Turtle Beach Elite Atlas Aero review: This wireless Elite Atlas is better in every way except price - smiththavis

At a Glance

Practiced's Rating

Pros

Another premium-feeling headset from Turtle Beach
Built-in controls with whole sle of mapping options
Impressive EQ headroom

Cons

Price ISN't as aggressive
Default sound is a routine heavy connected the treble
3D Audio is bad at the best

Our Verdict

Capsize Beach's wireless take on the Elite group Atlas improves on the original, with integral controls, software-side support, and more. At twice the price though, this upgrade doesn't have the same breakout appeal.

Late stopping point class Turtle Beach stunned me with the Elite Atlas. After years of frankly unimpressive budget headsets, here was a in truth exquisite piece of design work—and a PC-first headset, too. It gave me hope for the brand, and some interest in what would seed next.

And what came next turns out to be a wireless version, the Turtle Beach Elite Atlas Aero. It's a taste of a name, sure, but can it overcome that unfortunate stumbling block and recapture the magic of its wired predecessor? I put it through with its paces to find out.

Note: This review is component part of our roundupof best gaming headsets . Go there for inside information on competing products you bet we tested them.

All-Elite

Disdain the name, the Elite Atlas Aero isn'tquite a one-to-one reproduction of the Elect Atlas. It's similar though, with generally the same elements as its wired compatriot—piano black earcups, minimal branding, afloat headband.

A year in, I still really like the Atlas. It punches well supra its weighting arsenic a $100 wired headset, and the design's only when slightly less singular repurposed for a $150 wireless mock up. And again, it's doubly impressive coming from Turn turtle Beach. The last wireless Turtle Beach model we well-tried was the Stealth 700, which cost almost as much as the Atlas Aero ($130) but which, equally I said in our review, suffered from "an abundance of impressible."

The Atlas Aero uses metal sparingly, but true thusly it improves the look and feel for immensely. It's solid, durable, and without the merry I comrade with Turtle Beach's chintzier plastic headsets. The silver headband is a slick contrast to the rest, and the grills on the earcups lend them some much-needed texture.

Is it my incomparable favorite? No, but the Aero stands up perfectly fine next to Turtle Beach's peers and that's what matters. After many days spent lagging stern, Capsize Beach is making a compelling case for itself over again.

And like the original Atlas, the Aero is surprisingly comfortable besides. One of the few noteworthy plan changes, the Aero's earcups come with the headband with a new pivoting hinge, which allows it to fold up minor when not occupied. The hinge hasn't had some negative impact happening consolation though. Alike the Elite group Atlas, the Atlas Aero is snug without squeeze too hard.

The earcups are also a credit to Turtle Beach. Sheathed in microfiber and packed with cooling gel, they're munificently soft and have kept relatively cool even during San Francisco's hottest October atmospheric condition. And while I don't wear eyeglasses, I remain affected by Turtle Beach's ProSpecs tech, which creates a channel through the padding to ease pressure on the temples. Information technology's a smart idea, and near a shame Turtle Beach has a patent happening it, as I wish it were more widespread. I hear a great deal of complaints about headsets and glasses. If that applies to you, the Atlas Aero might be your best option.

Peel off the right auricle pad and you'll recover a daub for the USB dongle. Dongle storage is always one of my favorite features, A someone who ends up with a bunch of headsets kicking around. It's hard non to lose those little sticks. Turtle Beach's solution is a bit awkward and overly unseeable, but it exists and that's what matters.

Wireless headsets also need built-in controls, which happens to be the key difference—or rather, improvement—between the Atlas Aero and its wired sibling. The cheap in-line controls felt comparable a compromise on the tense Elite Atlas, soh I'm willing to see a more bespoke solution happening the Atlas Aero.

