Turtle Beach is the company that first made me take gaming audio seriously, with the Ear Force X11 headset helping me to get frags in games like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Halo 3. Back then, it was one of the only headsets to take microphone monitoring seriously, allowing the user to hear their own voice, which helped prevent me from shouting the house down or annoying my teammates with clipping audio.
It’s now been ten years since the X11 launched, but Turtle Beach hasn’t kept quiet, continuing to produce headsets for the next generation of consoles. Today we’re looking at the Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 + SuperAMP, which features the mic monitoring which won me over back in 2010, as well as many other bells and whistles that make it a compelling choice for modern gamers on PC, PS4, and Xbox One (and also Nintendo Switch, via the 3.5 mm jack). Read on for the full Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 + SuperAMP review.
Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 + SuperAMP Review | Box of tricks
Before this headset, I’d only unboxed budget Turtle Beach headsets, which came in tightly sealed plastic packaging. The Elite Pro 2 + SuperAMP is a completely different story, making the unboxing experience a treat. When a product comes with so many different components and wires, it’s always nice to have them clearly marked and set apart from one another. The headset and SuperAMP are what you see first, sat inside foam, with the cables then inside a box below. You also get a quickstart guide, with clear instructions for all system combinations.
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I was plugged into my PS4 Pro and ready to rumble in no time at all, using the optical cable to still allow HDMI audio to run to my capture device (I’ll talk more about this later). There are three cables in total: a mini-USB that runs from the system to the AMP, the 3.5 mm headphone cable with in-line mic mute, and the optional optical cable. The mini-USB and optical cables are each about 10 feet in length, which allows a nice amount of flexibility.
As the Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 + SuperAMP is a headset and not just a pair of headphones, there’s a microphone included. Happily, this is removable, so if you aren’t going to use it, you can just put it back in the box. Microphone quality is about average compared to competing headsets, which means that it’s perfectly fine for in-game chatter, but not worthy of being your primary mic for Twitch streaming. Of course, the mic monitoring (which lets you hear your own audio) is a nice bonus, and there are a few options in the mobile app to further customize the sound of the microphone.
Oh yeah, the mobile app! So, this is a bit of an unusual one. While I’ve used accompanying software for headsets on PC, where you can tweak different EQs and profiles, as well as lighting, I’ve never actually used a phone app. I suppose it makes sense since consoles can’t run Turtle Beach’s software, so perhaps phones are the next logical step.
The advantage here is that the headset itself is free of buttons, making for a very clean appearance and meaning less fumbling around the earcup to adjust sound during intense encounters. The disadvantage is that, well, you need an app on your phone to control Game/Chat balance, virtual surround sound settings, and basically everything else outside of overall volume.
Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 + SuperAMP Review | Fine-tune your audio
The Turtle Beach Audio Hub app initially had me worried, as it gives the impression that the player needs to have it open at all times while gaming. However, I found that I could just set my preferences and then close the app until I needed to make any further changes. Pairing to a phone via Bluetooth also allows for additional audio like music from Spotify to be added to your listening experience. This works well and was a surprising bonus.
Buy a Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 + SuperAMP here
Once I’d locked in on my settings of choice, which turned down the bass and increased the mids and highs, it was time to put Elite Pro 2 + SuperAMP to work in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Apex Legends. The new Modern Warfare game is a true test for headphones as the in-game sound is notoriously hard to parse. Thankfully, the Elite Pro 2 did as well as my open-back headphones, keeping left and right audio clear. Apex Legends has great audio anyway, and the Elite Pro 2 further enhanced that.
To my ears, the “Superhuman Hearing” feature that seems to remove all bass with a harsh high pass filter wasn’t all that useful, and I wasn’t blown away by the virtual surround sound. I’m rarely ever impressed by surround sound in headphones, so this wasn’t surprising. However, if you are a lover of virtual surround sound, you may disagree with me. I stuck to stereo sound with my minor EQ applied inside of the app, turned the mic monitoring up to maximum, and I was very happy.
To those concerned about volume, you don’t need to worry, as the SuperAMP kicks out some seriously loud sound. This is much better than plugging into the controller directly, which can be quiet and lackluster depending on the headphones of choice.
Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 + SuperAMP Review | Comfort is a necessity
After a couple of hours of using the Elite Pro 2 + SuperAMP, I became aware of just how comfortable the headset is. While feeling heavy enough to remain premium, the headrest and easily-removable magnetic earcups combine to make for a great fit on my admittedly larger-than-is-perhaps-normal head. These earcups swivel and adjust easily, while feeling robust enough to survive the test of time. They also remain cool to the touch, which is especially appreciated during hot summer days and nights spent gaming.
Another minor plus, though certainly appreciated for a glasses user like me, is the “ProSpecs Glasses Relief System.” This adds a little notch for glasses to sit comfortably. It’s good to see Turtle Beach considering all users.
Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 + SuperAMP Review | Content creator bonuses
What used to be a niche crowd has since turned into a revolution, with gamers all over the world livestreaming games on platforms like Twitch and YouTube. I also dabble in this over on the GameRevolution Twitch account, and I’ve learned to appreciate hardware that helps to give streamers the edge.
I mentioned it earlier, but I’d like to once again talk about the SuperAMP’s optical in port. If you’re looking to stream games with game audio on Twitch, while still using a headset and hearing the game sound yourself with no delay, then going optical is one of the cleanest and best solutions.
What’s more, while some might wish for a wireless flagship console headset from Turtle Beach, the wires on the Elite Pro 2 + SuperAMP also make it compatible with streaming devices like mixers and audio interfaces.
Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 + SuperAMP Review | The bottom line
Of course, most users buying a dedicated gaming headset in this day and age will be demanding wireless support. I think this is where the Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 + SuperAMP, despite the volume boost and EQ settings of the amp itself, will fall short for many. The RRP of $249.99 price tag certainly didn’t help its case at launch, but recent price drops have seen it on sale for $200 or less.
With all of that said, if you’re looking for a wired headset for streaming, and the price continues to drop to a more digestible amount, then I see no reason why the Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 + SuperAMP wouldn’t make you very happy. The overall audio from the headset itself is solid, and the inputs and outputs on the SuperAMP can be useful. The ability to tweak EQ and use other audio effects also allow for further sound personalization.
I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next from Turtle Beach’s flagship in the console space. I really feel like the company can end this console generation — and start the next one — with a big bang.
Turtle Beach Elite Pro 2 + SuperAMP review unit was provided by Turtle Beach.
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