Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Review – The Future is Now

Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Review

While I was impressed by the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 headset, the Stealth 700 Gen 2’s were even quicker to impress me. All of the issues I had with the 600’s were addressed by design changes to the headset and an even better mic that flips to mute. While the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2’s would start to wear me down over prolonged gaming sessions, but this was never an issue in over 50 hours of usage with the Stealth 700’s. The comfort I felt while gaming with the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 headset can be compared to some of my best gaming headset experiences. To say I’m impressed by this Turtle Beach headset is an understatement, and the fact that they’ve been manufactured to work for both the Xbox One (S/X) and the Xbox Series (X/S) means I can enjoy this headset for countless hours to come.

The price difference between Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 and Stealth 700 Gen 2 is significant but the improvements made in the jump to the 700’s are even more significant. The Stealth 600 Gen 2 headset may be considered the best headset for $100, but the Stealth 700’s offer premium sound and comfort for a price. The Aerofit cooling gel-infused ear cushions are a big game-changer for Turtle Beach that put the ear cushions of the Stealth 600 Gen 2’s to absolute shame. The ear cushions both nestle comfortably into earpads that rotate and adjust to your head, a very appreciated feature included with the Stealth 600 Gen 2 headset. Another aspect from the Stealth 600 Gen 2 headset implemented brilliantly into the design of the Stealth 700 Gen 2 headset is the headband pad that prevents the top of my head from ever experiencing discomfort during extended gameplay sessions, YouTube/Netflix binging, or extended Discord hangouts.

My ears will wear down physically with most headsets, but the re-shaped ear cushions feature plush memory foam infused with a layer of Aerofit cooling gel to keep you cool and comfortable while playing. No matter how sweaty your gameplay gets, your ears will thank you for shelling out the extra cash for this headset. The combination of these Aerofit cooling gel-infused ear cushions and the extremely squishy headband pad included with other Turtle Beach headsets make the 700 Gen 2’s the pinnacle of TB comfort. The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 headset has officially become my most comfortable gaming headset, and it produces some amazing sound to boot.

One of the enjoyable features with the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2’s (alongside other recent headsets) is it turns on Xbox One when you turn the headset on if it’s paired with the Xbox. This allows gamers to quickly turn on both devices simultaneously with ease. With the Xbox Series X/S bringing Quick Resume to multiple games in addition to this feature, you’ll be in your favorite (most recently played) games in a matter of moments.

The Pinnacle of Comfortable

Superhuman Hearing Mode is Turtle Beach’s exclusive bread and butter lately, and it continues to prove that the headset company is ready for the next generation of gaming consoles. What the Aerofit cooling gel-infused ear cushions is to comfort with the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2’s, Superhuman Hearing Mode is to audio. Superhuman Hearing Mode is toggled by pressing the mode button on the headset once, allowing you to activate it precisely during those clutch moments where you need valuable audio intel. While this mode adjustment might not make a big difference in the audio of videos, songs, or phone calls, during gaming it can give you the exact information you need to turn a defeat into victory. Competitive gaming continues to get bigger, and Turtle Beach’s Stealth 700 Gen 2 headset is essential for gamers playing on this generation of consoles who intend to continue competing on Xbox Series X/S or PS5.

In addition to Superhuman Hearing Mode, the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 headset also offers Surround Sound mode exclusively on the Xbox. Depending on how much attention to detail you need in a game, you may want to swap from one mode to another, but it’s nice that Turtle Beach continues to find ways to optimize the sound produced by their 50mm Nanoclear neodymium drivers. Windows Sonic also delivers immersive virtual surround sound and precise, distortion-free 3D audio to immerse gamers into their favorite titles. Turtle Beach has been an innovator in the gaming headset market for two generations of videogame consoles, but the Stealth 700 Gen 2 headset already shows what they have cooking for us on next-gen ahead of the November release of the Xbox Series X/S and PS5.

I should mention we are currently testing the Stealth 700’s on a non-final build of the Xbox Series X. While we are encountering some audio issues with some games (Gears 5 and Gears Tactics), overall the headset has delivered as promised. We are continuing to work with Turtle Beach with regards to some of the issues encountered on the Series X.

Superhuman Hearing Mode is the Future

I was able to pair the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 headset with my iPhone through Bluetooth unlike some other headsets I have that require a dongle that is incompatible with Apple. Thankfully, there are no issues using this Turtle Beach headset through true Bluetooth functionality. The Bluetooth button on the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 headset is used to perform certain actions such as pausing a video or answering a call. I noticed issues with one of these functions mapped to the Bluetooth button on the headset, the fast-forward function which involved holding the button down which inadvertently deactivated Bluetooth on the YouTube app. Because this was only an issue with YouTube and not other apps such as Spotify, it’s likely a small kink that will be ironed out in the near future. Turtle Beach Audio Hub app allows you to further optimize your next-gen headset to your liking on iOS and Android. Calls come in crystal clear, and I was able to both confirm that the mic works well for phone call situations, and it flips to mute on a phone just as easily as on the Xbox One or Xbox Series X/S.

Turtle Beach’s Stealth 700 Gen 2 headset is a step above the Stealth 600 Gen 2 headset and the Stealth 700 Gen 1 headset in multiple ways. The combination of the limitless comfort offered with the Aerofit cooling gel-infused ear cushions and the spongy headband pad added to the Superhuman Hearing mode and Surround Sound mode offered exclusively on the Xbox shows us that Turtle Beach is ready for next-gen. I didn’t encounter any pairing issues with the Bluetooth, or feedback issues with the flip-to-mute mic. While there are more expensive and better quality headsets on the market, few will match the sound, comfort, and overall value of the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 headset. A lot of people ask me what headset they should get for their gaming console, and from now on I’ll be recommending the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 headset.

***Headset provided by Turtle Beach***