Turtle Beach Stealth 700/700 Max Gen 3 wishlist: All the features I want to see

Turtle Beach has been developing audio products for over 40 years. Initially, the company gained recognition for its analog synthesizers and PC sound cards. Nowadays though, Turtle Beach is best known for producing some of the best wireless gaming headsets on the market. For example, the original Stealth 700 was one of the most successful premium gaming headsets of its time. Their updated siblings, the Stealth 700 Gen 2 and Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max, are the company’s answer to next-generation gaming. The former is an affordable alternative to the latters’ expensive, feature-rich, and platform-agnostic design. The Stealth 700 Gen 2 and Gen 2 Max came to market in 2022. Now seems an appropriate time as any to get excited about the Turtle Beach Stealth 700/700 Max Gen 3.

However, if Turtle Beach wants to remain king of the hill, there are a few improvements it will need to bring to the Turtle Beach Stealth 700/700 Max Gen 3 before their anticipated release next year. Read ahead for all of the upgrades I want to see.

A more comfortable headband

The more affordable Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 weigh 381g and feature a mostly plastic build. A metal rod runs through the headband for extra durability. The earcups’ dual-hinge system can also be angled easily to attain a better fit. The cooling-gel-coated earpads are comfortable and thick and are made of memory foam covered in leatherette and fabric. These boast carved channels that help reduce pressure on frames.

On the other hand, the high-end Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max weigh 454g. Their ear cups wear pleather padding for a more comfortable fit. Generally speaking, the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 series are a nice-feeling set of gaming headphones.

However, the headband is uncomfortably tight for those with larger heads. In particular, the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max exert excess pressure that clamps down hard onto the ears. While this helps to improve isolation and protect your audio from intrusive external noises, it can cause ear fatigue over long periods. The Turtle Beach Stealth 700/700 Max Gen 3 would benefit from a less tight headband to improve comfort and usability.

Unique control profiles

The Stealth 700 Gen 2 and 700 Gen 2 Max adorn a comprehensive list of controls on the left ear cup. These include buttons for power, audio preset modes, and Bluetooth pairing. By default, the audio preset mode is set to Turtle Beach’s “Superhuman Hearing” feature. This vastly compresses in-game noises, making quieter sound effects like footsteps as audible as louder noises like gunshots. There are two separate dials on the left ear cup to increase the overall headphone volume and sidetone/ monitor volume. You can also chat with your friends by pulling the attached microphone down from the left headphone. Doing so will automatically unmute it.

While all of the above sounds great in principle, the headphones are clumsy to operate in practice. For example, the audio mode and Bluetooth buttons are almost the same size and shape. This is also true of the two separate volume dials, which are easy to get mixed up mid-game. The Turtle Beach Stealth 700/700 Max Gen 3 should come fully equipped with unique buttons when it comes to market. This would make it easier to operate mid-game without making accidental button prompts.

Better wireless range

It can sometimes be difficult to know how to connect your gaming headset to your console. Thankfully, the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 and Gen 2 Max provide a 2.4GHz USB-A RF dongle for wireless connectivity. The original Stealth 700 Gen 2 headphones work specifically with your chosen platform. While the Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max are predominantly designed for the Xbox Series X/S, the dongle can be switched between Xbox and USB modes. This makes the Gen 2 Max compatible with other gaming platforms. These include PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, laptops, and mobile phones.

Both headphones support simultaneous connections over Bluetooth 4.2 via the SBC codec to your mobile phone. While this is a lossy connection, the Stealth 700 Gen 2 series headphones are not designed as high-res cans. Nevertheless, the wireless range of the Stealth 700 Gen 2 and Gen 2 Max could be better. They work well enough while still in the line of sight of the console. However, a short trip to the kitchen to grab a drink can cause audio dropouts and stuttering. The Turtle Beach Stealth 700/700 Max Gen 3 would benefit from a stronger and more secure Bluetooth connection.

Lower price tag

The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 serve as the cheaper sibling to the feature-rich Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max. The Stealth 700 Gen 2 cost $149 when they first came to market. Nowadays, however, they retail for ($99 at Amazon.) This is comparatively less than the Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max, which launched for $199 and can be found for ($349 at Amazon.)

However, many competitors offer a similar feature set for a fraction of the price. For example, the Razer Barracuda X ($99 at Amazon) provide a 2.4GHz wireless adapter and 3.5mm input for wired connectivity. They also weigh 250g and work with a list of platforms including Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, and mobile phones. The controls on the left ear cup boast unique profiles that make it easy to adjust mid-game. With more gaming headsets offering high-end features for less, Turtle Beach will want to make the 700/700 Max Gen 3 more affordable to stay competitive.

Improved battery life

The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 provides over 35 hours of playback time when outputting a contant 75dB(SPL.) The Stealth 700 Gen 2 does not support fast charging, but can be used while charging. Fully charging the headphones takes three or four hours. The Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max fair slightly better, delivering just over 40 hours of battery life on a single charge. The higher-end sibling supports fast charging too, providing eight hours of juice from a 15-minute charge.

Nevertheless, the Stealth 700 series headphones fall short of the mark when compared to other gaming headsets on the market. For example, the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless launched for the same price as the Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max and deliver over 327 hours per charge cycle. Likewise, the SteelSeries Arctis 7+ last over 71 hours on a single charge. If Turtle Beach wants to remain the leader of the pack, the Stealth 700/700 Max Gen 3 will need longer battery life.

