Turtle Beach Stealth 450 review

US STREET PRICE$130.00

• PROS

  Affordable. Wireless. Works with the PlayStation 4.

• CONS

  Uncomfortably tight design with minimal padding. Lacks high-frequency sculpting needed for balance Surround sound isn't effective in a headset.

• BOTTOM LINE

  The Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 450 is an inexpensive wireless gaming headset that makes some compromises in comfort.

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BY WILL GREENWALD

Wireless gaming headsets are very appealing, but they're pricier than their wired equivalents. Considering this, Turtle Beach's $129.95 Ear Force Stealth 450 seems like a steal, at just over two-thirds the price of the Editors' Choice Logitech G933 Artemis Spectrum and less than half the price of the Astro Gaming A50. In addition to a wirless design, the 450 support 7.1-channel surround sound, and can work with a PlayStation 4 as a stereo headset. But it's apparent that Turtle Beach had to cut some corners to give the headset its price—the stiff padding and headband feel uncomfortable when compared with pricier, plusher wireless headsets. 

Design

The Stealth 450 is an unassuming, understated headset. It's mostly matte black plastic over the earcups and headband, with elliptical glossy black plastic back panels on the earcups that hold light-up Turtle Beach logos. The earpads are also elliptical, and comfortably surround your ears. The tension of the headband was a bit too tight for my taste, pressing inward on my head from the sides. I have a larger-than-average head, and the Stealth 450 became uncomfortable after moderate periods. The headset doesn't feel cheap or clunky by any means, but it lacks the plush, solid build of the pricier Logitech Artemis G933 or the wired Astro Gaming A40 TR. The padding on the ears feel a bit stiff and thin compared with the Astro and Logitech headsets, which really affects how the Stealth 450 sits on your head.

The left earcup holds a connector for the removable boom mic, a small black plastic tab on the end of a flexible metal arm. The right earcup holds all other connections and controls. A micro USB port charges the headset (Turtle Beach claims a listening time of up to 15 hours), and a 3.5mm jack lets you use the headset wired with the included four-pole 3.5mm audio cable. Two plastic wheels control headset and mic volume, and a large Presets button between them switches between four EQ modes (Bass Boost, Bass + Treble Boost, Natural, and Vocal Boost). Finally, the triangular Turtle Beach logo on the back panel serves as the power button.