WHY IT’S A TOP PICK: The audio controller really bumps this headset from a good choice to one of the best Xbox One headsets around for those who spend a lot of time on a single competitive game. However, the jury is still out on whether it is the best gaming headset ever.
Price: Check Price
Sound: Surround sound with audio controller required
Weight: 13.76 ounces
Battery Life: N/A
Compatibility: Xbox One, PS4, PC, Mobile
Mic: Flexible boom mic
Drivers: 50mm “Nanoclear”
Design
The first thing you noticed about the Elite Pro headset is just how large it is: The construction is comfortingly solid (especially compared to some of the other headsets on our list), but you sure feel these when you pick them up.
The earcup material is divided into an outer layer of soft leather and an inner layer of weave, so that the weave faces your ear—and will absorb most of the sweat. We mention sweat early on, because this headset is weighty, and the earcups are some of the heaviest we’ve seen, too. There’s a reason for this: They house 50mm drivers and a whole lot of passive noise cancellation. While they might get annoying during long term play, the pleasantly light and comfortable headband (also adjustable) helps make up for a little, and it really does have some of the best sound isolation we’ve seen if environmental noise is a problem for you.
There are no on-headset controls, which we are very grateful for: Too many headsets crowd awkward buttons on their earcups, but TB went with a clean approach. Instead, the Xbox Adapter handles most of the sound management (more on this later), so there’s less fumbling overall.
Finally, the flexible boom mic works fine: The mic sound pick capabilities, with “TruSpeak” amplification, are top notch (confirmed by friends surprised at the sudden improvement in mic quality), but the thin, flexible mic structure isn’t often the best approach for consoles. These skinny, attachable mics work better in a protected PC environment. For console, you’ll have to make sure the mic doesn’t get too out of joint or lost when not attached.
Related: For more durable headsets, check out the Turtle Beach Stealth 420X Review Most Durable Xbox One Headset.
Sound
We have to talk about sound in two stages: Without the audio controller, and with it. Without, the headphones have tolerable audio. The treble comes across clear, while the bass is a little lacking, and you may have to turn the sound up to hear everything that’s going on. Overall, it’s fine, and a big improvement on the average non-surround sound headset that you may have tried in the past.
But now it’s time to talk about the mini-sound board accessory that Turtle Beach offers the truly invested, or as they call it the “tactical audio controller” which comes with several sliders to mic monitoring, background noise, and so on. The audio controller is typically packaged with the Elite Pro, but you do have to take some time to set it up and learn how it works.
Related: If you like this headset, you might be interested in our Turtle Beach Ear Force Z300 review.
For truly good game sound, the audio controller is a necessity. Not only does it support surround sound for the Turtle Beach headphones, it allows the most competitive gamers to adjust their sound levels specifically to give them the right kind of advantage, whether that’s boosting background noise to track footprints or adjusting mic levels to filter out everything but the necessities – not to mention making on the spot changes in volume.
In summary, the audio controller is particularly adept at putting the “pro” in this headset, but that’s also a little annoying. To take full advantage of the Elite Pro’s capabilities, you need to set up and learn a secondary device, one that must remain at your side whenever gaming. But then, Turtle Beach hasn’t pretended this headset is for anything other than the hardcore gamer.
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