Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX Wireless Gaming Headset: The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX is a wireless gaming headset capable of connecting to all current platforms, whether PC, PS4, PS5, or recent Xbox consoles. Enough to make it one of the most versatile models for players moving from one medium to another. Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX Gaming Headset price is around 139€.
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX Gaming Headset Review
After a Gen 2 bringing some improvements to the Stealth 600 that we tested a few years ago, Turtle Beach today presents a new MAX version of its wireless gaming headset. The main new features of this MAX model: are multi-platform compatibility allowing it to connect wirelessly to both PC and Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, or Nintendo Switch consoles.
What position itself as a particularly interesting model for players alternating between different platforms, since rare is the wireless headsets capable of adapting to several consoles. The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX is offered at the manufacturer’s price of €139.99. At this price, it comes, in particular, to compete with its cousin the Stealth 700 Gen 2, the HyperX Cloud II Wireless, or the Corsair HS80 RGB Wireless.
Unboxing
The headset comes in a cardboard box with the colors of the Microsoft console. The Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX is indeed officially licensed Xbox, but that does not prevent it from being perfectly compatible with other platforms. Inside Turtle Beach goes to the essentials and the headset only comes with a very short USB-C to USB-A cable for charging and a little paperwork.
Design & Ergonomie
Since we did not have the opportunity to present the Gen 2 model to you, a brief tour of the owner is in order. If you already know the headset, the main difference in terms of design is in the colors available, with a choice of models in black, red, or camouflage tones like our version of the day.
Compared to the first generation of Stealth 600, the Gen 2 and Gen 2 MAX models bring many improvements on the design side. The headset appears more solid and generally inspires a better feeling of confidence once in hand.
The design of the headset is mainly made of plastic and the finishes are quite correct for a headset offered under the 150€ bar. The model resists well to various tortures and the assembly does not crack in all directions at the slightest manipulation.
On the scale, it weighs around 290g, which is rather light for a wireless headset, even if the recent Logitech G435 and Astro A10 Gen 2 still do better on this point. A little more in detail, we start with the headband which has a simple but very flexible design. The Turtle Beach logo is badged on the upper part, while there is a memory foam at the level of its internal padding. Faux leather upholstery completes the look.
The adjustment of the headset is reworked compared to the first version, but we remain on sliding rods allowing it to be adjusted on a dozen well-marked notches. The headset is designed to fit most body types, whether you have a small or a large head.
Headset Adjustment
The ear cups can be rotated 90° in order to facilitate their adjustment against the skull but also to offer a more comfortable fit around the neck. In the center of each headset, a second pivot zone also provides a few degrees of adjustment in order to tilt them more or less.
For the pads, there are memory foams which, it must be admitted, are nothing exceptional. The padding is not particularly generous and the external covering in the breathable fabric is not the most pleasant to wear either. The space for the ears seems slightly narrower than on the first generation of the Stealth 600, but their format allows them to be better encompassed.
It should also be noted that certain areas of the padding are less dense in order to facilitate the wearing of glasses, an important point for many players. Finally, the pads can be removed and replaced.
Once on the head, the Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX is relatively comfortable, but it remains a notch below the best models in the sector. The tension of the headband helps keep it in place, but some fatigue can also be felt during longer gaming sessions. As explained above, the coatings and padding of the ear cups are also not at the level. for a headset approaching almost 150€.
On the control side, all the actions of the headset are now grouped together on the left atrium. A first knob adjusts the sound volume and a second the monitoring level in order to obtain a more or less high return of his voice in the microphone. When the headset is connected to Xbox, the first wheel manages the game volume and the second that of the voice chat.
Headset options are accessible from the headset
There are then two buttons, including a first “MODE” allowing you to navigate between its different equalizers. You will have the choice between the following equalizers: Signature Sound, Bass Boost, Bass + Treble Boost, and finally Vocal Boost.
A second “POWER” button manages the switching on and off of the headphones via prolonged pressure. A single press activates or deactivates the “Superhuman Hearing” feature available on most Turtle Beach headsets. Further down, a USB-C connector allows the headphones to be charged via a USB-C to USB-A cable with a length of only 65 cm.
The microphone is retractable but its position is not adjustable
Finally, let’s finish this tour of the Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX with its microphone. Here no big changes compared to the first version, with always a boom directly attached to the left atrium. Rather short, it can be raised along the headset to automatically mute the voice capture, but its rigid design prevents us from adjusting its position. We will come back to its performance at the end of the article.
