When it comes to the optimal gaming experience, an array of elements comes into play, like your setup, gaming devices and consoles, the type of games you’re playing, and, finally, immersion. The latter can be achieved through various methods, like your display screen and, most notably, sound quality.
Sound quality improves every gameplay session there is. If the sound of the game is muffled or you can’t hear an enemy’s footsteps from the right angle, you might get shot. This can be a disadvantage when you’re playing a ranked game online.
Fortunately, gaming headsets, like the one we’re reviewing here, will solve this problem all while increasing game immersion. If you need a gaming headset, read on to find out why you need the Turtle Beach Elite 800.
At a Glance:
Take a cross-section from the best gaming headsets on any website. You’ll most likely find headsets with features like superb sound quality, noise cancellation, high-quality microphone, portability, and compatibility. With the Turtle Beach Elite 800, you’ll find most of these features, if not all of them, and even more!
Pros:
- Superb build quality
- Versatile connectivity
- Various sound presets
- Auxiliary port
- Magnetic charging dock
Cons:
- Buttons on the plates are somewhat too sensitive
- Compatible with both Xbox One and PS4
- Not foldable
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Turtle Beach Elite 800 Rounded Review
Sound Quality
These headphones are of awe-inspiring sound quality – every nuance of a sound is well pronounced; no exaggeration! Plus, thanks to the headphones’ versatility, games, movies, and music will sound fantastic compared to other headphones within that price range.
The Turtle Beach Elite 800 comes with an enhanced DTS feature, creating a 360-degree soundscape that lets you know from which point sounds come on the screen. It also has sound modes and presets, making your experience in gaming, watching movies, or listening to music even more immersive.
You’ll also get active noise cancellation, which you’ll be able to turn on and off by tapping the power button on the left plate at the back of the left ear cup.
Lastly, the superhuman hearing feature will help you hear every sound and whisper even while your teammates are talking, enabling you to hear the approaching footsteps of enemies or the income of reinforcements. This feature will give you a full advantage over the enemy by aiding you in making split-second game-changing decisions!
Connectivity
As mentioned earlier, this pair of headphones is well known for its multiple connectivity options. The wireless transmitter/dock is the primary wireless connectivity method you’ll use if you’re a gamer, as it connects the Turtle Beach Elite 800 to your PC, PS3, or PS4. However, if you have an Xbox console, you’ll have to get the Xbox version of this headset.
The wireless transmitter connects to your device with an optical audio connection and a micro-USB, both of which you can find while unboxing the headset.
While connecting your headphone to your gaming console, you can also pair them via Bluetooth to your tablet or your device, so you can listen to music while playing games that don’t have much dialogue, like sports games. You can also call and pick up calls, which can really be beneficial when your online game can’t be paused.
Sound Modes
If you’ve owned a gaming headset before or have viewed some of the most popular models, you may have come across this feature: the multiple sound modes. Although it might look impressive in other headsets, it doesn’t live up to the sound modes, and genre-specific audio presets in the Turtle Beach Elite 800.
This headset has four main modes: game, music, stereo, and movie mode, which you can alternate between by holding the preset button on the plate at the back of the right earcup. Each mode has audio presets, and you can select any of them by only tapping the preset button.
For example, in the game mode, you’ll find audio presets like superhuman hearing and preset, sports preset, shooter preset, and racing preset.
All in all, there’s no mode or specific audio preset that you’ll favor over others; they all have their uses, and, therefore, you’ll probably use them all as long as you’re using this headset.
Unique Design
While most gaming headphones have a matte black design with red accents and a large microphone, the Turtle Beach Elite 800 changes this stereotype a bit with its sleek design and built-in microphone.
Colors
Once you get your hands on this pair, you’ll find the black casing along with chrome pieces and blue accents around the earcups. Overall, it’s black, sleek, and elegant looking. It doesn’t look like a gaming headphone at all, which makes sense since this is a multi-purpose headphone and can be used outdoors.
Material
This pair is quite sturdy, as it’s made of solid plastic, memory foam cushioning, and synthetic leather around the earcups, giving you a comfortable gaming experience. In fact, your ears won’t be fatigued throughout the usage time. Unfortunately, though, it isn’t foldable or bendable, only expandable.
Battery and Charging
The battery in this headset is a rechargeable lithium polymer that can last for 10 hours of continuous use and approximately 15 hours of mixed-use. That’s moderate compared to other gaming headsets, but if your gaming sessions don’t last more than that, then you’re all set!
In terms of charging, you can charge the headphones using the micro-USB port in the headphones themselves. Another option is to attach it to the magnetic dock, provided that the dock itself is connected to an electrical outlet via the second micro-USB port.
Read also: Tozo T10 Bluetooth 5.0 Wireless Earbuds Review
Plates
This headset has two susceptible plates that receive different commands depending on how hard you push the buttons.
The left plate has the Bluetooth button; you can tap once to pause the music, twice to skip, and three times to go backward. The left plate also has up volume and down volume buttons to control your music level.
The right plate contains the preset buttons, the mic button to turn it on and off, and the up and down volume buttons that control the chat sound level.
Microphone
You’ll also find a hole for the built-in microphone on the left earcup. Although built-in microphones have quite a bad reputation, the microphone on this headset is pretty impressive in terms of quality and delivery.
It also performs excellently to the point where no one will be able to tell that you’re using a built-in microphone, even when picking up calls or talking to your friends while playing online.
So, this built-in microphone isn’t the best one out there, but it’s definitely among the best, and it gets the job done.
What’s Included in the Box
When unboxing the Turtle Beach Elite 800, you’ll find these items:
- Headset
- Wireless transmitter
- USB transmitting cable
- USB programming cable
- Mobile cable
- Optical cable
- Elite membership card
- Stickers
- Quick start guide
User’s Reviews on Amazon
Amazon’s users’ reviews are positive overall, with some issues here and there. Some of the positives that users mentioned are the superb sleek design, versatile connectivity, and excellent sound quality.
They also commended the design in terms of comfort and functionality. The magnetic charging dock omits the need for more wires, so it was a personal favorite to many users.
However, some people complained about there not being a noise cancellation feature at all. Some even reported that there’s audio glitches or buzz in the background upon using it.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for quality build and sound quality, this gaming headset is for you. Although it’s designed specifically for gamers, there are attractive features that can make music listening and movie nights better! Indeed, it’s not the cheapest model on the market, but it’s certainly worth investing in.