The new Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max offers good workmanship paired with an appealing sound and high mileage. However, these advantages have their price, which is not reflected in the choice of materials and the microphone quality. The app belonging to the headset, on the other hand, urgently needs to be revised.
Table of contents
- 1 Headphones and microphone like day and night< ol>
- Design, workmanship and price
- Connectivity and run times
- App with little added value
- Improved sound
- Problem case microphone
- Conclusion
Design, workmanship and price
Turtle Beach presents a new Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max Wireless headset that is sorted above the Stealth 600 Gen 2 Max (test) and has its origins in the Stealth 600 G2 (test) in design issues. Thus, the manufacturer's naming does not necessarily make it easy for potential buyers to keep track.
If the price screw between the Stealth 600 Gen 2 and the Max version was increased from around 100 to 130 euros with slight improvements in terms of sound and runtimes, but the same choice of materials, Turtle Beach officially demands almost 200 euros for a change of ownership of the new headset – in retail it is around 160 euros at the end of July 2022. But there are also other innovations in this case.
Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max also increased with the price. In general, the new headset seems to be bulkier and more valuable at first glance. The changed material is also reflected in the weight, which has also increased from 380 g to the previous 294 g.
The changes are already evident on the headband. While the older model still used brittle plastic, Turtle Beach has given the newcomer a smoother and slightly rubberized surface. The bracket itself is now also made of metal and no longer also made of plastic. This ensures a much tighter fit, which is well absorbed by the ear pads. The padding on the lower side of the headband, on the other hand, remains unchanged and could therefore have been a little thicker in the new generation.
The Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max uses too much plastic in some places for the asking priceThere are also no changes to the suspension of the ear cups. The manufacturer failed to make it more stable by using metal. The same applies to the side covers, which are also made of plastic. As with the predecessors, the ear cups can be turned inwards by almost 100 degrees and can therefore also be adapted to any head shape in the new model. They have also grown in size, which results in the bulkier appearance.
Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Max Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Design: over-ear, closed Driver: neodymium, 50 mm Connections: detachable cable on the headset Can be used on mobile devices via USB C, detachable cable on the headset cable detachable on the headset Wireless connections: radio, Bluetooth radio Frequency range headphones: radio: 20 Hz – 22,000 Hz
Bluetooth: 20 Hz – 22,000 Hz Radio: 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz Wireless runtime: 40 hrs 48 hrs 15 hrs Wireless distance: 10 m 15 m 6 m Wireless charging: No Headset controls: Yes Wired remote control: No Integrated sound card : Yes Surround sound: No Microphone frequency range: ?
? ? Microphone properties: foldable, mute, adjustable RGB lighting: No Cooling: Passive – Vibration function: No Weight: 380 g 294 g 290 g Price: from €160 €129.99 from €62
Particular attention is paid to the easily exchangeable ear pads. These are not only thicker and firmer in the new headset than in the indirect predecessor, but also have a gel layer that is supposed to keep the ears cool even in summer temperatures. In the test, however, no difference to other headsets without cooling could be identified. For the surface, Turtle Beach uses a mixture of artificial leather on the sides and a fabric cover on the contact surface.
Microphone almost invisible
In the new headset, the microphone is also attached to the left ear cup and, when folded up, is completely picked up by it. This means that the sound pickup can simply be folded down and activated if required. The joint mechanism, in order to be able to bring the microphone closer to the mouth, which is still not particularly large at 7 cm, has also been revised and now appears more stable and at the same time more discreet.
The microphone of the stealth 700 Gen 2 Max packs away completelyThe control elements with which the headset can be operated in a basic way can also be found in the same place. As with the predecessors, this includes the volume of the headphone unit and the level of the microphone. Below this are the buttons for switching on the headset as well as the mode and pairing buttons for establishing a Bluetooth connection.
Connectivity and runtimes
The Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max has several ways to transfer content. Most users should be able to connect the headset wirelessly to the respective source, with both PCs and Microsoft's Xbox being supported. It is transmitted at 2.4 GHz, but the distance is disappointing at 10 m and a drywall in between – even cheap representatives can do more.
In addition, the headset can be controlled via Bluetooth in version 4.2. This can be very helpful, since phone calls could also be accepted when used during a gaming session. The balance between the two sources can be adjusted in the app, which will be discussed in more detail later. Use via USB connection is not intended, it is only used to charge the battery and install firmware updates.
In some places, the Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max uses too much plastic for the asking priceThe manufacturer specifies the runtime as 40 hours, which is a little less than the 600 -Stealth variant fails. In general, such runtimes are now not uncommon and therefore no longer a unique selling point – HyperX names a runtime of 300 hours for its Cloud Alpha Wireless (test).
But even at 40 hours, it is already difficult to check the information. With such values, a different source device, a different volume or even a different content can lead to deviating measurements – which as a whole can change the battery performance considerably and ultimately make up differences in the hour range. But even if the values specified by Turtle Beach are not fully achieved, the power storage should last a whole weekend in most cases.
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Mobile app and sound