Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 review

The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 is a big improvement over its predecessor. Considering that the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 was not such a bad headset to begin with, that's saying something. At $100, this wireless gaming headset is cheaper than a lot of its fancier competitors, and with both Xbox and PS4 variants, it's easy to find one that works with your console setup.

At the same time, the Stealth 600 simply doesn't offer the same kinds of features that make its pricier cousin, the Turtle Beach Elite Atlas Aero, so good. The fit is tight, the controls are crowded, the equalization options are modest and the mic doesn't live up to its potential.

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For console gamers who are ready to cut the cord without going broke, the Stealth 600 Gen 2 is one of the best gaming headsets you can buy. But if you're willing to spend another $50, you can get something much better. Read our full Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 review for more details. 

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2: Design 

If you've seen the original Stealth 600, then the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 should look pretty familiar. Like its predecessor, it's a fairly plain black plastic chassis with subtle blue or green highlights in the middle of the earcups, depending on whether you get the PS4 or Xbox version, respectively. I'm a little leery of plastic headbands, particularly since I had a Turtle Beach model give out on me after about four years, but the Stealth 600 Gen 2 seems pretty sturdy, and should last a long time, provided you treat it gently.

The earcups fold at the halfway point, making the Stealth 600 Gen 2 much more comfortable than its predecessor. They can also swivel and fold flat, for easy transport. My big issue, though, is the same as before: The controls are very crowded.

To elaborate, there's nothing on the right earcup. On the left earcup, there's a foldable mic, a USB-C charging port, a power button, an equalization mode button, a chat/game mix wheel and a volume wheel. The two wheels and the two buttons are right next to each other, and I lost count of how many times I got them mixed up. Over time, you can memorize each one's location, but stronger tactile differentiation or more spacing would have helped a lot.

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2: Comfort 

While the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 is by no means uncomfortable, it looks easier to wear than it is. The plush foam earcups and padded headband make it easy to wear for long periods of time, but it's not nearly as plush or as precise a fit as the Elite Atlas Aero. One particularly disappointing feature was the ProSpecs functionality, which supposedly makes Turtle Beach headsets easier to wear for folks with glasses. However, the Stealth 600 Gen 2 pushed down hardest right where my glasses met my ears, with no way to adjust it. Other models from Turtle Beach let you remove the earcups and determine the ProSpecs channel size yourself.

The Stealth 600 Gen 2 was never outright painful, but it was consistently tight, and I was almost always ready to take it off and swap it for a different headset once I was done testing it.

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2: Performance 

One thing the Stealth 600 Gen 2 has in common with its predecessor is that it sounds excellent on almost every platform. The PS4 version is compatible with the PC, PS4 and docked Switch, while the Xbox version is compatible with Xbox One and Windows 10 — although Windows 10 compatibility requires an Xbox One Wireless adapter (or the same functionality built-in, which some newer gaming PCs have).

It's also worth pointing out that the PS4 version of the Stealth 600 Gen 2 will be compatible with PS5, while the Xbox version will be compatible with Xbox Series X. This is the case for most current-gen peripherals, to be fair, but it's good to know that if you buy this headset now, it'll also work with whatever systems you purchase within the next few years.

For the most part, the Stealth 600 Gen 2 delivers robust sound across a variety of games. I tested the headset with games such as Doom Eternal, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, Ghost of Tsushima, Star Trek Online and Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition across the PC, PS4 and Switch. The performance on PS4 and PC was strong all around, from whistling winds across Japanese flower gardens to the grind of a chainsaw through a demon's guts.

I had only two small caveats with the headset's performance. The first is that audio on the Switch wasn't quite as balanced as on PC and PS4. Background music was much quieter than voices and sound effects, meaning that I had to manually fiddle around with a lot of audio settings in each game before finding a comfortable volume. The second is that the four preprogrammed equalization modes — Signature Sound, Bass Boost, Bass and Treble Boost and Vocal Boost — do very little to change the overall soundscape or quality.

In terms of music, the Stealth 600 Gen 2 is on a par with most other gaming headsets — which is to say that it's OK. I listened to tracks from Flogging Molly, Old Crow Medicine Show, The Rolling Stones and G.F. Handel, and found that while there wasn't much bass, the treble and vocals came through clearly. I wouldn't use this as an everyday pair of music headphones, but if you don't feel like buying two separate pairs, the Stealth 600 Gen 2 can get you through an average workday.

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2: Features 

The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 runs on the Turtle Beach Audio Hub software, which lets you adjust mic pickup, toggle audio presets, update firmware and so forth. The Audio Hub software wasn't yet available when I tested the Stealth 600 Gen 2, but it also hasn't changed much since the last Turtle Beach headset we reviewed. It gets the job done, although it doesn't change the overall experience very much.

Of more interest is the Stealth 600 Gen 2's mic. If you play a lot of multiplayer games, a good mic is a necessity, and this headset's mic is good — but not great. As described above, you can fold the mic down and move it from side to side slightly. As such, there's no way to get it close to your mouth, and your voice is always going to be pretty quiet. The sound quality isn't bad aside from that, but having to project rather than having a normal conversation is an extra bit of tedium that most headsets don't require.

The Stealth 600 Gen 2's battery lasts for 15 hours, and recharges within just a few hours, thanks to its USB-C connectivity. I wish it had a quick-wake function rather than having to manually restart the headset after you've stepped away for a while, though.

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2: Verdict 

Our Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 review describes how this year's model is a noticeable improvement over the last. The headset is more comfortable than before, as well as optimized for a wider variety of systems. Strong sound quality and a reasonable price make the device a good choice for console gamers who want wireless connectivity that doesn't cost a fortune.

At the same time, it's hard to shake the feeling that $150 models like the Elite Atlas Aero and the SteelSeries Arctis 7 really earn their asking prices, with more comfortable fits and better sound quality overall. While an additional $50 is a substantial amount of money in gaming headset terms, a good headset is one of the most important weapons in your gaming arsenal. Choose wisely.