Our Verdict
Incredibly strong audio backed up with a wealth of premium features, if not for a basic microphone, the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro would have been perfect. However, when it comes to FPS gameplay, there is still nothing better on the market.
Having spent a considerable amount of time in my life playing a sound-sensitive shooter like Counter-Strike, moving to the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro has given me a whole new perspective when it comes to headset audio. Not only have I been woefully underprepared with past gear, but I’m not entirely sure another gaming headset will ever come near the Stealth Pro for situational perfection.
Having spent the last few weeks putting the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro through its paces, I can confidently say that this is one of the best wireless gaming headsets I’ve ever had the pleasure of using. Whether it’s the 50mm Nanoclear drivers bringing crystal clear audio or the fact I can wear it for hours upon end without any issue, the Stealth Pro is a joy to use, even if it can be a little fussy when it comes to switching it on.
Pros
- Crystal clear audio through 50mm Nanoclear drivers
- Unmatched comfort even for 8 hour+ sessions
- Audio customization and features are perfect
- Turtle Beach audio hub offers full control over output
Cons
- The switch-on process is temperamental
- Microphone pales in comparison to competitors
- Premium feel and features come at a high price
Turtle Beach Stealth Pro design and comfort
Unmatched. That’s the only word I can think of when describing the comfort offered by the Stealth Pro. Unlike the RIG 600 Pro which I recently tested, there are no issues with short or long-term comfort with the Stealth Pro, and at times, I even forget I’m wearing it. For a closed-back headphone with active audio cancellation, I expect it to sit a lot tighter on my head, but there is no such tension and it is a dream to use.
A lot of care has clearly been placed in the design of the headset, but it takes some getting used to. The rotary volume controls are a prime example of this. Initially, I would try and grip the ear cup and twist it to alter the volume, but after a few days, I realized that it was far easier to place a single finger on the earcup and gently rotate it. Little quirks like this were all ironed out after the first few sessions and ultimately proved that Turtle Beach knows exactly how to design premium gaming headphones.
Everything you need is on the right ear cup, while the microphone is on the left. This means there’s no reaching around awkwardly to feel which button you need while bumping into your mic, creating a symphony of horrible feedback for your teammates. The build quality of the Stealth Pro as a whole is also incredibly strong. I never once felt like a slight mishandle would lead to a broken part which can be the case with some heavier headsets. My one gripe with the design is when switching the headset on, it would sometimes take up to ten seconds for the headset to turn on, but this was only on occasion and feels like a very minor inconvenience.
Turtle Beach Stealth Pro features and software
The headline feature of the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro isn’t any single piece of technology or industry buzzword, it’s the pure immersion the headset offers in every game you play. I found it to be a huge advantage when playing FPS games in particular, but everything I tried was much better for the audio quality emerging from the 50mm Nanoclear drivers.
When it comes to named features, the Stealth Pro has Superhuman Hearing, which offers greater clarity on sounds that are indistinguishable when using other headsets. This is best experienced in CS2, where every sound is key. Every element of sound is so clear, be it footsteps, a reload, or even a grenade pin being pulled. This is a feature that I initially dismissed, but it has ended up being a huge deciding factor in how I feel about the headset.
One game I was very keen to revisit when testing this headset was Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. Despite having an idea of how much this game would be transformed with premium audio, I still wasn’t prepared for how good the game would sound, and the voices inside Senua’s mind were all the more harrowing with the audio quality turned up to 11.
Software customization is handled by the Turtle Beach Audio Hub, housing audio and microphone settings. There is a ton of customization on offer, including the remapping of key features and setting up hotkey activations for some lesser-used features you might want to amend on the fly. I did have some issues with connecting the headset to the hub, but fortunately, a software update was rolled out by Turtle Beach which fixed this immediately. Firmware updates are also handled by the hub, which is downloaded directly from the Turtle Beach website.
Turtle Beach Stealth Pro performance and battery life
The general performance of the Stealth Pro is admirable. I can’t recall any major or even minor issues I had with the headset in my time testing it. In fact, it’s going to become my go-to moving forward because it is by far the best wireless gaming headset I’ve ever used. I don’t want to retread ground here when most of the performance can be summarized by the extensive suite of features included in the Stealth Pro.
The battery life is great, even when using its dual wireless capabilities. This is a godsend for work, where I can connect to my laptop via Bluetooth but also to my desktop via the wireless transmitter. Both audio streams work perfectly and there is no delay in either one. This doesn’t appear to drain the battery quicker than a single connection, but even if it did, the Stealth Pro comes with two batteries as standard. This means you can swap on the fly and be up and running again in no time. Better still, the wireless transmitter is also the battery charger, meaning there is no need for separate charging cables.
If I have one negative to hold against the Stealth Pro, it’s the basic microphone that really doesn’t offer anything special compared to so many competitors in the market. I always sounded clear whether it was in-game or on a Discord channel, but it has nothing on a microphone like the Razer Blackshark V2 Pro. Naturally, if you’re a competitive gamer or streamer, you will likely opt for a standalone microphone anyway, but as someone who prefers everything in the same device, the average microphone quality was a slight letdown.
Turtle Beach Stealth Pro price and where to buy
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pro will cost you $329.99 / £279.99 provided there are no ongoing discounts or deals.
You can buy the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro directly from the Turtle Beach website as well as from many other retailers such as Best Buy and Amazon. In the UK, you can purchase the Stealth Pro from retailers such as Argos, Curry’s, Game, and also directly from Turtle Beach.
Is the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro worth it?
Despite the high price, the Stealth Pro headset is absolutely worth the cost. If you’re heading into the market with no strict budget, and you want the best suite of features on top of outstanding audio quality, there should be few to no other headsets in the equation.
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pro easily ranks among the best wireless gaming headsets on the market. Yes, the microphone could be better, but my time with the Stealth Pro has been sensational so far and I can’t imagine moving to another headset any time soon.
Verdict
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pro is the ultimate first-person shooter headset. Packed to rafters with features but backing that up with incredible comfort and design, it’s hard to recommend anything else if you’re someone who enjoys games like CS2, Call of Duty, Escape From Tarkov, and Apex Legends.