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JLab JBuds Open Wireless: Two-minute review

JLab is well-known for its affordable headphones and earbuds, but this time the brand is branching out into something more unusual.

The JBuds Open Wireless are over-ear headphones designed to allow you to hear the world around you. Yes, everyone is doing that right now, just take a look at our best open earbuds guide — but while most open-ear options are earbuds, JLab has made an over-ear version. It promises to deliver the same open benefits but from a bigger — and for some people, more comfortable — form factor.

Now, open-back headphones are nothing new. They're actually a firm favorite among audiophiles. That's because venting the back of the driver housing stops sound from bouncing back onto the driver itself, which gives you a cleaner and more accurate sound with a wider, more natural soundstage.

However, the JBuds Open Wireless aren't that. Sure, they look similar, but the “open” part here means something different. The earcups don't create a strong seal against your head, and the cups can have grilles over them or the option to be completely open, so ambient sound outside flows freely in alongside your music.

So it’s not open-back as an audio engineering choice, but more open-ear as a lifestyle one, where the goal isn't better sound quality but a mix of sound and awareness of what's happening around you.

Interestingly, this design might seem new but it’s been done before several times. One of my favorite examples is back in the late '90s when Sony released the MDR-F1 — not identical, but similar open or open-air headphones, and people referred to them as "earspeakers" at the time. This is a similar thing, and a few other brands have done it, such as the ONE Wireless Open-Ear Headphones from nwm.

But they're still unusual right now, and I can't work out if they're uncommon because they're about to appeal to everyone and we'll see more soon, or because the use case is so specific that plenty of people will love the idea but find it falls apart in practice. Unfortunately, I'm in the second camp.

Don’t get me wrong, there's a lot to like here. The design is genuinely cool, with removable grilles and a comfortable all-day fit thanks to some memory foam padding in the cups and band. The sound also delivers more bass than I'd expect from an open design. And the ambient awareness really works. In quiet environments, it's really nice to listen with them.

But add just a bit of background chatter or noise and the openness becomes the problem. There are just too many competing sounds and the experience collapses. I know what you’re thinking. Isn’t that the whole point of open-ear designs? Sure, but if the music you’ve bought them to listen to becomes unlistenable, then we’ve got a problem.

At under $100/£100, the risk still feels low. But I think the use case is narrow, and most people will know within a day whether these are for them.

JLab JBuds Open Wireless review: Price and release date

(Image credit: Future / Becca Caddy)

• Released in late 2025
• Priced at $99.99 / £99.99 / AU$199.99

After being unveiled at IFA 2025 in September of 2025, the JLab JBuds Open Wireless headphones were launched in some markets in late 2025, and then the rest in early 2026.

You can buy the JBuds Open for $99.99 / £99.99 / AU$199.99. That price means they sit somewhere between the higher end of budget and mid-range.

Now this is where I'd usually give you context of how they compare to similar products, but it's tricky to compare these headphones directly to anything else right now. They give you the benefits of open-ear styles, but those are mostly buds, and these still look and feel like over-ears.

In that case, let's look at the open-ear buds you can get right now. Like the Shokz OpenFit 2+, our current top pick, which are $179.95 / £169. Though you can get much more affordable open buds that still sound good, like the Earfun Clip 2 with a clip-on design that'll cost you $79.99 / £69.99 (about AU$120).

In terms of over-ears, one of our favorite budget picks is the OneOdio Focus A6 over-ears at $55 / £55 / AU$112, which we think sound fantastic for the price. Though at that higher end of the budget range you've got plenty of choice, like the very highly rated 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51 at $89 / £99 / AU$130.

Although there's nothing to strictly compare them to, the price reflects what you're getting. Which is over-ear comfort and build with open-ear awareness in a form factor that doesn't really exist elsewhere. For under $100 / £100, that does seem like a fair ask. But whether it's worth it comes down entirely to your preferences, which we'll get into.

JLab JBuds Open Wireless review: Specs

Drivers

35mm and 12mm Coaxial Dynamic Drivers

Active noise cancellation

No

Battery life (ANC off)

Up to 24 hours

Weight

245g

Connectivity

Bluetooth 6.0, USB-C

Frequency response

20-20 kHz

Waterproofing

None

JLab JBuds Open Wireless review: Features

(Image credit: Future / Becca Caddy)

• Simple app with essentials
• Multipoint connectivity
• 24 hours battery life (well, nearly)

The JLab JBuds Open aren't overflowing with features, but you have everything you need for the price here.

The app is basic, but that's not a criticism. I found it easy to use and it covers the essentials well. You can customize the manual buttons on the right earcup, check battery life, set an interval timer, toggle spatial audio on/off, and switch between music and movie modes.

There's also a 10-band custom EQ alongside three presets, which I enjoyed playing with to try and address some of the issues with the sound, more on that later.

The headphones have dual coaxial drivers onboard, a 35mm and a 12mm unit, and Bluetooth 6.0 connectivity with support for SBC and AAC codecs. There’s no wireless hi-res audio options, but a USB-C cable is included if you want a wired connection.

(Image credit: Future / Becca Caddy)

Multipoint connectivity to two devices worked seamlessly during my testing, switching cleanly between my laptop and phone while I was working.

Battery life is rated at 24 hours, though in some of JLab's specs it says to expect 18 hours. In my testing I got around 20 hours, with a full recharge taking roughly 2.5 to 3 hours.

