Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Commendable audio high quality
- Striking tri-color scheme within the Cobalt Blue model
- Glasses-friendly design
Cons
- Finnicky connectivity, particularly the Bluetooth
- Controls are bunched collectively and may be complicated to make use of
- The headband has lots of clamp power and may trigger some discomfort
Our Verdict
On steadiness, the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max is a superb all-round gaming headset that sounds improbable, connects to simply about all the things, and has an extended battery life. Unfortunately, buggy connectivity makes it arduous to advocate proper now.
Price When Reviewed
199.95
Best Prices Today: Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX
$159.95
$159.99
The Turtle Beach 700 Gen 2 Max replaces the 700 Gen 2, which made its mark in no refined means as one of the crucial fashionable licensed Xbox gaming headsets with PC compatibility.
Like its predecessor, the 700 Gen 2 Max sounds improbable, persistently proving its price with sensible low-latency wi-fi audio and spatial encompass sound that immerses you deeper into your recreation every time you play. Based on these factors alone, the 700 Gen 2 Max ought to be a simple system to advocate, however finnicky connectivity and fundamental software program assist casts a shadow over what’s in any other case a powerful wi-fi gaming headset.
Note: This overview is a part of our ongoing roundup of the best wireless gaming headsets. Go there to be taught extra about competing merchandise, what to search for in a wi-fi gaming headset, and shopping for suggestions.
Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max: Build and portability
Being a refresh, the Gen 2 Max brings again recognizable options, some a pleasure to see return as a result of they merely work nicely, others that we’d have appreciated to see modified to marginally enhance the expertise.
On the plus facet, you as soon as once more get swiveling earcups that made the 700 Gen 2 oh-so-easy to pack and carry with you on the highway—so, like its predecessor, the Gen 2 Max is sort of moveable. On the opposite hand, the controls are nonetheless bunched up on the underside of the left earcup, making utilizing them an train in fumbling in the dead of night, at instances.
One welcome change is a brand-new coloration—Cobalt Blue—which I used to be fortunate sufficient to check out for this overview. Despite the title, it’s truly tri-colored, that includes blue, black, and copper in an elaborate interaction that appears extremely putting. The copper contrasts properly in opposition to the darkish navy exterior. Matching Turtle Beach logos on every cup—additionally coloured copper—full the high-end look, suggesting you’ve actually obtained one thing particular in your arms.
The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max Cobalt Blue contains a tri-color scheme.
Dominic Bayley / IDG
The headset’s form, although, is a unique story. The Gen 2 Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max, just like the Gen 2 earlier than it, sports activities a chunky fashionable design that some avid gamers, myself included, could discover a bit of too boxy—maybe it may have finished with a design aesthetic that extra carefully resembles the fighter pilot-ish Turtle Beach X12s, to really look sensible.
Still, the good supplies used within the Gen 2 are again, which all the time felt very premium. The earcups as an example are lined in an all-season elastic materials that’s tender and funky, they usually maintain a beneficiant layer of reminiscence foam for cushioning—as does the higher headrest. The cans are additionally tremendous sturdy—they’re edged across the exterior by a powerful PU leather-based that drops again onto a agency metallic band to stop breakage.
The Gen 2 Max’s earcups match over your ears nicely, however there’s a caveat: They’re tremendous squeezy in your head. At first, I assumed it would simply really feel that means as a result of I’ve been utilizing headsets just like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro and Razer Barracuda Pro loads—two headsets which have hardly any clamp strain in any respect—however the Gen 2 Max did trigger some discomfort after an hour or so of gaming.
If that’s not a deal breaker, the strain does have one profit: It’s a fairly efficient passive noise barrier. It simply dampened the calls of the cacophony of birds within the timber exterior my window, in addition to the swish of visitors close by, and a motorbike whirring previous exterior, which made the slight discomfort way more bearable.
The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max contains a flip-to-mute microphone.
