If the headsets are the esports equivalent to sneakers, what company would be the Nike of the industry? I asked that question several times, and it turns out the answer is Turtle Beach. With 40 percent of the gaming headset market, the company has made a name for itself on the performance of its headgear.
Turtle Beach made strides with its Ear Force PX5 giving players every conceivable feature under the sun. Six years later after its release, the company has managed to refine its design and adapt to the times. At the peak of this evolution is the Turtle Beach Stealth 700.
It’s one of the first headsets that employs Microsoft’s Xbox Wireless Technology. The new hardware lets the Stealth 700 connect directly to the console without a dongle or an adapter. It’s true wireless. Along with that feature, the device boasts active noise-cancellation, Bluetooth connectivity, glasses-friendly earcup padding and its so-called Superhuman Hearing setting.
In the past, these elements were part of Turtle Beach’s top-end headsets that cost $299, but over time, the technology has become more affordable. The manufacturer has put those features and more in a headset that’s half the price at $149. The active noise-cancellation does a good job of eliminating outside noise so players can just focus on the in-game sounds. The Bluetooth allows the Stealth 700 to connect to a smartphone so players can listen to their music while they game or even answer calls.
The glasses-friendly padding makes it more comfortable for those who use glasses to don the headset that’s because the padding has two levels of firmness with the center where the frames settle being softer than the top and bottom. Meanwhile, the Superhuman Hearing button is essentially a dedicated preset that gives players an advantage in games because it accentuates sounds such as footsteps and reloads. It’s helpful in games like “Call of Duty.”
That’s a cornucopia of features, but what’s notable is how Turtle Beach pared down and streamlined those elements. Past headset iterations had tech that could change the sound of a player’s voice. It had four different preset types. The company has learned from the past and managed to strip this wireless headset to the essentials, and by doing that, it simplifies the device and improves the design.
That last trait has been the only sticking point with past Turtle Beach headsets. They boast plenty of features, but they still aren’t the nicest-looking headsets. The Stealth 700 is on par with previous versions. It’s a lot slimmer and lighter, which helps with the comfort, but despite the Bluetooth support, this still isn’t a headset you’d be caught wearing outside the living room.
As for the sound, Turtle Beach has always had great performance. The Stealth 700 has good but not great bass, but this set of cans still has the trademark clarity that I expect. The mids and highs come out clear. The separation of channels is distinct. Players can hear that car roaring behind you in “Forza Motorsport 7” or that monster lurking around the corner in “The Evil Within 2.”
For those who want to adjust the sound, the device does support the Turtle Beach Audio Hub, which is an app that lets you customize the Stealth 700 sound. Still, the headset is solid with just the Superhearing Preset, which does come in handy if players are camping a spot in “Battlefield 1.” Players can hear any foes creeping up behind them.
With a great feature set, the Stealth 700 is almost perfect except for one fixable flaw. Initially, the headset kept dropping the audio. It was distracting a big drawback, but after updating the firmware, it worked perfectly. The audio stayed connected through the first few hours of “South Park: The Fractured but Whole.” At 14 to 15 hours of battery life, power isn’t much of an issue as long players remember to charge it.
All of this makes the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 the ideal headset for anyone with the Xbox One family of systems. If this were a Nike sneaker, I suppose the Stealth 700 would be akin to the Nike Airs, and perhaps, this pair of headphones can achieve a comparable level of success.