Wireless on all platforms
As explained in the introduction, the main novelty of this Gen 2 MAX version compared to the classic Gen 2 lies in its ability to connect wirelessly to all current platforms.
Before going any further, note now that the headset only works wirelessly and that no 3.5 mm port allows you to directly connect it to a controller or a smartphone, for example. The USB-C port also cannot be used for wired listening.
Cross-platform wireless gaming headset
To connect wirelessly, the Stealth 600 relies on a 2.4 GHz connection allowing you to play without any latency. To establish the connection, all you have to do is plug the USB-A dongle into the platform of your choice and then turn on the headset. Pairing is done automatically.
So far, nothing special, except that on closer inspection, the dongle has a switch on its edge to switch between an “Xbox” mode and a “USB” mode. To connect the headset to Microsoft consoles, the first mode will be used, while the second targets PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch consoles (in docked mode) as well as PCs.
USB dongle for wireless connection
For once, this is the first time that we have come across such a system on a wireless headset and until now, it was often necessary to invest in two different headsets if you wanted to take advantage of a 2.4 connection. GHz on both a Sony and Microsoft console. The other solution is possible to move toward a Bluetooth headset, but the latency generated by this wireless connection is far from ideal for gaming.
On the autonomy side, the Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX also brings some improvements compared to previous versions. The headset is announced with a battery life of up to 48 hours and a quick charge of about fifteen minutes allows you to enjoy around 8 hours of battery life.
In use, the figures announced by Turtle Beach seem consistent and our only regret lies in the absence of accurate indications concerning the remaining autonomy. Only a diode turning red from 10% announces a low battery.
Additional Features
The headset does not come with any software or app to take advantage of additional features. It is only possible to update headset and dongle firmware via the Turtle Beach tool.
On this point, its big brother the Stealth 700 Gen 2 MAX does better since it comes with a mobile application accessible via its Bluetooth connection. The connection here is absent in this model.
Sound performance
As with the classic Gen 2, the headset here is equipped with 50 mm speakers offering stereo sound reproduction. No virtual 7.1 mode is available, but you can obviously take advantage of the one provided by the latest generation consoles.
In use, the headset does well with a generally well-controlled rendering if you stick to its basic equalizer. Admittedly, the bass seems to take over slightly, but it can also contribute to good immersion depending on the styles of play and individual preferences.
Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX audio quality
Via the different modes offered, it is possible to opt for renderings that accentuate even more the low frequencies, the low and high frequencies or, on the contrary, the vocal parts. In use, we do not necessarily recommend these different modes, distorting the sound reproduction in our opinion a little too much. Again, everyone has their own tastes in terms of audio and therefore to be viewed according to your own preferences.
Finally, regardless of the equalizer in place, it is possible to add the famous “Superhuman Hearring” mode. The latter mainly targets competitive FPS players, drastically reducing the lows and mids and instead emphasizing the highs. The result? A totally distorted sound, but details of footsteps or weapon sounds that stand out much more easily from the soundstage.
Microphone
On the microphone side, the Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX offers decent performance but nothing more. Other wireless models, including the Corsair HS80 RGB Wireless, offer much more convincing capture.
Here, if the capture itself is rather clear, the whole lacks the power to always remain perfectly audible in the middle of a game. Noise reduction is not exceptional either and the microphone continues to pick up keystrokes from a mechanical keyboard.
Conclusion
With this MAX version of its Stealth 600 Gen 2, Turtle Beach improves on one of its best wireless gaming headsets and presents an ideal candidate for gamers wishing to take advantage of wireless, whether on PC or on consoles.
Being able to play on PS5 as well as on Xbox Series S / X or PC with one and the same headset is a real advantage and can avoid having to go through the checkout twice. Excellent versatility, which unfortunately explodes the price of the headset to 139€ against 99€ for the classic Gen 2 version ( and even 79.99€ on Amazon ). A price gap that we would have liked to have filled with other new features, including improved comfort or even a better quality microphone.
If you don’t necessarily need a wireless headset compatible with all platforms, it’s better to invest 10€ more in its big brother the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2, offering better comfort and more complete features. You will then have to choose between PC / PS5 or PC / Xbox. A-MAX version has also recently been offered, but the price soars to €199 and we then move on to another price range.
Also Read: Top 10 Most Expensive Military Aircraft in the World
Follow Top and Trending on Google News and receive the latest alerts and the main news about apps, technology, beauty, entertainment, and all the top 10 related posts.
