Tech Talk

The latest iteration of the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 makes a great headset even better.

Few gaming brands are as synonymous with "great gaming headsets" as Turtle Beach. The company has been at it for years and excels at what it does, and the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 is the latest example of that quality. This is a wireless headset with a USB dongle connector and Bluetooth compatibility, which offers well-rounded sound for a variety of devices.

I've owned headsets by most of the major brands, so I can say with confidence that Turtle Beach has, over the years, been the most consistently reliable. It has a wide selection at all types of price points, and for all platforms, so you can be confident that, if you're in the market for a new gaming headset, Turtle Beach makes one that's just right for you.

The Stealth 700 Gen 2 isn't its cheapest offering, but it's also not its most expensive. Instead, you get what feels and sounds like a high-end headset for a mid-range price with great flexibility across PS4, PS5, and PC (Switch too if docked, or anything over Bluetooth). It's one of the best PS5 gaming headsets out there.

At a glance

Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 for PS4 & PS5

Bottom line: Turtle Beach does not disappoint with the Gen 2 variation of its Stealth 700 headset. You get excellent audio, a flexible design, and great comfort in a well-built package. If you're a PC gamer or want to take full advantage of the 3D Audio on PS5, this a great headset that's built to last.

Pros:

• Wonderful cooling gel-infused ear cups
• 20+ hour battery life
• Premium-sounding audio quality
• Rotating ear cups are flexible

Cons:

• Not a ton of bass
• USB dongle range isn't amazing
• Mic quality isn't amazing

$150 on Amazon $150 at Walmart

Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 What I like

The most important factor with any headset for me is comfort. I wear glasses all day, every day, and sit at my desk, almost entirely immobile, for multiple hours on end. My ears don't typically feel the cool breeze of fresh air at all from the hours of 9 a.m to 5 p.m.

Luckily, the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 does not disappoint in this regard; it's easily one of the most comfortable headsets I've ever worn. They're designed with wonderful ear cups built out of unique "Aerofit" cooling gel-infused cushions, similar to what many memory foam mattresses and pillows use.

Since the ear cups are quite large and fully cover your entire ear, I was expecting them to feel sweaty, but that was never the case even after 8+ hours of continuous use. Since they engulf my entire ear, my glasses were never a bother either.

Easily one of the most comfortable headsets I've ever worn.

Overall, the sound quality is good — certainly above average. It's got a very full, robust sound that does a good job of simulating surround sound with music and in the right types of games. When playing on PS5, it sounds just as good as the official Sony Pulse 3D Wireless headphones and fully takes advantage of the PS5's 3D audio. Demon's Souls is the best showcase I've seen, thanks to how it subtly employs sounds from all angles and lets you identify where enemies could be lurking based on the scratching of blades and moaning of the undead.

In fact, I prefer the form factor of this headset and would probably use these for both PC and PS5 since all you have to do is plug the USB dongle into whatever device you want to use.

There's also a Turtle Beach Audio Hub app for tuning audio settings from your phone if you'd like, but I never felt the need to use it other than just tinkering with it briefly. It's unremarkable for the most part, if technically functional.

I liked having Bluetooth functionality with these, though, so I could easily switch to using them with my Surface Go laptop or even my phone if needed, rather than just something with easily accessible USB ports. Headsets become much more usable and reliable when a single pair can do everything.

Finally, it has great battery life. The previous Gen of the Stealth series from Turtle Beach lacked in this area, but with over 20 hours of life, the Stealth 700 Gen 2 is just right. Anything longer is probably unnecessary, but with 20 hours, that means if I forgot to charge it for a couple of days, it should still be OK. It seems to get fully charged after just a few hours with a USB-C cable, and when you first turn it on, it will tell you with a voice notification if the battery is high, medium, or low.

Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 What I don't like

The biggest issue with the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 headset isn't even that big of a problem at all. In the 80+ hours I've used this headset, it had two moments I'd describe as audio "glitches." Once, while I was listening to music while writing, the higher tones came through as shrill and garbled. Another time, everything sounded like it was being processed through a garbage disposal immediately after being turned on. I just did a quick reset, and that fixed it both times.

Even though the sound is overall great, I wish the bass was a bit deeper and more impactful. You can tap the 'Mode' button to alternate sound settings, one of which has deeper bass, but even then, it's not as thundering as some other headsets I've used. It's good enough and still lets me feel the shots in games like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War., but bass lovers might be turned off.

Even though the sound is overall great, I wish the bass was a bit deeper and more impactful.

The USB connector doesn't seem to have an amazing range either, but since I use them in the same room as my connected devices, such as a PC or PS5, that wasn't really an issue.

The last point of contention is the mic. It's just a very simple flip up to mute, flip down to use, omnidirectional mic. It's...fine. Just fine. It sounds okay for voice chat, but I would never recommend using it for recording voiceover or anything else. It's clear enough, and it doesn't pick up a ton of background noise, but compared to some of the mics I've had on Lucid Sound headsets, this pales in comparison. However, it's leaps and bounds better than the muffled sound of the Pulse 3D Wireless headset from Sony.

Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 The competition

The main point of comparison is obviously the Stealth 600 Gen 2. These two headsets are nearly identical other than the 700 has Bluetooth functionality, longer battery life, and a slightly larger, more spacious design. The 600 also seems to be available in either white or black, while the 700 is only in black. Turtle Beach sent me both to try out and compare, and I can confirm that the sound seems identical to me, so the extra $50 is paying only for about five hours of extra battery life and Bluetooth functionality.

I also own the Sony 3D Pulse Wireless headset, and overall I prefer the Stealth 700 Gen 2. While the 3D Pulse form factor is nice with how light and slim it is, the Stealth 700 Gen 2 just feels more premium. That being said, I'll continue to use the 3D Pulse with my PS5 because it has built-in controls for balancing party chat vs. game chat, which is great.

The other recent headset we've reviewed at the sub-$200 price point is the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro. I haven't tried this myself, but our review makes it sound like a slight step up from the Stealth 700 Gen 2 if you want to drop an extra $30 for that $180 price tag.

Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Should you buy it?

You should buy this if...

• You need something extremely comfortable
• You want something durable and flexible
• You're looking to use it with PS5, PC, and Bluetooth devices

You should not buy this if...

• You're looking for something on the more affordable end
• You prefer small, lightweight headsets
• You don't care about Bluetooth

Turtle Beach has a wide range of headsets at this mid-tier price point, and they've done a great job carving out a spot in that space. At $150, it's hard to beat the value and flexibility of the Stealth 700 Gen 2. If you don't care about Bluetooth, though, there really isn't much reason to get this model over the Stealth 600 Gen 2, which offers all of the same qualities other than a little less battery life.

Either way, Turtle Beach has once again knocked it out of the park with their Stealth Gen 2 line of gaming headsets.

Signature quality

Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2

$150 on Amazon $150 at Walmart

Turtle Beach does not disappoint with the Gen 2 variation of its Stealth 700 headset. You get excellent audio, a flexible design, and great comfort in a well-built package. If you're a PC gamer or want to take full advantage of the 3D Audio on PS5, this a great headset that's built to last.