How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a lightweight, software-tunable wired headset for long PC sessions and cross-platform play, choose HyperX Cloud Stinger S; if you need plug-and-play USB surround with a breathable mesh fit and zero software fuss, choose ELG Mizar USB Gaming.
• HyperX Cloud Stinger S — biggest strength: Virtual 7.1 surround through the HyperX Ngenuity software, plus a genuinely light 275 g build with memory foam and leatherette that's designed for marathon sessions.
• HyperX Cloud Stinger S — biggest trade-off: It's a wired 3.5 mm headset, so the USB adapter is part of the package and the surround feature depends on installing Ngenuity on a PC.
• ELG Mizar USB Gaming — biggest strength: True plug-and-play USB audio with 8-channel virtual surround on PC and PS4/PS5, no companion app, with a braided cable and RGB.
• ELG Mizar USB Gaming — biggest trade-off: The sport mesh cushions favor airflow over the dense, sealed feel of leatherette, and at 0.45 kg it's a heavier headset on the spec sheet.
• Pick the HyperX if you want the lightest possible fit and PC-side audio tuning.
• Pick the ELG Mizar if you want to plug into a USB port and go, without installing anything.
The Cloud Stinger S is built around comfort as a spec, not an afterthought. HyperX lists it at 275 g, which is remarkably light for an over-ear headset, and pairs that with dense memory foam under soft leatherette. The ear cups rotate a full 90 degrees, so you can hang the headset around your neck during a break without it digging in. The headband uses steel sliders that adjust for fit — a small detail, but it's the kind of part that tends to matter more than the padding over a few years of use.
On audio, you get 50 mm dynamic drivers positioned parallel to the ear, which HyperX says is done to push sound directly into the ear for cleaner positioning. The tuning leans toward enhanced bass with crisp highs and clear mids — the usual gaming profile. The headline feature is virtual 7.1 surround, delivered through the HyperX Ngenuity software. That's a real distinction: it means the surround processing lives on your PC, not in a dongle or console. If you game on a desktop and like the idea of fiddling with an EQ or spatial setting, that's a plus. If you don't, it's just one more install.
The mic is a swivel-to-mute boom — flip it up vertically against the headband and it cuts out — with passive noise cancellation to reduce background chatter. Volume sits on a slider at the bottom of the right ear cup, which is easy to find by feel mid-match. Connectivity is a 3.5 mm jack, and the box includes a USB adapter plus a manual. HyperX lists broad compatibility: PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch and mobile. Impedance is 32 ohm, so it's easy to drive from a controller or phone. Warranty runs two years.
Buy it if you want the lightest headset here, you value leatherette-and-memory-foam comfort, and you're happy to run Ngenuity on PC for the surround. Skip it if you want surround on a console without a PC in the loop, or you prefer fabric cushions that breathe.
The Mizar takes the opposite approach: everything happens over USB, and nothing needs installing. Plug it into a PC or a PS4/PS5 USB port and it's live — no companion app, no adapter, no setup screen. ELG describes the surround as 8-channel positional audio mapped to front, back, sides and above, which is the pitch that matters most in shooters: hearing whether footsteps are behind-left or above you, not merely left or right.
The drivers are 50 mm dynamic units covering 20 Hz–20 kHz with 92 dB sensitivity and 32 ohm impedance. ELG frames the larger surface area as moving more air — deeper bass for explosions and soundtrack hits, sharper highs for environmental detail. That's a fair description of what a 50 mm driver does, and it puts the Mizar in the same driver class as the HyperX. The practical difference isn't the driver size; it's how the audio gets to your ears and how the headset feels after hour three.
That's where the mesh cushions come in. The Mizar uses sport mesh fabric over foam rather than leatherette. Mesh lets air move, so heat builds up more slowly than it does under a sealed synthetic-leather pad. If you've ever peeled a headset off after a long summer session, you know exactly why that matters. The padded headband is adjustable, and ELG calls out a lightweight build intended to reduce pressure over extended play — though note the sheet lists the item at 0.45 kg, which is the heaviest figure in this comparison, so "lightweight" here is relative to full-size headsets rather than to the HyperX.
The mic is omnidirectional on a flexible boom that extends to your preferred position. Omni pickup means you don't have to aim it precisely at your mouth, and a pop filter cuts the plosive thump from p and b sounds. The cable is braided nylon, which resists tangling better than a rubber-coated one, and there's an in-line volume control. Multicolor RGB lighting runs on the ear cups. Warranty is one year.
Buy it if you want USB surround on PC or PlayStation with no software, you run hot under leatherette, or you like a braided cable and RGB. Skip it if you need Xbox or Switch compatibility, or you want the lightest possible headset.
• Best for long-session comfort → HyperX Cloud Stinger S. 275 g with memory foam and leatherette, plus 90-degree rotating cups for neck breaks.
• Best for hot rooms and breathability → ELG Mizar USB Gaming. Sport mesh cushions move air where leatherette traps it.
• Best for zero-setup surround → ELG Mizar USB Gaming. USB in, surround on, no app required.
• Best for PC audio tuning → HyperX Cloud Stinger S. Virtual 7.1 is handled through HyperX Ngenuity, so you get software-side control.
• Best for console surround → ELG Mizar USB Gaming. It's built for PC and PS4/PS5 over USB; the HyperX surround path is PC-centric.
• Best for platform flexibility → HyperX Cloud Stinger S. PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Switch and mobile via 3.5 mm.
• Best for cable durability → ELG Mizar USB Gaming. Braided nylon beats a standard rubber-coated cable for tangling.
• Best for voice clarity without aiming → ELG Mizar USB Gaming. Omnidirectional pickup plus a pop filter.
• Best for mic mute speed → HyperX Cloud Stinger S. Flip the boom up and it's muted.
If I were buying blind, I'd take the HyperX Cloud Stinger S. The 275 g weight is the number that decides it for me — that's a headset you can wear for a six-hour session without thinking about it, and the memory foam plus rotating ear cups back that up. The PC-side 7.1 through Ngenuity and the wide platform support (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, mobile) make it the more versatile box to own. The ELG Mizar is the better pick if you specifically want USB surround on a PlayStation with no software and you prefer mesh over leatherette — that's a real preference, not a compromise. But for most people splitting the difference, the HyperX wins on fit and flexibility. Either way, check the current price on Amazon before you commit, since both sit in the budget wired space and the gap can shift.
The Mizar is the cleaner fit — it's USB plug-and-play on PS4/PS5 with virtual 7.1 and no app. The HyperX works on PS5 too, but its virtual 7.1 surround is delivered via HyperX Ngenuity, which is PC software.
For the ELG Mizar, no — the 8-channel surround runs over USB with no companion app. For the HyperX Cloud Stinger S, yes: the virtual 7.1 comes through HyperX Ngenuity.
The HyperX Cloud Stinger S at 275 g. The ELG Mizar is listed at 0.45 kg, so it's the heavier of the two, though its sport mesh cushions and padded adjustable headband are designed to reduce heat and pressure.
Both use a flexible boom. The HyperX uses a swivel-to-mute noise-cancelling mic with passive noise cancellation; the ELG Mizar uses an omnidirectional mic with a pop filter, which is more forgiving about positioning but picks up from all directions.
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