The following Turtle Beach Stealth products were given as review samples from Turtle Beach.
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About a month back I wrote up about Turtle Beach dropping new gaming headsets (Bluetooth-capable, too!) into the market. The company is naturally no stranger to gaming audio hardware and they wear that pride on their sleeves with the Turtle Beach ‘Stealth 500’ and the ‘Stealth 600 Gen 3’. The former being a lower-end and cheaper but capable wireless gaming headset for Xbox (PlayStation and PC get their own modules) and the latter being a refined version of previous Stealth 600 releases.
I’ve spent a good week with both of these headsets as well as Turtle Beach’s all-new high-end open back ‘Atlas Air’ gaming headset. That one gets its own dedicated article, but as for these two Stealth sets I’ll be glad to show you why either of these will make good company for you in your some-thousandth ‘Rainbow Six Siege’ match. I’ll also look over the “Turtle Beach Swarm II” software, both its PC and mobile counterparts, and my miffs along with being genuinely surprised at some of its capabilities.
Turtle Beach Stealth 500 — Gaming Wirelessly on a Dime (and a Few More)
I think it’s no secret that Xbox has a fairly wide gap in terms of wireless audio headsets. Thanks to the console’s wireless proprietary protocol, many manufacturers opt to have players plug in their headsets through the controller’s 3.5mm jack and we all know that’s not truly “wireless” (and really a thorn in the console’s side). Wireless headsets that are available tend to be on the pricey side, too—which is where the Stealth 500 comes into play. This is Turtle Beach’s newest and cheapest wireless set and it packs a punch if you’re specifically looking for a gaming headset for your console.
The Stealth 500 comes compact in its tiny box, a USB-C cable and the device’s wireless transmitter. Besides the tiny “Starter’s Guide”, the whole kit is relatively waste-free which is always well-appreciated. One hoop of the box into a recycle bin later, I spent a couple of minutes updating the firmware and immediately jumped right into gaming. Set up for console use is real easy: simply plug in the USB transmitter into the console and turn on the headset. Bluetooth mode is a little weird to set up at first, but all you need to do is switch to Bluetooth mode on the headset and then find the device on your device. Connecting another Bluetooth device will require a power cycle so the Stealth 500 goes into pairing mode, so don’t bother trying to hold down the power button like I did a whole bunch.
As the transmitter will only work on Xbox in my case, that means connections to other devices will need to be done via Bluetooth. Plugging in the transmitter to my PC for instance only let me use the headset, but the microphone would not work whatsoever. Not a big deal, but if you prefer to have more wiggle room with how far you want to walk with your headset outside of your Xbox, the 500 likely isn’t for you. The transmitter lets you walk far with your headset, and I took many a trip to the bathroom with it on with no issues keeping sound and the mic alive while being several meters away. Otherwise, Bluetooth mode works on everything I tried except for my PS Vita, so no ‘Killzone: Mercenary’ playing for me sadly. A lack of a 3.5mm jack on this headset hurts the 500 in this case, as you won’t be able to use it on devices that don’t have connectivity of any sorts (or those with compatibility issues).
Speaking of Bluetooth, it’s easy to switch between that and wireless mode. Simply press the “switch” button, which is a thing on all three of these headsets. You can freely adjust game and party audio as well with the second scroll wheel (the Xbox won’t let you adjust it from the OS sadly), the first reserved for volume. The 500 will warn you when you’ve reached max volume with a soft beep, as well as any buttons you accidentally press trying to navigate the headset. I never got used to the placement of the power button on the 500, but that’s a me problem.
I did have an issue with the wireless transmitter not working with the back ports of my Series X, but I had no problems connecting it to a Series S’s back ports and neither did my 600 Gen 3’s have this issue, so something to keep in mind if you’re looking at the 500s and want to keep the transmitter in the back—my issue might’ve been a fluke.
