Xboxaddict.com Article
Turtle Beach Atlas Air Review
by Adam Dileva
Specs And Features
Wireless Transmitter: PC, PlayStation consoles, and Nintendo Switch
Bluetooth: iOS, Android, PC, Nintendo Switch, & other Bluetooth Equipped Devices
Wired 3.5mm Connection: PC, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, & Mobile Devices
Driver size: 40mm High-Precision Drivers
Driver Frequency Response: 20Hz - 40kHz
Microphone Type: Uni-Directional, Detachable Flip-to-Mute
Microphone Frequency: 100Hz - 16kHz
Audio Cable: Braided 3.5mm 4-pole with volume control
Athletic Weave Fabric, Memory Foam
Rechargeable 800mAh Lithium Polymer
Dimensions : 198 x 167 x 102 mm
Weight: 301g with microphone
Compatability
PC - Windows 10 & up, USB 2.0 or higher
PS5 / PS4
Nintendo Switch
Bluetooth Equipped Mobile Devices
Xbox Series X|S / Xbox One
Unboxing
Turtle Beach Atlas Air Wireless Open Back Gaming Headset
USB-A Wireless Transmitter
Removable Microphone & Windscreen
1.8m / 5.9ft Charging Cable (USB-A to USB-C)
1.8m / 5.9ft 3.5mm Audio Cable
Carrying Pouch
Quick Start Guide
Atlas Air
You might think that once you’ve tried a few headsets, you’ve tried them all. Sure there are low to high end headsets, and they all vary slightly in their features and soundstage, then something ‘new’ comes along and really surprises you. The Turtle Beach Atlas Air is a headset that I initially expected to simply be a ‘nicer’ version of their popular Stealth series, but I was actually quite surprised at many of its features (which you can read my Stealth 500 and Stealth 600 Gen 3 review).
First and foremost, the vast majority of gaming headsets out there are closed-backed, meaning the earcup covers your ear as best as possible to avoid any outside noise coming in, and to avoid any leakage out as well, aiming to blast the audio direct to your ears. The Atlas Air does things differently and is actually an open-back headset, not something you see included in many gaming headsets, or any that I can recall. The idea of this design is that the air that passes through the earcups allow for a more natural audio. I will say, it certainly has a slightly different soundscape that I’m used to, as listening to my favorite music tracks had a slightly different ‘flavour’. The best way I could try to describe this difference is listening to your music on a regular headphones versus speakers all around you, not pumping directly into your ear, like a concert.
Being a mid to higher end headset at $179.99 USD / $239.99 CAD, a headset needs to deliver when you start to reach this price point. Cheaper headsets can be forgiven for less features and maybe a not so solid soundstage, but once you start to reach this price, it needs to justify the cost. Thankfully Turtle Beach has done this with the Atlas Air. Not only do you get great sounding audio, long lasting battery life (50+ hours), and a surprisingly competent microphone, it’s also probably one of the most comfortable headsets I’ve used in quite some time.
Of course there’s many more features like its wireless connections, but the open-back design is what really sets this headset apart from others. Combining open-back and wireless is even less common, as well as having a microphone for gaming, really makes the Atlas Air stand out, almost in its own category, regardless of its price.
When it comes to gaming headsets, 40mm drivers are usually used in lower end headsets, as they aren’t as large, so they don’t always produce the same amount of audio clarity since it’s physically smaller. This is why I always enjoyed 50mm drivers in headsets more, so I’ll admit, I was a little skeptical when I saw the Atlas Air’s had 40mm drivers. “It’s not the size that matters” has never been truer here, as these do include 24-bit audio quality and surprised me with how well the performed, even at maximum volume. That said, the earcups are deceptively large, and I would have guessed they were 50mm drivers simply from the size, but this is due to the ample cushion on each side.
Looking and Feeling Good
While the open back really is one of its main features, even more surprising was the claim of being the world’s first floating earcup design. Looking at the box you wouldn’t really know what this means, as the cans are where they are supposed to be, until you look closer and see these cords or straps attached to the band and then to the can itself. On most headsets the cans are attached by a hinge at the end of band, allowing them to tilt and adjust to your head. The Atlas Air takes this even a step further, as this floating design allows the cans to adjust to your head, but in any direction. This is because the cans aren't attached by a rigid hinge, instead connected by six different straps/cords, essentially having the cans floating separate from the headband. If you use a profession microphone setup, this is like having a shock mount installed, as the microphone freely ‘floats’ separate from the arm; it’s the same idea.
