
Turtle Beach – Stealth 500 Wireless Gaming Headset for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC & Mobile – Black
$79.99
The Turtle Beach® Stealth™ 500 wireless amplified gaming headset for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One redefines what an “entry-level” wireless headset is capable of. Equipped with low-latency, 2.4GHz wireless for gaming on Xbox® consoles plus Bluetooth® 5.2 connectivity for use on PC, & mobile, the Stealth™ 500 is designed for versatile gaming on console & mobile. Easily toggle back-and-forth between 2.4GHz wireless & Bluetooth® connections using the QuickSwitch button located right on the bottom of the headset. An ultra-lightweight design with a floating headband eliminates any pressure points for a perfect fit and leatherette-wrapped memory foam ear cushions provide non-stop comfort and enhanced noise isolation. A staggering battery life of up to 40 hours is best in its class, plus it features quick charge so you can get back in the game right away. Precision-tuned 40mm drivers are amplified to deliver renowned Turtle Beach® audio quality, optimized for spatial audio right out of the box. And to dial in your audio quality even further use the Swarm™ II desktop software for PC, or mobile app for iOS & Android devices to adjust EQ settings, activate Superhuman Hearing®, toggle EQ presets and more. Lead your team to victory with ultra-clear voice accuracy thanks to a flip-to-mute omni-directional microphone. Plus, you can activate mic monitoring using the Swarm™ II app so you can hear the level of your own voice to avoid shouting.
NedsonP –
This product is very amazing, inexplicable sound quality l, I can have a great experience
Spearfish –
Bought this for my girlfriend works great easy to connect to Xbox series s
Txstatesal –
I’ve had my headset for a few days now and there are two ways I play… something chill where it’s a story mode game and then a first person shooter game. Bother are polar opposites so for me they gave me a good pulse on the quality of audio, dynamic, and comfortable.
The most important thing for me is comfort and the weight that a headset add to me for hours of gaming. This headset is light as a feather and the ear cushions do not squeeze your head to the point of a headache. I have had similar headsets that squeeze to hard that I can’t wear them for long periods of time.
The battery life is on point and I didn’t have to charge my headset all week! That speaks volumes for someone like me who jumps on to play games after work for hours at a time.
The design is true to Turtle Beach’s design, very modern, with comfort in mind for the person wearing them. The headset has two dials: volume for hearing and microphone for voice. Which leads me to the voice clarity where my team that I play my games with have mentioned that my voice is clear and other noise around me is fairly limited or none existent.
This headset isn’t fussy, you’ll have three pieces to get started: headset, charging cable, and dongle for the Xbox. With a push of a button the wireless feature is activated and you are set to jump into your game.
I have had several Turtle Beach headsets if there is one thing you must know is that your are getting top notch quality in the Stealth 500.
Ponskippa –
I’ve been gaming on my xbox series x with this pair of headphones for the past week and I’d like to share my thoughts.
I’ll start by talking about its build quality. They are mostly made of plastic, the headband is adjustable and the foam on the ear cups is soft memory foam. They bounce back to their shape rather quickly. They are quite comfortable for long gaming sessions and they are probably the best thing about this headset. They are lightweight and comfortable. They have 40mm drivers in the speakers and the microphone adjusts 4 ways. Up / down (mute / unmute ) and it swivels left and right a little. Surprise! I like that about it. They charge via the included usb C cable and battery life is excellent! Ive yet to charge them since the initial out of the box charge. Turtle beach claims 40 hours of battery life and I think it’s safe to say that it holds true.
The headphones will pair to just about any device via bluetooth, but turtle beach includes a 2.4 ghz dongle to pair them with the xbox series X. This is the preferred way to connect to your Xbox, as it will provide the lowest latency and strongest connection. The headphones pair very quickly with the dongle and provide a strong stable connection. I can roam around my place without it dropping connection.
Sound Quality: This is where I was a little let down. Are they bad? No. They’re decent..
but if you’ve owned any pair of “low end” turtle beach headphones in the last 5 years or so.. you’ll know what to expect. They sound about the same to my ears. Ive owned several pairs of turtle beach headphones and they’ve all pretty much sound the same to me. I’ll go ahead and call it the turtle beach signature sound. They have a trebly and “digital” / processed sound. There isn’t much bass on these, so explosions sound low res and trebly. Reminiscent of the 16/32 bit games I’d play as a child haha. It makes me think that they’ve crammed the same drivers and speakers of past into a new shell.
Perhaps some of it is the fault of the Xbox.. and the audio drivers in it. So I won’t bash them on sound.
