Turtle Beach scarcely needs an introduction. The New York-based manufacturer has been crafting stellar gaming peripherals since the early 2000s that seem to effortlessly cater to all budgets. With the Stealth 500 wireless headset, they’ve carved out a slot on the upper end of the entry level tier, aiming to provide the quality and features to compete at this level while pushing the boundaries of the 79.99/$79.99 price tag. As with many of Turtle Beach’s best products, the result is a headset that impresses beyond its position on the budget spectrum.
At first glance, the Stealth 500 offers little by way of aesthetic impression. The silhouette is fairly standard with the exception of the floating headband an elasticated band that sits below the plastic arch of the headphones. The floating design has an interesting adjustment mechanism that will be hit or miss. Instead of pulling the ear cups down to extend the fit, the band stretches to accommodate the user’s head, and can be expanded or reduced by removing it and clipping it onto notched intervals. It’s a design choice that makes sense in theory, but it feels quite strange when coming from a more traditional headphone design.
Still, the headphones remain comfortable during long play sessions as they’re extremely lightweight, and the memory foam ear cups ensure there’s minimal discomfort even if they can’t be adjusted as freely as this reviewer would like.
Alongside the memory foam ear cups and elasticated headband, the Stealth 500 deploys a very lightweight plastic frame, which retains a ‘budget’ feeling without giving the impression of being cheap. The flip-to-mute microphone is snappy and easy to manoeuvre, and the control buttons are all centred on the underside of the left ear cup. This is perhaps the most frustrating thing about this design, as the myriad buttons and wheels feel awfully cluttered at first and take some getting used to.
When it comes to the all-important sound factor, this reviewer is pleased to report that the Stealth 500 adheres to the Turtle Bay norm of offering insane ‘bang for your buck’. This is where these headphones best outperform their price tag, with clear audio that offers the dynamic range required for high-octane experiences. There’s a reason why Turtle Beach dominate both the low-budget and high-tier gaming headset space alike: the audio quality is never an issue, and the Stealth 500 is no exception.
In terms of connectivity, the Stealth 500 is reliable for the most part with two wireless connection options: 2.4GHz via a USB dongle plugged into the desired device, and good ol’ bluetooth. The connection type can also be switched on a whim via the wireless button on the headphones. Both connections were fairly reliable during testing, but this reviewer still preferred using the dongle for that extra reliability.
The Stealth 500 offers battery life of up to 40 hours and charges rather quickly to ensure minimal downtime between uses. On the whole, this is a gaming headset that is very difficult to fault; the audio quality is fantastic, the fit is comfortable and the design quality is in line with price range expectations. The few frustrations there are namely in the adjustability of the headset’s fit and the cluttered controls can be forgiven within this price range, making the Stealth 500 a viable choice for those who want a top entry level or low-budget pick.
