Growing up, Turtle Beach was a forerunner when it came to gaming headsets. They always touted features that would take your game to the next level like super-hearing or 7.1 surround sound. Through the years since high school though, it seemed as if other brands started to take the wheel, sending TB to the back seat. With the release of their latest headset, the Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX, it’s extremely evident that Turtle Beach has jumped back into the driver seat yet again.

What’s in the Box

The way I remember Turtle Beach unboxings back in the day was that it was a pretty cumbersome experience. With this headset, it is exactly the opposite type of occasion. While the box sports the same usual TB flair, the innards are nice and simple. You have the Stealth headset, its USB Type-C to Type-A charging cable, its USB dongle, and an instructional manual. That’s it!

Aesthetics and Build Quality

Something that I’ve always admired about Turtle Beach is their sense of style, and this headset is no exception. The stark black design goes perfectly with the shiny silver embellishments. This headset also comes in a gorgeous cobalt blue with bronze detailing as well. It looks really nice just sitting in its holder and it’s clear to see that TB put a lot of thought into making every aspect of the headset look cohesive.

As far as build quality goes, I remembered that back in the day people complained about the durability of TB’s products. For me, I’ve never personally had an issue with their products, most of which lasted me 5+ years in some cases. This headset further proves my point as this is the sturdiest headset of theirs I’ve felt, to date. The plastic parts feel rugged and strong as well as the metal headband which is covered in a rubber coating. This will last for years if treated right.

Specs and Audio Quality

• Compatible with Xbox, PlayStation, PC & Nintendo Switch

• 40+ Hour Battery Life

• Lag-free 2.4GHz Wireless Connection

• Bluetooth Connectivity

• Gel-cooled memory foam ear cushions

• Superhuman Hearing Mode

I was pretty blown away by my experience with this headset. For one, the 40+ hour advertised battery life is indeed the truth. I’ve been using it daily for two weeks now and have yet to hear it tell me that its battery life is anything but “high”. It’s incredible! I also loved its connectivity whether it’d be via Bluetooth or through the 2.4GHz dongle. I was able to walk into other rooms easily without losing my signal.

Comfortability is a major factor in the Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX as well with its gel-cooled ear cushions that keep the heat away, its soft foam on the inner part of the headband to keep my head comfortable, and the clever adjustments that can be made for players like myself who wear spectacles. They also stayed on my head extremely well if I was moving my head around quickly.

When it came to the actual quality of what I was hearing, I gotta say, this is the best-sounding headset I may have ever used. PUBG is my game of choice these days and I found it to be the perfect choice when testing this out. Things like enemy footsteps and gunshots never go unnoticed when these are on my head, especially when the Superhuman hearing setting is turned on.

Sounds are crisp, punchy, and well-balanced right out of the box. If you’re an audiophile, you’ll be glad to know that there is computer software and an app from Turtle Beach that allows you to mix the settings yourself on-the-fly. You can even adjust its noise gate and Superhuman hearing there as well. It’s another added feature that just makes these feel like a solid choice when narrowing down your list for a new headset.

I also wanted to test out how well these worked on as many platforms as possible. Through my testing, I found that the headset works with PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch via its dongle and it worked with an iPhone via its Bluetooth connection. It’s pretty sweet that these days, all you need is one solid headset for all of your gaming equipment.

What It Could Have Done Better

Through my two weeks of testing this thing out, my only two complaints are its mic and dongle syncing. Firstly, while the mic is extremely clear, it doesn’t sound as great overall as I would have hoped. It has that nasalliness to it which makes the mic sound a bit ho-hum. You wouldn’t really be able to get away with using this mic for streams.

Secondly, the connectivity, while strong, did have some hiccups when syncing up on Xbox. I never had a problem that couldn’t get fixed but I did notice that if the dongle was in the Xbox when it turned on, I had to try to pair it to the headset twice for it to finally work. This seems like a small issue that could probably get patched in an update via the computer software and it never really made me that irritated even though it was a small nuisance.

Verdict

At the end of the day, Turtle Beach is doing exactly what they’ve always done; delivering gamers the best audio on the market. This is the best audio experience that I’ve had in a long time, possibly ever. Though I had a couple of small qualms with things like its mic quality, that didn’t take away from the rest of what this headset offers. It went far above my expectations!

If you consider yourself a competitive gamer, then you need to check this headset out for yourself because it really is a necessity. And if you’re someone who streams then most likely you have a desktop mic anyway which means you really don’t have to about it not having a studio-quality sound. All in all, it’s a solid headset no matter how you play or what you play.

The Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX is now available for $199.99 USD.