Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 600 Wireless Headset Review
Review By Steve Farrelly @ 06:20pm 13/03/20
Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 600 Wireless Headset
Product: Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 600
Type: Gaming Headset (Wireless)
Price: Around $170.00 Dollarydoos (ie AUD)
Availability: Out Now
Link: https://au.turtlebeach.com/collections/stealth-600
We’re no strangers to headsets over here at AusGamers, and as audio with implementations such as Dolby Atmos continue to advance alongside new gaming hardware and tech, we’re spoilt for choice. What winds up becoming front and centre for punters is a three-prong approach to purchase: price, comfort and accessibility. On that last front, this is now dominated by “wired” or “non-wired” in an increasingly untethered world; but there’s a fourth prong people should be caring about, and that’s the cost of quality for accessibility. Or, more importantly, is being untethered worth any loss in audio relay, especially when gaming?
Combining all of those prongs is obviously key to a good purchase. Gaming is a ubiquitous exercise these days with co-op and multiplayer offerings everywhere, so you want something with a good mic to converse alongside sound to match the quality of gaming currently populating the modern wild. It’s a hard task after having spent a lot of time with Razer’s Nari Haptic series (seriously, Hellblade with that headset is just a next-level experience), but if we’re talking affordability, Turtle Beach’s offerings over a number of years now have catered across the board. In the headset in review today -- Ear Force Stealth 600 -- the audio mainstay has delivered a product with exceptional sound, a so-so mic experience and firm but maybe *too firm* a fit.
Tech Talk
The key issue this headset faces is in its omni-directional mic that can be *iffy*, often, which happened while playing something like Rocket League with my brother. On the single-player side of things, I always use Red Dead Redemption 2 as my benchmark experience due mostly to the ambient audio thanks to the game’s rich ecology and occlusion. In this space, this affordable kit absolutely delivered, and is of a very high-end standard. The wireless side of it was fine and it delivers plus side of 10 hours worth of battery, so no real issue there and we’re all used to charging everything these days -- I have a drawer full of AA and AAA batteries not being used as we seem to have finally gone into full lithium mode with devices that aren’t rated “Three and Under”. It’s in the comfort side of things I found the headset letting itself down.
Comfort
To be fair, it’s fine. But I boast a set of wireless BOSE headphones for music and travel that are comfortable AF, while the aforementioned Naris are just like hard, heavy pillows on your ears and head. Going to these wasn’t jarring, but they’re tight and *less* comfy than the aforementioned. However, what they lack in First Class lounging, they still exceed in audio expectation -- like an economy experience where you’re still singled out by the stewards and have a pampered, if cramped, longhaul flight but feel looked after enough not to complain. The price point here will determine your decision-making around purchase, and my landing on their level of comfort is based exclusively off having a few options around me because of the position I’m in, but honestly, these are more than serviceable.
Verdict
As mentioned above, your needs versus your wallet, purse, chaos pouch or lockbox will determine your want for the Stealth 600. What you’ll get out of this is an affordable headset with fantastic sound that is wireless. The mic didn’t hold up for mine as well as the oft-mentioned Nari, but it wasn’t a deal-breaker. Battery life is great and its only drawback for me was in the comfort space, but again, this wasn’t a deal-breaker -- I just have higher-end headsets by which I set a bar. If you’re looking for great sound across Xbox and PC, though, and have to purchase to a budget, Turtle Beach’s known prowess in the audioscape shines here, but at an affordable entry point, and in an ever-growing untethered world, being wireless is a bonus.
Product: Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 600
Type: Gaming Headset (Wireless)
Price: Around $170.00 Dollarydoos (ie AUD)
Availability: Out Now
Link: https://au.turtlebeach.com/collections/stealth-600
We’re no strangers to headsets over here at AusGamers, and as audio with implementations such as Dolby Atmos continue to advance alongside new gaming hardware and tech, we’re spoilt for choice. What winds up becoming front and centre for punters is a three-prong approach to purchase: price, comfort and accessibility. On that last front, this is now dominated by “wired” or “non-wired” in an increasingly untethered world; but there’s a fourth prong people should be caring about, and that’s the cost of quality for accessibility. Or, more importantly, is being untethered worth any loss in audio relay, especially when gaming?
Combining all of those prongs is obviously key to a good purchase. Gaming is a ubiquitous exercise these days with co-op and multiplayer offerings everywhere, so you want something with a good mic to converse alongside sound to match the quality of gaming currently populating the modern wild. It’s a hard task after having spent a lot of time with Razer’s Nari Haptic series (seriously, Hellblade with that headset is just a next-level experience), but if we’re talking affordability, Turtle Beach’s offerings over a number of years now have catered across the board. In the headset in review today -- Ear Force Stealth 600 -- the audio mainstay has delivered a product with exceptional sound, a so-so mic experience and firm but maybe *too firm* a fit.
"I have a drawer full of AA and AAA batteries not being used as we seem to have finally gone into full lithium mode with devices that aren’t rated “Three and Under”..."
Tech Talk
Type: Closed Connection: Direct Wireless Connection Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz Power: Rechargeable Battery (Rechargeable 900mAh Lithium Polymer) Size: 50mm with Neodymium Magnets Mic: Flip-Up Omni-Directional
The key issue this headset faces is in its omni-directional mic that can be *iffy*, often, which happened while playing something like Rocket League with my brother. On the single-player side of things, I always use Red Dead Redemption 2 as my benchmark experience due mostly to the ambient audio thanks to the game’s rich ecology and occlusion. In this space, this affordable kit absolutely delivered, and is of a very high-end standard. The wireless side of it was fine and it delivers plus side of 10 hours worth of battery, so no real issue there and we’re all used to charging everything these days -- I have a drawer full of AA and AAA batteries not being used as we seem to have finally gone into full lithium mode with devices that aren’t rated “Three and Under”. It’s in the comfort side of things I found the headset letting itself down.
Comfort
To be fair, it’s fine. But I boast a set of wireless BOSE headphones for music and travel that are comfortable AF, while the aforementioned Naris are just like hard, heavy pillows on your ears and head. Going to these wasn’t jarring, but they’re tight and *less* comfy than the aforementioned. However, what they lack in First Class lounging, they still exceed in audio expectation -- like an economy experience where you’re still singled out by the stewards and have a pampered, if cramped, longhaul flight but feel looked after enough not to complain. The price point here will determine your decision-making around purchase, and my landing on their level of comfort is based exclusively off having a few options around me because of the position I’m in, but honestly, these are more than serviceable.
Verdict
"The mic didn’t hold up for mine as well as the oft-mentioned Nari, but it wasn’t a deal-breaker. Battery life is great and its only drawback for me was in the comfort space, but again, this wasn’t a deal-breaker..."
As mentioned above, your needs versus your wallet, purse, chaos pouch or lockbox will determine your want for the Stealth 600. What you’ll get out of this is an affordable headset with fantastic sound that is wireless. The mic didn’t hold up for mine as well as the oft-mentioned Nari, but it wasn’t a deal-breaker. Battery life is great and its only drawback for me was in the comfort space, but again, this wasn’t a deal-breaker -- I just have higher-end headsets by which I set a bar. If you’re looking for great sound across Xbox and PC, though, and have to purchase to a budget, Turtle Beach’s known prowess in the audioscape shines here, but at an affordable entry point, and in an ever-growing untethered world, being wireless is a bonus.
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What we liked
Light weight
Wireless with great battery life
Excellent sound
PC-friendly and no dongle required
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What we didn't like
Can feel stiff over the head
Mic isn't as clear as it could be
|
We gave it:
8.0
OUT OF 10
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