Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 review

Our Verdict

The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 is a good wireless gaming headset for its toll, in spite of some pattern drawbacks.

For

Proficient sound quality
Works with many systems
Reasonably priced

Against

Awkward physical design
EQ options add little
Subpar mic

Tom's Guide Verdict

The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 is a proficient wireless gaming headset for its toll, in spite of some design drawbacks.

Pros

+
Skilful audio quality
+
Works with many systems
+
Reasonably priced

Cons

-
Awkward physical design
-
EQ options add little
-
Subpar mic

The Turtle Embankment Stealth 600 Gen two is a big improvement over its predecessor. Because that the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 was not such a bad headset to begin with, that'southward saying something. At $100, this wireless gaming headset is cheaper than a lot of its fancier competitors, and with both Xbox and PS4 variants, information technology's like shooting fish in a barrel to find i that works with your console setup.

At the same time, the Stealth 600 simply doesn't offering the same kinds of features that brand its pricier cousin, the Turtle Beach Elite Atlas Aero, so good. The fit is tight, the controls are crowded, the equalization options are minor and the mic doesn't live up to its potential.

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For console gamers who are ready to cut the string without going bankrupt, the Stealth 600 Gen two is i of the best gaming headsets you can buy. Merely if yous're willing to spend another $50, you tin can go something much better. Read our full Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 review for more details.

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen two: Specs

Compatibility: PC, PS4, Switch (docked)

Drivers: 50 mm

Frequency Response: 20 Hz - 20 kHz

Wireless: Yes

turtle beach stealth 600 gen 2 — (Image credit: Turtle Embankment)

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen two: Design

If you lot've seen the original Stealth 600, then the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen ii should wait pretty familiar. Similar its predecessor, it'due south a fairly plain black plastic chassis with subtle blue or green highlights in the middle of the earcups, depending on whether yous get the PS4 or Xbox version, respectively. I'm a little leery of plastic headbands, particularly since I had a Turtle Embankment model give out on me after about 4 years, but the Stealth 600 Gen 2 seems pretty sturdy, and should last a long time, provided y'all treat it gently.

The earcups fold at the halfway point, making the Stealth 600 Gen two much more than comfortable than its predecessor. They can too swivel and fold flat, for easy ship. My big result, though, is the same every bit before: The controls are very crowded.

To elaborate, there's nothing on the right earcup. On the left earcup, there's a foldable mic, a USB-C charging port, a ability button, an equalization mode push button, a chat/game mix wheel and a volume wheel. The 2 wheels and the two buttons are right next to each other, and I lost count of how many times I got them mixed up. Over time, yous can memorize each one's location, merely stronger tactile differentiation or more than spacing would have helped a lot.

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2: Comfort

While the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 is by no means uncomfortable, it looks easier to vesture than it is. The plush cream earcups and padded headband arrive easy to wear for long periods of fourth dimension, merely it's not near as plush or as precise a fit as the Elite Atlas Aero. I particularly disappointing feature was the ProSpecs functionality, which supposedly makes Turtle Beach headsets easier to wear for folks with glasses. However, the Stealth 600 Gen 2 pushed downward hardest right where my glasses met my ears, with no way to adjust it. Other models from Turtle Beach let y'all remove the earcups and determine the ProSpecs aqueduct size yourself.

The Stealth 600 Gen 2 was never outright painful, simply information technology was consistently tight, and I was nigh always ready to accept information technology off and swap it for a unlike headset once I was done testing information technology.

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen ii: Performance

One thing the Stealth 600 Gen 2 has in common with its predecessor is that it sounds excellent on nigh every platform. The PS4 version is compatible with the PC, PS4 and docked Switch, while the Xbox version is uniform with Xbox One and Windows 10 — although Windows x compatibility requires an Xbox One Wireless adapter (or the same functionality built-in, which some newer gaming PCs have).

It's as well worth pointing out that the PS4 version of the Stealth 600 Gen 2 volition be uniform with PS5, while the Xbox version volition be uniform with Xbox Serial X. This is the case for most current-gen peripherals, to be off-white, but it'south good to know that if you buy this headset now, it'll as well work with whatever systems you lot purchase within the next few years.

For the most office, the Stealth 600 Gen two delivers robust sound across a variety of games. I tested the headset with games such as Doom Eternal, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, Ghost of Tsushima, Star Trek Online and Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition across the PC, PS4 and Switch. The performance on PS4 and PC was strong all around, from whistling winds across Japanese bloom gardens to the grind of a chainsaw through a demon'due south guts.

I had only 2 small-scale caveats with the headset's performance. The first is that audio on the Switch wasn't quite equally balanced as on PC and PS4. Groundwork music was much quieter than voices and sound effects, meaning that I had to manually fiddle around with a lot of sound settings in each game earlier finding a comfortable book. The second is that the iv preprogrammed equalization modes — Signature Sound, Bass Boost, Bass and Treble Boost and Vocal Boost — do very petty to alter the overall soundscape or quality.

In terms of music, the Stealth 600 Gen two is on a par with most other gaming headsets — which is to say that information technology'due south OK. I listened to tracks from Flogging Molly, Sometime Crow Medicine Evidence, The Rolling Stones and Yard.F. Handel, and constitute that while there wasn't much bass, the treble and vocals came through clearly. I wouldn't use this as an everyday pair of music headphones, but if you don't feel like buying 2 separate pairs, the Stealth 600 Gen 2 can get y'all through an boilerplate workday.

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen ii: Features

The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 runs on the Turtle Beach Audio Hub software, which lets you lot arrange mic pickup, toggle audio presets, update firmware and then forth. The Audio Hub software wasn't yet bachelor when I tested the Stealth 600 Gen two, only it too hasn't changed much since the last Turtle Beach headset we reviewed. Information technology gets the job washed, although it doesn't modify the overall experience very much.

Of more than interest is the Stealth 600 Gen 2's mic. If yous play a lot of multiplayer games, a good mic is a necessity, and this headset's mic is good — but not not bad. Every bit described above, you tin can fold the mic downwards and move it from side to side slightly. As such, at that place'due south no mode to go it close to your oral fissure, and your voice is always going to be pretty quiet. The sound quality isn't bad aside from that, merely having to projection rather than having a normal conversation is an extra flake of tedium that most headsets don't crave.

The Stealth 600 Gen ii's battery lasts for fifteen hours, and recharges within just a few hours, cheers to its USB-C connectivity. I wish it had a quick-wake function rather than having to manually restart the headset afterward y'all've stepped abroad for a while, though.

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2: Verdict

Our Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen two review describes how this year'south model is a noticeable improvement over the last. The headset is more than comfortable than before, too as optimized for a wider variety of systems. Strong sound quality and a reasonable toll make the device a proficient choice for console gamers who want wireless connectivity that doesn't cost a fortune.

At the same time, information technology's hard to shake the feeling that $150 models like the Aristocracy Atlas Aero and the SteelSeries Arctis 7 really earn their asking prices, with more than comfortable fits and better sound quality overall. While an additional $l is a substantial amount of money in gaming headset terms, a good headset is one of the most of import weapons in your gaming armory. Choose wisely.

Marshall Honorof is a senior editor for Tom's Guide, overseeing the site'due south coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a science writing background, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of science and applied science. After hours, yous can discover him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on archetype sci-fi.