Now for the meat of this review: the sound quality and comfort level of the Stealth 500. For games, it’s great. Put them on and go into a game of Fortnite, Warzone, Siege, games where footsteps and reacting to your environment are crucial is where the Stealth 500 excels. The microphone does its job, its easy to mute as well—simply push it back up into place where it stays out of the way. There are available presets that you can swap to in the Swarm II mobile app, or you can make your own with the equalizer. Personally, I always keep it flat, as I prefer to get as close to the intended sound as possible. But of course, that’s your prerogative; change it til it sounds good to you!
For any game where music might be key to its enjoyment, or even just using the Stealth 500 to listen to your old Limp Bizkit albums, look elsewhere. The drivers are simply unable to produce good trebble nor are they able to differentiate between played instruments. Best way I can describe it is if all your songs were normalised and, if you were to try to adjust the equalisation to emphasise vocals or bass, you’ll instead find that sound accuracy is lost. Ultimately, I walked away from the Stealth 500 feeling unimpressed by the overall sound quality.
As for the actual headset itself. Well, a bit too tiny for my giant head. Its size reminds me of Turtle Beach’s lower-end Recon headsets, where no matter how hard I push the set down on my big, giant egghead, the earcups barely stuck just over my earlobes. The fake leather used for the cups is decent, though I am more of a foam person. Now the 500 and the Atlas Air share one thing in common and that’s having a band that sits on your head rather than a cushion and I prefer this approach, since you don’t have to fiddle with getting the headset to sit properly It’s just a shame that for us big-headed peoples, you might find the Stealth 500 to just be too tiny. especially when I try to keep it wrapped around my neck.
Turtle Beach’s Stealth 500 is on sale now and retails for $79.99/£79.99/€89.99 MSRP. It’s a great little kit for the price, featuring Bluetooth and a nice suite of features available via the Swarm II app (look below for more information). It succeeds in being a headset that’s offers great value for those looking for a wireless set and are going to use it for games with a competitive focus. Just don’t pick one up if your games have a music-focus, if you want to listen to music with them, or if you have a giant head.
You can buy the Turtle Beach Stealth 500 from the company directly or your local retailer. The link to purchase via Amazon can be found here.
Stealth 600 Gen 3 — All-in-One Kit
Turtle Beach’s Stealth 600 Gen 3 is the next step in the Stealth line of headsets. Available in black and white, the Gen 3 is said to improve the sound drivers, add Bluetooth along with its 2.4GHz wireless connectivity, and has a much longer 80-hour life battery. This model of headset has better build quality, feels much more sleek to hold and put on, has a wider range of supported devices with its wireless USB transmitter, and more importantly sounds a lot better in comparison to the Stealth 500 in all bouts of gaming and music listening.
The Stealth 600 Gen 3 comes in a slightly bigger box compared to the Turtle Beach Stealth 500 and has a bit more packaging to boot, thankfully nearly all recyclable. There’s your headset, the USB transmitter, a USB-C cable, and a “Starter’s Guide” all slotted in neatly. Another boxed recycled, firmware updated, and I was ready to take the Gen 3 out for a spin. Unlike the 500 and the Atlas Air, the Stealth 600 uses a cushion on the top of the headset and each side can be adjusted by multiple levels. The earcups are foam and have a bit more freedom with how they can move around thanks to the swivel design of the headset. The microphone slots into the left earcup as well, making muting as easy as just putting the stick away.
Microphone quality is great relative to price, as is sound quality. My mates had no issues with hearing me, and I had no issues hearing their terrible playing across multiple games. The issue I had with the Stealth 500s where the audio quality wasn’t up to par is hardly an issue here, as both games and music sound plenty lively here with the equalisation defaults. Swarm II features also come in handy (check out the Swarm II section below), but otherwise on its own the Gen 3 is an easy win for gaming headset choices.
