Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Headphones Review

The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 have a simple design that's similar to the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Wireless. The boom mic isn't detachable, but you can flip it up for a more casual look. They come in a few different colorways.

The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 are comfortable. They're quite lightweight, and the headband and the ear cups are well-padded. That said, the ear cups feel tighter than the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Wireless as they clamp a bit more at the bottom of the ear.

The headphones' controls are somewhat limited since they lack call and music functions, but they work for gaming. Unlike the Turtle Beach Recon 500, they have a mode button that lets you easily cycle between four EQ presets: 'Signature Sound', 'Bass Boost', 'Treble Boost', and 'Vocal Boost'. The volume wheel has notches at min and max volume. Finally, the mic monitoring wheel controls how much of your own voice you hear.

• Power button
• Press: Powers the headphones on/off.
• 2-second press: Activates 'Superhuman Hearing' (meant to amplify in-game sounds).

• Volume wheel: Turns volume up or down.
• Mic monitoring wheel: Adjusts sidetone.
• Mode button: Cycles between EQ presets: Signature Sound (default), Bass Boost, Treble Boost, and Vocal Boost.

Like most over-ear gaming headsets, they aren't very portable and won't fit in smaller bags. It's not an issue if you plan to leave them at your desk or near your couch, though. Unlike the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Wireless, you can even fold them into a slightly more compact, convenient format.

They don't come with a case or pouch, unlike the newer Turtle Beach Stealth Pro Wireless.

The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 have a decent build quality. They're mostly made of plastic, which feels dense and solid. The removable ear pads are made of cloth material, and the headband is covered in faux leather for a more comfortable fit. The hinges feel much more solid and durable than the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Wireless'.

These are fairly stable headphones. They stay on your head while you're gaming, but more intense movements cause them to slip off your ears or your head. If you like to bop your head while gaming, headphones like the Astro A20 Gen 2 Wireless do a better job of staying in place.

• Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 headphones
• USB transmitter
• USB-C charging cable
• Manuals
• Turtle Beach decal sticker

These headphones have a neutral sound profile suitable for various audio content. Unfortunately, they lack a bit of low-bass, so action-packed scenes feel like they lack punch. They have an inconsistent audio delivery, so they may not sound the same for everyone. Fortunately, you can customize the sound using the four EQ presets: 'Signature Sound', 'Bass Boost', 'Treble Boost', and 'Vocal Boost'. They also have a 'Superhuman Hearing' feature, which boosts sound effects like footsteps in games. This feature's performance depends on the game you're using, though. It can also make other sounds seem muted and veiled.

In addition, some users have reported experiencing crackling and popping noises while using these headphones. One user suggested an Audio Hub firmware update could help fix this issue. Although we didn't encounter this noise during our original tests, we plan to retest these headphones and update our review as soon as possible.

These headphones have disappointing frequency response consistency. Their bass and treble delivery depends on the headphones' fit and positioning on your head, so it's important to take some time to adjust them to get a more consistent sound.

These headphones have good bass accuracy. There's an underemphasis in the low and mid-bass, so your favorite games' deep rumbles and thumps of explosions sound subdued. However, some slight overemphasis in the high-bass helps emphasize sound effects like footsteps in games like Escape from Tarkov.

The mid accuracy is impressive. The range is pretty well-balanced, which makes vocals and lead instruments sound clear and present. However, the underemphasis in the low-mid can make these same instruments sound a bit thin.

These headphones have good treble accuracy. The response is even and well-balanced, so vocals and sibilants sound present and detailed.

These headphones have a decent peaks and dips performance. There's a bit of a mismatch between our unit's left and right drivers. There's a dip in the low-bass that reduces rumble in the left driver, while a peak in the mid to high-bass is more present in the right driver and adds some extra punch and boom. The dip in the low-mid thins out vocals and lead instruments, and the dip in the low-treble hurts the comprehensibility of these same instruments.

These headphones have a great imaging performance, which reflects the brand's usually solid quality control and ergonomics. The weighted group delay falls below the audibility threshold, ensuring tight bass and transparent treble. The L/R drivers of our unit are quite well-matched in amplitude and frequency. However, a phase mismatch causes bass frequencies to seem louder in the left driver, which can create the impression of holes in the stereo image. That said, imaging can vary between units.

Their passive soundstage is passable. Their over-ear design allows sound to interact with your outer ear, so audio seems like it's coming from speakers around you and not from inside your head. However, the soundstage isn't as out-of-head, spacious, or wide as that of most open-back over-ear headphones.

The PlayStation variant doesn't have any surround sound features. However, the Xbox One variant supports Windows Sonic Surround Sound. Otherwise, consider the Sony PULSE 3D Wireless if you want wireless gaming headphones with a 3D virtual surround sound feature.

These headphones have a decent weighted harmonic distortion performance. There's a peak in the low-treble at normal listening volumes, but it won't be too noticeable. The rest of its frequencies fall within good limits, so audio reproduction is clear and pure.

These are the settings we used to test these headphones. Our results are only valid when using these test settings. Note that the default EQ is the Signature Sound EQ.

They don't block out very much background noise, which is normal for gaming headsets without ANC. They don't isolate in the bass range, so you hear bass-heavy sounds like bus engines. They reduce a little higher-pitched noise but won't completely isolate you from background chit-chat or a humming A/C unit.

The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 have a fair leakage performance. Audio leakage is concentrated in the mid-range, so it sounds quite full-bodied. People nearby can hear your audio if you're listening at a high volume somewhere, like an office.

The microphone's recording quality is decent. Your voice sounds quite clear but not full-bodied or natural. You won't have trouble being heard well, though.

The mic has a mediocre noise handling performance. You won't notice a drop in audio quality in moderately noisy places. However, the mic doesn't filter out background noise, so it's present and loud in the call. If you're talking to friends near an open window with loud traffic outside, your voice can be drowned out, making it hard to understand.

They have an excellent battery life. The manufacturer advertises them as having a continuous battery life of 15 hours, and we measured over 23 hours, which is more than enough to get you through long gaming sessions. They don't charge particularly quickly but can receive audio while charging and automatically switch off after five minutes of inactivity to save power. Also, keep in mind that battery life varies with real-life use. If you'd prefer to be able to fit in a few marathon gaming sessions between charges, consider the sequel to these headphones, the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 (Gen 3) Wireless, which had a continuous battery life of over 85 hours in our tests.

You can't do much with the Turtle Beach Audio Hub app. You can use it to update the headset and control the volume level of voice prompts.

The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 aren't Bluetooth-compatible. If you're looking for comparable gaming headphones that can connect with your phone and other devices via Bluetooth, take a look at the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Wireless.

The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 have impressive non-Bluetooth wireless connectivity. They have low latency, so you won't notice a delay between your game video and audio. This variant is compatible with PS4, PS5, and PCs, but you can get an Xbox One variant if you use that console.

You can't use the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 wired. The USB-C cable is for charging only.

The PlayStation variant of these headphones are compatible with PCs via non-Bluetooth wireless. However, you'll need an Xbox Wireless Adapter if you want to use the Xbox variant on a PC. Unfortunately, neither variant supports Bluetooth or an analog connection.

The PlayStation variant is fully compatible with PS4 and PS5 via non-Bluetooth wireless using the USB dongle.

The PS4 variant of these headphones isn't compatible with the Xbox One, but you can buy an Xbox One variant.

The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 don't have a dock, but they come with a wireless USB dongle that works with PCs and PS4s. If you're an Xbox gamer, you'll want to ensure you get the Xbox variant.