Turtle Beach Stealth Pro Review | More Features, More Problems
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Pros & Cons
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pro is a versatile gaming headset that doubles as a viable pair of everyday wireless headphones. However, it has a few major shortcomings - such as the software - that make the price difficult to justify.
Pros:
Simultaneous 2.4 GHz wireless connection + Bluetooth.
Feature-packed software on PC and mobile with separate headphone and mic audio equalizers.
Comes with two batteries that can be quickly swapped out.
Soft, comfortable pleather ear cushions.
Active noise cancellation.
Integrated microphones and detachable boom mic.
Cons:
Software has massive connectivity issues and rarely works.
Heavy at 400 grams without the boom mic.
Headphone audio quality is meh for the price.
Connectivity and Controls
This review is specifically on the Xbox version of the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro. I recommend buying that version over the PlayStation version simply because the Xbox version still works with PlayStation anyway. However, the PlayStation version does not work on Xbox. Both versions work on PC. You just have to toggle a switch on the wireless transmitter.
The Bluetooth range really varies with walls, but I was able to get it to work consistently for about 50 feet. The wireless transmitter went slightly farther.
Left to right: USB-C charging port, Superhuman Hearing, Power, Bluetooth.
The controls for the Stealth Pro are on the right earcup. There’s a power button, a button for “Superhuman Hearing”, and a multi-function Bluetooth button. Superhuman Hearing is basically an adjustment to the EQ of the device tuned to make specific frequencies like weapon fire and footsteps stand out.
The Bluetooth button allows you answer calls, play and pause music tracks, or skip/reverse tracks. Even though this is a basic feature on most consumer headphones these days, many gaming headsets still omit this.
There is a volume wheel on outside of the right earcup and a programmable button (the logo) that toggles ANC on and off by default. I’ll speak more on the ANC in the headphone audio section, but in short, it’s barely passable.
Battery Life
The 2.4 GHz transmitter doubles as a battery charger.
The Stealth Pro’s battery only lasts 12 hours on a single charge, but that will almost never be an issue for home use. The headset comes with two batteries that will only take seconds to swap. You can leave one battery in the wireless transmitter to charge while the other one is in use, so you’ll always have a fully charged battery ready to go.
The headset can also be charged with a USB-C cable. Since you can charge the battery separately, this isn’t usually needed, but you will need that port to connect to a PC to perform firmware updates.
Comfort and Build Quality
The Stealth Pro feels amazing when you first put it on, but it starts to become problematic over longer periods. First lets get into what I like about the build.
The padding is pleather with memory foam inside. It’s not as soft as the HyperX Cloud II or Cloud III, but it doesn’t add too much pressure around my ears. The build is mostly plastic, but there is a sliver of metal on the adjustable headband frame. The earcups can swivel inwards and the length of the handband is sufficient to allow these to be rested comfortably on your shoulders.
As a glasses wearer, these didn’t cause me problems.
Now for what I don’t like. The Stealth Pro is simply too heavy. The weight is distributed well and the headband padding helps, but it’s about 418 grams with the boom mic attached and 400 without. I took this to work (manual labor), and keeping this on for 5 hours of that was impossible.
The buttons on the bottom are also very mushy and don’t protrude out. They have almost not tactile clickiness, so it’s hard to tell if you pressed them at all.
Headphone Audio Quality
There’s no body to the sound to make Need for Speed really immersive.
If this headset launched for around $150, I’d say the headphone audio quality is great. However, I bought mine for its $330 launch price. It simply can’t compete with the competition such as the Drop + EPOS PC38X, Audeze Maxwell, and Logitech G Pro X 2.
This is using 50 mm “Nanoclear” drivers. The detail is actually quite good, so FPS players should be satisfied enough. However, the treble is a bit harsh and the bass isn’t very full. It’s definitely a step up from say the HyperX Cloud III, but it lacks immersion and balance for use cases other than FPS games.
The soundstage is about average for a closed-back headset. It’s not very wide, but not super trapped in either. So for music it’s not amazing, but it’s good enough for gaming. Also, when the volume wheel is set too loud, there’s an audible electronic feedback hiss which is quite annoying.
Active Noise Cancellation
Resident Evil Village with the Stealth Pro.
The active noise cancellation isn’t very impressive. For consistent, low volume audio outside like wind it’s alright. However, cars rushing by and people talking loudly around you won’t be drowned out much.
Perhaps unintentionally, the bass is a lot stronger with ANC on. It muffles some of the rest of the audio which I assume is an attempt to counteract ambient noises, but I actually use the ANC even in silence just for more bass.
Software
Most of my issues with the Stealth Pro stem from the Audio Hub software. But before I rant on what sucks about it, there’s actually a ton of amazing features here.
The Good
Aside from all the premade presets you can toggle between, there’s a separate 10-band equalizer for the game audio (wireless transmitter), Bluetooth audio, and microphone audio. No other gaming headset software I’ve used can do that.
You can also adjust the level of Superhuman Hearing and active noise cancellation and adjust the sidetone as well. Now for the problems…
The Very Bad
Expect to see this a lot.
The software is way too too buggy. I’ve rarely had the Stealth Pro successfully connect to the Android app. Even when the headset itself is connected to my phone and in the middle of playing audio, the app acts like it can’t find the device.
Additionally, the sidetone routinely turns itself on by itself (and it defaults to on out the box), so you’ll be greeted with a loud, persistent static sound as soon as you power the device up.
The only way to turn off the sidetone is through the software, so when it doesn’t work it’s just a miserable experience. The same goes for trying to swap EQ profiles on console. If you want more bass, less bass, or a game specific EQ curve, good luck actually getting that to work.
In short, when the software actually connects, it’s amazing. When it doesn’t (which is most of the time), it’s a nightmare.
Microphone Audio Quality
Boom mic is flip up to mute with good flexibility.
The Stealth Pro comes with both a detachable boom mic and integrated mics - it will switch over to the built-in ones immediately when you take out the boom mic. The boom mic is above average for a gaming headset and the software filters help it out a little. The background noise rejection is decent, but the clarity is lacking.
The integrated mics actually have very good tonality considering their positioning. However, they don’t prevent background noises at all.
The boom mic is also flip up to mute.
Verdict
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pro has amazing features, and the software has a lot of potential. It’s a great device for taking on the go because of its ANC, Bluetooth controls, and integrated microphones.
However, the launch price is ridiculous for the headphone audio quality, and the buggy software and heavy weight of the device make it hard for me to recommend. If you find this on sale, spring for it. Otherwise, I’d pass and get something like the Logitech G Pro X 2 or Audeze Maxwell even though those have less features.