They’re decent, but they won’t blow your mind ( or ears for that matter)
Microphone quality is great, and if you plan on using them to chat with your friends or live stream with these I think you will be happy with these. They have two volume rockers on the left ear cup.. one is for master volume and the other is for mixing game audio and chat audio. So convenient!
There is no aux port in these, so keep in mind that they are strictly wireless!
Would I recommend these? Sure.. especially if you just want something reliable, with great battery life and easy to pair with your console. It’s hard to match the features that these wireless headphones bring to the table (at this price point) and I think the vast majority of gamers will be perfectly happy with these headphones. If you are an audiophile and command the best sound quality.. I would look elsewhere.
dorkhead2 –
If you are buying the headset for use with an XBOX, then it is a quality headset with a lot of features. However, if you want to use it with any of the other devices it is compatible with, you will find a lot of limitations.
Pros
First, when pairing with an XBOX X or S, this headset shines. The Stealth 500 allows XBOX gamers the ability to go wireless for a budget friendly price. The headset provides good quality sound from the 40mm drivers. Its ability to reproduce spatial sound within games is good. For example, I could tell the direction of footsteps, whether they were to my left, right, or behind me. In terms of bass, the headset has decent bass. Plus, there are 4 sound presents available in the app that allow for different listening profiles. Each profile is very distinct and useful. The key to all these features is the 2.4GHz wireless USB transmitter. When gaming, it is best to use a wireless transmitter over Bluetooth because the sound is better and there isn’t any lag. The headset and included USB transmitter work perfectly on an XBOX.
The best part of the headset, in my opinion, is the phone app. The Swarm II app is well designed and easy to use. All the headset’s unique features are easily presented. It’s a good place to control the headset’s settings as an alternative to the physical buttons found on the headset itself. It’s within the app that I was able to learn and understand the various features this headset offers, such as game and chat mix, noise gate, and monitoring volume. It’s not often that an app works so seamlessly with a product. The headset, app, and wireless transmitter stay synced at all times and I did not experience any lag when adjusting settings.
TIPS
One thing I do want to note is, when setting up the headset for the first time, I recommend you do this process through the app. The app will update the headset and USB transmitter to the latest firmware immediately. I unfortunately made the mistake of trying to set everything up through my computer and ran into a lot of problems. I downloaded the Swam II program for Windows and attempted to do the updates through this method, but I couldn’t get the program to recognize the headset properly. After spending some time trouble shooting, I came across a suggestion online stating that the included USB C cable must be used when updating the firmware. I could have saved myself a lot of time and frustration if this was mentioned in the user guide. I guess the headset cannot be updated wirelessly through the computer as it can via the mobile app.
Cons
This version of the headset was mainly designed for the XBOX. While it technically works with a PC and Nintendo Switch, it doesn’t work all that well. Turtle Beach’s website states that the USB wireless transmitter isn’t designed to work with a PC or Nintendo Switch. I tested the headset by connecting it through the transmitter on my PC and the results were mixed. Sometimes, I would get good audio, but other times it would drop out. Maybe this is something they will work out with software updates in the future, but as of right now, it is not supported. What is supported is the ability to connect the headset via Bluetooth to the PC, mobile phone, and Nintendo Switch. I have tested all three connections, and they all work flawlessly. One thing to note, while the Stealth 500 XBOX version can connect to the Nintendo Switch via Bluetooth, you are not able to use the mic during gameplay because the Switch does not support mic usage through a Bluetooth connection. And, as mentioned earlier, the USB wireless transmitter does not work when connected to the Switch’s base. I tried it and no sound was transmitted to the headset. However, the mic works as it should via Bluetooth when connected to a PC or mobile phone. And the sound quality produced by this headset makes it a good option to listen to music and videos on your computer and phone.
Another downside is the headset does not have a standard 3.5mm plug. So, you won’t have the ability to use a wired connection to any device. For some, this may not matter, but for others, it may be a needed option.
Overall
This is a good budget friendly wireless headset for the XBOX. The sound quality is good, and the features are plentiful for an entry level wireless headset. Not to mention, the app is well designed and enhances the experience by allowing you to adjust many of the features available with this headset. However, if you need a gaming headset that works specifically for a PC, PS5, or Nintendo Switch, I suggest looking at other headsets offered by Turtle Beach. Otherwise, it is a great option for the XBOX.
DaveW –
I have used a lot of wireless headsets over the years, and the Stealth 500’s are the 4th Turtle Beach headset I have owned. I have last years Stealth 600 Gen 2 for the Xbox, so I was surprised to see the new design of the 500’s for this year, which looks to be a departure from years past.
