Page 2 - Physical Look - Hardware and Software
The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 looks quite a bit like the Stealth 600 Gen 2, but there are notable changes to make this feel like a bit more premium. In terms of similarities, we still have a full plastic exterior with some silver and gray accents. This includes a silver ring around each ring. Gray is used to highlight the Turtle Beach logos on each ear. Instead of the white exterior we received, we have the black color, which is the only variant the Stealth 700 Gen 2 comes in. Otherwise, we have a similar design for the exterior with the half cut through each ear to allow for some pivoting action. Other materials here include an exposed steel headband for adjusting the size of the Stealth 700 Gen 2 and synthetic leather to cover the earcups and headband. We also have a slightly different surface material on the part that touches your ears, as we will explore shortly. Otherwise, I think the overall appearances of the Stealth 700 Gen 2 are very fitting for its name, as I would describe these headphones as stealthily gamer. I would not say they are sleek, but Turtle Beach was not too ostentatious with the appearances. In terms of build quality, plastic will generally exhibit a bit more creaking during movement, and it is the same story with the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2. It is nothing too extreme, but it does not sound great either.
Starting at the ears, the cups are wrapped with a leather ring and a more cotton-like fabric finish. The idea behind this is that there is a bit of cooling gel on this surface, which Turtle Beach dubs Aerofit. This cooling gel should be cool to the touch when you first put it on. After a while, the gel does warm up, but it is a bit slower than what would normally be on a leather earcup with just memory foam underneath. Underneath the gel, we have a thick layer of memory foam to ensure a comfortable fit. Similar to the Stealth 600 Gen 2, we also have their ProSpecs Glasses Relief System on each earcup, except this is turned up a notch. Instead of a slight change in material, there is an adjustment tab under each side to create an indented groove. This channel should give room for your frames of your glasses while wearing the Stealth 700 Gen 2. While the positioning of it may be slightly different depending on your head shape and glasses, I do appreciate Turtle Beach looking out for us glasses-wearing gamers.
After removing each foam cup, you can see they are held on with four plastic pegs. The 50mm neodymium driver can be found on each side of the ear with a thin mesh fabric covering the plastic frame underneath. These drivers are said to have a frequency response of 20Hz to 22kHz, which is a slightly larger range than the typical human hearing range of 20Hz to 20kHz. Otherwise, the ears themselves can pivot about to better fit the side of your head. They also rotate to sit flat if you want to rest your headphones on your neck.
Moving to the top where the headband of the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2, we can see the top headband portion. Each side extends out and reveals the steel headband that reinforces the whole structure of the Stealth 700 Gen 2. Unfortunately, we do not have any markings to visually represent how far the arms are extended. At the top, we have a soft touch finish plastic with the Turtle Beach brand engraved at the top. Underneath, we have a thick memory foam portion that is covered in more synthetic leather. It offers a sufficient amount of thickness to relieve any pressure on the top of your head.
In terms of overall comfort, I think the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 was quite good. There is a bit more clamping force on your ears than the Stealth 600 Gen 2, but this could be attributed to the slightly thicker memory foam on each ear. The plushy material in both the ears and the headband are great in keeping the gaming headset comfortable. I do like the use of their cooling gel on each ear, as it made wearing the Stealth 700 Gen 2 feel nice to the touch. Even so, the headset did warm up a bit after a while. It was not more than I could bear, but some may still want their fabric coverings here instead of leather. In terms of weight, the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 tips the scale at 362g. This is about seventy grams heavier than the Stealth 600 Gen 2, which is understandable considering the use of steel on the headband, but it is also getting close to the heavy side.
All of the controls and inputs exist on the left side of the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2. Starting at the most back dial, you have the dedicated volume wheel followed by a microphone monitor volume wheel. The first dial is obvious, but the second one allows you to monitor your voice through the headset. To differentiate between the two dials, Turtle Beach made the volume wheel a smooth but limited dial, while the microphone monitor is a notched, continuous dial. Both of these dials have a good amount of resistance to avoid accidental increases or decreases. Underneath, we have a protruding oval button marked Mode. By default, this lets you activate Superhuman Hearing mode, which is meant to emphasize in-game sounds like footsteps, gun reloads, and other cues. This is not virtual surround sound, because it is more like changing the equalizer for certain frequency ranges. The power button is nestled between the two protruding buttons. It is much flatter to avoid accidental presses when you are trying to feel for the other buttons. The final button is one marked with the traditional Bluetooth logo. Holding it allows you to turn on or off Bluetooth to connect it to your mobile device. This will let you make adjustments with an app. As this is a console-focused pair of gaming headphones, it is understandable they would develop a mobile app for the settings for on-the-go adjustments rather than using a software utility on your computer. With the Stealth 700 Gen 2 powered on and paired to your phone, you can listen to your console and your phone output at the same time, which is a pretty neat feature. It is also useful for those with consoles like the Nintendo Switch, which utilizes its own mobile phone app for voice communications. As well, once paired, the Bluetooth button can act as a Play/Pause button with a single short press.
Next to the Bluetooth button, we have a LED indicator, which flashes blue or red depending on the status of the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2. Next, we have a USB Type-C input, which is used to charge the headset. Finally, we have a microphone that swings out of the headphones on the left side. Since it sits integrated on the side, it automatically mutes the input when it is in this position. When you do swing it out, there is a notable notch where swinging past this position will then unmute the microphone. You can then further position the mic closer to your face by folding it in. This does mean the microphone holds well in place, but there is a fixed number of positions this arm can be held in.
From here, you can get a better look at the wireless USB dongle that comes with the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2. It is similar to the adapter with the Stealth 600 Gen 2, which means we have a compact design and a color that matches the headset. An LED can be found on the end that illuminates blue or red, and changes between solid illumination, fading, or blinking, depending on the current status. This lets you know when the Stealth 700 Gen 2 is connected 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 the headphones and the dongle if you ever need to do so.
When it comes to the wireless capabilities of the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2, I was once again very impressed after trying it. The advertised twenty hours is a conservative estimate, because I was often able to get closer to thirty hours of usage per full charge. Of course, this might be reduced if you leave your Bluetooth on and connected to your mobile device. Recharging the device takes around two and a half hours, although it cannot be used when it is plugged in. As for the wireless range, it was more than capable at being used for a console experience, as I could walk quite a bit away from my computer or my Switch. I think the wireless experience with the Stealth 700 Gen 2 is excellent overall, especially with the long battery life and range.
One difference we have with the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 is the utility to control additional settings. In order to get this app, you can download the Turtle Beach Audio Hub from either the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for your respective device. Afterwards, you will need to connect your headset to your device via Bluetooth. As I have mentioned, you can listen to audio from both your console and phone simultaneously when the Stealth 700 Gen 2 is paired to your phone. The application was about 65MB on my Google Pixel 3a XL.
The Turtle Beach Audio Hub is comprised of three pages of changes. On the front page, you can see the Master Volume, activate the Superhuman Hearing mode, adjust the Game Preset, and adjust the Mic Monitor. The Superhuman Hearing mode can be adjusted in terms of intensity of how much you want to adjust it. The Game Preset allows you to change the equalizer, including letting you set your own EQ settings. On the second page, you can adjust what the notched dial and Mode buttons do in terms of actions. You can also set a noise gate to prevent quieter noises from being picked up on the microphone. Finally, the two levels at the bottom let you change how loud you want the voice prompts and tones to be played. The third page, which is not shown above, tells users the software and firmware information for the app and the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2, respectively. Overall, the app is quite usable and responsive, even if it is a bit simplistic.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware and Software
3. Subjective Audio Analysis
4. Conclusion