That's not bad, but it does lag behind other over-ear headphones. The Sony WH-1000XM6 manages 30 hours, and the cheaper 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51 headphones deliver an extraordinary 65 hours with ANC on. But, to be fair, it's much harder to fit batteries in when you've removed all the physical space from your headphones…

Measured against open-ear buds, this amount is impressive as the Shokz OpenFit 2+ only manages 11 hours, but that’s expected given the size difference.

• Features score: 3.5 / 5

JLab JBuds Open Wireless review: Sound quality

(Image credit: Future / Becca Caddy)

• Better bass than most open options but sub-bass is lacking
• Wide soundstage suits big, orchestral tracks
• Sound leakage is an issue

With the JLab JBuds Open headphones, you can obviously hear your surroundings — that’s the whole point. But you're going to want to bear that in mind, because these sound really open. Like, really open.

On a long quiet walk along the canal, it was lovely. I had music playing, I could hear bike bells and birds and I felt very happy. But walking through the city was a different experience entirely.

What I was hearing from the headphones was competing for my attention with a fire alarm, other music, and general chatter. There's open-ear, which I’ve tried many times now from different brands, and then there's this.

And some people might genuinely want this. If ambient awareness always trumps music for you, and competing sounds don't overwhelm you, these could be ideal. That's subjective and worth acknowledging, but it wasn't my experience.

The reason it's so pronounced is physical, because the drivers sit further from your ear than other open options. They’re outside the ear rather than in the concha, where other open buds sit. Sealed over-ears obviously don't have the problem at all.

Here it's essentially like holding a speaker close to your ear. I recommending testing adding the grilles in and out, because they do reduce the sound leakage in, and they're very easy to remove.

With dual coaxial 35mm and 12mm drivers, they’re working with bigger hardware than most open-ear buds, and you can really tell when you listen. There's genuine presence in the low end, with far more bass and substance than you'd typically expect from a pair of open-ear buds.

Vocals come through clearly, and the wide soundstage is a real strength here. I spent a lot of time listening to Jóhann Jóhannsson’s Arrival score and instrument separation was impressive. Big, cinematic or orchestral tracks have a sense of space that genuinely suits the open design.

Moving onto Rolling Stones' Sympathy for the Devil and the track's swagger and drive translated well. It felt wide, punchy and instruments were given plenty of room.

(Image credit: Future / Becca Caddy)

But there are weaknesses. Sub-bass is mostly absent. Hi-hats and cymbals also had a tendency to tip into shrill territory, and kick drums have a sharp, thin quality rather than a satisfying thud.

The overall character skews mid-heavy, and you'll find yourself pushing the volume higher than expected to get a sense of immersion.

At times it felt a bit like hearing your phone playing in front of you; it’s present and clear enough, but thin and lacking warmth. The bass boost EQ setting helps on the right tracks and is worth trialling, but it can't resolve the main limitation here which is that there’s no seal to trap and focus the sound.

Calls were fine. With open ears, conversations feel more natural to me, and the noise-cancelling mic picked up my voice well. It lacked some clarity at times, but was fine for most purposes.

Sound leakage from the headphones is also worth flagging. I recorded audio on my phone while wearing them and could make out the track even at a moderate volume with the grilles on. If you remove them, it gets noticeably worse.

Push the volume up, which you will find yourself doing, and it gets worse still. So there's a sort of irony here, which is that the open design means you need more volume to feel the music, but more volume means more leakage.

Ambient noise outside will mask the leakage, so you'll get away with it way more in public than you might expect. But a quiet office or commute is going to be a different story.

• Sound quality: 3.5 / 5

JLab JBuds Open Wireless review: Design

(Image credit: Future / Becca Caddy)

• A bold design that may divide people
• Genuinely comfortable for long wear
• Removable grilles change the look and the sound

The JLab JBuds Open headphones have a very unusual design and I think they'll divide people. Some will find them incredibly cool and a bit sci-fi looking, whereas others just won't get on with them.

They're over-ear headphones with a build that feels substantial, though they do feel a little more cheap and plasticky than something like the Bose QuietComfort Headphones, my all-time favorite over-ears, but that’s to be expected at this lower price.

Both the earcups and headband are padded with memory foam and I found it genuinely comfortable for long sessions. The clamping force was occasionally a little much when I was working indoors, but on runs outside it actually helped and kept them feeling secure.

(Image credit: Future / Becca Caddy)

At 245g, they're light, and you can shave a couple of grams off by removing the metal grilles. The earcups have a sort of wheel-spoke pattern with a grille sitting over under it. And if you twist the cup, the grille pops out cleanly, opening things up even more both in how these headphones look and sound.

I noticed it really changes the look of them, and noticeably affects how much ambient sound comes through. It’s a small but genuinely fun customization option.

That said, they're bulky. They stick out from your head considerably more than most modern over-ears nowadays, and while the cups pivot flat, they don't fold inward either, which makes them less practical to carry and store than many rivals.

The included carry case is a nice touch. It’s a similar concept to the AirPods Max case but it’s more practical with more coverage of the headphones. The matte, brushed finish picks up marks easily though.

(Image credit: Future / Becca Caddy)

You control the JBuds Open with physical buttons on the side of the right earcup. I personally prefer physical buttons over touch controls, and found these easy to locate and use on the move, and they're also customizable via the app.

The headphones come in black, which is the pair I tested here, or Cloud, which is a light gray with gold accents that's a nice option if you’re sick of all black tech.

There’s no IP rating here, which on paper suggests avoiding sweaty workouts when you're wearing them. But given their open design means far more airflow than a sealed pair, I'd argue they're pretty workout-friendly as long as you’re mindful about sweat and splashes.

