The American Turtle Beach Corporation, like many of their competitors, is busy expanding their range in the field of next-gen compatibility. The Stealth 700 Gen 2, available in both Playstation and Xbox variant, is an excellent example of this.
Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2
Price: €149,99
Link: usb-a 2.4 Ghz wireless dongle en bluetooth
Compatibility: Playstation 4 en 5 óf Xbox One en X, Windows, Mac en Nintendo Switch
RGB features: No
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We already noticed when testing the Stealth 600 Gen 1 that Turtle Beach has a background in professional music equipment for studios. De Stealth 600 excels in its excellent, neutral sound balance and was thus the winner in the category ‘the best game headsets under 100 euros’ of De Grote Gamer.nl Gameheadset Round-Up. The Stealth 700 Gen 2 is the bigger brother of the Stealth 600. Of course that means that the Stealth 700 Gen 2 is a bit more expensive – you have to pay 140 euros to get one – but hopefully it also has a similar, excellent sound balance.
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First impression
The first thing you notice when unpacking the Stealth 700 Gen 2 headset is the sturdiness it exudes. The large hard plastic ear cups are connected to the thick headband by a metal sliding mechanism. Despite the robust design, this headset is very flexible. Both ear cups can rotate 90 degrees and the headband gives more than you might expect at first glance. In this way, Turtle Beach has struck a nice balance between sturdy, heavy build quality and the flexibility that benefits comfort.
The memory foam ear cushions are spacious and covered with synthetic leather on the outside. Fortunately, a soft fabric has been chosen where the ear cushions touch the head. The pillows are also provided with a ring with cooling gel. A nice, clever addition is the little pin that you can find when you detach the ear pad from the shells. This pin can be adjusted to create a small recess in the ear cushion that improves the comfort of spectacle wearers. The clamping pressure is the only minor downside when it comes to comfort: it is very sturdy and can cause some irritation during long sessions. The advantage of the firmer clamping pressure, however, is that the Stealth 700 Gen 2 absorbs an exceptional amount of ambient noise.
At Gamer.nl we got access to the Playstation version of this headset. This comes with a corresponding dongle – or mini-usb transmitter, as Turtle Beach calls it – for making a connection between headset and console. However, the Stealth 700 Gen 2 can also be connected to a smart device via Bluetooth at the same time. This way you can listen to your own music or pick up your phone while gaming. What is also not mentioned in the documentation is that the dongle also seems to work fine with Windows PCs. Charging the Stealth 700 Gen 2 can be done via the USB-A port of Windows and Mac PCs and should be done about once every twenty hours.
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Set up and update
The left ear cup of the Playstation variant houses two separate volume wheels, one of which is programmable in the software and the other controls the game sound. You will also find a Bluetooth pairing button, the on / off button, the input for the charging cable and the mode button on the ear cup. The mode button allows you to switch between the standard listening mode and Superhuman Hearing. Superhuman Hearing emphasizes in-game audio cues, such as enemies’ footsteps and weapon reloads. This mode stood out positively during our Stealth 600 Gen 1 review, but of course we also look at what this mode adds to the Stealth 700 Gen 2’s listening experience.
The excellent-sounding flip-to-mute microphone is also hidden in this left ear cup. The sound of this is surprisingly full, but it is noticeable that there is a slight noise hidden in the signal. Nonetheless, this microphone is one of the better sounding ones you can find on a gaming headset. Consonants are not over-emphasized and the sound is far from shrill, as is often the case with game headsets.
The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 has a firmware updater for Windows and Mac PCs as well as a smartphone app for iOS and Android. The first time you use the headset, it is important to check whether everything is up to date. In practice, a firmware update is painless and fast: you can continue gaming within about three minutes. In the smartphone app it is possible to provide both the aforementioned volume wheel and the mode button with a different function. You will also find equalizer settings and the possibilities to change the volume of the voice prompts and the other audio cues that the headset gives. In addition, you can switch the sidetone on or off, something that is not possible with many console-oriented headsets. So that’s a big plus.
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The sound
With the Stealth 700 Gen 2, Turtle Beach once again manages to create a very convincing, transparent and precise sound. The subtle, full bass is somewhat atypical for a game headset, but no less pleasant to listen to. What is very striking when listening to different types of music is that the headset gives everything a neat place. Both foreground and background noise, as well as elements far to the ends of the stereo image: everything listens very precisely, grandly and defined. You can hear details with this headset that you won’t notice with the average gaming headset – or even a studio headset.
In-game, this exceptional definition delivers a pleasant, sometimes somewhat clinical sound. The goal of Turtle Beach is clear: precision. That goal is achieved with flying colors. This headset beautifully displays the atmosphere and depth of a game world and the localization is also excellent. The subtle, full bass that provides fullness and warmth in music, also turns out to be able to cope well with spectacular, extreme situations in games. Even when gameplay gets busy and full, the sound of this headset remains calm. Superhuman Hearing further increases the precision of the localization by making the entire sound a lot sharper. Almost all bass tones disappear from the sound as soon as you enable this option. Superhuman Hearing is therefore primarily a very effective option and not something that directly improves the sound.
The Stealth 700 Gen 2 is also very suitable for watching movies in terms of sound. It particularly stands out in its large, dynamic range – a feature that particularly comes into its own in action films. The precision in the reproduction of the stereo image also helps to lose yourself in the film world and it also ensures a very precise, calm translation of the dialogues. It must be said that this may be a headset that you put on a little less quickly if you slump on the couch at night, simply because it is quite large and sturdy.
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In conclusion
Turtle Beach delivers with the Stealth 700 Gen 2 a neutral, open and precise sounding headset. It’s amazing how beautifully and defined the Stealth 700 Gen 2 renders placement in a stereo image. In games, this benefits the localization – even in very chaotic situations – and when listening to music it creates a sense of spaciousness and perspective that you rarely hear on (game) headsets. The sound balance is also excellent with a reasonable, but balanced amount of low and nice definition in the higher frequency regions.
This headset also scores well in terms of comfort. The cooling gel and a special recess for glasses wearers in the ear cups are good additions and despite the considerable weight, this headset remains comfortable for a reasonably long period of time. The clamping pressure is a bit on the firm side, but this does not have major implications for wearing comfort. A side effect of this clamping pressure is that this headset dampens a lot of ambient noise. This is a very serious headset: if you are a gamer who likes a gimmick and playfulness in gaming hardware, then the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 may not be the headset for you. If you are a music lover in addition to being a critical gamer and you would like a neutral reproduction, then this headset is probably exactly what you are looking for.
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