Headset of Champions? Maybe after a redesign.
I was in the market for a new headset after having the same pair for almost 6 years. I also took the chance to see what technological advancements were out there and settled for these.
With it being wired though it fixed my one gripe with Bluetooth...the crappy audio quality of Bluetooth.
First off, these boys are comfy. I can keep them on for hours on end without noticing them. Definitely has a professional design, about everything works as intended. Immediately though, I missed the freedom of having a wireless headset. Now, my desk is all cluttered with numerous cables from the TAC mixer and headset. With it being wired though it fixed my one gripe with Bluetooth...the crappy audio quality of Bluetooth. You can listen to music (honestly almost sounds better than my B&W P7s), watch movies, etc. without having to mess with the presets. I do however wish they'd just have implemented a wireless solution that you would be able to turn off. KLEER wireless is a perfectly good wireless solution to having crystal clear DVD quality sound 10x better than Bluetooth. I wish Turtle Beach would've thought about in their design of an "Elite" headset.
Second thing I noticed, which TurtleBeach has been trying to implement for years without much fanfare is the sad implementation of the "surround mode" on the TAC. Unless you're pushing out to a surround sound system, turn off this mode. It makes everything sound like GARBAGE through the headset. Without the surround mode on, the sound is crisp, clear, and precise. I've been playing Borderlands and it really brings the game to life. In shooters like Call of Duty or Battlefield, you can really enjoy the sound engineering with every bullet and grenade going off. The footsteps of your enemy are loud & clear as well.
The mic is about the only sub-par quality thing on this headset.
Passive noise canceling is good albeit not as great as I would like. It successfully drowns out most noises. I have a server with fans blowing at max due to a motherboard issue, a Dyson and the most powerful Vornado shop fan blowing on max and it successfully drowns most of it out. For a $400+ setup though, I think they should've implemented active noise canceling.
The mic is about the only sub-par quality thing on this headset. The volume is LOW, I have to turn the TAC mixer mic boost to 75% for people to hear me. It also sounds like you're speaking through a crappy Bluetooth headset which is NOT how something considered "Elite" and part of a $400+ setup should sound. I used to record audio using my Ear Force Deltas and it sounded almost like a Blue Yeti mic compared to this. The TAC background noise blocking works EXTREMELY well though. If I set it to 50% it only picks up when I talk, even with all the noise going on around me. With the noise canceling mic, it lacks a remote mic mute, I have to reach over to the mixer and manually press the mute button.
COME ON TURTLE BEACH ITS 2016, you either have a mute button on the mic itself or have it so that when you turn the mic upwards it mutes! Except you can't do that because with the noise canceling mic, the mic end is so heavy it drops the mic immediately to below your neck. There is no adjusting it and quickly becomes an annoyance. A huge design flaw such as this shouldn't have made it past QA. Aside from the TAC, all the accessories for the Elite Pro feel as if they were rushed or were last minute add-ons. Crucial things like the Xbox One & PS4 controller adapters weren't available at launch and for months afterwards still weren't.
Also of note is TB's lack of documentation, software, etc. on this headset (at the time of writing this it didn't even appear on the support website.) Pretty much if I forget how to do something I have to open the box and look at the manual. So TIP TO PEOPLE: Don't throw away the manuals.
Pros:
Comfort
Crystal Clear Sound
Good Slick Design
No loss of signal
No driver installation
USB power doubles as a data cable that PlayStation and PC picks up as a headset
Mixers has a decent number of options
Audio volume has a big range
Cons: No mute button with noise canceling mic Surround mode stinks Noise canceling mic has huge design problem Sub-par mic quality Not Wireless Lack of support documentation Low mic volume
4 out of 5 Stars
You can find Turtlebeach's Elite Pro Headset here