I tested them on several runs without any problems and actually really enjoyed the ambient awareness and added airflow as I got warmer and more tired. But I maybe wouldn't risk them in the rain.

• Design score: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Future / Becca Caddy)JLab JBuds Open Wireless review: Value

• Good value compared to open-ear buds
• But whether it's worth it depends on your feelings about ambient sound

These are good value compared to other over-ear headphones and even some open-ear options. You can pick up open-ear buds for well under $100 / £100 these days, but top performers like the Shokz OpenFit 2+ cost nearly double at $179 / £169. So if you specifically want open-ear audio on a budget, they’re worth considering.

But really, whether these are worth it has less to do with price and more to do with your lifestyle. Under $100 / £100 feels fair for what's here. But if you're going to struggle to hear your music in most environments or find the bulk doesn't suit you, the price won't save them.

For the right person though, which I think will be someone who prioritizes awareness, loves the over-ear form factor, and isn't chasing audiophile sound, then these were essentially made for you.

• Value: 3.5 / 5

Should I buy the JLab JBuds Open Wireless?

(Image credit: Future / Becca Caddy)JLab JBuds Open Wireless score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

The app is easy-to-use, and it's nice to get multipoint connectivity and a USB-C option.

3.5 / 5

Sound quality

Good for an open design, especially for bass. But it's hard to hear your music in anything other than a quiet environment, and sound leaks out, too.

3.5 / 5

Design

They're comfortable enough for all-day listening thanks to their memory foam. The design is chunky and divisive but I like that you can switch the grilles in and out.

4 / 5

Value

Good sound, features and design for the money, but whether it's good value for you or not is an entirely different story. It'll be a really subjective thing for these.

3.5 / 5

Buy them if…

You want an over-ear design that’s also open
If you’re someone who needs this unique combo, these are made for you, and do it really well.

You need to be really aware of your surroundings
I always say this with open designs, but make sure you absolutely need them to be open. Which is particularly the case here, without those grilles you hear everything.

Your ears get warm
If you like over-ears but find your ears get warm or sweaty, this design could be an unexpected win.

Don’t buy them if…

You like a svelte design
Sure, I’ve tested bigger over-ears, but these felt a little bulky and certainly looked it.

You struggle to focus on music and podcasts sometimes
They’re so open that if you have trouble focusing (especially ADHD or auditory processing issues) you’ll find it hard to hear anything.

You want traditional open back audio quality
They might look like open back options, but you won’t get the same audio experience here unfortunately.

JLab JBuds Open Wireless review: Also consider

Jlab Jbuds Open Headphones

1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51

Earfun Clip 2

Drivers

35mm and 12mm coaxial dynamic drivers

40mm dynamic

12mm dual-magnetic titanium composite driver

Active noise cancellation

No

Yes

No

Battery life (ANC on)

Up to 24 hours

60 hours (ANC on), 100 hours (ANC off)

11 hours

Weight

245g

246g

5.5g

Connectivity

Bluetooth 6.0, USB-C

Bluetooth 5.4, 3.5mm

Bluetooth 6.0

Waterproofing

None

None

IP55

1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51

If it’s over-ears you prefer and you’re willing to sacrifice the open appeal of the JLabs, then you don’t have to spend a small fortune to get a good pair these days. Our top budget pick is the Sonoflow Pro HQ51 from 1More. The sound is satisfying here and you can customize it, there’s also ANC onboard and you’ll get a huge 65 hours of battery life with ANC on and 100 hours with ANC off. All for less than $100/£100.

Read our full 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51 review

Earfun Clip 2

I'm including these just in case you didn’t know that an open fit can be achieved in a clip design. And they’re surprisingly comfortable and stable. If open is a priority it’s definitely worth shopping around for other options. I reviewed these and while they’re not perfect, they fit well, they’re packed with features, bass is solid for open buds and they’re incredibly cheap too. If you’re willing to branch out from over-ears, these could be everything you're looking for.

Read our full Earfun Clip 2 review

How I tested the JLab JBuds Open Wireless

(Image credit: Future / Becca Caddy)

• Tested over 10 days
• Used with my iPhone 16 Pro
• Listened to music, podcasts and some movies

I tested the JLab JBuds Open Ear Headphones for 10 days, which gave me plenty of time to trial them in different environments, wear them in a few different weather conditions and run a battery test.

I took them with me on daily long walks and two runs along the canalside, as well as one bigger hike in the countryside. They also came with me often when I was walking through a big city, in a busy market, to plenty of coffee shops while I was working remotely, on several bus rides and just out and about getting on with my day more generally.

I used my iPhone 16 Pro to test them and mostly listened to music and podcasts. I also used them when watching a couple of movies to test the movie preset and the spatial audio. I tested the different modes and EQ settings and used them with and without their grilles.

I actually became really fascinated by the subtle sound differences when it came to the grilles, so know my experience in this review comes from a lot of careful listening.

I’ve been writing about and testing tech for more than 15 years now. I’ve focused mainly on wearables, smart home devices and a lot of audio tech. Over the past few years I’ve been testing a lot of open ear buds, so I know what I’m looking (and listening out) for.

I’m always keen to think about the real world use cases and everyday practicality of tech so you get your money’s worth and pick the best device for you.

• First reviewed: May 2026
• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

The JLab JBuds Open Wireless headphones are hands-down the most interesting headphones I've tested this year, but not the best

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(Image credit: Mike Stewart)

AI isn’t helping either side – with scammers using it to refine attacks and consumers blindly trusting output.

