Turtle Beach Pro Elite

Turtle Beach make good headsets, whether that be their budget Recon line, or the Pro Elite headset that we've been testing for the purposes of this review, the quality is nearly always very high. With the pricing of the Pro Elite being so steep, and with the company's record of producing quality peripherals, it'll come as no surprise to hear that this new high-end headset is very good, with crisp and clear audio coupled with a comfortable and robust design.

First up, the audio quality is very good, and whether you're straining to hear falling footsteps while you snipe opponents across a map, or listening to a hail of bullets and explosions while you hunker down in cover in something more single-player oriented, the fidelity is impressive. We've listened to lots of music through it too, and there's a warmth to its range that we appreciated. The headset itself is stereo as standard, but you can upgrade it to 7.1 surround sound using the Tactical Audio Controller (although the standard audio quality is high enough that we don't think the 7.1 upgrade is really worth the extra expense).

We've mostly been testing it on PC, but we were unable to try out the mic on that platform because you need a splitter that's sold separately, which is worth bearing in mind if you're thinking of investing, as this drives the price up a little. Instead, we used our desktop mic to pick up our voice while we played. This isn't an issue on console, however, as audio in and out both travel through the 3.5mm jack. This means it's instantly compatible with both PS4 and Xbox One, although with the latter bear in mind that it's only the newer controllers that are compatible, as the old ones don't have a jack input (there is, of course, an adapter).

When jumping on console and using the mic on PS4, we have to say that the quality isn't quite as high as the headset's pricing suggests it should be. You can upgrade the mic, but again, this is another expense to factor in. What's there is perfectly fine, don't get us wrong, but when so much else screams luxury, it's worth considering this minor gripe, especially if you're thinking of using this headset to stream or for voice recordings.

The ear cups, on the other hand, are among the most comfortable we've ever worn (and we've had a few on the ol' noggin over the years), thanks to thick memory foam cushions that rest around the ears. There's another foam band that rests between the headset and the top of your head, and this is adjustable, so unless you've got an abnormally huge cranium, you'll be able to get them on and they'll feel comfortable for extended periods of play.

The plastic finish on the back of the cups doesn't feel as high-end as the band itself, but we've no complaints about the overall build of the headset. It's robust and well built, and comfortable to wear despite its undoubted heft. Importantly, we really like its design, and the dash of orange against the black finish works really well. It's a handsome beast, that's for sure.

Simply put, the Elite Pro is well built, looks fantastic, and offers comfort and quality over an extended period of time. Our main gripe is the mic, which isn't as high quality as the rest of the headset, but of course you can upgrade it, just like you can improve stereo to 7.1, or get adapters for PC and old Xbox One controllers. We'd argue that given the premium pricing, we'd have liked the adapters included as standard, along with a better mic, although having seen how much Turtle Beach are charging for these extras (for example, buying the Xbox One controller adapter directly from them will set you back a whopping £50), we can see why they're not in the box. However, even these omissions can't detract from the overall appeal of what is undoubtedly a quality headset.