The floating design allows for three-dimensional adjustability, not just a tilting of up and down. If you’ve ever had issues with headphones not fitting perfectly, it may be because traditional headsets can’t always adjust in every direction. This design allows for any head shape to be accommodated for since the cans simply ‘float’. If you’re like me and generally play for hours at a time, this is going to help with the comfort as well.‘Floating’ must have been a theme when designing the Atlas Air, as the headband is also the same idea. Similar to the Stealth 500 headband, instead of your head resting on the top of the hard band itself, there’s a taught elastic material that will rest on your head instead. This too allows for improved adjustability, as the band will conform to your head, especially nice for those that may not have a perfect shaped skull where traditional bands make the top of your head sore after prolonged use; no worry of that here. Surrounded by a breathable mesh, this helps with the breathability and weight reduction. This actually made me realize there’s no ergonomic adjustments on the headset at all aside from being able to adjust the tension of the headband, quickly and easily done with two Velcro tabs on the underside of the band.
While the headset fits my head without issue, I left it at the default adjustment for the Velcro straps. Normal movement wouldn’t have it fall of my head, but if I did bend down quickly to get something or jiggled around, I could feel it not being as tight against my ears, slightly slipping. I simply adjusted the Velcro straps to be tighter and haven’t had an issue since, yet doesn’t feel tight against my ears either due to the floating earcups that can adjust.
At 301g, the Atlas Air lives up to its name, feeling light as air when worn, and that’s with the detachable microphone installed as well. The earpads are quite large, which is why I initially thought they might be 50mm drivers, but this is due to the extra generous helping of cushioning for your ears. The cups are extremely soft and does include Turtle Beach’s ProSpecs feature, essentially a way that those wearing glasses won’t have the arms pressing up against their face. They are easily one of the most comfortable headsets I’ve ever used, and I’ve reviewed many over the years. The fabric is very breathable and my ears never became hot after hours of use.
The actual headband and frame is made of plastic, is quite flexible, yet doesn’t feel cheap. The counterpoint to this though is that without a metal band, it also doesn’t look or feel as premium as those headsets with a metal band. The elastic bands/cords that hold the floating earcups have a decent thickness to them and I’ve had no issues over the last few weeks of using the Atlas Air, though I can’t speak for long term durability. I’m not sure what would happen if one of the cords snapped, or if it could even be fixed.Connect to Everything
Being a dude, of course I simply put the headset on before reading the instructions, and I was initially confused where the volume knob was, as I was expecting something similar to the Stealth series. Instead, the Atlas Air uses the left ear’s disc on the outer side as its volume adjustment. Comparing the left and right cups, you can see that the left has a texture along the disc to indicate its volume controls. There’s a very slight ‘notch’ for each slight turn of the dial, oddly changing the volume by ‘7’ according to Windows, though it feels smooth unless you turn it slowly.
At the bottom of the left cup is where you’ll find the other controls and connections. Here is the Power button, Source, Bluetooth, USB-C port, 3.5mm port, and an odd oval shape where the detachable microphone plugs in. Just like the latest Stealth series, the Atlas Air offer a wide variety of connectivity options depending on what device you want to pair with. I primarily used the 2.4GHz wireless dongle, though Bluetooth 5.2 is an option as well.The dongle itself is quite small, about half the length as their previous generations, which is always welcome. This combination means you can connect it to virtually any device, mobile included if you want to take the headset out with you. Regardless if you’re planning on playing on your Xbox, Playstation, Switch, PC or mobile device, you’ll have a way to connect and reconnect to a different one when needed. Not being locked into one ecosystem is great and the Bluetooth functionality gives you even more options.
The Atlas Air is passive when used via wired 3.5mm cable, which is the only way to use with the Xbox unfortunately. A minor complaint I have about the included cable is that there’s a large sticker on the end that connects to the headset side, seemingly almost impossible to get off without dangerously cutting it off. There’s a small dongle on the cable that allows you to control volume , and it works just fine, but it’s quite basic in its appearance and feel, unlike the rest of the headset.
Using the headset in wireless mode on console but want to quickly swap and change to Bluetooth mode to take it on the go with your phone or swap to your PC? There’s a QuickSwitch button on the earcup that allows you to seamlessly swap when required, no hassle plugging in the dongle to another device or re-pairing. I didn’t think I would use this feature much, but having the option made me use it more than I expected, though I do wish it had simultaneous connections so I could listen to my music from my phone while playing on my Xbox and getting game audio.
Balanced Audio
Because of the open-back design, audio sounds much more natural for a number of reasons. Closed-back sounds great when trying to isolate the audio direct to your ears, but can sometime have distortion simply due to its design. Instead of a set of speakers that sounds glued to your ears, open-back feels more relaxed. There are some disadvantages to this though as well, depending on your environment. Because air and sound can flow in and out, this means you’re going to hear outside sound as well.
If you’re in a loud environment you’re going to hear what’s happening around you, so no more excuses that you can’t hear your spouse because your headphones are on. At higher volumes it does drown out some of the background, but I could absolutely tell a difference even at home with my daughter's games going on in the background. While you could use these outdoors on your walk or anywhere else, the louder the environment, the more they’ll interfere with what you hear, not drastically, but enough to be noticeable.