Turtle Beach Stealth Pro 2: one-minute review

You can always tell when a product launch means a lot to a company. There's almost an air of mystery surrounding it. The Turtle Beach Stealth Pro 2 wireless gaming headset is a textbook example of that. Tightly controlled review NDA up front. Mysterious box with "packed under CCTV surveillance" tape plastered across the side of it. PR check-ins to see how I'm doing. You get the works. And to be fair to them, I can understand why.

When we reviewed the original Turtle Beach Stealth Pro back in 2023, it absolutely dominated. From its outstanding soundscape to the wild amount of connectivity it included, and that legendary build quality it managed to achieve, it ticked almost every box that you'd want a good gaming headset to tick.

I'm glad to report that the Stealth Pro 2, in many ways similar to its predecessor, is purely outstanding. And it achieves that heady height, while also dramatically improving in every area that the original Stealth Pro fell short on. The product design team at Turtle Beach took the feedback from the original Stealth Pro and pretty much corrected all of its faults, making it arguably one of the best wireless gaming headsets of 2026.

Let's start with the audio. These are gaming drivers here; there's no doubt about that. The bass is rich and mids deep; it does lack "some" clarity at first try on the top-end, but a quick dabble in the EQs and you can easily tweak that out of it. Then there's the mic, a removable, flippable, unidirectional 9mm beamforming unit that honestly competes with some of the best fully-fledged XLR setups I've tested.

Connectivity, too, lands solidly with multi-wireless crossplay and simultaneous Bluetooth 5.3 included as standard, and the wireless range is massive (I left my house and walked down the street for 80-odd feet / 25 meters before I gave up and went home). Oh, and did I mention the battery life? Because yeah, it's 80 hours, courtesy of two battery packs, each rated at 40 hours apiece, one permanently charging in that 2.4 GHz wireless super dock that plugs directly into your PC.

It's hard to critique this thing. If I had one complaint, it's that I have some concern over the headband mesh and the clamping force. Particularly for those with craniums of a somewhat larger size.

A necessary evil, perhaps, to assist with that active noise cancelling, but it might take a bit of time to get used to if you're not familiar with studio-style headphones. And yet, that is still not enough to outweigh the vast heaping of pure aura that Turtle Beach has managed to imbue into this thing with practically everything else. It is a delight to use, and a headset I'll be sad to see go.

(Image credit: Future)Turtle Beach Stealth Pro 2: Price and availability

• Costs £300 / $350 / €350 / AU$550
• Available in two colorways
• Not much more expensive than the first gen

The Stealth Pro 2 launches in May 2026 worldwide and should be readily available at all the major retailers in your region. It's not a cheap headset by any means, but it's in no way a bad value proposition when you consider what you're actually getting for that price.

Available in two finishes, either black or white, you can also grab an Xbox or "console" specific version if you need that Microsoft compatibility. The standard PC variant will hook up to anything with Bluetooth or up to four other wireless 2.4 GHz devices that support USB (with two included as standard).

Compared to last gen, the Pro 2 has seen some serious advancements as well. The drivers have shot up in size from 50mm to 60mm, and moved to a dual tweeter and woofer design, audio fidelity has been Hi-Res certified, battery life has increased by well over 200%, ANC is now adjustable, the mic is removable, the list goes on and on, so the value proposition compared to its predecessor is strong.

Honestly, it's got a feature set that matches the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite, a headset that comes in at nearly twice the cost, and this one comes with a hard case too.

(Image credit: Future)Turtle Beach Stealth Pro 2: Specs

Turtle Beach Stealth Pro 2

Price

£300 / $350 / €350 / AU$550

Weight

13.9oz / 393g

Drivers

60mm Eclipse dual drivers

Compatibility

PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox Series X/S (console version only), iOS/Android Switch, Switch 2, Steam Deck

Connection type

2.4 GHz Wireless / Bluetooth5.3

Battery life

80 hours (40 hours per hot swappable battery)

Features

Hi-Res Audio certified (24-bit/96kHz wireless), Dolby Atmos, adjustable ANC, CrossPlay 2.0 multi-transmitter switching (up to 4 devices), AI noise-reduction beamforming mic, hard storage case, quick charge

Software

Turtle Beach Swarm 2 (PC)

Turtle Beach Stealth Pro 2: Design and Features

• Materials look and feel fantastic
• Insane connectivity & battery
• Bulky design

Let's talk headline specs before I even land on the physical stuff here. 60mm dynamic "Eclipse" dual driver design (you get both a woofer and a tweeter in each earcup), 10mm larger than its predecessor. 10Hz to 40kHz frequency response frame. Fully Hi-Res certified at 24-bit/96KHz, even over Wireless 2.4GHz, and Bluetooth 5.3. Compatible sync with up to four separate USB 2.4GHz wireless devices at any time (you can swap with a simple button on the headset).

Adjustable Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) with passthrough options as well. A seriously impressive 9mm beamforming mic (with AI noise reduction added on top), and a battery life of 80 hours, thanks to two hot-swappable packs. One that's always in the headset, and the other that lives in a chunky charging dock and wireless hub. Making it effectively an infinite charge at that point. It's brimming with tech to a purely insane degree. And it all comes in this lush little hard case, too.

The physical build, as well, is just outstanding. If I'm honest, the original Stealth Pro design, for me, was a little lacklustre; it delivered where it counted on the feature set and quality, but its overall appearance left me underwhelmed, like a discount SteelSeries. The Pro 2, on the other hand, is a different beast.

