Turtle Beach’s Stealth 600 headset has underwent two generations of releases leading up to today. Their initial release featured channel mixing, some bass effects, decent battery life, and an impressive price point. Back in 2017, it was one of the best selling headsets of the PS4 and XB One generation because of how well it reinvented the headset space with surround sound quality. A few years later, the Stealth 600 received a new update with slightly more bass, better battery life, a tighter clamping force on the head, and a flip-to-mute microphone. Now, Turtle Beach has refined the Stealth 600 with its third-generation release. The question now remains: How well does it hold its identity as a $100 best-selling wireless headset?
In the past few weeks of testing the Stealth 600, I’m more or less convinced that this third (and newest) generation has refined the already-excellent Stealth 600 headset existing owners have come to know and love. If you’re a Gen 1 owner, then the Gen 3 is worth your consideration. It remains to be seen if it’s worth upgrading from Gen 2, however. Let’s get to it.
The Stealth 600 Gen 3 looks heftier than it actually is when held in hand and on the head. Unlike its near-weightless counterpart, the Stealth 500, the Stealth 600 weighs around 320g. The headset is made out of plastic that felt moderately durable. The headset’s bridge was flexible enough to accommodate my large head and had enough cushioning on its underside to not uncomfortably press on the top of my head. If anything, the cushion did an excellent job with keeping the headset in place and maintaining some comfortability. The headphone cups seem to feel snug, too, with the most clamp force on my earlobes. After some headbanging and whipping around, I’m pleased to report that the Stealth 600 does not move or slide around. If it hardly budged while it was on my noggin, you should have no problem.
The Stealth 600 Gen 3’s ear cushions were made of what Turtle Beach calls “athletic weave fabric” and filled with memory foam. The fabric felt like a synthetic mesh, but felt moderately breathable. On one of the hotter days where I found myself sweating, the cushions did not cause sweat accumulation while also acting as a nice noise insulator. The memory foam was cushy enough, but I would have liked a little more plushness. I imagine that part of that firmness is related to the cushions’ “Built-In ProSpecs” which makes the headset glasses-friendly. Honestly, this headset felt just as snug and comfortable as the Stealth 500. I wasn’t able to tell the difference as a fulltime glasses-wearer. However, other users (who may have glasses of other construction) may appreciate this headset’s comfort over others. If you’re a glasses wearer like me, I would test this headset out before firmly committing to its ProSpecs glasses-friendliness.
There’s part of me that wishes that this headset had leather or leatherette ear cushions over the athletic fabric on this unit. As this model is slightly more premium than the Stealth 500, I would expect that the Stealth 600 would look slightly more premium. Or feel more premium. Design matters to some folks, and this generation of the Stealth 600 lacks something visible that makes this headset stand out in the Stealth lineup.
That said, the Stealth 600 Gen 3 has controls similar to other Stealth headsets in that all of the headset’s controls can be found on the left earcup, ranging from power, LED indicator, two volume wheels (one of which can be customized with the Swarm II application), and the microphone. I mentioned this in my Stealth 500 review and it bears repeating: I would have liked some controls to have made their way to the right earcup for the sake of distributing the meaningful controls and decreasing false positive inputs, but it won’t be an issue for most folks.
The headset’s microphone is flip-to-mute, just like its Stealth 500 counterpart. When deactivated, the microphone is flush with the headset, and activating it as simple as pulling it downward. Once active, I could push it up halfway to temporarily mute myself. Honestly, no complaints on the microphone’s construction.
I tested the Stealth 600 Gen 3 in calls and am pleased to report that its built-in AI noise reduction and echo cancelling works quite well. I know some might consider this to be an unnecessary gimmick (especially since Teams and Discord feature their own flavors of noise filtering and cancellation), but it works well out of the box without needing to make adjustments. The Swarm II app let me make some more granular microphone adjustments, but I ended up not needing to. The microphone works well out of the box without concern.
I don’t want to say that microphone adjustments and features like in-built noise cancellation are not needed in 2024, nor do I think they’re worth considering as “must-haves” in the headset space. At the $100 level, a microphone should work out of the box with as little adjustment as possible. For more money, I would expect more control in amplifying some sounds over others (as well as other microphone-specific features), but I don’t consider most headset owners to have those granular needs. If you’re on the fence about this headset and another, the in-built microphone features shouldn’t be a dealbreaker. Instead, you should look to the audio.
