Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 500P Hands on review

My Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 500P headset. Not too shabby!

Santa was good to me this year as he included a new Turtle Beach Headset in my haul of gaming gifts! Previously I had used the Turtle Beach P12 headset and had been pretty happy with it. That aside, I've been getting to grips with the Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 500P for the last 3 weeks. I've been wondering if it was worth the upgrade?

Firstly, I'm happy that the Ear Force Stealth 500P suits my gaming needs on both the Playstation 3 and Playstation 4. If I'm honest, this was a major pull towards me asking for a pair for Christmas as I own both consoles. Secondly, I wanted a wireless headset. My previous Turtle Beach P12's were exclusive to the Playstation 4 and utilise the use of a wire that plugs in to the controller which is not always ideal for a player that is as animated as I can be.

The general look and feel of the Ear Force Stealth 500P is satisfying. The bulk of the headset is matt black finish covering around 85% of the headset coupled with blue trimming. To finish of the look each outer speaker dons a Turtle Beach logo that flashes blue when the headset is switched on. Personally, I like this function, particularly as they flash erratically if the headset is left switched on after your console is off. This is a great battery conserving feature. The Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 500P comes with a USB charging cable should you always leave the headset on like me!

Turtle Beach logo inside of each speaker

Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 500P & detachable Mic

Each speaker is wrapped in a foam cushion covered in synthetic leather. The Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 500P definitely feel more comfortable that the P12's. I'd give the comfort level a seven out of ten. This could be improved if the speakers didn't fall so heavily below my ear on my jaw. After a few hours,  the Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 500P become uncomfortable. 

Naturally, I use a gaming headset to amplify my experience through sound. Duh! The Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 500P has DTS Headphone: X 7.1 Surround Sound. Okay so what does this mean? Let's just say that the 3D sound quality is great but I expected more. Peoples' experiences are going to differ but I found the surround sound to be marginally more noticeable compared to the Turtle Beach P12. Yes the surround sound was not as immersive as I wanted. Even when I changed the volume settings of the speakers I struggled to find a happy medium. Please note I am comparing the Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 500P to the Turtle Beach P12. Had the 500P been my first headset, I would have been a lot happier.

Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 500P volume adjustment options

A welcome addition to the Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 500P is having the option to adjust mic volume as well as in game volume. I've used these quite a lot whilst active in a game. I found the position of the mic volume wheel a little too low. Consequentially, I would turn up the speaker volume instead. They go loud, very loud.

Overall, the Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 500P is a great mid-priced headset, compatible with the Playstation 3, Playstation 4 and mobile gaming. If you're on a budget then I would recommend buying the Turtle Beach P12 headset. If you want to spend more cash then grab yourself the Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 500P headset. I'd rate this beast an eight out of ten overall. My next headset will be the Turtle Beach Ear Force PX51! Watch this space.

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