Turtle Beach Stealth 500 Review: I didn’t expect to like it as much as I do [Video]

 Next up in our coverage of Turtle Beach’s latest releases is the brand-new Stealth 500 multi-platform gaming headset. At just $80, it’s the entry-level current-generation wireless headset from Turtle Beach. It features wireless and Bluetooth, is super lightweight, and packs signature audio modes like Superhuman Hearing, and I didn’t expect to like it as much as I do. Be sure to watch the video below to see all of the details. 

Overview

Turtle Beach is offering the Stealth 500 in three different versions—one for PC, one for PlayStation, and one for Xbox. The Xbox version is compatible with PC, PlayStation, and Switch, which makes it stand out in my mind. 

Turtle Beach sent me the Playstation variant of the Stealth 500. I don’t have a Playstation but I was able to test everything on my PC.

All versions have Bluetooth, which makes them compatible with Switch. Unfortunately, it’s not simultaneous with wireless. You won’t be able to hear audio from both at the same time and you need to push a physical button to switch between the two different modes.

Design

It’s easy to see some of the Stealth-series design cues in the Stealth 500, like the flip-to-mute mic, but there are many things that distinguish it from the older 600 and 700. 

First off, the Stealth 500 has a simple elastic band rather than adjustable arms. Those solid arms also don’t swivel to lay flat. The earcups have also been refined and don’t have the same gamery look as the 600 and 700. 

Stealth 500: Video

Stealth 500: Controls

All of the controls are located on the left earcup. Starting from the top is the master volume wheel and then a dial for adjusting mic monitoring. On the Xbox version, this second dial will adjust the game/chat mix.

Next up is the Bluetooth quick-switch button, a USB-C charging port, and a status light.

Further outside the earcup is a Bluetooth multi-function button, an EQ mode button, and a power button. In the manual it states that pressing the power button will toggle Superhuman hearing mode on and off but at least when connected to my PC, this didn’t work as intended. 

Better than budget comfort

Where the Stealth 500 really shines is in its simple and lightweight comfort. I’ve been pretty critical of other Turtle Beach headsets because of the excessive (in my opinion) clamping force that they all employ–even on the high-end Stealth Pro.

The Stealth 500 bucks that trend, though, and delivers a comfortable clamp and lightweight comfort that I can easily wear for hours. 

The pleather earpads do get warm and make me wonder if upgrading them to some Wicked Cushions would improve the overall experience. 

Audio quality

While it doesn’t leave me speechless, I was also impressed with the audio quality of the Stealth 500. It does sound like it favors low-end that can be a bit muddy out of the box, but that can be dialed down with EQ. 

Likewise the highs suffer a bit compared to higher-end headsets. It loses a bit of the brilliance from cymbals when listening to metal tracks like “Mist” by Protest the Hero.

But the Stealth 500 makes up for those slight shortcomings by delivering crisp, clear mids. In that same track, “Mist” by Protest the Hero, the guitars are easy to distinguish and separate from the otherwise fast-paced, cluttered song. 

This also translates well over into gaming with clarity and positioning for crucial audio cues in-game. While playing Battlebit, I had a great sense of my surroundings and was able to pick up on critical sounds throughout the often chaotic battles.

EQ Adjustments 

Through SWARM II, there is a 10-band EQ adjustment. Pressing the EQ button on the headset will cycle through the default modes–signature sound, bass boost, treble and bass boost, and vocal boost.

Personally, I found myself using the signature sound the most out of those choices. I think the Stealth 500 has enough low-end out-of-the-box and doesn’t need a boost. In fact, I made a music tune that brought some of the low end down even more. Custom EQs can also be created and saved with presets in SWARM II. 

Mic Test

The microphone sounds pretty good for an $80 wireless headset, but of course it can’t compete with heavy-hitters like the Astro A50 X or the Corsair HS80. The noise gate helps to knock out background noise but it isn’t a AI-noise cancellation like you can find in SteelSeries Sonar. I wouldn’t put the noise gate above 30-40 for fear of some of my voice comms getting cut off.

Stealth 500: In-Use

Because of its comfort, I’ve enjoyed using the Stealth 500 more than expected from a “budget” wireless Turtle Beach headset. It also performs well for me for the types of games I play. It has plenty of presence to make games like Forza Motorsport interesting and enough clarity and detail that I feel like I can hear enemies when playing Battlebit or Battlefield 2042

Battery life is rated to 40 hours and that is plenty of time for a wireless headset. It will last multiple days in between charging.

gadgetnewsonline’ Take

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the Stealth 500. Given my history of finding most Stealth headsets rather uncomfortable due to a heavy clamping force, I was expecting to feel the same thing here. But its lightweight, simple design and surprisingly detailed mids made the Stealth 500 really enjoyable for my gaming experiences.

It doesn’t take much more to climb higher up the headset ladder, though. The latest Stealth 600 Gen 3 costs just $20 more. 

Buy Stealth 500

Xbox version

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