Will there be a Turtle Beach Stealth 700/700 Max Gen 3?

Turtle Beach remains a leading player in the gaming headset market. This is thanks to its broad catalog and availability of affordable headphones. I see no reason why the company would not bring its next-gen upgrade to shelves soon. While there has been no official announcement yet, I fully expect the Turtle Beach Stealth 700/700 Max Gen 3 to launch in mid-to-late 2024. Turtle Beach brought its newest wireless headphones, the updated Stealth 600 Gen 2 Max, to market as recently as April 3, 2022. While they bring improved battery performance and a multi-platform design, they lack a solid bass response. The company’s “Superhuman Hearing” feature is also unpleasant to use. Turtle Beach will need to update its Stealth Series headphones with a feature-rich upgrade to stay ahead.

It is worth mentioning the updated headphones may not be called the Stealth 700/700 Max Gen 3. In true Turtle Beach fashion, we could see a shift to a Stealth 800/800 Max branding.

• Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 — August 16, 2020
• Turtle Beach Stealth 700/700 Max Gen 2 — September 20, 2020
• Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Max — April 3, 2022

Turtle Beach’s back catalog can be confusing to navigate. The company has released many different headphones under the Ear Force, Elite, Stealth, Recon, and Standalone banners. Some headphones under these monikers only work with specific gaming consoles, while others can be paired with multiple platforms. As you can see from the list above, the original Stealth 600 Gen 2 were released on August 16, 2020. The Stealth 700 Gen 2 and 700 Gen 2 Max followed shortly after on September 20, 2020. However, despite Turtle Beach’s older Stealth headphones historically wearing numerically lower model numbers, the company released its newest Stealth 600 Gen 2 Max on April 3, 2022.

Turtle Beach’s complicated headphone archive makes it tricky to ascertain a release date for the Stealth 700/ 700 Max Gen 3. Nevertheless, the company appears to favor Spring and Summer releases. Turtle Beach also sticks to a fairly regimented two-year release window. For example, the Stealth 700/700 Max Gen 2 were released two years and one month after the Stealth 600 Gen 2. The Stealth 600 Gen 2 Max came to market one year and seven months after the Stealth 700/700 Max Gen 2. Looking ahead, it seems likely that we will see the Stealth 700/700 Max Gen 3 come to market sometime in the fall of 2024.

Should you wait for the Turtle Beach Stealth 700/700 Max Gen 3?

The Turtle Beach Stealth 700/700 Max Gen 2 are the company’s answer to high-end gaming headsets. At the time of writing, you can fetch a pair of Stealth 700 Gen 2 headphones for ($99 at Amazon.) On the other hand, the feature-rich Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max will set you back ($349 at Amazon.) However, the Stealth 700/700 Max Gen 3 are expected to retail for more at launch. It is fair to question whether the next-gen upgrade is worth it, or whether you may be better off sticking with what you have.

The Stealth 700/700 Max Gen 2 are undeniably some of the best gaming headsets on the market. In addition to impressive microphone quality, the headphones reproduce audio very well. The slight emphasis below 250Hz helps to bring out gunfire and other combat foley. The included USB-A 2.4 GHz wireless RF dongle allows for multi-generation gaming and cross-compatible streaming for the Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max. The headphones support Bluetooth 4.2 with SBC Bluetooth codec connectivity. While this is lossy, it is worth remembering the headphones are not designed for high-res audio. Battery life awards over 35 hours of playtime for both headsets. The Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max deliver an extra eight hours of charge from a 15-minute top-up. However, more brands are offering a similar feature set for less. The Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max also does very little to steer the ship away from other Turtle Beach offerings. Some users may expect more for the price.

Those looking for a wireless gaming headset with breathtaking battery life should check out the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless ($151 at Amazon.) In addition to over 300 hours of battery life, these headphones wear cushioned leatherette memory foam earcups for extra comfort. The headphones’ companion app, HyperX NGenuity, provides in-depth customization features and access to DTS:X spatial sound. However, surround sound does not work with PlayStation 5 consoles. The Cloud Alpha Wireless also does not work with Xbox consoles, either.

If you are an Xbox gamer, the SteelSeries Arctis 9 Wireless ($158 at Amazon) are worth consideration. These headphones boast a comfortable mostly-metal build with soft airweave ear pads. The microphone also retracts into the left headphone nicely to keep it out of the way when not in use. Connecting over wires is easy using the 3.5mm port, which provides consistent lossless audio. Those seeking wireless connectivity can make use of the SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs. To make adjustments, the SteelSeries’ Engine app boasts an in-app EQ, stereo mode, microphone monitoring, and surround sound using the DTS:X 2 standard. The headphones also award just shy of 20 hours of playtime.

Lastly, the LucidSound LS50X ($76 at Amazon) is still a solid pick for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S gamers. While the controls feel a little clumsy at first, the headphones support wired connectivity over a 3.5mm aux port and USB-C charging. You can also connect wirelessly with Bluetooth 4.2 over the SBC and AAC codecs. The headphones last over 26 hours on a single charge when subjected to a consistent output of ~75dB. PC and Xbox gamers can also enjoy the headphones’ surround sound feature. Unfortunately, the LucidSound LS50X have a significant drop-off in sub-bass frequencies below 55Hz. This makes gunshots and combat sounds less emphasized. Nevertheless, the microphone quality is very accurate and reproduces finer details well.