This Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max There’s a rather cumbersome name, but a lot of it comes from the pedigree of this earphone, an upgrade to the second-generation wireless earbuds, which are among the best in their class. It’s more expensive, but it’s also better — it’s one of my favorite gaming headsets on the market right now.
In terms of its core feature set, this new Max model is very similar to the original Stealth 700 Gen 2. It builds on the Turtle Beach headphones from a few years and other models, so it excels by all the metrics that matter.
For example, it is comfortable and can be worn for hours. It feels as sturdy as a lightweight wireless headset, and seems to withstand the wear and tear of standard issues as you put it on, rip it off in a hurry, and toss it to the side of the couch—though I obviously don’t want to sit on it.
I’m a big fan of the materials used in the headset and its design, and I think it does a great job of bridging the “gamer” aesthetic, but without the excessive RGB lighting and loud, edgy aesthetic that makes you not want to be in public put it on. It’s also important – the headset is console and bluetooth capable, which means you can use it for gaming, or as a headset on the go, for music, taking calls, or portable on your phone or other device gaming equipment.
The biggest change with this new “Max” variant is actually the headset’s battery life, which Turtle Beach claims can last over 40 hours with the set. Several tests in the iGamesNews’s highly unscientific lab did show that number to be accurate—it’s slightly lower than some other general-purpose wireless headphones, but close to the high end of a gaming-specific set. Even if you do run out of power, it charges quickly, which means plug it in for 10 or 15 minutes via USB-C and you can use it anywhere for up to 7 or 8 hours.
Convenience is the name of the game, really. Battery life is handy. The same goes for connectivity. There’s a wide range of compatibility here, and the headset’s full suite of features is compatible with all Xbox One and Xbox series consoles, PS4, PS5, Switch, mobile, PC, including the Steam platform. Connectivity comes in one of two forms – Bluetooth or a USB dongle that connects the headset via a 2.4GHz wireless signal.
Let’s talk about dongles first. I’ve tested it on the Xbox (which is the headset I test primarily for sale), PS5, and PC, and it connects to the device quickly and easily every time. In theory, this should also work with a docked Switch, or even a Steam Deck with a USB adapter. The dongle has a specific “Xbox” mode that unlocks perks on that platform, but it works elsewhere too – just flick the switch on the dongle to “USB”.
However, another method works just as well: Bluetooth. This is also compatible with all of the above, although you may get more functionality with a dongle on some devices. A useful little feature is the ability to connect both Bluetooth and a dongle at the same time – so you can pair your phone and take calls without interrupting your game audio, while carefully adjusting the volume between the two audio sources. It also lets you stand up, leave your gaming session, walk out the door, and your headphones can still listen to music or podcasts on your phone. It’s a niche feature, but I really appreciate it.
All of this is combined with exceptional battery life and other smart design changes, such as a better padded headband, to create an overall better headset. In fact, my biggest negative is still the software available on PC and mobile – which is fine on paper, but a bit rubbish in practice. If Turtle Beach wanted to provide additional software to power its headphones, it needed to be good, reliable, and widely compatible. Now, it’s not. Thankfully, it works fine without headphones.
I find the headphones do a decent job of blocking out world noise, although I do get noise leakage complaints from my partner when I crank it up – so maybe don’t crank those up too much on the train, if not Keep that in mind when disturbing others when it’s loud is a priority.
Of course, sound quality is king. Coming from Turtle Beach, you know what to expect: it’s good. One of the company’s strengths is sound quality that goes above and beyond its price class — but this headset is expensive, so it’s less expensive. However, at $200/£180, it’s feature-packed and does have a premium feel that’s hard to come by in gaming. That’s about $50 more than its non-max predecessor — but a bunch of smaller tweaks and upgrades, including an expanded battery, are worth it.
That’s not to say the sound quality is poor, though — it’s worth the money. It has 7.1 surround sound, is Dolby Atmos compatible, and works with the PS5’s 3D audio capabilities. Its built-in mic is great for streaming, though it’s unlikely you’ll want to use it for podcasting — you should get a dedicated mic for that. I like that the mic automatically mutes when you flick it – it’s a neat alternative to a physical mute button.
The price feels a bit high, but I actually think this is probably my favorite of all the Turtle Beach headphones I’ve reviewed over the years. This is a truly premium piece of gear – as long as you’re on a budget. It’s a simple recommendation and an addition to our list of the best gaming headsets.
Tested on Xbox Series X, Series S, PC (Windows 10), Mobile (Google Pixel 6), Nintendo Switch and PS5. The manufacturer provided a headset for testing.
