Gaming headsets have gotten remarkably good over the past few years. They’ve also gotten remarkably expensive. What used to be a $100 accessory is now a $350 investment, complete with noise cancellation, spatial audio and enough wireless technology to connect to nearly everything in your house.
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II sits firmly at the higher end of that market. At $349.99, it’s competing with some of the best gaming headphones available, including models from SteelSeries, Razer and Audeze. But Turtle Beach has a few tricks up its sleeve, particularly when it comes to sound quality, battery life and switching between devices.
The result is a headset that looks less like a piece of gaming equipment and more like a serious pair of wireless headphones. That’s a good thing.
Big drivers, big sound
The centerpiece of the Stealth Pro II is its pair of 60mm Eclipse dual drivers. Unlike conventional headphone drivers, which use a single speaker element to reproduce the entire frequency range, Turtle Beach uses separate components for bass and higher frequencies.
The idea is to deliver deeper bass without sacrificing the finer details in music and game audio. The headset supports a frequency range of 10Hz to 40kHz and offers certified 24-bit/96kHz high-resolution wireless audio on compatible systems.
That’s impressive for a gaming headset, particularly one that uses a low-latency 2.4GHz wireless connection rather than relying entirely on Bluetooth.
There’s also Dolby Atmos spatial audio, which is useful in games where directional sound matters. Being able to distinguish footsteps behind you from gunfire across the map can make a real difference, although the effectiveness of spatial audio depends heavily on the game and its sound design.
The headset also includes four audio presets and a 10-band equalizer through Turtle Beach’s Swarm II software. You can boost bass, emphasize dialogue or adjust the sound to suit particular games.
How does all this sound in reality? Playing games like Gears of War and Hitman were delightful and I could hear everything perfectly and with full clarity. Further, voice chat was excellent. I had another pair of passive headphones I used with my Xbox and these were, in every way, superior. I was, in short, deeply impressed.
One headset for everything
Perhaps the most interesting feature is CrossPlay 2.0, Turtle Beach’s system for connecting the Stealth Pro II to multiple devices. Most wireless gaming headsets use a USB transmitter that plugs into your console or computer. If you want to move between systems, you often have to unplug the transmitter and move it somewhere else.
CrossPlay 2.0 takes a different approach.
The Stealth Pro II comes with a transmitter dock and a separate USB transmitter. You can connect them to different systems and switch between them using the headset. The system supports up to four transmitters, although additional units must be purchased separately.
For someone who games on a PC and an Xbox or PlayStation, this could be genuinely useful. You can leave the transmitters plugged in and move between devices without constantly reaching behind a computer or television.
The Xbox version also works with PlayStation consoles, Windows PCs and Bluetooth devices. The PC version lacks Xbox compatibility, so choosing the correct model is important.
Bluetooth 5.3 can operate alongside the 2.4GHz connection, meaning you can listen to a game while taking a phone call or playing audio from another device. Independent volume controls let you balance the two sources.
This is the kind of feature that sounds minor until you consider how many people now use the same desk for gaming, working and talking to friends.
Batteries that never really run out
Another great feature involves batteries. One of the more annoying things about wireless headphones is that they eventually need to be charged. Usually, this happens at precisely the wrong moment. Turtle Beach has addressed that problem with two removable batteries, each rated for up to 40 hours of use.
One battery sits inside the headset while the other charges in the included dock. When the first battery runs low, you swap them and keep going. This means you never need to plug the headset itself into a charging cable, provided you remember to keep the spare battery charged. This is easy because it can always sit next to the Xbox and act as a transmitter/charger. A little button on the charger lets you pop out the battery when needed.
It’s a sensible system, and one that more expensive wireless headphones should consider adopting.
A microphone that takes itself seriously
Turtle Beach has also spent considerable effort on the microphone. The Stealth Pro II includes a detachable 9mm unidirectional boom microphone with AI-based noise reduction. The microphone uses a unique floating design intended to reduce vibration and unwanted noise.
There’s a flip-to-mute function, which is considerably more convenient than hunting for a tiny button on the earcup.
The headset also has built-in beamforming microphones, allowing you to make calls without attaching the boom microphone. For people who use their gaming headsets for work meetings or casual calls, that’s a useful addition.
The Swarm II application lets you adjust microphone sensitivity, noise gating and equalization. These controls should appeal to streamers and anyone who spends a lot of time talking over Discord. I’m not a huge fan of headphone apps so I didn’t dig very deeply into it but you’re being able to fine tune things in this way is quite helpful and is great for PC users.
Again, you’re not going to record an NPR-quality podcast with these, but you’re definitely going to be able to run your Twitch stream.
The comfort question
The Stealth Pro II uses anodized aluminum, soft-touch materials and memory-foam ear cushions covered in athletic fabric. The headband uses a suspension design intended to distribute weight more evenly. It also includes Turtle Beach’s ProSpecs glasses relief system, which is designed to reduce pressure on people who wear glasses.
These are welcome features because the headset weighs 393 grams with the boom microphone attached. That’s a substantial amount of weight to wear on your head for several hours.
Comfort is also one area where the headset has received mixed feedback. Published reviews have praised its construction while noting that the clamping force can feel firm, particularly during longer sessions.
The Stealth Pro II also offers adjustable active noise cancellation using four internal microphones. That’s useful if you’re gaming in a noisy room although I wouldn’t wear them on a plane.
This is an important distinction. The Stealth Pro II is primarily a gaming headset with noise cancellation, not a replacement for a dedicated pair of travel headphones from Bose or Sony.
Is it worth $350?
The biggest problem with the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro II is its price.
At $349.99, this is not a casual purchase. You can buy a perfectly serviceable gaming headset for considerably less, and many people won’t need high-resolution audio, multiple transmitters or interchangeable batteries.
But the Stealth Pro II makes a reasonable case for itself.
The 60mm drivers, Dolby Atmos support and high-resolution wireless audio provide a strong technical foundation. The microphone system is more advanced than what you’ll find on many cheaper headsets and the ability to switch between multiple gaming systems without moving cables is genuinely appealing.
The dual-battery system might be the most practical feature of all. Rather than promising longer battery life through a bigger internal battery, Turtle Beach has made charging less of an interruption. It’s a great headset for heavy gamers and the comfort factor makes it absolutely killer.
The Stealth Pro II represents a sensible direction for premium gaming audio. Instead of adding unnecessary lights and aggressive styling, Turtle Beach has concentrated on sound, connectivity and features people can actually use.
If you only play on one console a few hours a week, you probably don’t need it. But if you’re constantly switching between a PC, consoles and other devices, the Stealth Pro II has a lot going for it.
It’s expensive, certainly, but at least Turtle Beach has made an effort to explain where the money goes and does a great job of making every penny worth it.