It has its own unique style and look. Where there is plastic, it has a soft touch finish; there's metal support bars beautifully curved around, beautifully, fully gussied up in this pristine satin black coating, copper metallic accents throughout, and the headband too is a soft mesh fabric that contorts to the shape of your skull quite nicely. It's all adjustable too, you get the usual mod-cons including rotatable ear-cups, memory foam padding, the works.

It is quite a large headset by design; those 60mm dual drivers do need space, and so each cup is a chunky old thing, but that's the price you pay for that quality. Would I wear this out and about, even with that removable mic, er, removed? Possibly, but I'm not sure it's really designed for that.

(Image credit: Future)

That hub, though, is such a power play. It's a simple thing, an angled circle, no bigger than a drinks coaster, albeit a bit taller, and you just pop your wee spare Turtle Beach battery in it to charge. There's a physical button here too, that satisfyingly pops it out when you need it, and a slim ring of LED light illuminates the edges, giving you a visual indicator of which noise-cancelling mode you're in, or whether your mic is muted.

That's such a huge win here as well. I can't overstate that. I was testing the Sony Inzone H9 2 earlier this year, in fact, and it's a solid headset as well, priced very similarly, but its battery life is, well, a bit "average". It only nets 30 hours or so with ANC disabled. Plus, once it's dead, you've then gotta find the USB cable, plug it in, or charge it up wired, and having the option to just hot-swap like you can with the Stealth Pro 2, is a real treat. Particularly given that each individual battery beats the Sony by a good 33% or so.

The software has had a major refit as well. Swarm 2 is a different beast than its predecessor. It runs smoothly, there's no login required or clunky download procedures, you can adjust everything you need to on the fly, including ANC sensitivity, game-chat mix, EQs, that Superhuman hearing mode, and reprogram some of the buttons on the Stealth Pro 2.

The only downsides I found during testing were again there's a bit of tightness on first use on the clamping force (although that did seem to ease with time), and it's well, not light, for sure. Never skip neck day, though, and you'll be fine.

(Image credit: Future)Turtle Beach Stealth Pro 2: Performance

• Stunning audio quality
• Brilliant microphone
• Wireless range is nuts

I never thought I'd start a performance segment for a headset talking about wireless range, but here we are. One of the standard tests I perform for a unit like this involves me walking around my home (a small three-bed semi-detached house), to see where the wireless signal cuts out. Just to get a gauge of how the dongle holds up.

In the Stealth Pro 2's case, it managed every single room in my home just fine. So, I decided to take it one step further, opened my front door, and started walking down the street. I kept going and going and going, and started to question my sanity, as it continued to play just fine, just as clear, just as crisp.

No phone, no other devices, different tracks from Tidal, through my house's brick walls, and trees, fences, and foliage, all the way down the street for about 85 feet / 25 meters. At which point, it didn't give out, I stopped, turned around, and came home. I suspect this is because the wireless hub has some seriously impressive antennas in it, doing a lot of heavy lifting, but the fact that it outperformed my router is telling.

As for audio quality, the Pro 2 dominates that arena as well. When you first use it, you definitely know it's a gaming headset. It has the telltale emphasis on the lows and mids that's such a common signature in units like this (i.e., make explosions boom more), but it's not particularly to its detriment; there's no washed-out treble or higher-end mids at all, really. It reads beautifully on the soundscape, regardless of what audio you push through it. Movies, games, music of all genres.

Personally, I prefer a more balanced soundscape, and the standard profile Turtle Beach is using here doesn't quite hit that, but it's by no means bad. Jump into the Swarm 2 app, and you can swap between four standard EQs (signature, bass boost, treble and bass boost, and vocal boost), and they do remarkably change the profile quite nicely depending on what you fancy on the day.

You can find my testing preset below, but effectively, you want a recurve bow shape starting from 5dB on the bass, hollowing out in the 500Hz range, and then climbing back up again to just under +5dB on the 16Hz range, and you'll be golden.

(Image credit: Future)

The microphone is a pretty stellar experience as well. When compared to a full-fat Elgato Wave XLR setup combined with a Shure 55SH-II, it was impressively similar. There was a warmth to it that the 55SH just didn't capture amazingly. It did lose out on treble, and of course, that XLR setup is far more ideal if you're taking it into editing software after the fact, but if your aim is to sit in Discord and be perfectly heard by your raid on a Friday night, this just doesn't disappoint.

The Stealth Pro 2 is, honestly, remarkable. What Turtle Beach has achieved here on such a budget is wild. Honestly, the best comparison that comes to mind is actually SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, and yeah, it is a couple of years old at this point, but it actually does deliver on a lot of the same premise, or tries to. Multi-connectivity, hot-swappable batteries, 10Hz to 40kHz frequency response. But the ANC was average at best, the price tag (at launch) was higher than it is today, and it just felt a little off by comparison. And to be clear, SteelSeries has a hell of a lot more experience in the gaming headset market than Turtle Beach does.

Yet here we are, a couple of years on, with a brand delivering on a product that shouldn't be as good as it is, at a price that's just right. It's awesome. From the sound it produces, to the audio it captures, to the battery life, wireless range, looks, man, it just nails it.

Should you buy the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro 2?Buy it if...

You're looking for brilliant all-around audio as a gamer
With outstanding bass and mid control, fantastic drivers, and a broad frequency response, a quick tweak of an EQ or two, and you're set, no matter what you're doing with it.

