Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX Wireless - Review

Way back in 2010 I picked up a set of Turtle Beach headphones, they are marketed as the best gaming headset around and after only a few months, they broke. Needless to say that it was not a great start for my time with the brand, so since then I have tended to avoid the brand opting to use other brands, but there has always been something about Turtle Beach that made me want to revisit them. So with the new Stealth 600 Gen 2 Max Wireless headset in hand, I put it to the test to see if there was really something special about them, the question is, how did they go?

Turns out they did quite well, the headset and its functions, along with its array of connection options really did provide a lot to enjoy, but we will get to that in a bit, first let us talk comfort. I always start any headset review with that, because if you can’t wear it, then the sound matters not and while looking at the headset, I was sure it wasn’t going to be one made for comfort, I was proven incorrect. Almost every aspect of the exterior of the device is hard plastic, there is not an elastic band in sight and I was concerned it would be rigid, it turns out its not that bad, because while it did take a bit to adapt to my fatter head, after a bit, it became quite comfortable to wear. While the headband has some give with it, the padding on the inside of it, is soft enough, yet still contains enough firmness that it sits on the head without issue. Adjusting the length of distance between the cups and the band is done with a more traditional click slider and while it looks like it might give way with a nudge, I can attest that repeated bashes of it against my desk, hand and assorted other surfaces, resulted in it staying put.

The ear cups, those things that the sound comes from, are quite unique in their shape, they still look very round on the outside, thanks in part to the portion that connects to the headband, but on the inside tear are more teardrop in shape. What this allows for is a more pointed top portion, which will fit a larger amount of users, though elves may find it not quite long enough. The actual shape of the padding around the outside is done very well that I would wear some in-ear buds and then put this headset over them and they still didn’t hit anything. The padding itself is soft enough to not hurt after a few hours of use, but still firm enough that it won’t lose its shape after that same time. There isn’t a lot of airflow around it however, so gamers that are prone to sweat around the ears with closed ear cups, may want to double check the fit first here. On the outside of the ear cups, everything for controlling the headset is on the left ear cup, which results in it feeling bloated, with the right ear cup being entirely devoid of anything.

There are five functions on the left, six if you count the microphone and because they are all shoved in there, it can get a bit busy at times and that is not the best feeling when you are trying to adjust in the middle of a game. From the top down you have your volume wheel, then your voice balance wheel, the Mode selector, power button and finally the charging port. The two wheels spin more than you might expect, but because of that, knowing exactly the level is hard to gauge, repeated use may alleviate that, but its not something you can judge out of the gate. The Mode button is there to swap between some presets for the games equalizer and unless you are someone who lives for that, you will likely be the same as me and leave it alone, when you find the one you like. The only issue is that the headset doesn’t tell you what mode you go into, sure it beeps at you, one beep to four beeps, but even that isn’t helpful as the guide doesn’t tell you which beep is for which mode. The only other functions are power on and charging, which do what you expect and they work fine, of course, the charging is going to be a rare thing for you, as the battery life is crazy good.

Turtle Beach are claiming that you will get around 48 hours off a single charge of the battery, meaning you can game for two straight days, before you have to charge it up. In the three weeks that I was using the headset, I only had to charge it once and I used it a lot, so while the 48 hours sounds like one of that marketing terms, I can tell you, it’s pretty accurate. It does highlight one issue with the headset though, as least as far as functions go, the headset can only be used via the included dongle, there is no Bluetooth or 3.5mm cable connection. Thankfully the dongle does just work, put the little switch into USB mode and it works on PC, PlayStation 5 and Switch platforms, throw it to the Xbox setting and it works there, so if you are someone who games across devices, this is a perfect headset for you. The lack of a 3.5mm connection though does mean it won’t work with your mobile devices, tablets or Switch in handheld mode, which for some folks might be a deal breaker.

With all that said, it is time to talk about the quality of the sound and here there really isn’t anything to complain about, as the quality of what the headset produced is amazing. When I had it connected to my Switch in docked mode, I booted up The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, as that new content drop released and I just spent some time with the music off and enjoying the sounds of the game. Connecting it to my Xbox and dropping into Forza Horizon 5, it was amazing to hear the games soundtrack, mixed with the sounds of Mexico, all the while speeding down the roads. In both instances there was no balancing issues, the sounds all came through clearly and I was able to just enjoy it. When on my PC, again the sounds were great and using the headset in some work meetings people were able to hear me nice and clearly via the attached microphone, which does include a flip to mute function. Something that may take some getting used with that mic though, is that it doesn’t swing out to sit in front of your face, so for users who do prefer the mic to be front and centre, it might not be the headset for you.

Overall, the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 is one incredible headset, its hard plastic outer hides that its super comfortable and includes some insane battery life. The unbalanced control layout is weird and it will take time to adjust to all the items on the left, just because they are packed in there. For those hoping to use it with their phone or other 3.5mm device, the lack of a cabled offering is a massive downside, but if you are someone who games across consoles and PC, this is one headset that can do it all and do it exceptionally well.

The Score

9.5

Review unit provided by Turtle Beach

The Pros

+The sound quality is great, but when paired with that tremendous battery life, will keep you in your game for ages, without any issues

+The support for all the major platforms, makes this one headset for all occasions, perfect for someone who bounces between devices…

The Cons

-… however the lack of mobile or non-usb devices is a bit of a letdown.

-All the controls on the left ear cup make it feel crowded and will take some getting used to