The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max—well, that was a bit of a mouthful—and the ASTRO A50 are two wireless gaming headsets that can deliver in sound and features. However, there are some key differences between the two, which comes as no surprise.
On one hand, the Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max have better compatibility, a longer battery life and lower price tag. On the other hand, the A50 is more comfortable, and it comes with a base station that doubles as a wireless charger and transmitter. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, and on that note, we pit the two against each other to hopefully help you decide which one will suit you best.
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Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max vs ASTRO A50 Comparison Chart
| Model | Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max | ASTRO A50 |
 |  | |
| Price | Check Price at TurtleBeach.com | Check Price at ASTROGaming.com |
| Frequency Response | 20 Hz – 20 kHz | 20 Hz – 20 kHz |
| Driver | 50mm neodymium | 40mm neodymium |
| Mic | Flip-to-mute | Flip-to-mute |
| Connectivity | 2.4 GHz wireless transmission, Bluetooth 5.1 | 2.4 GHz wireless transmission |
| Compatibility | Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, PC, Android, iOS | Xbox, PlayStation, PC |
| Battery Life | Up to 40 hours | Up to 15 hours |
| Weight | 0.83 lbs | 0.83 lbs |
| Colors | Cobalt Blue, Black | PC/Mac: Black Gold, Black Grey PlayStation: Black Xbox: Black |
Design and Comfort
The ASTRO A50 is more comfortable to wear than the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2.
From the look of things, the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max took design cues from its predecessor. Aesthetically, it seems like a compromise between an ordinary pair of headphones and a gaming one. Or in other words, it doesn’t look too plain, and at the same time, it doesn’t look too flashy.
Meanwhile, the ASTRO A50 screams it’s made for gaming, and wearing it outside will likely get heads turning your way—not like that’s going to be a problem since it’s not exactly made to be worn on-the-go (more on that in a bit). At the very least, it isn’t as loud as the previous model’s design, going for a more understated, mostly black color scheme.
Comfort-wise, the Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max’s clamping force is just too much. Sure, it has memory foam ear pads and an adjustable steel headband, but neither one really helps in this regard. If nothing else, it has ProSpecs for the bespectacled gamer, so there’s that. In contrast, the A50 isn’t tiring to wear for long periods, even though they weigh the same. Moreover, it’s modular with ear pads that attach magnetically. You can swap out the default ear cushions and headband if they aren’t to your liking for ones made with synthetic leather.
Both sport a foldable flip-to-mute microphone, and just to be clear, they aren’t detachable, much less retractable. But it’s worth pointing out that the Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max’s sits flush in the ear cup, while the A50’s just sticks out.
Controls and Software
The buttons and dials on the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max are more difficult to use than the ones on the ASTRO A50.
Now this is where the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max may fall short. For starters, all its controls are crowded on the left ear cup, including a mappable wheel, master volume dial, Bluetooth button, power button and MODE button. There’s also the aforementioned folding mic there, as well as its USB port for charging and updating.
Thing is, the buttons are all too close to one another with the power button smack in the middle. It’s almost like a guessing game most of the time, and feeling for them isn’t that reliable because the Bluetooth and MODE buttons feel similar. While the dials are too close to each other too, it does help to work your way from the top to figure out which is which.
Another potential issue is you need two software programs to make the most out of it: the Turtle Beach Audio Hub on the PC for firmware updates, and the Android and iOS version to access the equalizer, remap the wheel and other settings. In short, having two apps just to customize and keep a headset up-to-date isn’t the most convenient setup.
Like the Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max, the ASTRO A50 has all its buttons and dial on one ear cup, but this time around, it’s on the right one. In comparison, they’re more spaced out, from the power button and Dolby surround sound button to the equalizer button and volume wheel. What’s more, the game and voice volume buttons are on the outer ear cup, and its mic is on the left ear cup. You can also do every tweak and customization via the ASTRO Command Center, and that includes firmware updates.
Performance and Battery Life
The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max can last longer and sound better for music than the ASTRO A50.
In terms of audio quality, the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max is excellent not only for games but also for movies, delivering a balanced sound between voice, sound effects and background music. Speaking of, it can handle songs too with a slight emphasis on bass that makes for a pretty consumer-friendly sound. Additionally, it features Superhuman Hearing that amplifies footsteps, weapon reloads and gunshots to gain the edge in games like first-person shooters. This can be turned on using the MODE button, which is remappable, for the record.
The ASTRO A50 also has impressive audio, and unlike most gaming headsets, it’s not too bassy at all. Put differently, it has a more balanced sound profile, producing clear dialogue, effects and music for both games and music. However, it doesn’t perform that well when it comes to music, as it tends to lose details in the highs. Along a similar vein, its noise isolation could be better, though—and in fact, it can with the optional mods, namely the synthetic leather ear cushions.
Where the Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max comes out on top by a mile is battery life, capable of providing up to 40 hours of playtime on a single charge. While the A50’s promise of lasting up to 15 hours at a time is par for the course, it just can’t hold a candle here. In its defense, it can be charged wirelessly on the dock, which is more convenient than having to plug it in with a wired cord.
Compatibility and Connectivity
The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max has better compatibility and more connectivity options than the ASTRO A50.
The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max has a wide compatibility across platforms. It uses a USB wireless transmitter with a switch that lets you toggle between Xbox and USB. Needless to say, Xbox mode is for the console of the same name and USB is for everything else. Thanks to that, it works flawlessly with Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and PC, and it even plays nicely with Android and iOS because of its Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity. That pretty much makes it a universal headset, and considering that it’s difficult to find one that can wirelessly connect to Xbox consoles, this is quite a feat.
Now instead of a dongle, the ASTRO A50 uses its base station as its wireless transmitter. It’s compatible with plenty of platforms, including PC, PlayStation and Xbox, but depending on the model, there are some limitations. For instance, the chat function won’t work with the PlayStation variant if you connect it to an Xbox. It also doesn’t have Bluetooth, so you can’t exactly wear it outside while listening to tunes on your smartphone. But you can connect a mobile device to the base station with a 3.5mm jack to stream audio.
Click here for our ASTRO A50 PS5 review.
Verdict
The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max offers better compatibility, connectivity and battery life, among other things, but the ASTRO A50 is more comfy to wear.
If we had to choose, we’d go with the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max here simply because it has better compatibility and more connectivity options, offering a well-rounded experience with plenty of features to boot. Sure, its cramped control layout may be a bit of an issue, but it’s likely something most folks can learn to live with, and the same goes for having to use two apps to customize and update it. Also, while this may be subjective, it does look sleeker.
That said, it doesn’t mean the ASTRO A50 doesn’t have its place. Even though it’s pricier and compatibility isn’t as wide, it’s more comfortable, allowing you to wear it for hours on end. Not to mention that it’s easier to control, and it only needs one program for everything.
FAQs
No, the ASTRO A50 doesn’t have Bluetooth connectivity.
Yes, the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max has Superhuman Hearing, and by default, its MODE button is programmed to activate the feature.
Yes, the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Max has Bluetooth 5.1, allowing it to connect to Android and iOS devices.
The ASTRO A50 Gen 4 builds on its predecessor with improvements across the board, including a better microphone, audio, base station, wireless signal and docking.