Dominic Bayley / IDG
For higher or worse, the 700 Gen 2 Max can also be heavier than the majority of headsets launched this 12 months. At 454 grams, it’s significantly weightier than the 340 gram Razer Barracuda Pro, and makes our final overview unit, the Asus ROG Strix Go Core Moonlight White, seem like a veritable featherweight at 252 grams. Trying it on, you’ll positively really feel that additional weight, however when you’re frightened by that, don’t be, as a result of it doesn’t really feel such as you’re sporting dumbbells in your ears.
If you’re registering just a few too many “cons” up to now, there’s one redeeming characteristic that will change your thoughts: The Gen 2 Max is glasses pleasant, so you’ll be able to put on your specs whilst you’re gaming. Turtle Beach name it the ProSpecs Comfort design, that includes helpful grooves to relaxation the ends of your spectacles on in every earcup.
To set the headset up on your specs, you’ll want to drag off the earcup covers and tweak a setting on the underside, which is simple sufficient to do, however does take a while. Although, contemplating the additional consolation and efficiency you’ll get from sporting your blinkers, it appears nicely definitely worth the effort.
Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max: Connectivity and compatibility
“Max” is all the time a time period we tech reviewers prefer to see in a tool’s title, because it often denotes upgrades. Here, it implies extra connectivity choices, since you’ll be able to hook up the Gen 2 Max to PlayStation units, a Nintendo Switch, Mac, and cell units, in addition to the Xbox consoles and PC that you possibly can with the Gen 2 headset. The headset can also be rated for 40 hours battery life, which is twice the lifetime of the Gen 2—that’s the excellent news. The dangerous information is connecting can generally be finicky.
Firstly, the Gen 2 Max is solely a wi-fi headset, which as of late, in high-end units, we virtually by no means have any points organising immediately, however in organising my wi-fi connection I discovered the Gen 2 Max’s low-latency USB-A dongle wanted a bit of additional time to attach after plugging it in.
I’ve by no means been one to hurry a great gaming session, however the connection lag meant I needed to spend additional time ready round for my audio to hit my cups earlier than the enjoyable may begin, which was sufficient to seek out myself fragged a minimum of as soon as in Battlefield I.
Once correctly arrange, although, you do get sensible, lag-free audio and your connection received’t drop out, which is considerably reassuring. After the preliminary delays, the headset additionally appeared to attach faster in successive play classes.
Switching connectivity modes between Xbox One, Xbox X/S, and all the opposite choices is fortunately tremendous straightforward, since you’ll be able to merely flick a change constructed into the facet of the dongle. The headset additionally has Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity, which might have been my go-to when hooking as much as my smartphone and my undocked Nintendo Switch, however sadly it proved the finnickiest of all of the headset’s options.
How temperamental? I couldn’t get the Bluetooth to play audio in any respect via my smartphone, regardless of loading the Turtle Beach Audio app and updating the system’s firmware. I may, nevertheless, get it to pair with the Turtle Beach Audio Hub, which is the downloadable software program app for Android or iOS units that you should utilize to optionally tweak settings just like the Chat Volume.
That meant I may make adjustments to the Gen 2 Max’s settings however couldn’t take heed to music or take cell calls whereas gaming on my PC—a operate that’s definitely price an enormous portion of the $199.95 price ticket. It’s disappointing to say the least, and one thing I’ve reached out to Turtle Beach for recommendation about, so watch this area for any updates.
Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max: Audio efficiency
The Gen 2 Max is supplied with the identical 50mm Nanoclear neodymium drivers because the Gen 2. Unsurprisingly, the audio high quality you get is equally pretty much as good, persistently sounding pure and clear whilst you’re gaming or enjoying music. Admittedly, that sound isn’t best-in-class, with stiff competitors this 12 months from the likes of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro, nevertheless it’s nonetheless adequate to get a commendation.
