The third-generation Stealth 600 is the latest version of Turtle Beach's midrange wireless gaming headset, and the first in the line to feature Bluetooth connectivity. It also receives a massive boost in battery life, another welcome upgrade. It's otherwise very similar to its predecessor, which means it's a solid but unimpressive headset that offers detailed audio tempered by only modest bass and a mediocre microphone. For $99.99, it trails the similarly priced Razer Barracuda X, our long-standing Editors' Choice winner for budget-friendly gaming headsets.

Design: Plain and Simple

Available in black or white (for the PlayStation or Xbox versions; the PC version only comes in black), the Stealth 600 is an unassuming headset made of a matte plastic that feels pleasantly solid. Only the top of the headband and the back of the earcups change with the version you buy. Otherwise, the fabric of the earpads, the leatherette covering the underside of the headband, and the hinged struts connecting the earcups to the headband remain black. 

The earpads use soft memory foam that’s thick enough to cushion your head yet relatively breathable. The headband uses a much thinner foam layer but doesn’t press uncomfortably into the scalp. Overall, the Stealth 600 doesn’t feel quite as light or unobtrusive as the $129.99 SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless, a gaming headset with a ski goggle design that lifts the band above the head via a springy elastic suspension.

All ports and controls are found on the left earcup's back and bottom. They include volume and mic wheels, a quick-switch button that lets the headset jump between 2.4GHz and Bluetooth modes, and a USB-C port for charging. Power, audio mode, and Bluetooth pairing buttons sit slightly farther back. The hard plastic, flip-down boom mic rests against the front edge of the earcup when not in use. The mic slightly tilts forward, but its position isn’t nearly as adjustable as most other gaming headsets' boom mics on flexible, bendable arms.

The third-generation Stealth 600 is a wireless-only gaming headset designed to work over 2.4GHz on either the PC, PlayStation, or Xbox platform, depending on the model. It features Bluetooth 5.2 and supports the SBC and AAC codecs (but not AptX). This means that iPhone users can get higher-quality Bluetooth streams than Android users. Bluetooth is a new addition to the Stealth 600 line but is a common feature among wireless gaming headsets.

Turtle Beach states that the Stealth 600 can last up to 80 hours on a charge. This gives the third-generation headset more than five times as much battery life as its predecessor, which lasted up to 15 hours.

On PC, the Stealth 600's Turtle Beach Swarm II software gives you access to several settings, including a 10-band EQ for the headphones and mic. It also enables Waves3D-based spatial audio. When used with a console, the Stealth 600 gains spatial audio from PlayStation's Tempest 3D or Xbox's Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, or Windows Sonic. An iOS app is available for adjusting settings on the go.

Microphone Quality: Mediocre

The Stealth 600’s mic is decent enough. We clearly understood speech in our test recordings, though it sounded slightly sibilant and had just a hint of echo or fuzz. The boom mic’s hard arm does it no favors since its single, narrow hinge prevents it from being repositioned. It’s perfectly acceptable for voice chat and calls but falls just short of sounding clear enough to be suitable for recording or streaming. SteelSeries’ and Razer’s mics both sound significantly better.

Sound Quality: Strong on Directionality, Light on Bass

The Stealth 600 performs fairly well with music with plenty of low-end thump. On our bass test track, The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the bass synth and kick drum both came through with strong force. That said, they don’t reach the ultra-low frequencies necessary to be really palpable and head-shaking. On the bright side, the headset shows no distortion at maximum (and potentially unsafe, regardless of the response curve) volume levels.

In the busier and more varied mix of Yes’s “Roundabout,” the headset showcased impressive balance and detail. The opening acoustic guitar plucks received good resonance in the lower frequencies while letting string texture shine in the higher frequencies. We clearly discerned the many track elements when the track properly kicked in. Its slightly highs-focused, sculpted sound was a touch bright, with the bassline being more poppy than punchy. However, the instruments and vocals were present without any pushing the others into the background.

The Stealth 600’s audio balance works well for gaming, conveying strong spatial audio imaging. Fortnite on the PlayStation 5 offered lots of detail, from footsteps to gunshots, and the Tempest 3D-based panning delivered a good sense of directionality. The crackle of burning torches and braziers near an ancient Greek-themed location stood out more than the other audio effects, while gunshots and explosions received more low-mid response than bassy impact.

In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the game’s music and combat sounds have the strongest presence in the low-mids, mids, and highs, with a bit of a dip between them. Lows are given the least attention, though, and the soundtrack doesn’t convey as much gravitas as it could.

Verdict: The Stealth 600 Needs More Power and Voice Clarity

The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 3 is a decent headset held back by underwhelming bass and a less-than-stellar microphone. It offers detailed sound with a balance that complements spatial audio, but it’s outshined by several of its competitors. For the same price as the Stealth 600 Gen 3, the Razer Barracuda X features a better mic and stronger bass, earning it our Editors' Choice award. The slightly pricier SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless is another excellent pick. For $30 more, it has a lighter and more comfortable design, a quality mic, better bass, and a robust Windows app for extensively tweaking the audio profile.