If you’re looking to buy something for your Xbox that sits firmly between Turtle Beach’s Stealth 600 and the higher-end Elite 800X, the Stealth 700 might be a satisfying fit. Minus a few nagging issues, this is a surprisingly solid pair of headphones that should take care of most players' basic chatting and gaming needs.
Let’s start with what might be the best feature of the Stealth 700: Direct wireless connection to Xbox consoles. As in, there’s no weird dongle or clunky base station to mess around with. You charge the headset, take a couple seconds to pair it with your console, and then you’re off and running. How clear is that connection, you ask? Crystal, at least in my experience. Game audio is crisp and uninterrupted—never once did I encounter an annoying dropout, or any kind of popping or stuttering, for that matter. I know Turtle Beach released some updated firmware to address supposed connection issues, but I never came across this problem, either before or after the update.
The recent firmware refresh also addressed a complication I did take issue with, which was noticeably lowered volume levels. I thought I may be alone in this problem, that perhaps I just had bad drummer hearing, but after searching around the internet, I’ve found that many others share this frustration. The latest update seems to have improved the volume somewhat, but I can’t shake the feeling that even at the highest setting, the overall effect is still somewhat diminished. I can’t tell if this is simply a design oversight or if Turtle Beach is trying to avoid eardrum repair lawsuits. Either way, I’m often left wanting more power than I’m allowed, and that’s a shame.
This being said, I still think the Stealth 700 offers some really great sound for what's essentially a mid-range product. The bass is surprisingly decent, and when using Windows Sonic Surround Sound, the audio landscape the headset provides is more than adequate for most games, even impressive for a few. The hardware itself is lightweight and very comfortable, and that’s also when using it with glasses. The boom mic flips down easily for chat and flips up just as swiftly for muting purposes. Battery charge lasts for around 10 hours and this model additionally includes Bluetooth support, though it’s important to note that I did experience a very faint buzzing/static sound when connecting to my phone. Nothing horrible, mind you, but enough to barely notice during down time in YouTube videos and songs.
Because of its direct connectivity convenience, this has become my go-to Xbox One X headset. That is, when I’m not gaming with 5.1 surround sound, of course. I’m actually interested in checking out the 700’s PS4 counterpart in the future, which unfortunately uses a dongle, but might be worth testing out.
Manufacturer: Turtle Beach
MSRP: $149.99
Disclaimer: Free review product was provided for coverage purposes.
