Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Headsets Review (Xbox One)

The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gaming Headsets look to deliver gamers a new way to feel immersed into the video game adventures. A wirelessly designed option that includes bluetooth connectivity, surround sound, mic monitoring, extreme comfort, and more. These are another awesome option for all gamers looking to enjoy gaming even more.

Introduction

My evolution of headsets have gone from those single ear, wireless, Xbox 360 headsets, to Kunai Tritons, and then to several Turtle Beach headsets. Yeah, that’s a short list, but only because after my first Turtle Beach headsets, I knew what I would always game with. My admiration for the headsets this company puts out is high, as I have never been let down with my purchases. The comfortable over-the-ear builds, high quality microphone attachments, crisp sounds, and overall comfort on my head have enabled me to take my gaming to new heights, while feeling relaxed at the same time. Will I ever change? I’d like to try Astros one day, but other than that, I don’t know a better company to recommend. I recently got the Ear Force Stealth 700 headsets, which this review is obviously about, and my expectations were not only met, but were met with a few nice surprises as well. With a very sleek black style and complimenting colors dependent on which console you buy them for, they look just as good as they feel.
 
There are two version of these, one built specifically for the PlayStation 4, and one built specifically for the Xbox One
 

Wireless

Before anything, it’s important to mention that these headsets are wireless. I know immediately that may trigger some negative ideas from some of you gamers, but I promise it’s actually done right (and the wired option is still there). Of course, I can’t sit here and say that I prefer wireless over wired, but with these headsets it’s far from a bad feature. They have a rechargeable battery that will last for roughly 10 hours of gaming. There is no adapter needed to be plugged into the console, no base station to connect to, just connecting to the console wirelessly. Along with compatibility to the Xbox One, it is also compatible with Windows 10 devices with built in Xbox Wireless: Direct wireless connection. 
 
If you don’t have a Windows 10 device with this feature, you’ll need to purchase Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows (can be purchased here for $29.99).
 
The other really awesome feature about the wireless connection abilities, is that you can connect other things to it via Bluetooth. Imagine, and I’m sure we all have been in this position once or twice, that you’re in the heat of battle on an FPS game. Bullets are flying, your jumping and crouching around corners, explosives are going off around you, your friend is screaming “you are trash” to the enemy and teammates while he has the worst kill death ration in the lobby, and then all of a sudden your phone rings. You can’t ignore it, so you have to take the headsets off and answer. Of course, you don’t just go AFK, you play in silence until mom is done asking what you want from the grocery store. With these headsets, you’re able to answer phone calls and speak with mom through the mic to tell her “two bags of Doritos and a Sprite.” 

I mentioned it still has the wired option available for those w who would prefer to use them in that way. The only drawback is you’ll need to purchase the 3.5mm wire yourself in order to use them as wired. It’s only a few dollars at the local audio or tech store, or you can pick one up from online sites, but when you shell out this amount of money for a headset, you’d expect to get everything you need to use all features. Using the 3.5mm cord will allow you to use the headsets for all consoles and platforms as well.

 
Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gaming Headset Side View with Microphone

Comfort and Build

I’m starting to really dislike the mesh ear cup coverings on my Turtle Beach PX24. The pleather ear cup covers, like what can be found on the Stealth 700s, is by far the most comfortable option out there. The cushion is also better than the average headset, with enough cushion to prevent the drivers from touching your ears. This is an issue that has began to sit really bad with me over my time of experiencing different brands and series. I can usually toughen through the discomfort the headbands give me over long play sessions by sliding it backwards or forwards slightly, but there’s not much you can do with discomfort in the ears. The build allows you to avoid this whole dilemma. 
 
The headband looks so badass and I wish this aesthetic attention was given for every series. The top is slapped with a bold “TURTLE BEACH” on top of a subtle square pattern which plays as background design to the letters. It goes without saying that it doesn’t provide any other benefits other than look, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less significant of a feature. I know many people hate having hardware with surfaces that retain finger prints and smudges, so if you are one of those people or just enjoy taking pride in how your setup looks, this is something to cherish. Underneath the headband is a generous, yet fairly standard, amount of cushion for headsets in this price range. If you have a big head, or if the headsets are going to be used by kids, the size can be adjusted via an adjustable system just above each ear piece. 

Audio

Each ear piece is equipped with 50mm speakers that will deliver a beautiful amount of gaming audio. Whether you are a fan of shooter, sports, racing, fighting, role playing, or other games, immersion is key to having the best experience. There is active noise-cancelling that can be toggled on and off at your desire, which will monitor noise outside of the headsets and cut them out of your listening as best as possible. Additionally there is the Superhuman Hearing sound setting and built in surround sound which gives that crisp and accurate noise detection in a 360 degree radius. If someone is crouched around the corner from you and goes to reload, you’ll hear and know damn-near exactly which corner it is, depending on your game knowledge. It’s game changing for anyone looking to have that advantage in the games.

The microphone has some cool features in itself. The first one is that if you flip the mic up and in its closed position it will become muted. A small click will signal when it has been muted and unmuted. I’m seeing this feature more and more, and I love it. When you don’t need to talk, you also don’t need a microphone sitting in your face. Also, I don’t know how many times I’ve muted my microphone with a small switch on the wire, only to forget for 5 minutes and my teammates not be able to hear me. If the mic is not in front of you, you’re in mute mode; simple. The second awesome feature is the mic monitoring. With all of the features designed to separate the game audio from the outside audio, it’s great to hear the mic audio be relayed back into the headset. It’s never fun screaming at your tv all night then running into your neighbors the next morning while leaving for work and feeling judged.  

Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gaming Headset Design and Build

Conclusion

Great option for all, but questionable if it’s not worth just shelling out a little extra money to get Turtle Beach’s other headsets like the PC Elite Pro. There are a lot of similar features and abilities of the two like mic monitoring, surround sound settings, active noise cancellation, mute options, and volume controls but comfort wise, these are just a little bit less. The true selling feature will of course be the wireless and bluetooth capabilities. Both work perfectly and I can’t imagine there is a better option out there in these regards. Pairing to the Xbox One console was effortless, and the bluetooth connecting to a Windows phone is extremely practical and cool. If you do get these headsets though, do yourself a favor and update the firmware through your computer.
 
Pros Cons
 + Wired option available  – Wireless means limited play sessions (10 hours)
 + High quality audio and microphone  
 + Very cool bluetooth feature
 
 + Honest and worthy price
 
 

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