Turtle Beach has been an incredibly popular gaming headset brand for many years. The biggest selling feature of the brand is providing great features at an outstanding price. What some might not know, however, is that Turtle Beach also dabbles in high end accessories. The Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX is the perfect example of this.
For many, the Stealth 600 lineup of headsets is more than what they need. Casual gamers will enjoy the Stealth 600 Gen 2 USB. More dedicated players will love the Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX. For those looking to take the next step, however, the Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX is the way to go. Let’s take a look at the headset, the various features it has, and whether or not it competes with other brands at the same price point.
Unboxing the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX
Turtle Beach is pretty consistent with their packaging. Regardless of which unit you purchase, you are met with a similar unboxing experience. The Stealth 700 is a bit more premium than the Stealth 600. The headset is nicely nestled in a molded plastic insert. You’ll also find a USB cable for charging—which gives you access to different audio modes when powered—and the USB dongle to plug into your device.
Notable upgrades over the Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX
There are obviously a lot of things that Turtle Beach keeps constant across their devices. The Stealth 700 also uses Turtle Beach’s flip-to-mute microphone system. The mic is active when down, and off when up. Again, a subtle clicking sound will let you know when you’ve moved the microphone far enough to either mute or unmute yourself. Turtle Beach has also kept all of the onboard controls positioned on the left ear cup. These controls are in the same order as on other devices. You have your master audio volume wheel and microphone monitoring wheel at the top. Then, you have a button to switch between different modes and a button for powering the device. There is also a USB-C charging port for when the headset is drained.
Where the controls differ on the Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX is the additional option to use the headset with Bluetooth. An additional button on the left ear cup allows the headset to be synced to a variety of Bluetooth compatible devices. This includes mobile phones, the Nintendo Switch, and any Bluetooth enabled device.
There are a few subtle design changes as well. The ear cups are a mixture of pleather and cloth, making them feel just a bit more premium and comfortable. I do prefer these over the Stealth 600 series. The band in the headset is also not completely plastic like other devices. The core band is actually made of thin metal. This makes for better adjustability in my opinion.
Audio quality on the Stealth 700
In terms of audio performance, I feel the Stealth 700 and Stealth 600 are fairly similar. Both are using the 50mm drivers and the same microphone. The additional cost to the Stealth 700 are tied to the inclusion of Bluetooth audio, and a slightly more premium build. I played a ton of games, both online and offline, with this headset. For the most part, I had no complaints about my voice quality while in Call of Duty. The one complaint I did get was not substantiated by others. I actually don’t blame the microphone in that instance. Online games like Call of Duty Warzone require great communication. From my many hours playing, I definitely had that with this headset from Turtle Beach.
Which device you purchase at this point probably comes down to features. After using each headset for an extended period of time, I can safely say that if you don’t require Bluetooth audio, and are ok with an all-cloth ear cup, I’d default to the cheaper Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX. Yes, the price difference is a major plus, but the Stealth 600 also has a better battery life by about 8 hours.
My experience with the Stealth 700
Audio modes
Like with the Stealth 600, the Stealth 700 has a number of great audio modes to choose from. Most notably, the inclusion of SuperHuman Hearing is a fantastic feature that makes games more enjoyable. Want to enhance that single player experience? SuperHuman Hearing will provide audio cues to alert you to how close an enemy is. This is based on their voice, gunshot sounds, and more. The same advantage caries over to first person shooter games as well.
For me, the standard audio on the headset was more than good enough for most experiences. That being said, you can also boost the bass, boost the bass and treble, or enhance vocals. I’m sure in certain situations this would be great, but none that felt overly impactful to me.
Comfort
One other major positive for me when using this headset over the Stealth 600 series was the fit on my head. While still tighter than I might like, I did feel these had a bit more give than the other Turtle Beach headsets I tested. The reasoning behind that isn’t completely obvious, but I do believe the flexible metal band within the headset arch provides a bit more flexibility. It is definitely more flexible than the solid plastic used on the 600 series. As someone with a larger head, this is a big plus!
Lagging
The last thing to consider when using a wireless headset is how much lag there might be. From my vantage point, after hours of use, the lag was so minimal it was never even something I took notice of. As I said in the 600 series review, it really is a non-issue for me, although inevitably it is present.
Is the Stealth 700 series better than the 600 series?
Whether you choose to buy the Stealth 600 series of headsets or the Stealth 700 series of headsets is going to come down to your own personal preferences. What do you need as a gamer? How versatile do you need your headset to be? For those who are only gaming on Xbox or PlayStation, I believe the Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX is probably a suitable headset. It provides great audio and comes in at a cheaper price.
That being said, if you plan to use your headset with Bluetooth capabilities, perhaps on your Nintendo Switch or mobile phone, the Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX is worth the additional money. Not only are you getting that great quality audio, but you are getting additional features and a slightly more comfortable experience. If you think those are worthwhile upgrades, then the Stealth 700 is right for you. Just don’t expect a wildly different audio experience. They felt very similar to me.
