ahtishambutt$599 is asking a lot for a headset, especially for an active noise-cancelling headset that doesn’t come from the likes of Apple or Sony. But the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro headset lives up to its name by offering a clean look that gives it universal appeal, but also dedicated gaming features that other ANC competitors lack. And the ANC here is good. The likes of the AirPods Max are probably still a better pick for people who are deep into Apple’s ecosystem, and Sony’s WH-1000XM5 are probably a little better if you don’t care about anything but sound quality. But if you like to play a little Fortnite or Apex Legends on the side, the detachable boom mic, 2.4 GHZ connectivity, and backup battery will serve you well here, and the cans will still sound great.
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pro looks clean enough for the subway
Turtle Beach experimented with a slightly different design for the Stealth Pro. The company drifted away from the Stealth series’ standard ovular aesthetics towards an all-plastic body with a metal headband and round earcups. Though the earcups are rotatable and can be made to lie flat around your shoulders, which is great, the hinge is a little tight. While an overly loose hinge can be a pain, this one misses the sweet spot in between the two.
Both the earcups make up for the hinge with hidden surprises. The right one sports a wheel that doubles as a volume control dial. That’s standard, but the wheel sports a customisable (via the Turtle Beach Audio Hub app) button right in its centre (more on that later). The left cup is even cooler. Its plate can be opened up to reveal the battery, which you can then swap out for a spare. Yeah, the Stealth Pro comes with two batteries in the package, so you can swap one in as the other loses charge, similar to the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro. The same earcup also hosts a small plate covering the headset’s boom mic port for when it isn’t installed. It’s little features like these that make the design of this headset so thoughtful.
The Stealth Pro is a pretty good-looking headset. I wouldn’t say it’s the most gorgeous pair of cans I’ve ever seen, but it is definitely decently appealing and doesn’t scream “gaming.” The inclusion of optional RGB lighting could’ve definitely upped the game without sacrificing that universal appeal, but it’s not like you’d see it while wearing the headset.
Accessories-wise, I was thoroughly impressed. You get a wireless transmitter that delivers a 2.4GHz lag-free connection, charges the battery packs, and can even charge other devices with a built-in USB-A port. There are also two battery packs as mentioned above, as well as two Type-C cables of varying lengths. You also get the aforementioned boom mic and a carrying pouch for the headset. The velvet pouch exudes sophistication, offers protection, and features a pocket for cables, too.
A lightweight wireless headset that’s good for glasses
I could wear the Stealth Pro all day long and still be at ease. That’s thanks to the generously-padded leatherette-coated memory foam earcups and headband. It essentially feels like a feather atop my head. The thick ear cushions also ensure that my ears are kept away from the metal grilles on the inside of the earcups, so that the cartilage doesn’t come into contact with it–a pretty common issue with over-the-ear headphones. The large circumference of the earcups also provides a sound-proof, secure seal and greatly contribute to pretty decent passive noise isolation.
The headband plays its part in providing a comfortable fit. Not only is it adjustable and nicely padded, but it’s also thick enough to keep the weight of the headset evenly distributed on your noggin. Overly thin headbands put a lot of pressure on a small surface area and end up being unpleasant for longer gaming sessions.
The Stealth Pro is equipped with Turtle Beach’s “ProSpecs” glasses-fitting technology, which I was pleasantly surprised to see isn’t just a marketing gimmick. Unlike many other on-ear headphones, the Stealth Pro gave sufficient space to my glasses and didn’t put pressure on them. If you don’t feel the same way, you can actually change the amount of relief the foam gives you by removing the earcup and pulling an adjustable ribbon.
My biggest issue with the Stealth Pro’s build is that, while the metal slider on the headband does a good job of offering flexibility, it is way too tight. And no, I don’t mean firm–I mean tight. It is very difficult to adjust the headset, and you need to apply a significant amount of force to do so. A headband as tight as this is definitely not preferable in the middle of an intense gaming session.
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