You want that wireless feeling without the battery anxiety
80 hours combined battery life, theoretically. Practically, it's infinite and includes a 20-second swap period too.

You're looking for an exceptionally well-built aesthetic headset
Its clean styling and fantastic material choice make it feel beyond premium at almost every level.

Don't buy it if...

You're looking for ultimate comfort
The Stealth Pro 2's a little bit tight on the first few uses, particularly for those with larger heads. It does ease up over time, but you'll likely find it a little bit on the rough side to begin with.

You want to wear it out and about in town
Although the styling is on point, those earcups are 65mm deep to accommodate those massive drivers. That's about 15mm deeper than most "street-wear" headphones are, giving them quite a bulky aesthetic in public.

Turtle Beach Stealth Pro 2: Also consider...

The Turtle Beach Stealth Pro 2 not giving you the right feel? Here's how it compares to a few others.

Turtle Beach Stealth Pro 2

Sony Inzone H9 2

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless

Price

£300 / $350 / €350 / AU$550

$348.00 / £299.00 / around AU$489

$349.99 / £329.99 (around AU$649)

Weight

13.9oz / 393g

9.2oz / 260g

11.9oz / 337g

Drivers

60mm Eclipse dual drivers

30mm carbon-fibre composite dome

40mm Neodymium

Compatibility

PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox Series X/S (console version only), iOS/Android Switch, Switch 2, Steam Deck

PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox Series X/S (wired only), iOS/Android, Switch, Switch 2, Steam Deck

PC, PS4/PS5, Handheld, Switch, Switch 2, iOS/Android

Connection type

2.4 GHz Wireless / Bluetooth5.3

2.4 GHz Wireless, Bluetooth, USB Wired, 3.5mm Analog

Dual USB, Wireless 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth,

Battery life

80 hours (40 hours per hot swappable battery)

30 Hours (with ANC disabled)

44 hours of battery life (22 hours per hot swappable battery)

Features

Hi-Res Audio certified (24-bit/96kHz wireless), Dolby Atmos, adjustable ANC, CrossPlay 2.0 multi-transmitter switching (up to 4 devices), AI noise-reduction beamforming mic, hard storage case, quick charge

ANC with ambient mode, 360 Spatial Sound, multipoint, detachable boom mic, ski-band suspension headband

ANC, magnetic drivers, 360-degree spatial audio, retractable ClearCast 2.X mic

Software

Turtle Beach Swarm 2 (PC)

INZONE Hub

SteelSeries GG/Sonar (PC)

Sony Inzone H9 2
Lightweight, stunning aesthetics, and a remarkably clean soundstage, the Inzone H9 2 absolutely delivers where it counts. Its spatial audio is a bit under-par, though, and its battery life is purely average by comparison to some of the others on this list.

For more information, check out our full Sony Inzone H9 2 review

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless
In theory, very similar to the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro 2, complete with a hotswappable USB hub and a similar arsenal of tech, but it's starting to show its age a bit in the modern era. Fortunately, the price is dropping lately, so it might be worth a look.

For more information, check out our full SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless review

How I tested the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro 2

• Two weeks of continual use as my daily driver, utilised for gaming, working, and general PC use, tested on PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 too
• Tested across all manner of music genres and film content as well, covering every type and style possible, as well as range tests on the 2.4GHz connection
• Compared side-by-side with multiple audiophile-grade headphones, including Audio-Technica's ATH-A2000Z and Sony's Inzone H9 2 wireless headphones

I spent around two weeks continually testing the Stealth Pro 2, fully integrating it into my work and play setups. I used it predominantly on my compact RTX 5080 gaming PC, running alongside a set of Audioengine A2+ Wireless speakers, and a full Elgato XLR DAC setup with a Shure 55SH-2 microphone as well. In that time, I tested it mostly utilising Tidal's hi-fidelity content, and also in-game in the likes of Total War: Warhammer 3, Stellaris, and World of Warcraft Classic.

For the audio-recording tests, I used Windows in built sound recording software, doing direct comparisons between it and the Shure 55SH-2, reading an identical script back-to-back, then comparing the output.

I also connected it directly to a Nintendo Switch 2, Steam Deck OLED, and my PS5 to ensure console compatibility worked without fault, as well as fully testing the ANC in all of the modes available to me (including the dynamic adjustment slider).

Dedicated audio analysis test sessions were also fully implemented (effectively, me listening to the same songs on repeat, swapping between the Stealth Pro 2, the ATH-A2000Zs, and Sony's Inzone H9 2 wireless headset as well. These generally took around 30 minutes or so, using the same tracks, to identify differences between the soundstages, along with any necessary adjustments to EQs and the like.

I also performed a "walk round" test, with Tidal playing, I took the Stealth Pro 2 on an adventure around my entire property, before leaving the house entirely and walking down the street for around 25 meters, to see how far the wireless range held up.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed May 2026

Turtle Beach has just launched its latest flagship headset, the Stealth Pro 2, and does it deliver. With outstanding audio, exceptional battery life, insane wireless range, and a microphone that's more at home in a professional studio than a gaming setup, it absolutely excels in almost every arena imaginable.

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Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless: One-minute review

The Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless is an optical-mechanical hybrid board that takes aim at the premium end of the market.

It’s a smart and understated affair, although the bright RGB lighting certainly adds some vibrancy, as does the white colorway. The floating keycaps are also a nice touch.