Build Quality/Design
The 500 is a closed back design with a hinged mic and volume/EQ controls. There are no visible wires running along the headband or even up from the earcups, so it looks very clean from a design standpoint. The headset connects to Xbox (Series and One), and PC with a USB transmitter. It can also connect with Bluetooth 5.2 to PC, mobile, Playstation and Switch this way as well. The headset uses the companion Swarm II app for additional EQ settings through your PC or phone. The headset uses a suspension band design for the headband. All parts are still plastic, so the headset remains surprisingly light. The earcups are wrapped in a faux leather material but are soft and comfortable. The earcups are fixed to the headband, so there is any rotation, but they do have a slight pivot to help them lay flat on your head. The suspension band can adjust for larger and smaller head sizes – mine sits right in the middle which is the out-of-box setting.
The right earcup is featureless while the left holds all the controls/ports – EQ mode, power, volume wheel, chat mixer wheel, connection switcher, and USB C charging port. The volume and chat mixer wheels have upper and lower stopping points – you hear a beep when you hit the end of the wheels range. On PC the volume wheel controls the headset level only – your system sound level is not affected. Holding the power button for 2 seconds turns on the headset – you will hear a few beeps to confirm that it is on. The mic boom is short and stubby that is concealed in the left earcup. It folds downs with a little bit of force. It has multiple detents along its range of motion to hold it in place. You will hear some beeps as you fold it down/up to indicate the mute status. The boom can angle slightly inwards by bending it at a little hinge point.
Specs on the headset are pretty good. The battery life at 40 hrs is impressive – I haven’t come close to emptying them after 10-15 hours of game time. I haven’t seen any specs for the range on the headset. Bluetooth 5.2 is usually around 30-40 feet which seems about right from what I have experienced. In 2.4GHz mode I have gone 75+ feet away in an office with multiple walls and other wireless devices without any audio issues. The earcups come loaded with 40mm drivers, which is what I would expect in an entry level headset.
Comfort
I have a lot of love for suspension band setups – it’s the design I gravitate to the most for its comfort and flexibility. The biggest killer for suspension bands is weight and too narrow of a band. The 500’s are incredibly light and have a 7/8” wide suspension band. Both of these specs are a really good indication for comfort. However, the band has no additional padding – it is just a cloth/elastic band. The omission of extra padding is unfortunate since so much is right with the design for lightweight comfort. My older TB Elite Pro 2’s, Corsair HS80’s, and 2 Rig 800’s have heavier builds with similar band widths, but their bands have additional padding. This helps to avoid that feeling of a pressure band across the top of my head after longer sessions. This isn’t to say these are uncomfortable at all, but a little extra padding would take these from great to amazing comfort.
The earcups are fairly comfortable as well and the faux leather material provides a nice seal and added noise isolation. I wear glasses, which was a little bit of an issue with the earcups on the Gen 2 600’s. This does not appear to be an issue at all with the 500’s – my glasses have no effect on the comfort of the earcups. The only comment I have on the material is the faux-leather does trap a little bit of heat. The earcups are removable, so if you get hot ears you might look to swap the earcups out for a mesh/cloth alternative. Otherwise, the earcups feel pretty good.
At this price point I feel like the 500’s punch above their weight in terms of comfort.
Compatibility
These Stealth 500’s are wirelessly compatible via USB dongle for Xbox One/S/X, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Plugging the receiver into the back of my Series X and my One X was the only setup required. A notification popped up that a headset was assigned, and it was ready to go. The Xbox interface assigns the headset to the signed in account and it detects battery level as well. Plugging the receiver into my PC was a similar experience and it worked just like any plug-n-play device. I didn’t have a chance to install the PC based Swarm app, but I have read that it enables greater EQ controls over the mobile app. The mobile app has been pretty useful/handy so far, which is the only reason I haven’t done the PC app.
You can also connect the headset via Bluetooth to any Bluetooth compatible device. That means it can connect to mobile, PC, Switch, and Playstation. This wide compatibility sets the Xbox version of the headset apart because it’s the only one that can connect to all systems. The headset does not feature any controls like you might find on a pair of earbuds – music and call controls are absent. The volume and mixer wheels only affect the headset, and do not control the devices the headset is connected to.
