Page 3 - Subjective Audio Analysis
As with all the audio products we review here at APH Networks, it takes quite a bit of experience and training of the ears before we can begin making a fair judgment. Even for the best of audiophiles, it can be hard to produce an exact and accurate evaluation of a product without a thoroughly familiar product to use as simultaneous reference. While I will not claim to be the reviewer of all reviewers for headphones, I can say quite a few other computer review sites have editors lacking in training for reviewing anything audio related. Give them anything and all you will get is some vague description of “awesome bass, amazing midrange, nice treble, no muffles, 10/10”. Do not get me wrong though; there are knowledgeable audio reviewers out there on respected online media outlets, but they are far and few. There are no true objective measurements for audio sound quality. As the reviewer, however, I will put the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 through a series of subjective tests to try to come up with the most objective rating as possible. The audio tests were conducted with the Stealth 600 Gen 2 wireless adapter plugged into a USB port on my computer, but I also tested the headset with my docked Nintendo Switch.
After over 50 hours of break-in time -- well above the typical required period -- we put the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 to the tests. All tracks are uncompressed or high bitrate audio files. Equalizer settings were manually set to flat for testing purposes. For gaming, I played VALORANT and League of Legends. First-person shooter games are probably the most crucial games to test these headphones, as gameplay can heavily rely on hearing additional sounds. The other games have aspects where audio is useful, but this is less of a factor.
As always, I started at the bottom when testing the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2, which means starting in the bass frequencies. In this region, I found the headset to produce an average but rounded sound. Its bass reproduction felt a bit boomy, and there was missing sub-bass for the lowest frequencies. However, in higher bass regions, the frequencies were heard. Instruments like bass guitars were audible with a good groove and without blurring in its output. In games like first person shooters, bass sounds are important because they let you hear things like enemy movement and footsteps. These were clearly heard in the Stealth 600 Gen 2. However, some effects like explosions may lack the oomph you may expect.
Moving to the midrange, musical instruments in this region sounded mostly natural. The lower midrange region was a bit more emphasized compared to the middle of this region. Voices in this region were average with a slightly drier reproduction. They were recessed, especially as we moved to the higher regions of the middle area, but it did not feel unnatural. While the midrange is not always important for gaming, it is still important for games that rely on recognizing and isolating voice lines to help you determine enemy positioning or ability usage. The quality matters less than the ability to isolate it, but I can say the Stealth 600 Gen 2 performed well in both regards.
At the top of the range, the trebles were a bit more emphasized than the midrange with a bright sound. At times the treble instruments like violins were a bit too shrill, which can be a bit uncomfortable at times. The sound here was still sharp and generally clear. Dryness that was felt in the upper-midrange continued into the trebles. In games, the treble regions are important to help gamers recognize sound cues like glass breaking or gun reloading. Overall, the sound signature of the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 is somewhat like a V-shaped sound, especially with the emphasis in the upper region, at least in comparison to the midrange. However, the lacking sub-bass is noticeable with the roll-off at the bottom.
In terms of soundstaging, the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 performed acceptably in this category. It offered a good amount of depth and width when it came to music and gaming situations, with it being able to easily distinguish directional elements of the game. The larger drivers of the Stealth 600 Gen 2 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 close together in music.
When it comes to layering, I found the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 to be able to provide detail and precision in gaming situations. However, when I started to hear more voices and instruments, some details started to get lost in the mix. Frequency ranges were separate for the most part, though there was a notable dip in the transitions of the layers. This was more notable going from the midrange to the treble. Overall, the sound was clean, though there was a slight buzz heard in its wireless transmission.
Due to its closed-back nature, the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 does not leak as much sound as an open-back would, but the mesh fabric does allow a bit more noise to flow out than a leather pad would. I personally prefer the fabric for comfort and am okay with the trade-off, but it should still be noted for potential buyers.
As for the microphone quality, I utilized Audacity to record and exported the captured audio as an MP3 file. From this, you can hear the microphone is able to pick up voices easily, but there is a somewhat robotic or hollow quality about the recorded voice. It does not sound too nasally, and the bottom does not seem to be cut off either. For in-game communication and online meetings, this microphone is good, but I would probably recommend something that has a more natural sound for professional recording or more serious streaming.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware and Software
3. Subjective Audio Analysis
4. Conclusion
