Alongside the Turtle Beach Stealth 700, which we just recently reviewed, the company released a slightly cheaper Xbox One wireless headset – the Stealth 600 with a few notable differences. Our Turtle Beach Stealth 600 review takes a look at the second Xbox One wireless headset from the company and looks at how it performs compared to its more expensive counterpart.
As with the Stealth 700, there were a lot of initially negative reviews about this headset. Fortunately, Turtle Beach released a firmware update which addresses those issues. As such, this review is based on a firmware updated headset.
Specifications
The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 has the following features and specifications:
- Audio Connection: Direct Wireless Connection
- Speaker Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz
- Headset Power: Battery
- Battery: Up to 15 Hours
- Speaker Size: 50mm with Neodymium Magnets
- Microphone: Flip-Up Omni-Directional
- Headband/Earpad material: Mesh Fabric with Foam Cushioning
- Ear Cushion: Mesh Fabric with Foam Cushioning
What’s in the box
- Stealth 600 Gaming Headset
- USB Charging Cable
- Quick Start Guide
- Turtle Beach Sticker
Design
While similar in function to the Turtle Beach Stealth 700, the Stealth 600 is slightly different but still looks pretty standard as far as gaming headsets go. With a largely plastic frame, the headband has the Turtle Beach wordmark stamped across the top. On the underside is a nice thick fabric-wrapped foam cushion which has quite a bit of give for a comfortable fit.
The headband is, of course, adjustable and where the earcups are attached to the end of the headband the shape changes to a cylindrical shape. The earcups themselves swivel forward roughly 10º and back 90º. With the adjustable headset and the swivel, the earcups are easily adjustable for a comfortable fit.
The outside of the earcups are a matte black with the Turtle Beach logo sitting just above a recessed diagonal cut above a diagonal gloss black strip. On the left earcup, the flip up microphone is attached to this gloss black strip. Just below that are two buttons: the Power/Superman Hearing toggle and the mode button. Underneath these buttons, on the bottom of the side of the earcup are an LED light, Micro-USB port for charging, and the wireless pairing button. Finally, up towards the back of the left earcup are the mic chat volume control and the separate game volume control.
The inside of the earcups are padded with the same fabric wrapped foam cushioning as the underside of the headband. Inside the center of the earcup is the green Turtle Beach logo. As with the Stealth 700, the foam actually consists of two firmness levels with a softer foam where eyeglass arms rest for those of us who wear glasses. While it’s not noticeable when you’re not wearing glasses, it definitely makes a more comfortable fit for sure when gaming for extended sessions while wearing glasses.
Ease of Use
Once again, if you’ve used an Xbox One wireless controller, it’ll be a no-brainer connecting the Stealth 600 to your Xbox One console. For those that haven’t, simply hold the wireless pairing button on your Xbox One and the wireless pairing button on the Stealth 600 until the Xbox light on the console and the LED light on the headset are blinking. After a few seconds, both lights will breathe in sync and finally go solid indicating the headset is paired. That’s all there is to it.
Sound Quality
Again, as with the Stealth 700, before we continue, I will reiterate once again: update the firmware on the Turtle Beach Stealth 600. There are many reviews online that complain about sound quality and connection issues, and these issues are indeed solved with the firmware update.
The Stealth 600 feature the same 50mm drivers as the Stealth 700 and the sound quality is pretty decent and balanced. Of course, utilizing the Xbox One Windows Sonic for Headphones makes the headphones that much better. With Windows Sonic, you get immersive virtual surround sound akin to Dolby Atmos. On that note, the headset is also Dolby Atmos compatible, although that does require a purchase on the Xbox One to enable it.
Even though this headset only has two buttons, you still get a pretty decent selection of audio presets. Pressing the power button while the headset is on toggles the Superhuman Hearing setting. Again, if you’re unaware, Turtle Beach touts its Superhuman Hearing setting, stating that when enabled “you’ll have the competitive advantage by being able to hear all the subtle yet game-changing sounds, like enemy footsteps sneaking up on your six, other players reloading their weapon for an ambush, and vehicles off in the distance approaching with reinforcements.” As with the Stealth 700, while the Superhuman Hearing setting did change the levels of the sound coming through the headset, I actually preferred having Superhuman Hearing disabled for richer, more full sound.
The second button allows you to toggle between the four different audio preset modes: Signature Sound, Bass Boost, Bass and Treble Boost, and Vocal Boost. Coupled with Superhuman Hearing, the presets do a pretty good job of making it easy to customize the sound in the Stealth 600 to your liking.
Microphone/Voice Quality
The Stealth 600 has a pretty decent microphone with other party members confirming I sounded clear. The headset also has mic monitoring which, in my opinion, is a feature that all gaming headsets should include. Being able to hear yourself while you are chatting makes it easier to reduce the tendency to speak louder because you can’t hear yourself. In addition, being able to independently control game volume and chat volume also helps as well and during gaming I had no issues hearing other people in my party.
When not gaming with others, or when you need to quickly mute the mic, simply flip it up and the mic is out of the way and your voice is muted.
Battery Life
Turtle Beach claims a battery life of up to 15 hours between charges on the Stealth 600. During our testing, we easily lasted a week and a half between charges gaming between 1-2 hours a day and hitting the 15-hour battery life mark more than a few times.
Price/Value
With an MSRP of $99.99USD, the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 is more than fairly priced for a wireless gaming headset. The headset is also currently on sale on Amazon for $89.95 making it almost a no-brainer if you’re looking for a wireless Xbox One headset that’s easy to use, quick to connect, and offers decent sound. I say almost because at the time of this review the Stealth 700 is still on sale on Amazon for $119.95 which, in my opinion, is worth the extra $30 over the Stealth 600 for the synthetic leather, Bluetooth connectivity, software, and 3.5mm jack. At the regular prices though, and depending on your needs, of course, the Stealth 600 is a slightly better value in my opinion.
Wrap-up
Like the Turtle Beach Stealth 700, the Stealth 600 finally brings true wireless audio to the Xbox One console family. Easy to connect, they offer decent sound for truly wireless Xbox One gaming.