It’s built as well as the best gaming keyboard options, too, thanks to its aluminum body that provides plenty of stability while keeping the weight down. It’s also very compact, despite having a full-size layout; you even get six extra customizable keys on the left, known as S keys.

These S keys can be customized via Corsair’s web app, which offers quite a few rebinding options for every key on the board. You also get additional functions such as SOCD, although it has to be said some rivals do allow for more tweaks, especially analog models. Being a web app, you’ll encounter long loading times when clicking on many elements, which can quickly become frustrating.

The S keys can also be customized using Elgato’s Stream Deck software, to assign various Stream Deck functions. The Vanguard Air works well with this app, although I did find that bindings I configured in the Web App failed to re-establish themselves immediately when switching back to it after closing Stream Deck.

(Image credit: Future)

Thankfully, I had no qualms with the gaming performance of the Vanguard Air. I loved the feel of the switches, as they gave plenty of feedback and responded with satisfying clickiness. However, they’re a little heavier than I expected, which I noticed most of all when holding them down for sustained periods.

I typically prefer low profile keycaps over tall ones, so I instantly gelled with those in the Vanguard Air. They’re comfortable to use when gaming, especially the space bar, since it was low enough to avoid hitting its back edge with my thumb. They’re also easy to glide over, which makes for quick typing.

The Vanguard Air connected wirelessly to my PCs quickly and easily. Switching between devices connected via Bluetooth and the 2.4GHz dongle on the fly was just as straightforward. However, it’s a shame that the board takes a while to wake from its sleep, which can be frustrating when you want to dive straight back into the action after a break. At least you can turn off sleep mode completely, should you wish.

Battery life isn’t particularly great, lasting little more than a couple of days with both wireless connectivity modes used. Also, the battery indicator on the display didn’t seem very precise, turning from nearly full to nearly empty without much warning.

The Vanguard Air is certainly an expensive board, which is partly justified given its premium design, brilliant clicky feel and versatile connectivity options. However, its minor frustrations and lack of features relative to more advanced models take away from its value.

Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless review: Price & availability

(Image credit: Future)

• $259.99 / £239.99 (about AU$360)
• Available now in two colorways
• Top end of the market

The Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless costs $259.99 / £239.99 (about AU$360) and is available now. It comes in two colorways: black or white.

This price point puts it at the high end of the market. You could get a premium analog gaming keyboard for a similar cost, such as the SteelSeries Apex Pro. These boards are more customizable, letting you tweak actuation points and giving you access to advanced functions such as Rapid Trigger and dual actuation. In my view, the Apex Pro is one of the best examples of its class.

If you want to spend considerably less on a gaming keyboard that still performs, then the Keychron V1 Ultra 8K is a great alternative. It too has an 8K polling rate, but features mechanical switches which felt and sounded great to us. However, the tall keycaps might hamper your typing, depending on your preferences.

Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless review: Specs

Layout

99%

Switch

Corsair OPX Low-Profile

Programmable Keys

Yes (Corsair Web App / Elgato Stream Deck)

Dimensions

425 x 135 x 17mm

RGB or backlighting

Yes (customizable)

Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless review: Design and Features

(Image credit: Future)

• Compact and light
• Solid aluminium construction
• Some frustrations in customization software

The Vanguard Air lacks the gaudy aesthetic of many others in the gaming keyboard world. On the contrary, it’s very understated, with the colorful customizable RGB backlighting being about the only indication of its intended market.

Far from being boring, though, I found its minimalist form quite appealing. It’s very thin and compact, and I always like to see floating key caps, for aesthetic and practical reasons (they’re easy to remove and make cleaning in between their crevices easier).

Despite this minimal form, the Vanguard Air is supremely solid, thanks to the aluminum chassis. This material also helps to keep the weight down, meaning it’s an easy keyboard to move around when needed. It would also make a good choice for those who like to travel around with their board, yet also feels more premium than the plastic-laden alternatives.

There's no wrist rest included with the Vanguard Air, which is a small shame for a keyboard this expensive. However, the unit is so low to the ground that I didn’t need one to get comfortable. The folding feet also provide a relatively shallow angle, so my wrists didn’t have to bend upwards that far. They provide plenty of stability, too, although moving the board back and forth too vigorously will cause them to fold back in.

It’s impressive the Vanguard Air has a full size layout, considering just how compact it is. There are plenty of useful shortcuts dotted around the keys. There are even six customizable keys on the left, known as S keys.

These can be customized using Corsair's Web App, along with all the other keys. There’s a sufficient selection of assignments available, including media controls and system functions, although these aren’t as extensive as those in rival software. There’s also the obligatory macro recorder.

(Image credit: Future)

There’s a SOCD feature, too, which Corsair calls FlashTap. This features a useful visualizer to show how each of its three settings works. When two keys of your choice are held simultaneously, you can select the first one pressed to have priority and therefore override the input of the second, or vice versa. There’s also a neutral option, which disables both keys from registering when held together.

The Web App functions well for the most part, although I frequently encountered long loading times even when performing basic actions, such as merely clicking on an element. I suspect this is due to it being a Web App rather than a standalone piece of software, and even when I used it in offline mode, I still encountered the same issue.

You can customize those aforementioned S keys in Elgato’s Stream Deck app, too. You can assign them to perform various functions exclusive to the app. Again, this works well, but there’s another problem: whenever I closed Stream Deck and wanted to revert to the bindings I configured in Corsair’s Web App, they failed to activate. It took several minutes before the Vanguard Air finally realized and they worked again.