In Elden Ring, sounds of monsters gnashing their enamel at me, and the heavy thwacking of swords on my defend, had been all sounds that the Gen 2 Max delivered so clearly that it had me believing my life—a minimum of my digital one—was actually in lethal peril.
Switching over to Sniper Elite 5, a recreation whose soundtrack is as vital to the motion because the sound results themselves, the Gen 2 Max had no hassle whipping up an orchestral frenzy that had me chomping on the bit to sneak up on extra foes and ship ridiculously acrobatic take downs. Other standouts from my play session had been the sounds of bone-rattling explosions, and resounding cracks of rifle hearth that made me wish to soar for canopy.
The Gen 2 Max additionally does atmospheric sounds extraordinarily nicely. On a rooftop in Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, it was arduous to not stand again for a minute to admire the buzzing of the electrical avenue indicators, rain pattering round me, and the deep rumble of thunder within the distance—all introduced house with a vivid realism.
The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max’s controls.
Dominic Bayley / IDG
If you may have a spatial audio-capable headset, it’s all the time price using that particular operate as a lot as you’ll be able to in video games like Battlefield I or Overwatch for that strategic benefit you get from positional sound cues, like listening to the path of your enemies’ gunfire and their approaching footsteps.
Thankfully, if you wish to goal foes faster, or in any other case outflank or outsmart them with related maneuvers, the Gen 2 Max has you nicely lined, supporting Windows Sonic and Dolby Atmos in addition to DTS Headphone: X and 3D Audio on the PS5.
Testing out the spatial audio on my PC in video games that assist Dolby Atmos proved it really works very nicely, offering you with a 360-degree soundscape that can totally change your perspective in your recreation.
The Gen 2 Max’s spatial audio dovetails properly with a setting you’ll be able to change on within the Turtle Beach Audio Hub referred to as Superhuman Hearing, which modifies the EQ settings to reinforce how nicely you’ll be able to hear sounds, like enemy footsteps, weapons reloading, and the motion of automobiles within the distance.
Superhuman Hearing settings may be modified within the Turtle Beach Audio app.
Dominic Bayley / IDG
Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max: Software
The Turtle Beach Audio Hub is greatest accessed by way of your smartphone, to be able to change up your headset’s settings with out having to go away your recreation. However, because you’ll must pair with Bluetooth simply to see these settings, you received’t be capable to casually examine your choices with out your headset, which received’t go well with tinkerers that prefer to pre-plan their audio technique.
Additionally, you get extra of a generic management of your system’s settings moderately than pinpoint detailed management—for instance, you’ll be able to create your individual audio presets, however can solely modify the treble and bass ranges on share sliders, moderately than selecting actual frequencies, which once more could not go well with some critical audiophiles.
You can change the amount of voice prompts and automatic tones within the Turtle Beach Audio app.
Dominic Bayley / IDG
The app does have some helpful options, although, together with sliders that allow you to select your required settings for Superhuman Hearing, and the amount of the headset’s voice prompts and notification tones, in addition to on your microphone’s sensitivity ranges.
Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max: Microphone efficiency
The Gen 2 Max’s flip-to-mute microphone deserves some reward for being an enormous timesaver, stopping you from having to fumble round for mute buttons, and even worse, an in-game mute setting, mid recreation. Once it’s up it’s just about invisible too, aside from the very finish half that’s nonetheless stealthy sufficient to not give the sport away.
From a sound high quality standpoint, the microphone does a terrific job, selecting up your voice in a refined and pure means and muting rapidly when required. You do sound a bit of additional away and smidgen greater in tone than you’ll with an honest desktop mic, however that’s to be anticipated from the mic in a gaming headset.
Should you purchase the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max?
The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max is spectacular in some ways, producing a refined sound, and sporting gamer-friendly options like multi-device connectivity and an extended battery life. Unfortunately, our expertise with the headset’s Bluetooth exhibits it additionally has just a few flaws that want ironing out for the system to achieve its full potential. Here’s hoping a speedy firmware replace can just do that.