Turtle Beach Elite Atlas vs. Turtle Beach Stealth 600: Which should you buy?

Ultimately the battle between these headsets boils down to wires (or lack thereof). If you want a wireless headset, you won't be disappointed with the Stealth 600, but if you want better audio quality, construction, and comfort, the Elite Atlas is the way to go.

Battle of the cables

The most obvious difference between the Stealth 600 and the Elite Atlas is the connectivity. The Stealth 600 is a completely wireless headset, utilizing the Xbox Wireless signal to connect to devices. On Xbox One, it's as simple as pairing a controller. On unsupported PCs, however, you'll need an additional Xbox Wireless dongle, which costs around $25. The Elite Atlas connects with a trusty old 3.5mm cable.

With both headsets sitting in the $100 range, the devil is in the details. The Elite Atlas is an all-around superior headset, at least when it comes to the basics. The headset follows the design conventions set out by the Elite Pro Tournament headset, with sturdy metal framework, thick, premium memory foam earcups, and Turtle Beach's stellar "Nanoclear" speakers, which vastly outstrip the quality of audio found in the Stealth 600. While the Stealth 600's audio isn't bad by any means, the difference between the two headsets in terms of clarity and soundscaping is obvious — for better sound, you're going to want the Elite Atlas.

That said, when it comes to pure convenience, the Stealth 600 has the Elite Atlas beat in a number of ways. First and foremost, the Stealth 600 sports mic monitoring, which allows you to hear yourself while you're speaking in party chats. The isolating nature on the Elite Atlas' sound chambers makes it difficult to hear yourself — you may end up yelling needlessly, annoying those around you. The Xbox One does have mic monitoring built in, but it's far too quiet for most scenarios in my opinion.

The Stealth 600 also has a flip-to-mute mic, which is a nice touch and it doesn't get in the way as much as the long boom mic on the Elite Atlas does. The Elite Atlas' mic is detachable, however, if you ever wanted to ditch it or use the headset outside, but it's also pretty leaky, I don't think you'll fancy using it in public. And since the Stealth 600 doesn't have 3.5mm connectivity at all, you definitely won't be using that one in public, unless you bring your Xbox along.

Finally, the Elite Atlas just feels a lot nicer, and looks a lot nicer too. Rocking premium materials and metallic gunmetal accents, it makes the Stealth 600 look like a toy by comparison, which has the loud Xbox green color throughout its design. The plastics on the Stealth 600 just feel a lot cheaper, inferring that the bulk of the price represents the wireless tech and other features, such as mic monitoring.

So, which should you buy?

If you want better sound and better build quality, the Elite Atlas is the way to go. We currently list it as one of our top Xbox headsets for a reason, and it's all found in those speakers and construction, which are simply utterly rare at the $100 price point. That said, I combine my Elite Atlas with my trusty $130 Astro MixAmp to inject mic monitoring and additional audio features.

Without my MixAmp, I think I may personally prefer the Stealth 600, just for those added onboard features. Wirelessness is also far more convenient for those who play in the living room, rather than at a desk, for example, which might also make the Stealth 600 better for you.

Whichever headset you pick, you won't be disappointed, as the tradeoffs in sound quality for features are largely worth it at both sides of the argument, depending on your preference and setup.