Introduction

Those of you unfamiliar with Turtle Beach will be interested to find out that it's an American company with over thirty years of experience in making high-quality sound cards, microphones, audio controllers, and gaming headsets. Nowadays, they put a slight emphasis on console peripherals, but that doesn't mean PC gamers don't have anything to choose from their lineup.



The Ear Force Stealth 450 isn't the company's newest gaming headset, but with its current price tag of $85, it's a viable candidate for one of the best and least expensive choices for all those who would like to go wireless. Aside from being wireless, the Turtle Beach Stealth 450 is a closed-back, over-ear gaming headset equipped with a pair of 50-millimeter audio drivers capable of delivering DTS Headphone:X 7.1 Surround Sound as well as standard stereo sound. The wireless connection with the PC is established via a standard 2.4 GHz WiFi dongle. It also offers microphone monitoring, several different built-in equalizer presets, audible voice prompts, and a detachable boom microphone.

If you happen to follow Twitch streamers, you most likely are already familiar with the Stealth 450 without even knowing it because it's sitting on many of their heads. One of the more famous users of the Stealth 450 is Dr DisRespect, a dude who's equally well-known for his virtual shooting skills as he is for his (fake) mullet and epic mustaches. Turtle Beach is one of his sponsors, so it's only natural that he uses their headset, but what I find interesting is the fact that he opted for the Stealth 450 while surely having access to their entire lineup, including more expensive models.

The Stealth 450 can be connected to PCs and mobile devices. If you own an Xbox One, you should check out the Stealth 420X, which is essentially the same device, but with full Xbox One support.

Was the attractive price achieved by cutting corners or does Turtle Beach have a winner on their hands? That's what we're here to find out.

Specifications

• 50 mm dynamic drivers (neodymium magnet)
• 32 Ω impedance
• 20-20,000 Hz frequency response (specified by the manufacturer)
• DTS Headphone:X 7.1 Surround Sound
• Rechargeable li-ion battery (up to 15 hours of battery life)
• Closed-back, over-ear design
• Detachable omnidirectional boom microphone
• Wireless and 3.5-mm connectivity
• 10-meter wireless range
• Detachable 1.5-meter 3.5-mm audio cable (3-pole, TRS)
• 60-centimeter Micro-USB charging cable
• Weight: 246 grams

The Package

The Turtle Beach Stealth 450 comes in a nice cardboard box mostly painted white, black, and red, with the latter two colors also being the only ones used on the headset itself. The front of the box shows the headset in all its glory and points out that it's wireless. You'll also see the Superhuman Hearing badge. You won't wonder for too long what it means as a detailed explanation can be found on the left side of the box. Basically, Turtle Beach claims that this is a technology that enables you to hear everything around you with superb accuracy, even the finest, most subtle details, such as a bunny hopping through the grass or a mosquito passing gas two villages over. Okay, perhaps I made some of that up, but the fact remains that the point of this technology is to make you more aware of your in-game surroundings. Later, we'll see whether it lives up to those claims.


On the rear, there's a breakdown of the headset's key features. Here, you'll find out that the microphone can be detached, that the built-in 50-millimeter audio drivers are capable of delivering virtual 7.1 surround sound, that there are some audio presets available, and so on.


Inside the box, you'll find the headset itself, a detachable boom microphone, the USB Wi-Fi dongle needed for it to work wirelessly, a 1.5-meter-long 3.5-mm audio cable, and a 60-centimeter Micro-USB charging cable.

The box looks good, and its contents are nicely packed. The feel of it isn't the greatest - it feels cheaper than it is - but that's not something to lose sleep over since most of you will toss the box into the garbage bin as soon as you crack it open.