Turtle Beach Stealth 600 GEN 2 PS4 Review: A MASSIVE Improvement

The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 is the latest drop from Turtle Beach. The wireless headset makes some massive improvements from the Gen 1 design, including better build quality, sound settings, and more. The improved mid-range headset might be an excellent option for your next gaming headset if the design works for your needs.

Let’s take an-depth look at the Stealth 600 Gen 2.

Overview of the Stealth 600 Gen 2

  • Great build quality
  • Improved aesthetics and style
  • Comfortable for long play sessions
  • Easy access controls
  • PS4/PS5/Nintendo Switch compatible
  • Feels a bit clunky and bulky
  • Superman hearing is a bit disappointing
  • Ear cups are small

The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 is quite the exciting release from Turtle Beach. The Gen 2 design fixes many of the issues that customers found with the Gen 1 design, such as how easy the headset was to break, noise interference when using a microphone, and low volume levels. The revamped headset design takes all of these issues and fixes them in stride.

The Stealth 600 feels sturdier than ever with a new reinforced headband design and an integrated microphone. You can easily adjust the overall microphone sensitivity to avoid the feedback issues found in the Gen 1 headset. The overall audio levels are also improved to where max volume is so loud you could damage your hearing if not careful.

The sound quality and microphone quality of the headset is high-quality, even from a mid-range gaming headset such as this one. The comfort level is not amazing, but I would be able to make through long gaming sessions without too much discomfort – which should work for most.

There are a few downsides to this headset, such as how clunky and bulky it feels. The design feels large and bit on the heavy side, which could be fatiguing if you’re sensitive to that. Also, the superman hearing is a bit disappointing, from my experience it just boosted the overall sound level, and the sounds didn’t get much more clear after turning it on. It felt more like a gimmick to me.

But across the board, the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 has some awesome upgrades and could be an excellent pick for a gaming headset. You can check out the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 here.

In The Box

In the box, you get a few add-ins including the wireless dongle, Turtle Beach sticker, and USB-C charging cable.

The USB-C cable makes it incredibly easy to charge your headset. The reversible cable never goes in upside down like the typical USB-A or micro-USB style cable. No more fumbling around with the cable only to realize you were trying to plug it in upside down. At this point, all headsets should come standard with a USB-C charging cable.

The wireless dongle is super compact and plugs directly into your console. The dongle is really easy to set-up and it actually comes pre-configured to the headset out of the box. Once you receive the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 in the mail, it’s basically plug-in and you’re ready to play. Pretty cool stuff.

The Turtle Beach sticker is a nice add-in as well, it has the recognizable triangular logo with a palm tree that mixes the aesthetic of the Illuminati and a tropical paradise (just kidding). What can I say, I like stickers.

That’s all that was included in the box, let’s move to the next section.

The Style

The Stealth 600 Gen 2 made some massive improvements in terms of style. The headset has a minimalist design to it with sharp angles. The two color design features a jet black color with a Sony Playstation Blue accenting the rest of the design.

The previous iteration of the Stealth 600 had more of a cylindrical look to it, so it’s nice to see the designs evolving. It sort of reminds me of Ironman, where his suit designs get cleaner and more advanced with each iteration.

My favorite part about the new aesthetic is the integrated microphone. Instead of dangling around loosely when not in use, it retracts into the body of the headset which makes it feel much cleaner all-around. By hiding the microphone, it makes the headset feel like a normal non-gaming headset when not using the microphone.

I would almost feel comfortable wearing this headset out in public and listening to music on the bus or walking around the neighborhood, but the design is not quite there yet.

I enjoy the overall look of the headset, although there a few downsides which I’ll get into.

The headset has a bit of bulkiness to it. The thickness of the headset makes it feel a little awkward and clunky, although that’s pretty normal for a gaming headset, so you can’t hold it against Turtle Beach too much.

The style has seen some massive improvements from the Gen 1 design, and I’m excited to see where Turtle Beach goes in the future. Either way, they’re on the right track.

Build Quality

New & Improved Gen II design

The Gen 1 Stealth 600 had some pretty major issues in terms of build quality. The headset broke really easily in the area where you adjust for head size. The old design was cheap feeling and did not last very long. With the release of the Gen 2 model, Turtle Beach improved the adjustment settings and made them more durable all-around.

Instead of the previous design, the Stealth 600 now has a new reinforced head-band and hinge design. When picking the headset up and bending it, it feels really sturdy and well-built. The only issue I could foresee is somebody twisting the headset too far and possibly breaking the headband. But considering I like the headset, I’m not willing to twist the Stealth 600 until it breaks so I can’t say for sure.

The headset has three different ways of movement. The ear area can tilt in and out depending on the angle of your head and how it rests on your ears. This definitely improves comfort and makes the headset feel less rigid and more fitting. You can also extend the headband (as shown in the gif above), this lets you adjust the headset based on head size which allows the headset to fit on a large percentage of people. You can also twist the ear cups outwards to wear the headset casually around your neck.

Overall, the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 sees a massive improvement in overall build quality which is great for those who need a long-lasting headset that won’t break easily.

Comfort

The comfort of the headset is decent, nothing too amazing in this department. Although, there are a few key features I would like to highlight that the Stealth 600 does really well.

