Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max review

Two minute review

The Stealth 700 Gen 2 released by Turtle Beach last year was an impressive wireless headset, but there was room for improvement. The sound quality was not always as accurate as it could have been. While it offered Bluetooth to connect to PCs and other devices, the headset is intended for use with Xbox consoles via Microsoft’s Xbox Wireless technology.

The new Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max throws its just wider, as the ‘Max’ bit stands for ‘maximum compatibility’. Bluetooth is still available, but the Max headset now includes a new wireless USB adapter to provide a faster, lag-free alternative to Bluetooth for PC, Mac, Playstation 4 and PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. Turtle Beach has improved the battery life of the headset, doubling it to 40 hours for this model. Elsewhere, the Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max’s design is unchanged, with the same 50mm neodymium drivers as its predecessor housed in rather large – but comfortable – earcups.

(Image credit: Future)

Price and availability

The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max is available now in the US and UK and costs $199.99 (£179.99), but is still not available in Australia at the moment.

That is relatively expensive for a gaming headset. However, keeping the price below $200 keeps it in line with rivals like the SteelSeries Arctis Pro and well below luxury brands like the Master & Dynamic MG20 Wireless Gaming Headphones. And if you’re an Xbox Series X owner, the original 2021 model of the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max is still on sale for $150.00 (£120.00/AU$249.00).

At that price, you should also consider the best PC gaming headsets, as there may be something more to your taste. If you want to spend less, check out the best budget gaming headsets.

Design and Features

50mm . Neodymium Drivers
memory foam earplugs
adjustable EQ settings

Admittedly, the Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max isn’t the most elegant headset, and the bulky earpieces and sturdy metal and plastic headband will make you look like a Cyberman from Dr Who. However, the design is very comfortable and the memory foam padding of the earcups, with a splash of cooling gel, prevents you from overheating when the going gets tough.

Turtle Beach also pays close attention to detail, with a ProSpecs feature that lets you adjust the earcups if you’re wearing glasses. The boom mic automatically mutes when you push it up, and we also like that the mic folds into the body of the left earcup and hides completely when not in use.

We tested the Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max with its USB adapter plugged into a gaming PC, and the headset pairs automatically with the adapter, so it takes no time to get started. However, Turtle Beach also offers an Audio Hub app for iOS and Android devices, which you can use via Bluetooth. The app isn’t essential, but includes useful options such as EQ settings for adjusting bass, treble, vocals, and the ability to adjust the microphone sensitivity.

Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max

(Image credit: Future)

We encountered some issues when switching between USB and Bluetooth audio. The Audio Hub app on iPhone could connect to the headset via Bluetooth and adjust various settings, but it wouldn’t let us play audio over Bluetooth. It took some experimentation and Reddit research to fix the problem. It didn’t help that you had to download a separate app for PC/Mac to update the headset’s firmware.

So while the USB adapter offers a quick and easy option for audio pairing, the Bluetooth side of things seems a bit quirky. The USB adapter also has a USB-A connector, with no adapter for USB-C connections, so if your gaming rig only has USB-C – which is the case with quite a few laptops these days – you’ll need to provide your own. adapter.

Sound quality

solid bass
detailed sound
‘superhuman’ mode for gaming

Our review of the original Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 noted that the headset could sound a little “muddy” at times, but the 2.4GHz adapter that comes with the Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max means the sound quality is no longer at the mercy of highly compressed Bluetooth audio. There’s a rich, woody texture to the didgeridoo that opens up Kate Bush’s The Big Sky (Meteorological Mix), and the Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max lets the catchy slap-bass riff land with a satisfying thud. The avalanche of drums and percussion in the final part of the song sounds very powerful and rhythmic. There’s still a bit of room for improvement, as smaller details like the glittering tambourine get a bit lost in the dense wall of sound.

Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max

(Image credit: Future)

However, the sound works well for gaming. It’s a rainy day in The Elder Scrolls Online, and the ominous rumble of distant thunder sets the mood well as I log on. The game’s orchestral score sounds quite dramatic, and there’s a satisfying bass rumble as my wizard begins to scatter spells.

There is also a button on the left earpiece that can activate the ‘superhuman hearing’ mode. This setting softens the bass slightly and raises higher frequencies so you can hear details such as light footsteps more clearly. I’m on the edge of a small town, and the ‘superhuman’ mode clearly emphasizes the movements of other players, making it easier to track their movements as they roam around me. That may not be essential for open world games like ESO, but it will certainly come in handy for team-based shooters where you need to pay close attention to the location and movement of rival players, like Overwatch 2.

The microphone works well too, picking up my voice very clearly, and the Audio Hub app lets you adjust the microphone’s sensitivity and activate a ‘noise gate’ that helps block out low-level background noise.