The Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 450 immediately sets itself apart from the competition because of one noticeable element – its price. While wireless gaming headsets are known to be pricier equivalents to wired variants, this particular unit from Turtle Beach would immediately let you think that it’s a steal. In addition to the wireless feature, it supports 7.1-channel surround sound, and is fully-compatible to work with the PlayStation 4. However, seeing that it has a lower price tag than most, it is also apparent that there are some corners that have been cut, namely its comfort.
The Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 450 is an Inexpensive Wireless Gaming Headset That Takes Away Comfort
With regards to design, the Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 450 is an unassuming one. It is mostly covered in a matte-black plastic, especially over the headband and over the earcups. It has elliptical glossy black panels found on the earcups that hold nicely, and the light-up Turtle Beach logos can be found on either side.
The earpads on the Stealth 450 are also elliptical and do provide a sense of comfort. While the earpads have no problem providing comfort, much can be said about the tension that the headband brings. It is a bit on the tighter side of things, especially if you have a larger head. Therefore, longer gaming sessions with this particular unit on your head may not sound like the most ideal experience.
But when it comes to build quality, it doesn’t feel cheap or clunky in any way despite its lower price tag. The padding found on the unit do provide some sense of comfort, but are a bit stiff and thin especially when comparing the device to competitors manufactured by Logitech and Astro.
In terms of music performance, it doesn’t really impress as it only brings about an average audio performance in this department. It does handle tracks without the slightest hint of distortion even at higher volume levels. In other words, overall audio quality when listening to music is just okay but it tends to dwell more in the low-end side of the spectrum so sound purists won’t be too happy about it.
While the Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 450 does offer 7.1-channel surround sound support, it is fairly useless. However, to be fair, this is an issue found in just about all gaming headsets. But using it without the surround sound channels does a fairly good job in bringing a favorable gaming experience. Therefore, this particular headset is a solid choice for gaming, if you don’t mind it crushing your head after a while.