The Turtle Beach 600 vs. 700 Standoff: Which Works Best For You?

Decisions, decisions. That’s what many gamers have come to realize when choosing between the very successful lines of gaming headphone stalwart Turtle Beach. Over the years the company has unvieled lines of headsets in both the budget-minded and more professional categories that have delighted both the casual and E-Sports player alike. So with the next gaming generation on the horizon, Turtle Beach has gotten ahead of the game by reminding everyone that their own revamped Gen 2 line of Stealth 600 (Turtle Beach, MSRP $99.99 buy it HERE) and Stealth 700 (Turtle Beach, MSRP $149.99 buy it HERE) gaming headsets are ready to meet the demand this holiday, whether it’s for a new or current console gaming generation.

But which one should you choose? Some of the basic questions have to get answered together. When it comes to key factors why people favor a particular headset, the second generation Stealth 600 and 700 have similarities. They both have the excellent sound quality needed to be at the forefont of whatever the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series can deliver. Whether loading up the moving Halo theme, listening to the Mass Effect soundtrack trilogy, or playing through Nathan Drake’s adventure in Uncharted, both have solid 50mm drivers that deliver a super deep, rich bass and spatialized sound that accentuates everything hard core players love about their gaming. Add to this the ability to add on Turtle Beach’s patented Superhuman Hearing, and when needed gives the player the ability to focus in on specific audial details (foot steps, fighting in the distance, weapon reloading) that can give the gamer an edge in their next multiplayer matchup or make it easier to pave their way through a grueling campaign. There all some small latency and infrequent audio hiccups from time to time (especially at higher volume), but for 99% of the time both Stealth sets deliver an audio quality that rivals anything else within its price range.

The two also share in common a larger (for this series) omni-directional microphone that provides satisfactory communication levels for multiplayer gaming, streaming, and podcasting options. When not in use or when the player wants to mute their voice, simply retract the microphone to at least halfway and your silence over the airwaves has now been activated. Sure, there are better mic options out there, especially considering stand-alone mics, but with an emphasis on a booming, enthralling sound most will consider it a worthwhile trade off.

The options for each get even better as the sound can be adjusted even further via the Turtle Beach Audio Hub app found on Windows, Mac, iOS, or Android. The ability to make even minute changes to the sound levels, bass and treble, and amount of Superhuman Hearing desired via this application, although the installation of which has layers of difficulty that vary from one component to the other. The mobile version was quick and easy, but for the PC it was incomplete without access to controls, even after being prompted and recognized to connect the Stealth 700 and USB dongle (for Playstation and PC setups) to the computer itself.

But from here on out, that’s where the similarities between the Stealth 600 and 700 end. The easiest way to categorize is this by detailing it through the Steatlh 700 unit. The 700’s are a much more comfortable fit than the 600’s, infused by their exclusive Aerofit cooling gel with memory foam padding. While its less-expensive cousin was built with a fabric and foam cushioning which comes off as less covering and more burdensome as a whole for the ears. With the previous generation of Stealth headsets, the hits and drawbacks kind of balanced out the twos relative value to each other. But with Gen 2, the Stealth 700 has a clear-cut advantage with improved battery life (20 hours for the 700 to 15 for the 600), included bluetooth, and a design that’s sturdier and more comfortable that what the 600 version can offer.

If the opportunity arose in 2019 to test these two out the race would have been a dead heat. But flash forward twelve months later and it’s clear Turtle Beach has placed a clear emphasis in providing a better value within the confines of the Stealth 700 that what was made for it before. Sure, both headsets rock with a sound that has to be heard to be believed and enough functionality that both units would be a fair option for consumers. But in this ever-filling marketplace of gaming headsets, and the increasing demand people have for a quality experience due to a larger emphasis on video gaming as a whole with a new generation of consoles on the way, the extra fifty dollars for the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 would definitely be money well spent.

Turtle Beach Stealh 600:

Turtle Beach Stealth 700:

(Please note that for this review, Pop Culture Cosmos/Game Source did receive a review code/model/sample from the company/developer/public relations firm responsible for distribution to the press.)