Sound
The 500’s have 4 different EQ profiles to choose from: Signature, Bass Boost, Bass+Treble Boost, Vocal Boost. This is the order that the “Mode” button will cycle through them. Signature is still a flat EQ profile that is an “all-around” mode. Base Boost picks up the lows a bit, but not drastically. Bass+Treble is a V shape profile that boosts the highs and lows – this mode has the most dynamic feel to it for me. Vocals picks up the mids and highs, and works well for dialogue or things like an audiobook. As you cycle through the modes you hear 1-4 beeps depending on which mode is chosen. There is also the Superhuman Hearing mode that you turn on with a quick press of the power button. This drops the bass off completely and picks up the mids and highs in order to highlight noises like footsteps or gunshots. I have tried it in the past on the 600’s and here again on the 500’s – its not really for me. It does what it aims to do, but I don’t care for sound processing effect. Using the phone app you can toggle between 3 profiles – Legacy, Footsteps, and Gunshots
The 500’s use 40mm driver, which is the same as what many of my headsets have used. The 40mm drivers keep the cost as well as the weight down on the headsets, so it’s a decent tradeoff. The 40’s sound pretty good across the range, but the smaller drivers lack the bass punch of the larger 50mm drivers that you would find in the 600’s. For that reason, I preferred to keep the EQ mode in either Bass Boost or Bass+Treble Boost when listening to music and playing most games. The only time I would kick it over to Signature mode was during multiplayer matches where I had a party chat going on. The pumped EQ’s became a little much with the added chat.
For games I’ve mostly been playing Halo Infinite or MCC with some GTA. The 500’s handle the sound mixing from these games without any issues. The volume out of the headset is more than enough. For Halo I mainly kept it on Bass+Treble because it seemed to help me pick up explosions and gunfire a little better. Signature sounds pretty good as well, and I have no problem playing on that EQ. With GTA I didn’t find the need for a Treble boost as much so I stuck with just the Bass Boost or Signature EQ for most of my play time. I think it really comes down to how you want to make the games feel. With Bass+Treble the game sounds a lot more dynamic than just Bass or Signature, which is why I like it for FPS games. I play GTA for a more casual time, so I don’t want or need as much of an assault on my senses.
Mic
The mic is just like my 600’s – short, stubby, and tucked away in the earcup. Due to the low clamping force of the earcups and the resistance of the mic boom to movement I do have to grip the earcup while rotating the mic up or down. This makes quick mute/unmute mic boom movements more difficult – I will see if more usage will loosen things up a bit. The mic on its own works just fine. There’s a little bit of muddiness with your voice so I sounded a little bit quieter than with some of my other headset mics, but it’s not bad at all. The side tone is enabled by default and it works great. Once you pair it up with the Swarm II app you can start to fiddle with the settings. Default settings had Side Tone and Sensitivity set to max, and the Noise Gate set to around 30%. The noise gate and sensitivity settings work together to kind of set a range of sound that it will pick up. These settings can be useful in a noisy environment where you want to cut out background noise. I messed around with it a bit and turned the noise gate setting up slightly to block out the sound of my HVAC blower a little better. I dialed back the sensitivity a bit as well to limit the mic from picking up my kids playing games on my other TV. I am going to keep messing with it a bit more, but it’s nice to have these controls.
Conclusion
Overall, the new Stealth 500’s are a really great headset. I am a little shocked at how good these are for their price point. They have a wide compatibility range, lightweight design, and are very comfortable. I honestly think Turtle Beach has a winner with these.
TimothyTrimble –
The Turtle Beach Stealth 500 wireless gaming headset is a fair performer for the budget-conscious gamer. The headset’s setup required downloading the Swarm II app onto my iPhone for pairing and performing a firmware update. It took me a few minutes to realize I couldn’t connect to the headset until I plugged the USB dongle into my computer. The app on my phone is a nice touch that allows me to change headset settings and monitor the battery while playing a game on the computer.
The headset has a flexible headband with a fabric strap for comfort. I appreciate the headset’s light weight, which makes it comfortable for long gaming sessions. While it did fit well on my head, there is no way to adjust the length of the headband. However, the fabric strap can be adjusted by changing which notch it fits on each side. The earcups are cushy fake leather padding, deep and wide enough to cover my ears and provide some external sound filtering. I did sweat a little after a few hours of gaming, but the earcups can easily be shifted to sit on my ears to provide some airflow without a lot of force on my ears. I did have some difficulty getting used to the placement of the buttons and volume knobs. While there are unique textures on the buttons, I mainly learned their positions for use.
The Swarm II app provides presets for gaming. I preferred the Signature Sound setting for gaming and the Base and Treble Boost when listening to music. I’m not sure if the Superhuman Hearing settings were helpful for my flight simulation gaming, so I kept them set to Legacy. The app allows you to set mic sensitivity, noise canceling, and monitoring volume. You can also adjust the prompts (voice and tones) volume and auto shut-off time.
The sound quality is decent for the headset’s budget pricing. I would have liked a little more bass when playing music, but for flight simulation, it was clear and crisp enough to maintain the realism. I did receive reports of the mic being a little weak. I got a lot of use over four days before needing a recharge.
Overall, for the price, the Stealth 500 is a decent gaming headset for casual gaming without having to deal with wires.
KAYLA –
great headphones i love the sound and how light weight they are!!