The Stealth 600 has much better button placements, with the power button in a nice and cozier place. The transmitter can be used across multiple devices like your PC, PlayStation, and even the Nintendo Switch simply by switching the transmitter to “USB” mode on the side of the device. Bluetooth mode covers mobile devices, which I used extensively across all three of the headsets in my possession. See, it’s not so much that I simply game at home, but I must also be able to play outside the comfort of my humble abode. I game on my Samsung Galaxy devices quite a bit, so portability matters a lot to me. While the Stealth 500 wasn’t easy to keep hanging around my neck, the Stealth 600 gave me no problems thanks to its larger stature.
But even then, both headsets were great little kits for being able to game on the go. Hearing bullets pelt across Fortnite, Warzone, and Armor Attack felt great on the 500 and even better on Turtle Beach’s Stealth 600 Gen 3. For the price, retailing at $99.99/£99.99/€109.99 MSRP, it’s a great value. The lack of a 3.5mm jack is a carryover caveat from the Stealth 500, and you might want to look at the Atlas Air if you want to have a headset that can last beyond even its long battery life.
If you’re looking at either of the Stealth headsets, personally I would put the extra $20 in and get the Stealth 600. I don’t think its without flaws either, for example I would much rather have the 500’s headband as opposed to the 600’s use of cushioning and adjustable cups. But sound quality across all uses is important to me, and that’s where the 600 Gen 3 comes in along with better compatibility with other devices. The Stealth 500 is still a good kit for the price, and if you only plan on using it for a competitive edge, catching those details you’d miss over TV speaker, then it’s worth the asking price.
You can buy the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 3 from the company directly or your local retailer.
Turtle Beach’s Swarm II Software — Swarming With Features (and Bugs)
Like all gaming peripherals, you’ll want to have Turtle Beach’s Swarm II software on you if you want to get the best out of your equipment. Swarm II is not only needed for mandatory software updates (in my case, quite literally needed for certain software functions to work) but also to enable presets, make your own, and all-in-all act as a companion app to your headset. It’s available on mobile devices as well as PC in a beta state, both of which I tested out during my time with the Stealths and the Atlas Air.
Let’s start with the great: the Swarm II app on mobile devices works wonders. As long as the headset is powered on, no matter what connectivity mode its in, the app will find the headset with absolutely no issues. The app is how I was able to update two of my headsets without issue and I messed around with the available features. A downside is that the app doesn’t really give you an idea of what each feature does, so I had to mess around and see what did what.
All of the headsets support “Superhuman Hearing”, for example. This feature has the headset focus on footsteps within the game, with what sounds like the software adjusting equalisation to help you better catch someone trying to sneak up on you. On the Atlas Air, additional features such as Waves 3D and high-bandwidth audio support show up here. Turning on Waves 3D for the Atlas is highly recommended as I found it helps push the upper bounds of what the drivers are capable of and in turn, get you a louder and more concise sound out of instrumentals.
The app’s text rendering is on the poorer side and is hard to read on high DPI displays and large screens, and as far as I can tell there’s no light mode available in the app either. My battery level indicator has bugged out a bunch, too, but it hasn’t impacted the performance of my headsets.
So, the mobile apps are great. I highly recommend keeping those around. The PC app, on the other hand, I had issues with. Last week, I installed the .18 version of the Swarm II, which was the latest available on the company’s website. My first round with Swarm II ended with the installer crashing out, leaving only an uninstaller executable in the Program Files folder. A reinstall did the trick, but when I tried to update my Stealth 500 headset, the application wouldn’t respond. Clicking “update” did nothing, even with the transmitter plugged in and the headset connected via USB-C to the PC. I grew a bit concerned with a potentially botched update process, so I ultimately opted to use the mobile app instead.
Since then, Turtle Beach released a .19 update for the Swarm II software and it has gotten better. I was able to update the Atlas Air’s software with no issue. Even now I have that pair on, blasting away music with my settings proper. I’d keep the app around on your phone, but if you want the most out of your headset on PC you’ll need Swarm II. It’s required for extended volume control support, such as lowering volume via the volume knob on the headset.
Click on these links (PC/iOS/Android) to see the Swarm II app for yourself.
