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Turtle Beach's Atlas Air is one of the best gaming headsets we've reviewed — despite its relatively cheap-looking (and feeling) build. Turtle Beach's Atlas 200 has a very similar look and build — but with a price tag that matches.
Okay, they're not the same headset — far from it, in fact. The Turtle Beach Atlas 200 is the budget-friendly part of the Atlas lineup: a wired over-ear headset with a non-detachable cable and a non-detachable boom mic that costs just $60 (versus the Atlas Air's retail price of $179.99). It features the same design as the Atlas Air, with a lightweight plastic frame, a mesh suspension headband, and large, round over ear earcups that don't swivel and aren't height-adjustable. And, like the Atlas Air, it sounds... surprisingly good?
Again, it's not the same headset. At all. But all the things I had problems with in the Air are much more forgivable in a headset that's less than half the price — and the audio quality still managed to surprise me, so it's definitely worth a look. The Turtle Beach Atlas 200 is available now in black and white colorways for $59.99.
Design and Comfort of the Atlas 200
The Atlas 200 is a wired over-ear (circumaural) headset with a lightweight frame and a flip-to-mute boom mic. It looks pretty similar to the (much) pricier Turtle Beach Atlas Air — it has the same large, round earcups and lightweight plastic "floating" headband with a mesh-and-elastic-band suspension system. It is a closed-back headset, however, so it doesn't have the same "floating" earcups as the Atlas Air, but these two headsets look very similar considering the large difference in price.
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The Atlas 200 features an all-black design with silver accents — the headset is made of matte black plastic, with "Turtle Beach" printed above each earcup and the brand's palm tree logo embossed on the sideplates. The earcups tilt but do not swivel, nor are they height-adjustable — the headset has a "floating" headband design with an elastic band encased in mesh that keeps it from touching your head (you can adjust the fit by tightening or loosening the elastic band). Of course, this works best if your head is smaller than the headset's maximum size, since there's no padding once the elastic band is at its loosest. The headband measures approximately 12 inches (304.8mm) long, so you'll want at least an inch (or more) of space, I think. Also, the elastic band is adjusted via velcro — the hooks of which face inside the headset. I didn't have any issues while testing, but I can see hair getting caught if you're not careful.
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Despite its relatively limited adjustment options, the Atlas 200 is a very comfortable headset if it fits your head. It's extremely lightweight, weighing just 9.88 ounces (280g). It's not the lightest headset we've ever tested — the similarly-priced SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1 weighs just 8.3 ounces (235g) — but it's close. It's also lighter than the Atlas Air (10.61oz. / 301g). Ultra light weight aside, the Atlas 200's headband is extremely flexible, which sort of makes up for the fact the earcups don't swivel. It also seems to have identical earpads to the Atlas Air: moderately thick foam padding covered in slippery "athletic weave" fabric, with Turtle Beach's "ProSpecs" dual-foam (basically: the foam is softer around the front, so the headset is more comfortable for users with glasses). The earpads are large and roomy and do a decent job of passively cancelling noise.
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