The Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 is a good gaming headset that comes with an amp and that looks more premium than previously tested Turtle Beach headsets. It’s comfortable for long gaming sessions thanks to the thick leather earpads. These headphones have good audio reproduction and you’ll also be able to hear enemy footsteps clearly and determine their position accurately. The microphone is also great; teammates will be able to hear you clearly. Unfortunately, they don’t isolate much noise so gaming in a quieter environment might be a better idea if you’re going to use the Elite Pro 2. On the upside, they feel sturdy and have lots of customization options on the Audio Hub software available on mobile and PC. However, we were only able to use the mobile app and couldn’t get the software to work on PC/Mac. We also tested the PS4 variant of this headset, but we expect similar results for the Xbox One variant.
Contents
Review The Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 SuperAmp Headphones
1. Design & Build Quality
The Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 headset looks and feels premium. They have essentially the same design as the Turtle Beach Elite Atlas. It comes in black for PS4 or white for Xbox One, but both are compatible with PC/Mac. The headset has large ear cups with a metallic headband. There are also magnetic plates on the ear cups that are swappable, so you can design the headset to your liking. They have thick earpads and come with a sleek-looking amp to put on your desk. These headphones were designed for gaming and their looks show it.
The Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 are very comfortable headphones. Just like the Turtle Beach Elite Atlas, they can be a little tight on some heads, but for most, the thick pads deliver a comfortable enough experience for long gaming sessions. The pads are decently breathable and the cups are deep, so your ears shouldn’t touch the drivers. The headband is well-padded and decently flexible, which supports the weight of the headphones. However, some people may not feel an air-tight fit, as some gaps can be created by the large cups.
The Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 has a good build quality that feels sturdy. The full metal headband and the thick plastic build make the headphones feel solid and they should survive a few drops without too much damage. Even the detachable microphone feels well-made and malleable. The earpads and cup backplates are held by magnets, so if you drop the headphones they can simply come off, and it reduces the risk of them breaking on impact. However, the size adjustment sliders are made from plastic and could be the weakest point of this headset.
2. Sound Quality
The bass of the Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 is great. LFE (low-frequency extension) is at 10Hz, which is excellent. The response throughout the range is even and flat but consistently overemphasized by about 2dB. This makes the bass slightly heavy, but without sounding too boomy or muddy. Also, their bass delivery varies significantly across users, and is sensitive to the quality of fit, seal, and whether you wear glasses. The response here represents the average bass response and your experience may vary.
The Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 has a very good mid-range. The 5dB dip in low-mid makes vocals and lead instruments a tad thin, but it will also create more room for the thump and rumble of the bass to come through. Mid-mid and high-mid are flat and even, which is important for producing well-balanced and clear vocals and instruments.
The Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 has an above-average treble performance. The response up to 4kHz is even and well-balanced, but the 10dB dip at 5kHz could negatively affect the presence and detail of vocals and lead instruments. The sharp peak around 9kHz means the sibilants (S and T sounds) could sound a bit sharp and piercing on certain tracks. This will mostly be noticeable on vocals and cymbals.
The imaging performance is excellent. The weighted group delay is at 0.23, which is quite low. The GD graph also shows that the entire group delay response is below the audibility threshold. This ensures a tight bass and a transparent treble reproduction. Also, the L/R drivers of our test unit were very well-matched, which is important for the accurate placement and localization of objects (instruments, voices, footsteps), in the stereo image.
3. Microphone Quality
The boom microphone has a great recording quality. The LFE (low-frequency extension) of 92Hz results in a recorded/transmitted speech that sounds full-bodied. The HFE (high-frequency extension) of 7.6KHz results in a speech that is clear, intelligible, and relatively detailed, but may lack some airiness. The response between the LFE and HFE points is even but shows a 5dB bump around 4KHz. This makes speech a little bit bright sounding, which is good for cutting through game audio and sound effects, but also means that this microphone doesn’t sound quite neutral.
4. Application Support
The Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 is compatible with the Turtle Beach Audio Hub software that offers EQ presets, mic monitoring, noise gate, chat boost, and surround sound settings. It’s also available on mobile devices since these headphones are Bluetooth compatible. Unfortunately, it isn’t as customizable as the SteelSeries Engine due to the lack of a parametric equalizer. For console players, you’ll only get access to certain settings and controls on the app, meaning you’ll need to make those changes on your phone. For PC gamers, the Audio Hub will act like any gaming software; you will have direct access on your PC, but also your phone. However, we didn’t manage to get the headset to work with the software on PC or Mac.