I listened to a wide range of my favorite music and genres, and the Atlas Air performed well across the board. While I do wish there was just a little more ‘oomph’ to the bass, even when cranked up in the EQ settings, it’s a decent amount, I just prefer my ears shaking to heavy bass when it’s appropriate. Movies and shows sounded great, dialogue was clear and action sequences had the clarity to distinguish what was happening on screen. Gaming of course is where I spent most of my time with the headset, trying everything from the audio perfection of Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, hearing the voices in her head as if they were all around me, to the engine roars of Forza. I could make out footsteps in my shooters and directionality seemed quite accurate when playing some online Call of Duty.
Overall, the soundstage was balanced and quite clear. Bass didn’t drown out the other highs and mids, and it didn’t sound muddled at all when there’s a lot happening at once. Again, I’m a bass fan, so I wish it had a little more power in that regards, but that’s a personal preference. Even at max volume, it wasn’t piercing my ears, but was certainly enough to drown out any background sound that I may have heard at lower volumes. Only at max volume my wife mentioned that some audio was bleeding outwards, again, due to the open-back design. The 40mm drivers did their job and the 24-bit quality audio sounded great no matter what content I was listening to. The only caveat is that in wired mode via 3.5mm, it certainly had a different sound and didn’t feel as ‘powerful’, so at a bare minimum, use in Bluetooth mode if an option.
Hear Me, Hear Me
I’ll admit, I usually test out the microphones in gaming headsets in a few party chats and discord, but expect generally the same result; a fine representation of my voice, but nothing amazing compared to my dedicated microphones. The detachable boom mic is a flexing boom arm and an included windscreen at the tip. Again, I wasn’t expecting anything special simply due to being a gaming headset, but I was quite surprised actually.
Promoting 16-bit and a 32kHz sampling rate, my expectations where higher than normal, as they tout broadcast quality for their microphone. I was skeptical due to being a small boom arm and detachable, but they somehow did it. Doing some voice recordings, I was actually quite impressed, as the uni-directional design managed to cut out the vast majority of the background noise, focusing solely on my voice only. Of course it doesn’t compare to my dedicated steaming and recording microphones, but it’s probably one of the better microphones I’ve heard on a gaming headset. It simply sounded clear and crisp without any feedback or distortion.
Swarm II App
First and foremost, you’ll want to first update the firmware on your new Atlas Air, done via the Swarm II app on PC or mobile. Having the dongle plugged into my PC, the app found the headset right away and proceeded to update. I had no issues updating or it finding the headset, which was a bonus, an issue I had with the Stealth 500’s initially, though it seems it has to be via wireless, not Bluetooth.
The Swarm II App comes in two different formats, a desktop and mobile app, and while they’ll do virtually the same thing, the desktop version does have a bit more functionality for customization. Primarily using the mobile version for ease, it’s a lightweight app that allows you to change some basic settings like master volume, enabling chat boost, superhuman hearing controls, game/chat mix, which sound stage to use, microphone sensitivity and monitoring, and checking the battery life. It’s a simple app that isn’t bloated, making changes quick and easy.
The desktop app however gives you even more options, like an advanced 10-Band EQ where you can really customize how the audio if you really want to tweak the finer details. The desktop app also will allow you to change and map the buttons on the headset itself to something else. This is where you’ll be able to fine tune the audio to your preferences, even the microphone settings and more.
Final Thoughts
I haven’t been this impressed with a headset in quite some time. I initially found the open-back design a little distracting just because my household is generally loud with my wife or kid having their devices on loud, but using them at night when there was no outward distractions, the audio sounded fantastic when using wirelessly. I was a bit disappointed that using via wired they do sound quite different and don’t have the same soundstage, but at least it’s usable passively. Primarily an Xbox player though, I opted to keep these connected to my PC and other consoles instead most of the time.
My personal preferences when choosing a headset comes down to audio and comfort, since I game for hours at a time. The Atlas Air’s nails both of these nearly perfectly. Being one of the most comfortable headsets I’ve used in years, it’s easy to forget they’re being worn when you’re binge watching your favorite shows or playing for hours on end. With 50+ hour battery life, you won't have an issue of them dying either mid-game or show. Audio is well balanced and the mids have quite a lot of detail. Sure I wish it had a bit more power to its bass, but that’s a personal preference.
I can’t fault inwards and outwards sound leakage on the headset, as that’s simply part of being an open-back design. If you’re looking for a headset for your morning commute, using outdoors, or in a louder environment, these won’t be what you’re looking for. If you play in a quiet environment though, I absolutely recommend the Turtle Beach Atlas Air without any hesitation. The soundscape does sound a little different than I’m normally used to in a standard closed-back headset, but I quite enjoy it. Immensely comfortable, incredibly light, great audio balancing, long battery life, and a pretty decent microphone makes the Atlas Air a worthwhile purchase.
**Turtle Beach Atlas Air was provided and reviewed on an Xbox Series X, various consoles, PC, and mobile**
Overall: 10/10
