Turtle Beach has revamped its Stealth 600 wireless gaming headset with the new Stealth 600 Gen 2 for PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. This headset features a light design, strong sound quality, and easy wireless connectivity to your console of choice, for $99.99. The Stealth 600 Gen 2 feels a bit stiff, and its mic could be cleaner, but it’s a simple, reliable way to enjoy wireless audio and voice chat with your console.
Design
Both Stealth 600 headsets are physically identical, available in black or white for either the Xbox One or PlayStation 4. Both are light headsets made of matte plastic, with a flip-down hard plastic boom mic built into the side of the left earcup. That same earcup contains all of the headset’s controls and connections, including a USB-C port for charging, power and audio mode buttons, and microphone monitoring and volume wheels (both mechanical, functioning separately from the connected device's volume setting). The Xbox One version has an additional pairing button next to the USB-C port, showing how the two models work a bit differently from each other.
The earcups feature fabric-covered foam pads that don’t feel nearly as soft as the memory foam padding we’ve seen on most other headsets, such as the Razer Nari Essential. Along with the faux leather-wrapped padding under the headband, the headset feels a bit stiff around the ears. It’s very light, however, and the breathable earpads should make for fairly comfortable gaming sessions.
Connectivity
The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of the headset are both designed to work primarily with their respective consoles. The PlayStation 4 version I tested comes with a small USB transmitter that plugs into the system's front. The headset is already paired with the transmitter, so you don’t need to worry about pairing it yourself as you do with the Xbox One version. The transmitter also works with PCs, so you can just plug it in and use the headset with your computer. It does require a free USB port, though.
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The Xbox One version uses Microsoft’s wireless connection to directly pair with any Xbox One, so you simply press the pairing buttons on the headset and console. The nice part of this is that no USB adapter is needed; the headset connects directly to the Xbox. The drawback is that you can’t use the headset with your PC unless you have an Xbox Wireless Adapter. The headset doesn’t use Bluetooth, and since it doesn’t have its own dongle, you need to get your own (which also lets you use Xbox Wireless Controllers including the Xbox Elite Controller Series 2 with a more reliable signal than Bluetooth).
Microphone
The microphone works well enough for voice chat, but it isn’t particularly clean or clear for recording or streaming. The mic is built on a stiff boom arm with limited movement, so you have few options for positioning it correctly relative to your mouth. In test recordings, my voice was easy to discern, but it lacked much clarity, and sounded a bit distant. The microphone in Razer headsets like the Nari Essential or wired Blackshark V2 both sound far better than this mic. We also recommend considering a dedicated USB microphone if you want to seriously stream or record.
Performance
The Stealth 600 offers clear, well-balanced music performance, but with relatively weak bass. The headset has four built-in audio modes including bass boost, but we found the best overall sound balance in the default mode. The headset handled our bass test track, The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” at maximum volumes without a hint of distortion, but it didn’t come close to head-rattling.
The opening acoustic guitar plucks in Yes’ “Roundabout” get plenty of delicate string texture in the higher frequencies and resonance in the lower frequencies. When the electric bass kicks in, it sounds a bit more poppy than punchy, sitting a bit in the back of the busy mix. The other elements come through clearly, with the vocals, drums, and guitar all getting proper attention.
The Crystal Method’s “Born Too Slow” sounds quite good on the Stealth 600, with the riffs and vocals getting plenty of high-mid presence to sound energetic. The backbeat receives just enough thump to sound properly ominous to drive the track, even if it doesn’t reach low enough to feel palpable.
Doom (2016) sounds full using the Stealth 600, but again it doesn’t reach deep enough into the bass realm to really pound your head like a jackhammer with its industrial soundtrack. Combat sounds can be clearly discerned through stereo panning, though any simulated surround effect you get will be through the connected console (or PC, with which you can use software like the Razer THX Spatial Audio app), not the headset itself.
Fortnite also sounds very good on the headset. Every sound, from footsteps to thunder to distant gunshots can be clearly discerned with good imaging, letting me know the general direction from which the sounds are coming. I could keep an ear out to avoid being snuck up on (but, alas, it didn’t keep me from being sniped from a distance in my test game).
Simple Wireless Audio
The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 is a very solid wireless headset with strong audio performance, only hindered by a slightly disappointing mic. PC gamers have many other compelling options, though, with the Razer Nari Essential standing out with superior sound and a far better microphone for the same price. Since the PS4 and Xbox One both support wired headsets through their controller ports, you can also save some money by going with the Astro Gaming A10 or the Razer Blackshark V2 X (the USB sound-card-free version of the excellent Razer Blackshark V2), as long as you don't mind dealing with a cable. For a simple, easy wireless gaming experience on your PS4 or Xbox One, though, the Stealth 600 is a strong choice.
The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 is an easy-to-use, good-sounding wireless gaming headset with dedicated versions for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
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