A few years ago Turtle Beach released the Stealth 700 and Steath 600 as their high-end wireless console headsets. This was a great headset for the current generation of consoles, and with the next generations of PlayStations and Xboxes a few short months away and pre-orders being an unmitigated disaster, Turtle Beach has updated this popular headset for the current generation of consoles and also promises compatibility with the upcoming consoles. The original Stealth 700 impressed us back in 2017, so we're going to spend some time with the Turtle Beach Gen 2 to see how it has improved and if it seems like a worthy headset for the upcoming console launch.

Looking at the new Stealth 700 Gen 2 it doesn't look drastically different than its predecessor but does have a subtly sleeker look to it. The basic features that seem to be found in most Turtle Beach headsets are all here. There's their standard flip to mute mic, leatherette earcuffs, separate chat and game audio volume controls. There are onboard controls on the earcuff to switch between the different audio presets and turn Superhuman Hearing on or off. They have the proprietary 50 mm Nanoclear speaker technology to ensure that all audio comes through in true-to-life clarity. Their ProSpecs design ensures spectacle-wearing gamers can comfortably use this headset, which is a feature that was tested with both Gunnar and HyperX blue light reducing glasses, and both were comfortable with this headset. The PlayStation version, which is the one we reviewed, has a wireless USB dongle that works with PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 (we unfortunately couldn't test PlayStation 5 due to it not being available) and Nintendo Switch, provided it is in dock mode. The Xbox version wirelessly connects directly to the console. A USB Type-C cable is included for charging.

One of the new features with the Stealth 700 Gen 2 is the compatibility with the Turtle Beach App on your smartphone through Bluetooth. The App isn't too fancy but it's good enough where it enhances the experience of using this headset. Even though the onboard controls allow for easy switching between the four audio presets and turning Superhuman Hearing on or off, the app makes it a little easier to ensure that the proper settings have been selected. There's also a custom EQ setting which even though is a rather simplified mixer, is nice to be able to tweak the sound to the your individual levels. This also means that this headset can be used to listen to music through apps on your phone or play audio from mobile games

Speaker Frequency Response

20Hz – 22kHz

Speaker Size

50mm Nanoclear neodymium drivers

Headset Power

Battery

Battery

Rechargeable 1000mAh Lithium Polymer

3 Hours to full charge, 20 hour battery life

Mic Design

Flip-up Omni-Directional

Ear-Cup Design

Over-Ear (Closed)

Ear Cushion Material

Synthetic Leather (Black) with Memory Foam Cushioning

On paper the Stealth 700 Gen 2 looks like an impressive headset and it honestly exceeded expectations during the field testing. Anyone who has prior experience with Turtle Beach headsets knows exactly what to expect and the new iteration of the Stealth 700 lives up to the reputation of consistent quality Turtle Beach has built over the years. The Stealth 700 Gen 2 remains comfortable during long play sessions and the sound quality is great. Much like the Stealth 600 Gen 2 my preferred preset is Bass and Treble Boost, but thanks to the app I can adjust the frequencies to my own specifications on what I think sounds best with the particular game. Superhuman Hearing is best utilized for multiplayer games to pinpoint the exact location of enemy players but it does bring up everything in single player games and makes for a more immersive experience. The microphone is up to the standard of Turtle Beach equipment, where it's easy to communicate with other players without distortion and the individual chat and game audio controls help make the ideal multiplayer sound. The app does make sound control on the fly easier, and even though it seems like everything requires an app nowadays, this feature does improve the experience of using this headset with games.

Turtle Beach headsets are generally designed to be gaming specific and optimized for video games, and with the exception of their PC headsets, I don't usually use their console headsets to listen to music, but thanks to the Bluetooth connectivity that was another use for this headset. When going out in public, whether somewhere local or traveling far away I prefer earbuds to take calls or listen to music because of the smaller size and ease of travel. While this particular headset is on the larger side for those things, the sound quality is good enough where this is a viable option to listen to your streaming playlist, which is what the headset is being used for as I write this review. Both the Stealth 600 Gen 2 and Stealth 700 Gen 2 are great gaming headsets, but thanks the app audio controls, slightly longer battery life and Bluetooth connectivity, the extra fifty bucks for the Stealth 700 over the Stealth 600 is justified.

Closing Comments:

Turtle Beach took one of their better headsets from a few years ago and improved it for the upcoming console launch. The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 is a great headset, optimized for gaming on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 but also works well for a docked Switch and as a surprise bonus works well with tablets and phones through Bluetooth. There are already a few headsets being advertised as being ready for the next console generation, and while the few of those I have personal experience so far are all good, the Stealth 700 Gen 2 is the highest quality and because of its versatility with console and mobile devices seems to be the best value. Turtle Beach headsets have consistently been good pieces of hardware but this particular one is among their best console headsets.