XO Four Stealth – by Turtle Beach – RRP £89.99
The X04 Stealth are the latest mid-range headset for Xbox One from expert soundcrafters Turtle Beach, and the successor to the original XO4s. I’ve had the chance to test these using the festival of sound that is Battlefield: Hardline, so It’s fair to say both the game sound and the chat were given a thorough testing. The headset also comes with the new Turtle Beach Headset Audio Controller, which is a massive step forward from the original MS option.
I had the chance to try out the original XO4s last year, and I have to say they had their issues. In my review I was quite vocal that they were too tight for comfort, they had no bass, and they didn’t monitor back your own voice in chat.
Well, I almost feel like I’ve been spied on, because every one of these issues have been addressed in the XO4 Stealths.
Comfort was my primary concern when I got my hands on the XO4 Stealths. The original XO4 were very tight and quite uncomfortable, and I was worried this may have carried over. These fears were totally misplaced. The XO4 Stealths are looser (but still secure) with comfortable (albeit foam rather than leather) cups and a nice headband. Those features together with the adjustable size meant these stayed comfortable for hours. Even in sessions of 5+ hours they never got uncomfortable.
The game sound has noticeably less range than the top-of-the-line headsets like the 500Xs, but this is reflected in the much lower pricetag. The sound is still great and certainly brought the battlefields and racegrids to life. The lack of depth is also addressed to some extent by the addition of a multi-step Bass Boost on the adaptor. I’ve seen bass boosts in the past that have barely any effect on the output, so rest assured this really does kick the bass up to 11.
The chat is surprisingly clear and well separated from the game sound. As with the original headset adaptor, you have the option to mute your voice, turn the master volume up and down, and alter the balance between game sound and chat volume.
A VERY welcome addition provided with the new adaptor is the multi-step voice feedback monitoring. You can finally hear yourself! …and you can pick how loudly it comes through. This isn’t perfect, and even at top volume is a little quiet and flat. Having said that, this isn’t something that needs to be exceptional quality. Just simple monitoring is enough to make sure you can hear what you’re saying and make sure that you aren’t waking the house up with your screaming!
Overall these are a massive improvement over the original XO4s and definitely worth the money. The new Chat adaptor is also fantastic (and has a lovely silky finish). They don’t come close to the likes of the premium headsets like the 500X, but they certainly provide more than enough performance to sit at the top of the mid-range headsets. If you are looking for a sub-£100 headset for gaming and chat, look no further.
Design: 6.5/10
They look very much like the little brother of the XO7s and 500Xs. The cups are foam rather than leather, and the boom mic is adjustable but simple. However, the design (while simple) is clean and appealing. They won’t blow you away with the looks but you’ll be happy to sport them.
Comfort: 7.5/10
Loose but secure, and adjustable. They sit happily on your head without causing any discomfort even on long gaming sessions of 5hrs+.
Sound Quality: 7.5/10
The combination of the headset and the adaptor makes a formidable team for this price level. Although they may not offer the range of the premium headsets, the (multi-step) bass boost certainly does a great job of making up for it.
Chat Quality: 8.5/10
Chat is clear and easy to hear, and is separated from game sound well. Most of all, they now provide multistep feedback monitoring of your own voice.
OVERALL: 8/10
A MASSIVE improvement over the original XO4s. The improved sound, comfort, and voice monitoring make this a great addition to the Turtle Beach range on Xbox One.
^HooksaN (@HooksaN)
David contributed 8 articles to ICXM between 2015–2016, covering game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news with a focus on hands-on impressions and verified-source reporting. Their bylines on the site span the run-up to Xbox One S and Project Scorpio, plus the broader Windows 10 gaming push. They post on X as @ziplobthud.