Turtle Beach Stealth 520 Review – Brilliant Sound For Hardcore Gamers
Advanced gaming headphones are nothing new, but the Turtle Beach Stealth 520 is a breed apart. A great gaming headset can give you incredible gaming experiences with top-quality sound and the ability to play to your heart’s content without deafening everyone around you.
There are just way too many gaming headphones on the market which makes choosing the right one all the more difficult and confusing. Even though it might be a safe bet to choose a top brand, they don’t all at a reasonable cost.
So what do you do when you want a good gaming headphone but are on a modest budget? You simply buy a cheap headset! Right? Wrong! Cheap headsets may seem like the best option, but not only will they not have all the features you want, they’ll also frustrate you with performance issues, and may even fall apart after just a few uses.
Save yourself a lot of frustration and buy the Turtle Beach Stealth 520 headset, which is an affordable gaming headset with some amazing features thrown into it. Read on as we tease the features of this great headset in our review below.
Turtle Beach Stealth 520 Specs
- Brilliant surround sound with DTS Headphone:X 7.1
- Additional surround sound modes for enhanced user experience
- Superhuman Hearing technology for hearing minute sounds
- Mic monitoring lets you hear yourself and prevents shouting during gameplay
- Wireless headphones that are light and have a snug fit
- A long battery life of up to 15 hours
Is The Turtle Beach Stealth 520 The Best Gaming Headset Out There?
It is hard to find a cost-effective gaming headset that does not compromise on its features. But the Stealth 520 has a lot going for it from surround sound to a powerful built-in mic to superhuman hearing and much more. This makes it a great choice for hard-core gamers who are keen on a great sound but do not want to buy more expensive headsets.
Below you can read about the features of the Stealth 520 in great detail so that you can decide if it will be the right one for your requirements.
Wireless Convenience
No matter how good your headphones sound, it is no good if you have annoying cables running around you. But the Stealth 520 gives you complete freedom of movement during gameplay as it is wireless. It comes with a wireless adapter that can be plugged into the USB port of your gaming console. It is compatible with gaming consoles of PS4 Pro, PS3, and PS4.
You can even stream movies and music to your gamin headphone and enjoy wireless connectivity. Its wireless feature is very powerful and does not get dropped due to interference or obstacles in the vicinity.
Brilliant Sound
Gaming headphones don’t just help you hear game sounds without disturbing people around. At least that is not why you would buy a great pair of headphones as the Stealth 520. This one comes with DTS surround sound for the most immersive gaming experience.
In addition to giving you crystal clear sound it lets you choose from presets such as natural, base + treble boost, bass-boost, and vocal boost. But the icing on the cake has to be the surround sound which makes 3D games more fun to play.
You can also use it for watching movies or to listen to music. It has custom surround settings which in combination with EQ audio presets gives the most incredible sound possible that you will never want to play games again without it.
Superhuman Hearing
Give yourself a winning advantage over other players when you use the Stealth 520. With its Superhuman Hearing feature, even the smallest of sounds like footsteps or an approaching vehicle can be heard. You will be in total control of the game and defeat your opponents easily.
Chat Friendly
These headphones come with a dynamic chat boost feature which will let you chat comfortably with online players. This feature automatically increases chat volumes to help you hear other players during game sound spikes.
Design
As the Turtle Beach Stealth 520 is meant for use with the PlayStation gaming consoles, its design has been made to match them. It’s a full black body with blue lights on the back of the ear cups. It comes with two high-quality 50 mm speakers that are large enough to let you hear the full range of sound in crystal clarity.
The mouthpiece is flexible and can easily be set to the desired position for optimum performance. Even if you want to move it away for a quick sip of water you can do so easily. What’s even better is that the mouthpiece is detachable if you find it to be bothersome for games that don’t require the speak or chat option.
Controls
Using the controls on the Stealth 520 is easy and intuitive. On the back of the right ear cup are the volume buttons to quickly adjust the volume when necessary. A button in the center lets you either turn or off the surround sound feature. The button for the Superhuman Hearing is placed on the back of the left ear cup. With use, you will be able to navigate through the buttons just by feeling them.
Fit and Comfort
The headset is very light and you won’t feel any neck strain even after hours of gaming. The ear cushions are large and sit comfortably over your ears. They have a circumaural design to give you a comfortable fit around the ear. They are also made of perforated synthetic leather that keeps your ears well ventilated and give a cushioning effect. They do a great job of preventing outside sounds from entering your headphones and give a rich bass sound.
The ear cups also have a swivel range of 110 degrees. So no matter what your head shape, the Stealth 520 will give you the best fit. The headband is also lined on the inside with padding which adds to the overall comfort and snug fit of the headset.
Mic Monitoring
With most gaming headphones, you tend to shout when talking to other players. But the Stealth 520 comes with a mic monitoring feature that lets you hear yourself. Therefore, you can simply talk to the other players and save yourself a great deal of shouting.
Battery Life
Source: gizmodo.com
If you are a hardcore gamer, you know that it is hard to get enough of your game just by playing for a short time. As gaming can easily extend to many hours of play, having a good battery life on your gaming headset is important to prevent frequent charging episodes.
The Stealth 520 comes with an inbuilt battery that has an impressive battery life of up to 15 hours when fully charged. So you can play all day and not worry about running out of charge when you are in the middle of an interesting game. You can also take these headphones with you on your trips and listen to your favorite music on the go.
Other Key Turtle Beach Stealth 520 Features:
Mobile Cable
The headset comes with a mobile cable in the box which comes in handy to take phone calls with hands-free comfort. You can also connect your smartphone with it for gaming on the go or connect it to your tablet for watching movies or listening to music.
Durable
The headset is made of high-quality plastic to be durable and light at the same time. The matte finish prevents scratches from forming on the surface. So your headphones will keep looking new for a really long time.
Easy Set-Up
Setting up the Stealth 520 is super-easy and takes only about 5 minutes to get you started. The only hitch may be that it requires a dedicated USB port and so if you have only limited ports then you may have to plug and unplug every time you want to play.
Price
If you are budget-conscious, then everything finally just boils down to the price of the gaming headphone. But the Stealth 520 is quite a bargain retailing for under $100 as it packs quite a number of features for a mid-range gaming headphone.
Turtle Beach Stealth 520 Headset – The Good and the Bad
Pros
- Immersive sound experience with DTS surround sound
- Superhuman hearing for hearing even the smallest sound
- Surround sound modes for an immersive gameplay
- Long battery life for extended gameplay
- Handsome and game-ready looks
Cons
- The design is a bit bulky and not as light as one would expect it to be
Conclusion – Is the Turtle Beach Stealth 520 worth buying?
The Turtle Beach Stealth 520 is truly a steal deal for its price point as it comes with so many features that are comparable to more expensive headsets. It has great customer reviews who swear by its brilliant sound capabilities, comfort and ease of use.
If you have been on the wall about buying a good gaming headphone because of budget constraints then it is time to buy the Stealth 52. It will amaze you with its features and let you play your favorite PlayStation games even for extended periods of time without causing any fatigue. It is a must buy if a great sound is your number one priority in a gaming headphone.
You might also like our reviews of other gaming gear like gaming keypads and the Benq gaming monitor.