The Turtle Beach Atlas Air offers great sound in a lightweight package (2024)

The Turtle Beach Atlas Air (available at Amazon for $179.99) is the kind of headset that you can wear all day and forget it's there. It’s lightweight and comfortable, especially if you wear glasses. The open-back earcups add depth to games and music, creating a more immersive listening experience and wider soundstage. The microphone is crisp, clear, and sufficiently cancels noise to keep your teammates from hearing (most) of what’s going on in your environment. It lacks a few features we would have liked, such as mobile app support and simultaneous Bluetooth, but against the competition at this price, the Atlas Air is an excellent value.

About the Turtle Beach Atlas Air

Turtle Beach Atlas Air specs

• Cost: $180
• Style: Over-ear
• Colors: Black
• Drivers: 40mm
• Wireless connection: Bluetooth, 2.4GHz wireless via USB-A dongle
• Wired connection: 3.5mm
• Device compatibility: PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S (wired only), Nintendo Switch (wired only), Android, iOS
• Microphone: Detachable boom microphone
• Battery Life: Up to 50 hours per charge
• Virtual Surround Sound: Waves 3D Audio
• Weight: 10.62 ounces (301g)
• Special Features: 24-bit audio, open-back design, QuickSwitch button to swap Bluetooth and 2.4GHz, flip-to-mute detachable mic, integrated volume wheel on 3.5mm cable, glasses-friendly cushions
• Warranty:1-year

The Turtle Beach Atlas Air is a far cry from the company’s Elite Atlas Pro and Elite Atlas Aero that preceded it in 2018 and 2020, respectively.

Those headsets both weigh over 400 grams while the Air weighs only 301 grams, living up to its name. It also has a new “floating earcup” design that allows the cup to self-adjust on suspension bands to match the angle and shape of any face. Controls are all on the right earcup, including a large volume knob on its outer face, and the microphone is detachable and flips up to mute. The lighter weight and reworked design make it the most comfortable entry in the line and the best fit for gamers with glasses.

The mesh suspension band does an excellent job of distributing its weight even after two to three hours of extended use. I didn't experience any hot-spotting on the top of my head during testing, something I'm usually very susceptible to.

Its light weight and comfort may be the stars of the show, but it also offers surprisingly high-quality sound. The Atlas Air supports audio streams up to 24-bit, while most gaming headsets are still limited to a more compressed 16-bit, so it delivers higher resolution overall.

The Atlas Air lives up to its name.

A higher bitrate won’t benefit you as much for standard music streaming services (which are usually 16-bit) but game audio is a different ballgame as it is often uncompressed for an uncompromising listening experience. Music is a secret strong suit of these headphones, though, offering a detailed and full-bodied listening experience that may have you using them for more than just gaming.

My go-to series for testing gaming headsets is Battlefield, which has a long track record of tremendous sound design. The 40mm drivers offer deep bass with punch and impact. It bleeds into the mids slightly but doesn’t detract from my ability to pick out enemy footsteps. Positionality is derived from this range as well, so figuring out where those footsteps or enemy gunfire are coming from is effortless.

Explosions have power and impact, and though the open-back design allows sound to bleed out, the added sense of depth and space is well worth it. Just don’t use them anywhere you don’t want people around you to know what you’re listening to. Thanks to their sound quality, comfort, and detachable microphone, you may find yourself in that situation (as long as you don’t mind showing off the Turtle Beach logo on the side).

In test recordings and calls over Discord, the microphone was great. It successfully isolates my voice from the environment and sounds full-bodied. There are some slight compression artifacts from time to time but I never sound robotic or tinny. The Corsair HS80 Wireless is still a bit better overall, however, and about $30 cheaper.

The headset offers software support on PC only, which is a bit of a shame as it can connect over 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth and swap between them with a single button press. Sadly, you can’t use both sources simultaneously, so you can’t take a call or listen to a podcast and still hear your game audio like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless.

I was also disappointed to find that it doesn’t offer any kind of app support. If you want custom EQ profiles or virtual surround sound, you’ll be limited to PC play only.

Should you buy the Turtle Beach Atlas Air?

Yes, it’s delightfully comfy

App limitations aside, the Turtle Beach Atlas Air is a very good gaming headset. It’s light, comfortable, and offers the kind of bold, positional, and spacious sound that great gaming headsets are known for. The quality microphone means that you can use the headset for streaming if you like to play in front of an audience, or remove it to take them on the go.

If you want app support, you’ll need to play on PC, which is a missed opportunity considering how multi-platform it is. Its open-back design also means that anyone nearby can hear what you’re listening to. If you’re looking for something a little more private with a similar feature set, we recommend the Corsair HS80 Wireless, which will also save you a little money. The SteelSeries Arctis 7X is another solid pick if you can’t live without simultaneous Bluetooth and 2.4GHz audio.

While the launch price of $180 feels a little expensive, the Atlas Air is a high-quality headset that will impress you with how comfortable it is. If you don’t mind its trade-offs, it’s a worthy purchase for any gamer looking for a spacious, fun sound to game with.

Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.