Over the past month or more, I’ve spent most of my gaming hours with a new headset on. It’s the latest model of the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 gaming headset, of which we were provided the Xbox version. Now, I wanted to share some thoughts about them.
To be honest, this is the first headset I’ve used in some time, since I had LucidSound LS40s for Xbox One. I mostly gamed using TV volume, though, as that’s what I grew up doing, and I’m not one to talk to others while gaming, enter parties or play a lot of multiplayer. I wanted to get back into using them, though, because I keep being told it’s the best way to game.
These Turtle Beach Stealth 600s are the first product by said company that I’ve ever owned. They were very easy to set-up though, as all it took was plugging a USB dongle into my console. The headset connects wirelessly, and seamlessly, and has a switch on its dongle that allows you to change it to a Bluetooth mode. That way, you can use it with other consoles and your phone, despite it saying it’s the Xbox version.
I was confused at first, because the LED that goes around the dongle was a solid red. I thought that meant it needed to be charged, so I did so after my first session with them. However, I later discovered that the red means that the microphone is locked in place and not in use. When I brought the mic down, it went green to alert me that it was in use. I don’t have a lot of use for a microphone though, as I’m an introvert who mostly plays single player and finds parties distracting.
I let the headset charge overnight, and haven’t had to charge it since. In fact, it’s still at 18% battery life, or thereabouts, according to the app. Playing for several hours this morning had dropped it 10% from what it first showed.
I’m glad that the app shows the battery life, because it wasn’t made evident anywhere else. According to the quick start guide, the device will begin to flash when it needs to be charged, but I don’t think that’s something you can see while wearing them. That’s one thing I don’t particularly love.
The quick start guide, itself, is also very brief and not all that detailed or helpful. It’ll get you started, but it leaves a lot to be desired. I had to go online and search for information I needed.
Over the course of my time with the Stealth 600 headset, I have played and completed several games. Some obviously sounded better than others, and I found that it was easier to tell a game’s sound quality while using this. Life is Strange: Double Exposure sounded the best by far, while TMNT: Mutants Unleashed and The Smurfs: Dreams sounded decent at best. Life is Strange made good use of directional audio, and had more layers to it that the headphones accentuated. It also had some surprising good indie music that sounded quite good.
The Stealth 600s have several different audio modes, which can be cycled through by pressing a button on the left cup, or using the app. I mostly stuck with the basic mode, for standard game audio, but did cycle through the others and used the added bass mode for a few hours today. The others increase bass and treble, and you can also adjust the superhuman hearing setting to make certain elements more noticeable in the mix. That one kind of confused me, so I just adjusted it slightly.
Note that you can also create several custom presets if you’re an “audio snob” for lack of a better term.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like you can adjust the volume through the app. At least, I couldn’t find the setting. The only way to thoroughly do so was using the dial on the left cup, which I found a bit sensitive and kept hitting when I put the headset down before going to the washroom. There is a way to adjust volume in the Xbox guide, but it’s limited and doesn’t allow for fine tuning. I get the impression that you’re supposed to use both together.
For the most part, the audio was good while I gamed. I’m happy with the performance of these Turtle Beach Stealth 600s, but there’s room for improvement. The sound is rather good, but could be great. Then again, that’s possibly found at a higher price range.
Another way this audio device was tested was through the use of the Spotify app on Xbox. It was my first time using that, but I downloaded it and listened to some Slipknot. Everything sounded good there.
I sent my friend a voice message, and heard back that it sounded good and clear. As such, I can confidently confirm that the attached microphone works well and is of quality. I don’t particularly like listening to my own voice, so I chose to go that route. Plus, as mentioned above, I’m not a social gamer.
As far as comfort goes, I have no complaints. The headset fits a little loose, but I’m going to keep trying to adjust it. The earmuffs are very comfortable, too. It’s just all new to me, because I’m used to laying down while gaming and have a big pillow that I rest the left side of my head on. That’s hard to do with these, but I can do so a little bit if I angle it right. I’m always worried about damaging them though.
The build quality is also pretty good, and seems fine. I have no real complaints about that, though I wish all of the controls weren’t in a small area by the left ear cup. It’s not as easy to access them while gaming, and the dials can be sensitive, but I’ll get used to it.
Overall, the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 headset is a quality one at a decent price point. If you’re looking for a good, easy to use and very serviceable one, this is worth looking into for sure. It has great battery life as, while I haven’t been able to game as much as hoped, it’s lasted a surprisingly long time on a single charge.
This review is based on a product that we were provided with.