Turtle Beach Elite Atlas Aero Review
Last fall, we reviewed Turtle Beach’s latest line of PC Gaming headsets, the ‘Atlas’ lineup. The flagship of the Atlas line was undoubtedly the Elite Atlas, featuring crisp surround sound, clear microphone audio, unrivaled comfort and durability and complete compatibility. All of this was provided at the very reasonable price point for a gaming headset of $100USD. Now, Turtle Beach has taken the Elite Atlas and gone wireless with the Elite Atlas Aero, coming in at $150USD. Is the wireless functionality worth the extra cost? Let’s take a look and find out!
Immediately upon donning the Elite Atlas Aero, It is clear that the wireless capability was not the only improvement made from the earlier model. The Aero edition has sturdier hinges which reduce the pressure on your ears and sides of your head, creating an overall higher level of comfort and durability. These hinges also allow the headset to fold the ear cups inwards, giving it a very low profile for storage.
While the headband itself is not adjustable, it is large enough to accommodate my slightly larger than average head with a small amount of room to spare. If you have a very large head, this headset may not be for you. Everyone else will find the headset quite comfortable and well-fitted, even for sessions of 5+ hours of use.
Speaking of long gaming sessions, did I mention the insane battery life packed into the Elite Atlas Aero? This bad boy boasts a 30-hour battery life, which is quite literally twice that of many of its competitors. As recharging is one of the greatest inconveniences of going wireless, this extended battery life is a big plus.
The audio quality provided by the Elite Atlas Aero is certainly above par, and for the price tag, it darn well should be. While it felt very comparable to its wired relative, the Aero still provides crisp highs and booming lows with its Waves MaxxMultiband audio (especially with the Bass Boost enabled), although the dynamic range could use a little improvement.
The independent game and chat audio controls allow you to quickly and easily customize the balance between sound, enabling full control over how you hear everything. To this effect, the Waves MaxxVolume dynamic chat boost is available to ensure you hear your teammates loud and clear over any game sound, at any time.
The microphone sound quality on the Elite Atlas Aero is pleasantly surprising. After testing almost a dozen different microphones, the only ones that experienced noticeably better quality were $200+ standalone mics, meaning the Aero packs quite a bunch for a combination headset. The voice quality is full-bodied but can be muddy at times. The degree to which this happens is certainly not enough to cause communication issues and is only truly apparent when compared to the aforementioned standalone mics.
The onboard controls of the Elite Atlas Aero are everything one requires: audio balance, master audio level and eq/bass boost. There is also a microphone mute button which is located on the side of the ear cup, not the edge. This takes some getting used to, as does the lack of visual mute indicator, instead you will hear a two-tone audio indicator that tells you the microphone has been muted, and a different two tones when you unmute.
Overall, the convenience of the Elite Atlas Aero as well as the comfort, high audio fidelity and very solid microphone quality make this one of our favourite wireless headsets to date.
Sound Quality: 4/5 Crisp highs and deep lows with decent surround sound combine with very low distortion to provide an enjoyable gaming/listening experience. Very comparable to other headsets in the same range.
Microphone Quality: 4/5 For a headset mic, the Elite Atlas Aero offers a very solid audio experience. While I generally use standalone mics I would have no hesitation in using the Elite Atlas mic for any of my PC gaming needs.
Comfort: 4.5/5 Very comfortable ear cups that easily fit my (admittedly larger-than-average) head. People with very large heads may have an issue, but all others should be very comfortable.
Durability: 4.5/5 The metal band is strong and the joints which allow the ear cups to rotate are quite sturdy. Almost every part of the headset is replaceable: from the microphone to the ear cups and headphone plates. This allows for a potentially faulty part to be replaced without requiring an entirely new headset, which is always a nice touch.
Compatibility: 5/5 The Elite Atlas Aero is primarily for wireless PC usage, but also comes with a 3.5mm jack for versatile use. This allows it to function seamlessly on PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and any device with a 3.5mm jack. With wireless capability, there is nothing lacking for compatibility.
Overall Value: 4.25/5 There is no doubt that the Elite Atlas Aero is a strong competitor in the hardcore-gamer level of PC accessories. While the price tag of $150 USD may put it out of reach of the casual gamer, the Elite Atlas Aero punches above its weight in most categories, making it well worth the investment for a serious gamer who is looking for a comfortable, durable headset with great sound quality.
Learn more about the Elite Atlas Aero here: https://www.turtlebeach.com/pages/elite-atlas-aero-headset