Turtle Beach has been a gaming brand I’ve known well since I first became a gamer, playing World of Warcraft. The company is the brand you start your children with when they get into gaming, a household, family-friendly, name. Their recent launch of the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX headset has made the brand one I will never forget. I came across these headphones by accident, and I am so glad that I did. From the minute I laid eyes on the cobalt blue headphones, I was in love—and I didn’t even know what they sounded like yet.
The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX headset comes raring to go, right out of the box. Available in black or cobalt blue, the headset looks sleek with gold accents and premium touches, right down to a steampunk style inner earcup. Gel-cooled memory foam surrounds the earcups making for a tight seal around each ear and a firm placement on the head.
This seal is perhaps even too tight, and probably my only real complaint about the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX. The first time you put it on, it feels good. After the first gaming session, however, the headset applied too much pressure to either ear. Not only did this leave a suctioned, sweaty feeling, but once I relieved the pressure and removed them, I was very aware of the pressure the next time I put them on. I am hoping over time they loosen up slightly, but even this isn’t enough to make me hesitate when I choose my headset for the evening.
“What it offers to someone like me is options, and I think that Turtle Beach has hit it out of the park in that respect.”
What is special about this specific edition is that this version of the Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX for Xbox is officially licensed for Xbox. I was weary, as a lot of wireless headsets have issues connecting with Xbox Wireless Connectivity depending on how your home is set up. I have yet to use a wireless headset successfully with my Xbox Series X—until now. The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX comes with a dongle.
I realize that may not seem as forward-thinking as some would like, but what it offers to someone like me is options, and I think that Turtle Beach has hit it out of the park in that respect. Not only does it come with a dongle (with a neat little switch to change it between Xbox and USB), but it also features Bluetooth as well, so connecting to your system of choice AND your phone is an option. The Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max can be used with Xbox, PlayStation, PC and even Nintendo Switch. You can do this via the 2.4 Hz dongle or Bluetooth connection, depending on the device. Like I said, nothing but options.
Turtle Beach kept controls simple on the Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX with two dials and three buttons on the back of the left earcup, plus the USB-C charging slot. The dials control volume and the chat/audio balance and the buttons allow for connecting to Bluetooth, switching modes and power on/off. Connecting to Bluetooth on the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX wasn’t the most seamless experience. The Bluetooth button needs to be held for an uncomfortably long time. If you think it’s been too long, it hasn’t. Wait until you hear “Bluetooth on” and then keep holding it. Eventually, you’ll hit “Bluetooth pairing”.
Where things got tricky, though, were the Bluetooth controls. With one button controlling everything from skip, skip back, rewind, fast-forward, play, pause, answer call, reject call and end call, there are a lot of button press combinations to remember. This isn’t a feature I often use in my day-to-day life, but I’d recommend keeping the instructions close for the first little while.
Another feature I love about the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX headset is the flip to mute mic. It tucks away seamlessly into the side of the left earcup, so much so that it took me a moment to find it the first time around. The omnidirectional microphone is satisfactory for gaming. It didn’t pick up other people in the room often, which I can’t say for most headsets. There was an occasional crackle when I was playing Fortnite with my squad—I said it—but otherwise it met expectations for a gaming headset.
After several gaming sessions lasting a few hours a piece, the Stealth still informed me that my headset battery was “high”.
The Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX features 50 mm Nanoclear speakers, and I was pleasantly surprised by the sound quality Turtle Beach brought to the table. The device is set up to work with Dolby Atmos, Windows Sonic and even PS5’s 3D audio. Again, I find myself saying “options”, and being thrilled with what I’m offered.
I decided to check out Sail by AWOLNATION to see what kind of bass the headset could pump out. With the headset being optimized for surround sound, the Stealth isolates and mixes music in a dynamic way. It pulls sound from ear to ear and brings it back together somewhere in the middle with rich bass while never missing the highs and mids. The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX is by far the best sounding gaming headset I’ve gotten my hands on.
Once you’re comfortable with how the headset sounds by default, the Turtle Beach Audio Hub comes in handy for users who want a more customized experience. Here you can remap the chat volume wheel or mode button. You can also adjust the Voice Prompts level, Tones level, Mic Monitor level, turn on Mic Noise gate, or Superhuman Hearing, plus create custom sound presets. The standard settings available are Signature Sound, Bass Boost, Bass and Treble Boost or Vocal Boost.
“The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX is by far the best sounding gaming headset I’ve gotten my hands on.”
Compared to other wireless headsets, the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX for Xbox sits right in the middle of the pack. For example, the SteelSeries Arctis 9X sits around $259.99, but the Razer Kaira sits at $139.99 with the Kaira Pro for Xbox sitting at 199.99. The Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX matches the Kaira Pro at $199.99, but brings so much more to the table. The Kaira is Bluetooth and Xbox Wireless only, whereas the Stealth comes with a dongle. With the Arctis 9X and the Kaira being limited to PC and Xbox consoles only, the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX will work with almost any current system you can think of without disruption.
It’s clear to me that the Turtle Beach has far surpassed the minimum requirements of a gaming headset. The team went above and beyond creating an affordable headset that not only works seamlessly with almost any device, but does it efficiently and with style—especially in cobalt blue. The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX headset is my official go-to for all things gaming. I would highly recommend it.