Turtle Beach Elite Pro Headset Bundle (Hardware)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
The Elite Pro is the latest headset from Turtle Beach and together with the Noise-Cancelling Microphone and the Elite Pro Tactical Audio Controller (T.A.C.), this bundle is aimed at pro gamers, eSports athletes or those looking to amp up their sound game. Let see what it offers!
Packaging, Contents & Specs
For this review, we’ll be looking at the Elite Pro headset which costs $199.95 on its own and the Elite Pro T.A.C. priced at $149.95 but both can be purchased as a bundle at a discounted $299.95 at the time of writing which comes with the additional $19.95 Elite Pro Noise-Cancelling Microphone. I also tested the product on a PC but you can buy a PS4 adapter for $20 and an Xbox One adapter for $50.
If the premium and additional costs haven’t driven you away and you have deep enough pockets, let’s see why you might want to invest in the Elite Pro family:
Right out of the box, the Elite Pro feels like a premium product, reflecting its cost. The spandex and leather lined, cooling-gel infused memory foam around the around-the-ear earcups feel comfortable to wear and the headset itself feels very sturdy with its tough matte black plastic build. I very much welcome the suspension frame option for it automatically adjusts around the wearer’s head and Turtle Beach even added its ComforTec™ Fit System that allows you to further adjust the headband via the sliders on top. The subtle orange additions break the monotony of an all-black headset, making for a distinct style. It comes with the following:
-
Elite Pro Headset / Elite Pro Microphone
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Elite Pro 1.3m Audio Cable
-
Quick Start Guide
And this premium headset packs the following specs:
- Audio Connection: 3.5mm
- Speaker Frequency Response: 12Hz-22kHz
- Speaker Size: 50mm Nanoclear™ Speakers
- Microphone: Pro Gaming Mic with TruSpeak™ Technology
- Headband/Earpad material : Asahi Spandex, Leather & Cooling Gel-infused Memory Foam
- Ear Cushion: Asahi Spandex, Leather & Cooling Gel-infused Memory Foam
Turtle Beach added an innovation with the patented ProSpecs Glasses Relief System that claims to “banish that miserable feeling of having your headset crush your ears while wearing eyeglasses”. Being bespectacled myself, I can attest that it helps in preventing the earcups from crushing my glass frames on my temples. But then again, I’ve never felt this with the other headsets I’ve reviewed. I’d classify this feature as a nice-to-have one rather than a ground-breaking. Here’s a quick video showing how to set it up:
If you’ve read my past headset reviews, you might have noticed that I’m a huge fan of headsets with removeable microphone piece and in-line volume controls. I’m very happy to say that the Elite Pro packs both features and can safely be used for your other devices other than for gaming.
I’ll have to note that the headset leans on the heavier spectrum of headsets. While not annoyingly heavy, they are definitely felt while being worn.
As for the T.A.C., while it might look like a complicated rectangular box, it is what helps you get most out of the Elite Pro headset (more on that later).
It is also a sturdy device with a matte black finish and the backlights give it a fancy overall look once plugged in. The package contents are as follows:
- Tactical Audio Controller
- Power Cable (USB Mini)
- Digital Optical Cable
- AUX/Stream/Xbox One Chat Cable
- Programming Cable (USB Micro)
- Quick Start Guide
Performance
The Elite Pro headset by itself delivers high quality audio when used for gaming, highlighting crisp, detailed sound, on par with the HyperX Cloud Revolver . However, it does not feature 7.1 surround sound and for that and to unleash its full potential, you’ll have to be willing to shell out the extra $150 for the T.A.C.
The Elite Pro Tactiacal Audio Controller works as a USB soundcard delivering immersive DTS Headphone:X 7.1 Surround Sound along with some audio presets, audio controls and a plethora of advanced features like mixing in music and taking calls while you game with the AUX In, local chat setup for local lag-free chat networks with multiple T.A.C.s.
Here are the full features:
- Fingertip Chat & Mic Slide Controls - Quickly and accurately adjust your game and chat volume mix without interrupting play.
- DTS Surround Sound Modes & EQ Audio Presets - Personalize your audio preferences with a variety of audio presets and sound modes.
- External USB Surround Sound Card - Full external USB sound card offers DTS Headphone:X® 7.1 Surround Sound for PC and Mac gamers.
- Background Noise Limiter - Tunable levels on microphone eliminate distractions in the arena or at home.
- Lag-Free Local Chat Network - Connect multiple Elite Pro T.A.C.s with standard Ethernet cables for seamless lag-free chat.
- Outbound Mic Boost - Be heard loud and clear by your teammates over the roar of the crowd.
- Stream Output - Broadcast gameplay and chat streams in real-time immersing fans in your entire competitive experience.
- DTS Headphone:X® 7.1 Surround Sound - Pinpoint the exact location of every sound with immersive 7.1 surround sound.
- Superhuman Hearing™ - Exclusive Turtle Beach feature. From quiet footsteps sneaking-up from behind to enemy weapon reloads just before an ambush, Superhuman Hearing™ lets you hear it all.
While gaming under Game Mode, with the Surround Mode enabled and testing out the presets, I could indeed distinctly hear the footsteps of the guards as I sneaked past them in Dishonored: Death of the Outsider. The Superhuman Hearing brought out the more detailed and subtle sounds in the game and the conversations that the NPCs were having could be overheard more clearly. And the Shooter mode brought up the artillery and hostile sounds in Killing Floor 2.
The ease to switch between the presets by the press of a button on the T.A.C. device is all the more welcome to try the best fit in every situation of a game, like in Dishonored should you choose to experiment with different playstyles should you find yourself in a pinch.
And like most media consumers, you’ll probably use headsets for more than just gaming and the Elite Pro performs well when listening to music and movies. Paired with the T.A.C.’s Movie and Music modes, you can switch between the most appropriate presets for each mode. The headset allow me to enjoy my favorite tunes by delivering clear and crisp sound quality and the overall experience is enhanced if you switch to the appropriate preset. The latter are quite confusing and I had to return to the Quick Start Guide quite a few times to get the correct combination but once properly set up, the output makes it worth it.
If things didn’t feel overwhelming enough, Turtle Beach has its T.A.C.-compatible Audio Hub just for you that allows gamers to keep their gaming headset and other Turtle Beach gaming audio accessories up to date with the latest software and firmware. It provides additional Equalizer settings and preloaded custom Game and Chat presets.
As for the included uni-directional microphone, other than being pretty flexible, it does not stand out much for being designed for eSports. Sure, it transfers sound faithfully to the other side but it lacks in bass and treble and feels more of the same as with other headsets that cost much less.
Turtle Beach, please
If you are ready to invest heavily in audio quality for your gaming setup, then the Turtle Beach Elite Pro headset won’t disappoint in terms of comfort, audio quality and functionality. Don’t forget that you’ll have to pair it up with the Tactical Audio Controller at an extra cost to get the most out of it. Otherwise there are cheaper alternatives that do a similarly impressive job like the previously-reviewed HyperX Cloud Revolver. While the Elite Pro is one of the best headsets I've ever tested, most gamers won’t find the need to invest in such a bundle with the multitude of audio options but for the more competitive among us who do not mind spending top-dollar for a premium product and actually have a use for such audio setups, it is definitely a recommendation.
Verdict
- Premium quality headset build and sound output
- Comfortable to wear
- Detachable and flexible microphone
- In-line volume control
- Compatible with multiple platforms
- Next level sound functions with T.A.C
- Costly
- No built-in surround sound
- Additional expenses to get the most out of the headset
- Included microphone quality isn’t what is expected from a $200 headset
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