours of sessions. Probably a lot of this is due to the “breathable” foam on the large earpieces, thanks to which the skin does not actually sweat. Nevertheless, this solidity makes the set quite large and clearly dedicated to use at home, also due to its functionality, but I will mention it later. It is worth taking a closer look at the left earphone, as it hides several elements. The most interesting of them is the microphone for voice communication. Not only can its position be easily adjusted, but an interesting mute method has also been used. It is automatically turned off when turned to an extremely vertical position. Brilliant in its simplicity. On the lower part of the handset, there is a switch, a charging socket in the USB type C standard (a cable that is connected to e.g. to a computer via traditional USB included in the set) and a volume control knob. Importantly, it has no resistance, so we are informed about reaching the minimum or maximum volume level by a characteristic “beep”.
Only for PC users
As mentioned earlier, the new HyperX hardware is mainly intended for home use for several reasons. Although we are dealing with a wireless set, it does not mean that it will not do without plugs. For operation, a USB transmitter is required, thanks to which the headphones connect to a given device by radio, on the 2.4 GHz band. This solution has both advantages and disadvantages. Of the first ones, it must be mentioned that it basically rules out the possibility of using headphones in conjunction with a telephone. Unless we buy an adapter for the Micro USB standard, but it is difficult to call it a convenient solution. On the other hand, in this way we get a much better range and quality of connection than in the case of devices usingwith Bluetooth technology. Walking around the apartment, I did not manage to “spoil” the quality in any way, regardless of whether it was listening to music or using voice communication. The use of a computer is also required to achieve full functionality of the set. Only then are we able to choose the virtual 7.1 sound. This function is turned on and off via a dedicated application. The program also allows you to check the battery status of the headphones. This one lasts around 12-13 hours on full charge, which is a bit short of the promised 17 hours.
Enter the battlefield
However, we know well that ultimately the key issue is whether the headphones work. In fact, it is difficult to fault the new equipment from HyperX. It is evident that this is a model intended for players, and therefore the bass sounds particularly good. After all, in many games focused on intense action, the right bass is the basis of immersion. Fortunately, the higher tones also make a solid impression and sound clean enough. This means that for a not very picky user, these headphones can be used quite universally and are also very good for listening to music, watching movies or series. Unfortunately, the ambient sounds are not likely to be muffled.
The situation becomes more complicated when we want to take advantage of the benefits of surround sound, which is by implication one of the main advantages of the device. It is clear that at this price point we could not expect headphones with full-fledged multi-channel sound. The so-called virtual standard 7.1. In very simple terms, this means that thanks to a separate sound card in an attached USB device, traditional stereo is modified in such a way (by manipulating the volume or delaying part of the sound) to simulate the real 7.1. and give the viewer the feeling of being in the middle of the action. Well, it works out very… differently. In the case of movies, I was dealing with a lottery and even among content labeled as supporting surround sound, the effect was quite sensible at times, and at other times completely artificially. In the best cases, it was more like a deep stereo feeling. Therefore, when watching movies, I rather turned off the spatial mode. On the other hand, it goes without saying that this function has been prepared primarily to improve the gaming experience. Fortunately, it is much better in this field. I tested headphones, among others inValorant , an online shooter in which the ability to hear your opponents’ steps and determine their position can really give you an advantage in the game. Maybe the virtual sound did not allow for the precise positioning of players as in the case of full-fledged surround sets, but without a doubt it manages to create a feeling of deepened stage and it is easier to orientate in space. The technology also works very well in survival horror games, such as Resident Evil 2 . The ability to listen more closely to the sounds of the environment in this type of games further deepens the intense atmosphere.
What too much is not healthy?
In essence, HyperX Cloud Stinger Core Wireless + 7.1. I consider it a really successful headset. It is a solid, but very light construction with quite universal applications, from listening to music, through watching movies, to playing – along with very good voice communication. In addition, the ability to operate wirelessly is a great help and now I can not imagine going back to equipment with a long cable. Paradoxically, I can say that these headphones are… too good. I am not convinced that the implementation of the virtual 7.1 sound. was necessary. Although it improves the experience in certain situations, especially in games, it is not a gamechanger . This addition, however, significantly raises the price, to about PLN 370, which is quite a significant amount for the assumption of a cheap Cloud Stinger line.
We would like to thank Kingston for making the headphones available for testing
