Turtle Beach Stealth 600 (Gen 3) review

The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 (Gen 3) has come a long way since its first generation, in terms of aesthetics, sound quality, and battery life. The internal tech has improved tenfold, with the design has been steered away from that gamer-style look in favor of a sleeker, more reserved appearance and a matte colourway. But against a market awash with smashing, mid-range wireless gaming headsets, the question is whether it stacks up against the competition, because there are a lot of options around the $100/£100 mark.

The Stealth 600 comes in three colourways: a matte black with shiny accent, plum purple, and a lovely Stormtrooper-esque black and white. Sadly PC users only get to choose between black and, er, black. While aesthetic variety is reserved for Xbox and PlayStation users, the Stealth 600 still manages to capture that understated look in all its colorways. The curves make it feel a little playful, but there’s something about it that says “I mean business.”

Against its $20-cheaper sister, the Turtle Beach Stealth 500, it looks like essentially the same headset on the surface, but there are some notable differences. For one thing the Stealth 600 design opts for Athletic Weave Fabric over pleather on the ear cups. In theory, that means less flaking later down the line, and less money spent on spare ear cups. That said, the headband is still pleather and not replaceable either.

The headband is one of my major gripes actually, since the Stealth 500 had one of those lush floating headbands that meant you could wear it for long sessions. Sadly, the Stealth 600’s headband is not floating, and is severely under-padded, meaning it starts to hurt my head after a couple of hours. I ended up shifting it around a lot during testing to relieve the pinpoint pressure on the top of my head. It’s likely to be less of an issue for people with wider, flatter heads, but my crown shape doesn’t sit right apparently.

The breadth of the headband and spacing of the design in general does seem to indicate that the Stealth 600 is meant for big head/hair havers, anyway.

Aside from that you’re looking at a slightly wider, more rounded look about the on-ear dials, which are easier to distinguish than their predecessor’s thanks to their easy-to-feel patterning. Not that this was an issue with the Stealth 500, but better accessibility is always welcome.

The most welcome feature the Stealth 600 delivers is the extensive battery life. I’ve spent the past few years with the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless strapped to my head—currently on our best wireless gaming headset list for “best battery life”—and the Stealth 600 matches what would be two entire battery charges for the Nova Pro. Rated at 80 hours, it actually sits closer to 60 hours of use, but I haven’t actually had to charge the Stealth 600 once throughout almost a month of daily testing. While the Stealth 600 doesn’t have the Nova Pro’s charging dock and hot-swappable battery packs keeping it going 24/7, it eliminates the need to carry a charging dock or spare battery with you on lengthy trips. Not only that, you can charge it while in use, and in a matter of minutes from near empty, via the included USB Type-A to USB Type-C fast-charge cable.

Making it all the more portable is the simple-yet-effective application of rotating ear cups. It’s a small thing, but it makes slipping it into your bag or carrying around your neck a heck of a lot easier. Though actually using the Stealth 600 out of the house is a less than ideal experience. Bad sound isolation means I can hear most everything going on around me from the rumble of the bus, to sirens, and even people talking nearby. That said, using it inside you can expect great range as you move away from your PC/mobile, and it’s sturdy enough on your head for a bit of a headbang in the comfort of your own home or hotel room.

Listen to the Stealth 600 microphone below:

Also something I appreciate, and that many other headsets don’t deliver, is the ability to pause and skip music over both wireless and Bluetooth connection. Even the $350 / £330 Nova Pro didn’t offer that kind of functionality.

Aside from the great on-ear controls, and Swarm 2 software that does all the basics and does them well, the Stealth 600 delivers a great soundstage. There’s no change in frequency-response from the cheaper Stealth 500, but the 50 mm Nanoclear drivers have got some punch to them. Sounds are warm, and easy to distinguish, though there’s a little sharpness to the sibilants. The same goes for the mic, though it handles plosives and the like well, with recorded speech coming out super clear, over all. There’s a slight compression to note, but as flip mic’s go there are far worse contestants for everyday use.

While other wireless headsets deliver better comfort on the cranium, the Stealth 600’s wizard battery life really gives it an edge against the competition. Sure, it can’t match the impressive ANC on headsets like the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal, but it’s also less than a quarter of the price you’d have to pay for a high-end, all-purpose headset. Even without the frills that come with more expensive headsets, the Stealth 600 performs admirably for a headset in its particular price range. With stellar connectivity and range, all the audio accuracy you need for everyday use, and ridiculous performance in the battery department, it’s well worth the money spent.