Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 review — Innovating high-end gaming headsets
So I was looking forward to the Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2, which is out now for $250. And it mostly lives up to its predecessor. At the same time, it also surprised me with some neat new features that set it apart from many of its competitors.
What you’ll like
Great sound
The Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2’s sound as nice as the previous generation. They use the same 50nm drivers that provide full sound through the mid range with clarity on the high end. Bass will never rattle your brain, but the low tones do create a noticeable and pleasant thumping.
As with most Turtle Beach gear, it has tuned the Elite Pro 2 for gaming and communicating. That means it’s easy to distinguish what is happening in a chaotic multiplayer match while also hearing what your teammates are saying.
I tested the Elite Pro 2 that comes with the SuperAmp, which adds a lot more oomph to the headset. It makes the headset capable of producing louder sound without losing clarity.
Comfortable
The Elite Pro 2 is also the exact kind of comfortable that I want from a quality gaming headset. It uses a soft gelatin material in its cups to create a cushiony sensation wear it grips around your ears. And it also holds in place securely without bouncing around.
Turtle Beach’s headsets are also the best if you wear glasses while gaming. Each earcup has a special well that molds softly around the temples to ensure they don’t gouge into your head. But at the same time, this recession maintains a seal to prevent sound from leaking in or out.
Bluetooth and easy-to-use app
But great sound and comfort are standard for a $250 headset. If I’m paying that much money for a personal audio device I’m going to use all day, however, I want some extras. And Turtle Beach delivers that in the form of its app and smart Bluetooth support.
Turtle Beach realizes that even if you’re gaming casually, competitively, or even streaming, you’re probably going to have your phone right by you. To that end, the company has put most of the Elite Pro 2’s controls in an app you can get for iOS or Android.
With this app, you can select your sound profile, control the audio mix, and the level of your mic volume and monitor. The Turtle Beach app looks and feels barebones, but that’s a good thing. It loads quickly and gives you only what you need.
But then you don’t need to just set down your phone and forget about it. You can hit a button on the side of the SuperAmp to activate Bluetooth. This enables you to connect your phone directly to the Elite Pro 2. Using this feature you can hear your phones notifications and phone calls.
I’ve been using it as a separate audio device to play music and podcasts while I’m playing a game. This is so convenient because that is how I listen to podcasts and music 95 percent of the time. So I can quickly jump into a game without having to open Spotify in the background. And then I can also just pick up my phone to control its volume independent of the game audio.
It’s a great feature that sets the Elite Pro 2 apart and makes me want to keep using it.
What you won’t like
Microphone is slightly disappointing
The microphone on the Elite Pro 2 is great. It is. It is clear even if it makes your voice sound compressed. The problem is that it just doesn’t match the quality of the optional noise-canceling mic that you could get for the original Elite Pro.
You can hear how the Elite Pro 2 compares to some other microphones below:
But the Elite Pro 2 not matching an add-on for the original is something that only I care about. But I loved that setup so much that I can’t help but bring it up here.
The only issue that you may encounter with this mic is that it’s quiet. Its audio processing is so aggressive that it just makes your voice seem small. This may make it difficult to stream with, and I probably wouldn’t use it for recording voiceover like I did with the original.
Conclusion
Turtle Beach’s Elite Pro 2 has a lot of competition at the $250 price range. I really like the Astro A50, which are wireless. I also think the SteelSeries Arctis Pro + GameDAC is pretty comparable — although I find the SteelSeries design pretty uncomfortable.
But if you don’t want to go wireless with the A50, then I would recommend the Elite Pro 2. It has excellent audio and comfort, and it’s really great for ensuring you can stay tapped into your phone over long gaming sessions.
The Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 is available now for $250. Turtle Beach provided GamesBeat with a sample unit for the purpose of this review.