On the audio front, the Stealth 600 Gen 3 edges out the Stealth 500 thanks to the 50mm Nanoclear drivers that supposedly push out vibrant spatial sound and Waves 3D Audio. In my testing, the Stealth 600 Gen 3 sounds just fine, but the default Signature Sound artificially muted the bass and mids. After I made some minor EQ adjustments in the Swarm II application, I was able to get to a crisper and more accurate degree of in-game audio surpassing the Stealth 500. However, it wasn’t an outstanding audio experience. It’s great for a $100 headset, but it’s nowhere near the degree of hi-fi gaming audio that an audiophile would want.
The Stealth 600 Gen 3 does the job well, though, and that’s what matters. I get that this is a $100 headset, so I won’t hold it against Turtle Beach for not having “the best” audio on this headset. Compared to similarly-priced headsets, the Stealth 600 Gen 3 beats out the likes of the RIG 600 PRO HX (that I reviewed last year) and the lesser-priced Stealth 500. Making adjustments to EQ helped the headset, so you can get some better quality out of the headset if you tried. But, if you’re an average user, this headset will sound pretty dang good.
Before I conclude this review, let’s talk about the headset’s battery life: It lasts 80 hours on a single charge. This is, quite frankly, unbelievable for a $100 headset. In case you’re wondering, the Stealth 600 Gen 3 far surpasses the RIG 900 MAX HX’s 60 hour battery life at half the cost. In my testing, I had to fully charge the headset two times. I was astounded that this headset was able to last so many full days without needing a quick top-up on a charger, despite using it to listen to music, make calls, and play video games (of course!).
If you’re looking for the headset’s selling point, it’s that of its battery life for the price. The fact that I could connect it to my PS5 and PC and use it for as long as I did cemented the idea that this headset is perfect for long gaming sessions in front of the television and the computer. Heck, this could last a full weekend of marathon gaming without concern! My excitement aside, I’m curious as to how the headset’s lithium battery will last in the long run and how the battery may degrade over multiple charging cycles. Rechargeable batteries degrade the more they’re charged and discharged, and I’ve owned this headset for a few weeks, so it’s too early for me to tell how well this device will hold up in the long run. That said, it lasts quite a long time as is, so don’t worry too much about the future.
Like the Stealth 500, the Stealth 600 Gen 3 can be connected via Bluetoth v5.2 or via a 2.4GHz dongle. It’s compatible with Android, iOS, and PC. It took no time at all to connect to my computer, phone, and PS5, so it’s winning on the multiconnectivity front. That said, I had to update the headset’s firmware using the Swarm II app before I could use it to the fullest extent. It’s mildly frustrating to have to update firmware like this. If I was a console player, that would mean that I would have to connect the device to my phone before I could use it on my PS5. As a I mentioned in my Stealth 500 review, this is the cost of having smarter headsets in 2024, but it would be nice for a headset to work in its entirety right out of the box.
I know I have mentioned the Stealth 500 a multitude of times throughout this review. Aside from the Stealth 600 Gen 3 releasing at around the same time as the Stealth 500, it’s important to note that both headsets are competitively priced and are fit for the same types of players with small caveats. If you’re wanting “better” audio for playing on a PC, then it’s probably worth getting the Stealth 600 Gen 3. If you’re wanting to save some cash, then maybe the Stealth 500 will suffice for your needs. This is especially true if you’re a console player given that most folks don’t use their consoles for Spotify/streaming audio.
But here’s the thing, if you’re an existing Stealth 600 Gen 1 owner, this headset contains notable upgrades on the audio front, Bluetooth connectivity, and comfort. The battery life far exceeds the Gen 1 and Gen 2 of the Stealth 600. This headset is excellent for the price, but you may need to make some adjustments to the headset’s EQ to get the audio you want.
Let’s wrap this up.
The Stealth 600 Gen 3 contains notable features that previous Stealth 600 owners will love, most notably the battery life and improved audio. The headset is moderately comfortable and good for those with glasses, but it could do with some additional premium design choices to make it worth the bump above the Stealth 500’s price point. The Stealth 600 Gen 3 is an excellent headset for those wanting marathon gaming without neck strain.