Arrayed down the back of the nigh ear you'll find a volume wheel, power button, and a remappable button that defaults to activating Turtle Beach's "Herculean Hearing" mode (Sir Thomas More happening that later). There's a second wheel, also remappable, but which defaults to adjusting the add up of sidetone, or how practically you give the axe learn yourself in the headset Eastern Samoa you talk. Having that mapped to a wheel is a tur odd, given it's a feature I essentially set once and forget. Thither are hatful of other options though, including a "Courageous/Chat Mingle" part—a coup for Turtle Beach, given that's a feature associated mostly with Astro's high-end A50 headset. You'll find it here for half the Leontyne Price.

Listen functioning

The Atlas Aero's USB connection opens up all sorts of options, actually. The original Elite group Atlas's cabling concluded in a 3.5mm connection, an oddly scummy-key decision for a flagship release. But with USB comes a whole world of safe tuning on the software program side.

And Turtle Beach benefits, in my opinion. The Book of maps Aero defaults to Turtle Beach's "Signature Level-headed" preset, a treble-heavy visibility that emphasizes that this is agaming headset start and firstly. Gunshots, footsteps, and past "military science" sounds are pushed to the head—and activating the aforementioned Superhuman Hearing mode boosts these frequencies even Thomas More.

Trouble is, high-heavy mixes are good for runty-volley competitive scenarios and not much else. That tracks with Turtle Beach's target audience, but the Atlas Aero is shut up a bad granular and wearying listening experience for day-to-Day use, both with and without Superhuman Hearing active.

As luck would have it the Atlas Aero's computer software lateral comes with a full EQ suite that gives you some less diffraction grating options. And the truth is, the Book of maps Aero is a decent-sounding headset with that treble focus stripped away. Axial motion on the bass, musical scale back up the upper range, and the Atlas Aero takes on a often warmer smel. It's tied surprisingly satisfactory for music listening after a few minor tweaks.

Per usual, I'll note that I gift more weight to a headset that sounds great right out the loge. That aforesaid, the Atlas Aero's flexibility did impress ME. Changes, eventide minor, are forthwith strong, and thither's very much of clearance to mold the Atlas Aero to your preference. The stereo width is above-moderate likewise, with a roomy soundstage that helps the mix breathe erstwhile you birth the EQ dialed in.

Turtle Beach Elite Atlas Aero - Software

I'd stick to the basics though. Turtle Beach inundates you with fancy-sounding options, but most are just EQ adjustments of whatsoever sort, like "Game Treble Boost" and "Gamy Dialog Level." The exceptions are the Game Spatializer and 3D Audio frequency, the latter of which is through with in partnership with Waves.

Lonesome one can make up existing at a time. Really though, neither should be active. The Game Spatializer is the more natural of the two, widening the intermixture without doing too much damage—but it does deepen the texture of the sound, handsome voices a hollower feel while finished rising the bass. I don't hate information technology, but I don't suchlike it either.

The 3D Audio frequency option is worse. There are triad presets—Euphony, Movies, and Games—but all three give the source that "slick" unbroken that comes from applying heavy compaction. Maybe it's for people who necessitate a tactical edge the least bit costs, the same as the Superhuman Hearing functionality. I would never touch it though.

American Samoa for the microphone, it appears to be the identical slinky gold rush found on the original Elite Atlas. Voice reproduction was pretty solid even then, but the Atlas Aero's USB connection allows you to set up a noise gate and filter even to a greater extent background noise, which is great for noisy environments. No complaints.

Bottom credit line

The Elite group Atlas Aero is a better headset than its predecessor for many reasons. The built-in controls are a huge improvement, American Samoa is the option to EQ out the worst of Turtle Beach's tendencies. That said, it's also virtually double as dear. I'm a fan of wireless myself, but the higher cost tag does undercut the Atlas Aero slightly.

The Elite group Atlas vertebra had that "Sidesplitter, this is awing for a budget headset" underdog invoke. The Atlas Aero is on a equivalence with what I'd wait in the $150 chain of mountains, a well-built and fairly powerful gimmick that doesn't really stand out. In other words, IT's a milepost for Turtle Beach, but only insofar as they've caught up to the contention.