HyperX Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless Gaming Headset Review

A long-lasting headset with premium build quality

In an increasingly bleak PC market there hasn’t been much to look forward to lately, but audio – thankfully – has remained an accessible way to enhance your gaming experience. To that end we are taking a look at the latest wireless gaming headset from HyperX, a brand we have quite a bit of experience with over the years (but somehow haven’t reviewed since 2020).

The new Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless offers some attractive features, including (via HyperX):

• 80 hours of battery life on a single charge
• Dual wireless connectivity with lag-free 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth
• HyperX signature comfort
• Big 50 mm drivers

The large drivers and closed-back design should result in good bass results, but we will explore sound quality in all of its subjective glory later on.

The Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless Headset

We received the black version of the Stinger 3 (white is also available and currently $20 off), and this is a stealthy option – particularly as the Stinger 3 is devoid of RGB lighting.

The Stinger 3 Wireless weighs  287 grams on my postal scale, and features generous padding on both ear cups and the headband. Despite the fairly light weight the construction quality seems excellent, and these have a satisfying level of adaptability with good ear cup rotation and solid clicks for each headband setting. Clamping force is moderate, and these felt comfortable over longer listening sessions.

The physical controls at the bottom of each ear cup are easy to navigate, and the mic mutes automatically when you raise the boom arm.

We tested the Stinger 3 with a PC, Mac, and PS5, and in each case there was no connection issue and range was very impressive. In one instance I was able to listen without interruption throughout my house with the headset connected to a system on the 2nd floor. 

The Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless headset digital audio is fixed at 16-bit, 48 kHz

Subjective Audio Impressions

We tested exclusively using the wireless adapter over USB-C, and overall, the sound quality from the Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless was excellent. Bass is quite prominent, and with a somewhat recessed high frequency response this results in a “warm” sound signature. I am accustomed to HyperX headsets that have a “V” shaped EQ, with a recessed midrange, but these seemed flatter and more clear throughout the middle frequencies than I was expecting. The only lack of detail came in the upper treble area, but that lack of “sparkle” does ensure that these are non-fatiguing.

Bottom line, if you don’t like a “bright” sounding headset, and you want plenty of bass to go along with that “warm” sound, these are a great choice.

Microphone Impressions

While voices captured by the boom mic are clear, and it has very good background noise suppression, the microphone has a compressed quality that definitely sounds like a headset mic – but a very good one, at least. It is a very different sound from a headset like the Logitech G522, for instance, which has a very open “desk mic” sound but much worse background noise rejection.

In short, I would definitely recommend the HyperX Cloud Stinger 3 mic for game chat, but I would not record a podcast with it.

Pricing and Conclusion

The HyperX Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless has a list price of $99.99 USD, which we consider pretty good relative to options like the above-mentioned Logitech G522 ($159.99 USD). The Stinger 3 Wireless has very impressive sound with an emphasis on bass, is comfortable, and has incredible battery life. After a week of testing (including two days worth of intensive gaming while my son was borrowing it) it still hasn’t required charging. I don’t know if we will get to the 80 hour mark before publication, but I don’t doubt the rating at this point.

A wired version of the Cloud Stinger 3 is available for half the price ($49.99 USD), but I am always in favor of 2.4 GHz wireless headsets for the convenience without sacrificing sound quality, and these did not disappoint. I can easily give the Cloud Stinger 3 Wireless our “gold” award level, recommending them to anyone who just wants a solid wireless gaming headset and doesn’t care about fancy RGB effects.