Page 3 - Subjective Audio Analysis
For all audio products we review at APH Networks, it takes quite a bit of experience and training of the ears before we can assess with fair judgment. Even for many audio enthusiasts, it can be hard to produce an exact or accurate evaluation of a product without a familiar product to use as a reference. We have worked together as a team here at APH Networks team extensively to accurately evaluate many audio devices. There are no true objective measurements for audio sound quality, but as a reviewer, I will put the Turtle Beach Stealth 500 through a series of subjective tests to try and come up with the most objective rating as I can. The audio tests were conducted on my PC by connecting the USB transmitter to the back of my motherboard via USB mode.
After over 40 hours of break-in time -- far beyond the typical required period -- I put the Turtle Beach Stealth 500 to the tests. All tracks are uncompressed or high bitrate audio files. Equalizer settings were set to flat or “Signature Sound” for testing purposes. For gaming, I played Valorant and osu!. First-person shooter games are probably the most important type of game for testing these headphones with, as the gameplay can heavily rely on hearing to gain information. I find that playing rhythm games like osu! can also be very important to test latency, which is especially important for wireless headsets.
Let us start with the Turtle Beach Stealth 500’s lower frequencies. In this section, I found the headset produced a solid and round sound, albeit a little bass boosted. The headset produced a nice solid bass, feeling quite punchy. The output was decently smooth and does stand out compared to the other two sections. Instruments like bass guitar are balanced well with deeper frequencies. In games like first-person shooters, low frequency sounds correlate to things like footsteps. Footsteps were very easy to listen for with the Stealth 500, and even easier with Superhuman Hearing enabled.
Moving on to the midrange, this is where I found the headset to sound the best despite being slightly less emphasized compared to the bass. The entire section felt mostly natural. Instruments and voices in this region were nice, but slightly recessed compared to the other regions. Voices were reproduced very clearly, sounding quite natural. Although the midrange is not that important for strict gaming like the bass for footsteps and treble for reloading, it is still useful for hearing what your teammates are saying or abilities. It is more important to be able to isolate the sounds from this region instead of having higher quality noise, but the Stealth 500 did well in both regards.
Continuing with the treble, I found the sound the headset produced to be decently clean. I did find this section to be a bit attenuated as tracks got busier. When tracks are less busy, the sound is still sharp and clear. In games, the treble would be recognized as glass breaking or guns reloading. Overall, the sound signature of the Turtle Beach Stealth 500 is that of a typical U shape. I found in games, reloads are still very apparent. A little more cleanup in the treble would be appreciated as it could sound sharper, but all in all, it is satisfactory for a gaming headset.
In terms of soundstaging, the Turtle Beach Stealth 500 performed decently in this category in both gaming and music. It offered a good amount of depth and width, with it being able to easily distinguish directional elements of the game. The 40mm drivers of the Stealth 500 did help in this regard, but it was still limited physically by its closed-back design. Overall, I would have still liked a bit more width overall, as sounds still felt tight in music, especially as the tracks become more complicated.
When it comes to layering, I found the Turtle Beach Stealth 500 to be able to provide detail and precision in gaming situations where there are limitations to the amount of sounds you hear. However, in music, some details started to get lost or muddled in the mix as the tracks got more complicated, mainly in the midrange and treble. Frequency ranges were separate for the most part. Overall, the sound was clean and quite good for gaming, but noticeably quieter compared to other Turtle Beach headsets due to the 40mm drivers.
Due to its closed-back nature, the Turtle Beach Stealth 500 does not leak as much sound as an open-back would. The plush leatherette also aids in the reduction of sound leakage. I personally prefer the fabric for breathability and think it is a worthy trade-off, but the leatherette does offer a more premium feeling.
The above is a microphone test for the Turtle Beach Stealth 500. This recording was made using Audacity with the wireless transmitter is plugged into the back of my motherboard. From this, you can hear how easily the microphone picked up my voice with little to no background noise. My voice could be heard, but you will notice it is incredibly quiet. I would foresee some issues when it comes to communication, luckily it is audible enough if other users increase your volume. For in-game communications, this microphone functions enough, albeit quietly, but I would recommend something else if you wanted to use this for professional recording or streaming.
When it comes to the wireless capabilities of the Turtle Beach Stealth 500, I was quite pleased. This headset is advertised with a battery life of up to 40 hours. In my testing, I thought the battery life would exceed this label much like its predecessor, but in this case, it did exactly what it was specified to. My testing showed that after just shy of 40 hours at 50% volume, the battery had finally reached 0%. I was sad that the Stealth 500 only came close to the 40 hours mark, but this battery life is completely acceptable. Recharging the headset only takes a short while, given the quick charge feature. I will say it would be appreciated if the power button could light up green, as you cannot really tell if the headset is fully charged unless you check the software. As for the wireless range, it was more than satisfactory, as I could walk across most of my home without facing any connectivity issues. The wireless experience with the Stealth 500 is within my expectations, given my previous experience with the series being impeccable.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware and Software
3. Subjective Audio Analysis
4. Conclusion