The Vanguard Air also features a screen in the top-right corner. This has a pleasingly high resolution for such a small screen, but frankly this is overkill for the basic and limited information it provides. It shows battery life, what connectivity mode is being used, and what key locks are active, but little else.

It can't be interacted with, either. Other boards with such a screen incorporate their rotary dials to navigate menus to adjust certain settings. The rotary dial on the Vanguard Air, though, has no such function. It can only be used to control volume and other parameters, such as the RGB brightness, horizontal or vertical scrolling, and zoom. These functions can be selected via keyboard shortcuts or via the Web App. The dial is solidly notched but feels easy to use.

Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless review: Performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Fantastically clicky keys
• Easy wireless hot-switching
• Slow to wake up

The optical-mechanical switches in the Vanguard Air are a joy to use. They’re quite light and clicky, and make a very satisfying sound without being too loud. There’s just enough dampening to cushion impacts nicely, and enough travel to make inputs forgiving.

They’re also snappy and responsive, making quick movements in games like Counter-Strike 2 easy to achieve. However, they’re a little heavier than you might expect, which can cause fatigue when holding them down for long periods.

Despite the compact layout, I was comfortable in the WASD position, and the low profile keycaps meant I could hit keys flush, even the space bar — a key I often hit the back edge of on boards. This low profile also makes them great for typing, as they’re easy to glide over.

(Image credit: Future)

I had no problem connecting to various PCs via Bluetooth or the 2.4GHz dongle. Hotswitching between these connection methods is also quick and easy, merely requiring the flick of a switch on the rear of the unit. There are also Fn shortcuts for hotswitching between three Bluetooth connections.

However, the Vanguard Air is frustratingly slow to wake up from its sleep, requiring multiple key presses. Thankfully, you can alter the time it takes before the board enters sleep mode, and even prevent it from sleeping altogether, but a short setting will likely cause annoyance. I haven’t experienced a keyboard with a slower wake time than this.

The battery life of the Vanguard Air isn’t all that impressive, either. After about two or three days of use, switching between 2.4.GHz and Bluetooth modes, it gave up the ghost. What’s more, it did so seemingly out of the blue. The battery indicator on the screen was green and close to full for most of that aforementioned time, but suddenly dipped into the red and threw up a warning, before dying pretty quickly after that. What’s more, it died while I was typing and the last key I pressed continued to register, as if it were being held down, which can obviously be quite disruptive.

Should I buy the Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless?Scorecard

Attribute

Notes

Score

Value

The Vanguard Air is incredibly expensive, which only highlights the issues that undermine its value.

2.5

Design and features

Superbly made, but the software is a little temperamental, and it lacks top-line features rivals have.

4

Performance

The clicky keys are sumptuous, and the low profile keys are great for gaming and typing. A slow wake up time and middling battery life are drawbacks, though.

4

Overall rating

The Vanguard Air is brilliantly designed and feels great in action, but some of its drawbacks are hard to swallow at this price.

3.5

Buy it if…

You want a great key feel
I adored the clicky optical-mechanical switches, and the low-profile keycaps are great for gaming and typing.

You want a premium build
Not only does the aluminum frame feel solid, it’s also remarkably light. It’s also impressively compact given its full-size layout.

Don't buy it if…

You’re on a budget
The Vanguard Air certainly isn’t cheap, and that’s somewhat of a problem when it sits alongside more advanced analog models.

You want the best software
Corsair’s web app is frustratingly sluggish, and it doesn’t contain as many options as some rival software.

Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless review: Also consider

Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless

SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless Gen 3

Keychron V1 Ultra 8K

Layout

99%

TKL

75%

Switch

Corsair OPX Low-Profile

Analog (Hall-effect magnetic)

Keychron Silk POM (Red/Brown/Banana)

Programmable Keys

Yes (Corsair Web App / Elgato Stream Deck)

Yes

Yes (Keychron Launcher / ZMK)

Dimensions

425 x 135 x 17mm

355 x 129 x 42mm

329 x 149 x 29mm

RGB or backlighting

Yes (customizable)

Yes (customizable)

Yes (Customizable)

SteelSeries Apex Pro
A similarly premium gaming keyboard, the Apex Pro is a solid slab of analog gaming bliss. Not only do the analog switches feel superb, they’re also customizable in all sorts of ways, allowing you to set it up for your precise needs and desires. Read our full SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL Wireless Gen 3 review.

Keychron V1 Ultra 8K
For something more budget-friendly but with enough performance to trouble the big names, the V1 Ultra 8K is a good call. It features mechanical switches that we found satisfying and sonorous when we tested the board. It’s not as well made as the Vanguard Air, and the tall keycaps make it less amenable for typing, but you get a lot for your money here. Read our full Keychron V1 Ultra 8K review.

How I tested the Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested for several days
• Used for gaming and other tasks
• Plenty of gaming keyboard experience

I lived with the Vanguard Air for several days, during which time I used it gaming, working, and general browsing. I used both Bluetooth and 2.4GHz for connecting to my devices.

I played AAA games and made as many tweaks and customizations as possible via Corsair’s Web App, as well as via Stream Deck, given the board’s integration with the software.

I’ve been PC gaming for over a decade and have experienced many gaming keyboards. I’ve reviewed a large number of them, ranging from budget offerings to premium models from big name brands, such as Razer and SteelSeries.

• Read TechRadar’s reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: May 2026

The Corsair Vanguard Air 99 Wireless is a top-end gaming keyboard with a great build and satisfying switches — but is it deserving of that steep price tag?

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