At any time when it comes time to evaluate a brand new Turtle Beach headset, I attempt to play a sport of Guess This Mannequin’s Intent based mostly on the buzzwords utilized by Advertising and marketing. At the moment’s topic was a mixed-signals affair that stumped me. The ‘Air’ half clearly pertains to the spectacular cloud-like consolation of these earcup cushions. However ‘Atlas’ speaks of a load-bearing Titan who, regardless of being a dependable kind that Greeks of high quality, should endure crippling weight. All day. On daily basis. Endlessly.
So which one is it?
The primary, fortunately. I’ve sampled tons of headsets in my time, however the Atlas Air—weighing at a class-leading 301g—are amongst the comfiest cans I’ve ever used. At a look, you must take into account them a barely there, open-back answer for my variety of folks; people who spend extra time gaming in a day than not.
Now, some of you’ve come to this text along with your thoughts made up already, so I’ll shortly kind these people with the finest costs out there. If that’s not you, click on here to skip all the window looking for my continued ideas.
Desk of Contents
Turtle Beach Atlas Air
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Appropriate with PC, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Swap, and Cell.
Let’s get to the finest Atlas Air characteristic first—getting your ears to reside their cushiest life. This headset has taken yoga lessons, and the finish outcomes are supremely rotatable ear cups whose multi-directional nature present a greater match to your melon. By lowering strain and dispersing weight higher, the purpose is to have you ever namaste in the zone for longer, since you’ve merely forgotten they’re there. I can verify this occurs throughout marathon periods.
The information will get even higher for my fellow squinters. Turtle Beach’s Professional spec expertise, for people who put on….properly, specs, like a professional, has been totally carried out in the Atlas Airs. I discovered that I might simply obtain my very best match and desired pressure by tightening the adjustable floating strap, even whereas sporting my chunkiest Hans Moleman studying glasses.
Moreover, as talked about earlier than, these are extremely mild—Turtle Beach’s featheriest headset to this point. Moreover, the open-back strategy makes it potential for air to circulation into these barely ovoid ear cups, making the expertise extra breathable. Lowered warmth means diminished ear moisture, which suggests your canals do not develop into Venice.
In terms of connectibility, Atlas Air can be one of the most adaptable headsets in Turtle Beach’s spectacular vary of candy, candy cans. First of all, for a extra immersive expertise, the Atlas Air is the solely open-back wi-fi headset out there that provides superior spatial consciousness and extra pure sound. To ship the highest high quality in a wi-fi headset, Turtle Beach launched a brand new chipset that doubles the pattern charge. Principally, this permits the Atlas Air to switch twice as a lot frequency vary and playback in 24-bit audio.
Adapting the Atlas Air to your specific setup is a breeze. There are two methods to make the most of this badboy: tethered or wi-fi. Your two wi-fi options are Bluetooth with a fast change possibility and a USB transmitter working at 2.4 GHz. I also needs to wish to say that I appreciated the choice to replace the firmware by way of wi-fi means (which is a handy but barely nerve-racking course of).
In the event you’re working with older tech or you’ve some kind of “can’t bear to chop the umbilical wire” separation anxiousness, a 3.5 mm connection is a fast change answer for wired mode. It is value noting that any additional cabling you want—together with the always-appreciated 6-foot-long braided cable—will slot in the pretty little totebag that comes with this unit.
In terms of battery life, the all the time optimistic producer steered is usually lower than the actuality. I heard 50 hours was the mark for these; my very own experiences had been nearer to 40ish. Thoughts you, that outcome beats the hell out of the 10 or so I have been subsisting on with my Stealth Execs.
Being comfy is one factor, however these aren’t earmuffs—how does the Atlas Air sound in the warmth of battle? Fairly good in phrases of the default EQ, which I did not really feel the have to tinker with (by way of the nitty-gritty tweaks out there in the Swarm II software program suite). In the event you set your expectations to mid-range, the sound high quality supplied by these 40mm, high-fidelity drivers is kind of spectacular for what you are paying.
The open-back design is not only for conserving your lugnuts cool, both; constructing cans this manner could make for a clearer and extra pure sound with higher directionality. The important thing right here is circulation—low frequency and different resonances attributable to the rear enclosures aren’t being bottled up as a lot. To take full benefit of that, nonetheless, you are going to need a fairly quiet listening atmosphere. Circulation out additionally permits circulation in, clearly.
The outcomes I obtained in the proper sport cave: thumping lows, full mids, and crisp highs. That is very true in case you’re enjoying on PC and have taken the time to tweak a profile along with your “Superhuman Listening to” and Waves 3D Audio preferences, plus the 10-Band EQs out there.
My chosen audio testbed was cleansing up leftover outposts in the just lately launched Ghost of Tsushima on PC. With the ability to purchase a greater sense of area by the Atlas Airs was positively a plus, as I used to be forgoing Hear Mode on Deadly problem. In stealth, one can simply ping the crisp sound of footfalls coming by a selected tent or the grumblings of some distant guard perched up on overwatch.
Talking of these rattling archers, whereas participating a number of foes in a rise up battle, the Airs gave a close to radar-like potential to higher place the subsequent bastard yelling “dosho!” (free translation: “arrow time!”). Any shafts that did come shrieking towards me, even over the clarion conflict of katanas, had been extra parried than normal.
Apart from tactical benefits, the Airs had been great ambiance enhancers of Sucker Punch’s unusually wealthy and busy soundscape. Very like I’d cease and gawk at the oversaturated sights of Tsushima—like cherry blossoms shivering off their petals throughout energetic seas of pampas grass—I might take pause to understand the identical prairie come to life in my ears. Invoking the wind that followers out in the course of one’s subsequent goal is magical air stuff by some Airs.
Fantastically tuned drivers apart, the mic right here is succesful however not fairly a best-in-class affair. It helps a 16-bit, 32kHz sampling charge, and, clearly, I like that it is unidirectional, so it focuses extra on the sound coming from me and not my warring household in the background. Even with these annoyances faraway from the room, I discovered that slight artifacting might happen. Nothing above what I’ve skilled in comparable vary headsets, thoughts you.
I additionally should say that it is barely annoying to transition from utilizing a straight mic (with flip-to-mute that folds away effortlessly) to at least one that’s bend-to-straightness-then-flip-to-mute. In the event you do not keep in mind to try this additional step, it’s going to pop you one in the cheekbone or the facet of your head throughout the sheathing course of.
Past that, there aren’t quite a bit of grievances I have to air over Turtle Beach’s newest. For all however the weirdest proportioned heads, they match proper, really feel mild, and as far as I’ve skilled, they’ve delivered stratospheric ends in the sheer consolation and sound high quality stakes.
Adam Mathew is our Aussie offers wrangler. He performs virtually all the things, usually on YouTube.