The earpads are made out of a breathable plush material that is pretty soft and provides good comfort for long play sessions. The material is not leather, which would be ideal, but considering the price, you can’t expect such luxury. The only issue I really ran into with the earpads is how small they actually are. I have relatively large ears (ok, big ears), so they don’t fit snuggly inside the headset. Instead, the padding rests on my ears which can be quite uncomfortable after a long period of time.

My wife tried them out and had a much better fitting experience, but she also has much smaller ears. So if you have large dumbo ears like me, this headset might be too tight-fitting for your ears.

The Gen 2 Stealth 600 does allow you to wear glasses comfortably when gaming, which is an awesome feature. I don’t personally wear corrective lenses, but I love my blue light filter glasses which are ideal for gaming at night. The design of the headset takes the pressure off the area above your ear where the glasses rest so they don’t dig into your head as much as a normal headset. Pretty cool.

The three different adjustments when it comes to fitting the headset around your head also play into the overall comfort level as well.

The top of the Stealth 600 that rests on your head is made out of another plush material that pads the weight of the headset. Instead of feeling the rough plastic scraping your head, you are gently caressed by the pad at the top. Mmm, comfortable.

Microphone

Time for one of the coolest upgrades, the microphone! The gen 1 Turtle Beach had a lot of issues revolving around the microphone including lots of feedback when gaming and the clunky design.

Before, when playing with friends in a party, the game sounds would echo into the microphone so everybody could hear your game sounds. If you’ve ever played games online, you know that gets you an instant mute from the rest of the party. Luckily, Turtle Beach fixed this issue with the latest design.

You now have a microphone setting that allows you to change the overall sensitivity level, so if you play with your game sounds really loud, just turn down the sensitivity and your friends won’t be able to hear anything.

The design of the microphone itself was also massively improved. It now recesses into the body of the headset, so it doesn’t dangle around you when not in use. If you look at the three photos above, I can explain all of the different positions.

Photo 1: Active microphone. Simply lower the microphone all of the way to unmute and then you can chat while gaming.

Photo 2: Muted. By half raising the microphone, you can mute yourself. So if you are chatting with friends but need to have a quick conversation with someone at home you do so without having to fully put the microphone away.

Photo 3: Muted. This position is fully recessed into the body which mutes the microphone. Perfect for when playing solo games or listening to music. It’s really nice to not have the microphone in your peripheral vision when not in use.

I’m really impressed by the microphone design on the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2.

Sound Quality

Ah yes, sound quality. One of the most important aspects when it comes to headsets.

The Turtle Beach Steath 600 does very well in the sound quality department and has a host of different features to amp up its game.

When first using the headset, you feel like you are fully immersed in whatever game you are playing. I found the sound quality to be very good and had a slight directional element to it where I could track footsteps nicely. Although you can’t replace 7.1 surround sound, this headset gets pretty close.

There are four different preset sound settings you can use to tweak with the settings and make everything sound better based on what you need.

  1. Standard mode: The out of the box sound settings. This felt the most balanced and is what I would use most of the time.
  2. Bass mode: The sound is much more bassy which is perfect for playing music or really getting into your game.
  3. Treble and Bass mode: Makes the highs and lows in-game much more intense. We really liked this for when things get intense.
  4. Voice mode: Makes character voices pop more and sound more immersive. Also really good for chatting with friends.

You can also activate superman hearing, which is supposed to clear up the noises and make everything sound better. I was little disappointing by this feature as it just seemed to make everything louder. Maybe others might find a difference with this mode activated, but I found it to be gimmicky.

The sound of the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 is pretty good though, regardless of the superman hearing. It’s about what you would expect for a headset in this price range and delivers on those expectations.

Wireless Connectivity

The headset connects wirelessly through a dongle. You simply plug the dongle into the PS4 and start playing. Super easy and simple, just the way I like it. The instructions also show you in clear detail how to reconnect if it disconnects.

Although being wireless, the sound seemed to be delivered really fast, almost like I was using a wired headset. If I took a Pepsi test, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell that the headset was connected wirelessly. Pretty impressive.

The battery life on the headset lasts for 15 hours, which is more than enough time for most people. If you play more than 15 hours a time, however, this headset might not be the best option for you as you’ll have to stop to charge it (which may be a good thing).

The Verdict: An Excellent Mid-Range Gaming Headset

  • Great build quality
  • Improved aesthetics and style
  • Comfortable for long play sessions
  • Easy access controls
  • PS4/PS5/Nintendo Switch compatible
  • Feels a bit clunky and bulky
  • Superman hearing is a bit disappointing
  • Ear cups are small

Overall, the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 makes massive improvements from the previous model and is much more worth the current price tag. Before many people couldn’t justify paying more for the Stealth 600 over other Turtle Beach models because of the low durability, low sound level, and uncomfortable design. But now that all of those issues are gone, I’m sure we’ll see more people use the Stealth 600 Gen 2 in the future.

The Stealth 600 Gen 2 is supported by the PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch, so you don’t need to worry about compatibility issues with future consoles.

If you’re looking for a really effect mid-range gaming headset, the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 may be the perfect fit for you.

Good luck and happy gaming!

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