A “Pro” headset’s producer must overcome more obstacles. To avoid a button-filled headset, every new function will need inventiveness. Each modification raises the price. Easy-to-use, affordable, quality, and features are difficult to balance. The superb but difficult Turtle Beach Stealth Pro headset shows such tensions.
It’s hard to summarize the Stealth Pro’s many features. For $330, you get 50mm drivers, powerful active noise cancellation (ANC), two microphone options, a swappable battery, a wireless transmitter that charges an included second battery while you use the other one, compatibility with most gaming devices, and a large customization suite via Turtle Beach’s app. There’s no catch, yet Turtle Beach packs it all in with some design peculiarities.
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pro is a top-tier gaming headset for around $300 if you can handle some sophisticated features. Its comfy design and innovative battery solution alleviate my biggest wireless headset complaint, making it my go-to audio gadget. I need to learn not to touch it in public.
Comfortable design
The Stealth Pro’s non-gaming appearance is its best feature. Manufacturers are discarding bright, colorful designs for discreet ones that make them more public-useable. Turtle Beach’s black and silver look with few logos and no RGB highlights follows that trend.
Its metal-reinforced headband makes it a durable headset. It’s a considerable improvement over the original Stealth models’ plastic feel, although it’s stiff when adjusted. The upscale design made me feel less self-conscious when testing a gaming headset on an NYC train.
I like the comfort so far. I thought it might squeeze my head because it seemed tight at first. Its plush memory foam ear cushions and headband prevented that discomfort during testing. I left it on for hours without thinking. It seems flexible enough to suit larger heads while being snug.
Sound quality
Audio quality favors the Stealth Pro. At this point in its long history, Turtle Beach can balance a gaming headset. 50mm Nanoclear drivers deliver crystal-clear sound across all frequencies. I can customize the mix with Turtle Beach to get the bass, mid, and high tones I want. The company’s Superhuman Hearing function boosts footsteps. The audio hub app helps me quickly change EQ presets.
The noise cancellation is impressive. When I’m playing, room tone disappears, letting me focus on Octopath Traveler 2’s great score. If you desire outside noise, use the audio hub app to adjust the mic monitor. Monitors are noisy by default. It produced harsh, peaking sounds on the train.
At $330, this headset doesn’t raise the bar in microphone quality, but I’m rarely satisfied with gaming headset microphones. I like the Stealth Pro’s in-line microphone and detachable boom. The built-in mic has a hollow, echo-filled tone that takes up room tone, but it’s good to have if I don’t want to use the adapter.
I’d feel better exposing my teammates to the boom’s sharper sound. My speech is fine, but the room tone is tinny. Flipping the microphone up mutes it, making a rather unpleasant microphone handling sound. Sometimes the microphone mutes for a few seconds without me touching it. I can easily flick it out of my face and get an auditory cue that it’s off, so the feature works nicely.
Battery
Again, its battery innovation. Turtle Beach claims the headset lasts 12 hours on a charge, which seems realistic (though 10 may be closer). It’s low for the price, but the battery can be simply removed and replaced with a headset-bundled battery. Simply remove the plastic cover on the left earcup, insert the new one, and replace the cap.
Another cool battery component. The Stealth Pro includes a USB-connectable wireless transmitter. The round puck is larger than a flash drive-sized dongle because it charges batteries. I charge my second battery wirelessly. I replace my depleted one with a fully charged one in the transmitter. It’s fantastic for charging your headset when it dies. The utility’s benefit outweighs the transmitter’s size.
Features and controls
Its features—and quirks—make it “Pro.” Positively, it works with most gaming systems. The transmitter plugs into a docked Switch or Xbox Series X, and Bluetooth allows me connect to my phone. I had no trouble switching between the transmitter on PC, my Switch over Bluetooth, and my phone.
The great feature set can become confusing. A dial wheel doesn’t control volume. The right earcup is a volume dial. I got used to it, but it feels foolish considering how many spins are needed to attain top volume.
The wheel’s modes are trickier. The audio hub app lets me map an additional function to the wheel’s center button. That lets me adjust mic monitor volume, ANC, bass boost, and more. Only one can be assigned. Bluetooth volume and game/chat mix cannot be adjusted simultaneously. It limits functionality but may be required to fit more in without 100 buttons.