Page 2 - Physical Look - Hardware and Software
Our review unit of the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX came in Cobalt Blue. I personally find it to be closer to royal or navy blue, but that is unimportant. This headset also comes in black for anyone seeking a more monochrome appearance. Aside from color, the physical appearance is very similar to, if not the exact same, as the previous model, the Stealth 700 Gen 2. Like its predecessor, the headset itself does not look too gamer-focused and looks good for day-to-day use. Our model has a blue finish on the headset’s plastics, black finish on the earcups, and some copper bronze accents. Turtle Beach’s logo can be found on each ear matching the accent color. The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX is primarily made out of plastic and steel. The earcups use fabric and foam cushioning, while the headband uses synthetic leather. Despite being entirely plastic, there is no creaking or unwarranted noises made when under pressure, making the headset feel well-built and sturdy.
Starting with the ears, the cups are wrapped in a synthetic leather and cotton-like mesh fabric with a good amount of memory foam, at least when it comes to thickness. The foam has a sufficient amount of give without being too flimsy. The ProSpecs feature allows users to wear their glasses comfortably while using these headphones. The idea is having softer foam or divots around where glasses would rest to provide space for them to sit comfortably. It might seem like a gimmick, but I can assure you that it works, and I had no issues with my glasses. Additionally, the earcups can rotate and adjust to sit flat or around your head comfortably. As for the drivers underneath, you can see these are 50mm neodymium drivers. These drivers have a frequency response of 20Hz to 22kHz. This is adequate as it covers both ends of the average human hearing frequency and even a bit beyond on the upper end.
Looking at the headband of the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX, there are a few noteworthy features to point out. For one, each side of the headband has an exposed portion where you can see how far you have extended the headset. This exposed portion shows the steel frame. Unlike the Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX, there are no marks to indicate how extended the headset is. At the top, we have a leather-covered foam pad that feels soft enough to cushion your head and alleviate any pressure you might feel if it were bare.
In terms of overall comfort, I found myself satisfied with the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX. There is a sufficient amount of foam on the ears and the headband to keep my head and ears comfortable, allowing me to keep this headset on for hours. In addition, the headset's clamping pressure is good, not being too tight or too loose. I personally prefer the fabric material used on the earcups over PU leather, because they keep the ears a bit more breathable and less warm. The Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX does use a synthetic leather, but I did not find myself feeling too warm in use. In addition to all of this, the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX is a bit heavy at 383g. Even though the batteries and wireless components to connect to the adapter are all inside, this is getting to the heavier side.
On the left side of the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX, you will find all of the controls and inputs of the headset. From top to bottom, you have a dedicated volume wheel, microphone monitor volume wheel, Mode button, power button, Bluetooth, then a USB Type-C port. The dedicated volume wheel will adjust the volume as you would think. Interestingly enough, when using this headset with a PC, adjusting the volume using Windows will have no effect unless it is muted entirely. The mic monitoring wheel allows you to monitor your voice through the headset. The wheels themselves have a good amount of resistance to adjust the levels at a fine level. Underneath is the Mode button. This Mode button allows you to cycle through four different equalizer settings. This includes Signature Sound, Bass Boost, Bass and Treble Boost, and Vocal Boost. The headset will beep the corresponding numbers of times when you cycle through to tell you which mode you are in. The Bluetooth button will allow you to connect the headset to a Bluetooth device, as the name suggests. The Mode and Bluetooth buttons sticks protrudes out a bit more compared to the power button.
When the headset is on, you can tap the power button to activate Superhuman Hearing, allowing you to better immerse yourself into the gaming experience. This will make hearing sounds like footsteps, gun reloads, and other important noises clearer by amplifying certain frequency ranges where these in-game noises are present. Below the power button, we have a USB Type-C input, which is used to charge the headset. Around to the front, we have a microphone that swings down from the left earcup. Since it sits integrated on the side, it automatically mutes the input when it is in this position. When you swing it out, there is a notch where swinging past this position will automatically unmute the microphone. You can then further position the mic closer to your face by folding it in, but it is barely adjustable. I find the distance quite nice as it is never in the way, and I am never breathing directly into it.
Taking a look at the wireless USB dongle, it is the same size as most USB adapters and comes in a matching blue color. A LED can be found on the end that illuminates green or red, and changes between solid illumination, blinking, or breathing depending on the current status. This lets you know when the headset is connected and paired, not paired, and if the microphone is muted. Otherwise, it is a standard male USB Type-A plug. On one side, there is a small pin hole, which will let you reset the connection between your headset and the dongle if you ever need to do so. Beside this hole, you will find a switch to change from Xbox compatibility to regular USB. The USB option will work for all other devices besides the Xbox.
The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX comes with some additional software and application named Turtle Beach Audio Hub. The desktop software can be found on Turtle Beach's site, while the application can be found on either the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Afterwards, you will need to connect your headset to your device via Bluetooth. The application was 63.48 MB on my Samsung Galaxy S20 FE.
The desktop software allows you to update the headset or restore it to a previous version. For more advanced controls, you will have to utilize the phone application. This application is comprised of three separate pages. The first page allows the user to adjust Superhuman Hearing levels, Mic Monitor, Game Preset, and Chat Boost. Superhuman Hearing changes the sound to output crucial sounds in games more distinctively. Chat Boost will automatically increase the volume of chat audio when games get loud. The second page allows you to change the functionality of the headset's wheel and button. Additionally, Mic Noise Gate will act as a filter to ensure only your voice is coming through instead of background noise. Lastly, there are two levels let you change how loud you want the voice prompts and tones to be played. The third and final page tells users the app and firmware version. This page also contains information about the privacy policy, tech support, and allows the user to provide feedback. This page can also bring you to Turtle Beach's social media pages.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware and Software
3. Subjective Audio Analysis
4. Conclusion
