$50 Gaming Headset Showdown: HyperX Cloud Stinger VS Roccat Elo X Stereo

Which budget model deserves your dollars?

Photos taken by the author.

Way back at the end of 2016, HyperX changed the budget gaming headset market forever by releasing the original Cloud Stinger. This $50 model packed many of the design features from their higher-end products into a price category dominated by cheap simple plastic options.

It was no longer good enough for a budget gaming headset to be made of plastic and spit out some sound. Now, it needed to have premium touches. A whole new wave of competition emerged, and now the lower end of the market is packed with solid choices.

Roccat has always built their products on value first and foremost, and their latest Elo X Stereo headset is a clear shot at being the “new” Stinger. HyperX has only given their classic model a few light updates over the years, leaving the door open for someone to come racing in with a new vision for budget gaming audio.

OVERVIEW

Official HyperX marketing image, https://www.hyperxgaming.com/unitedstates/us/headsets/cloud-stinger-gaming-headset

HyperX Cloud Stinger (Original Review Here, S Model Review Here)- The Stinger set the original standard for maximum performance at a low $49…