Customer Ratings & Reviews

The most comfortable headset i ever used. Super light weight & flexible. Audio is great and the open back gives a little bit better sound than closed back in my opinion. Audio mixer iOS app is good. Latency is good. Only downsides are wireless to everything EXCEPT xbox (has a wire to the controller) and NO simultaneous audio sources. So no listening to your phone and game audio at the same time. Besides these two things (which are a problem depending on your needs) this headset is amazing, especially for the 2024 inflation prices

Incredible pair of gaming headphones. Super lightweight and comfortable. No head dent or pain like other heavier headphones. Great sound quality and an impressive battery life. Highly recommend. Been my daily headphones for a while now and got a second pair for my lady.

Having had these headphones for over a year, I've been extremely impressed with their build quality and their sound quality. They're punchy and natural, especially for a pair of headphones that won't have you yelling the wearer's name just for their attention. You'd think they would sound airy or quiet compared to closed-back headphones, but you would be mistaken -- these are louder, more comfortable and more refined than the closed-back headphones they replaced. Even after going apples-to-apples with the other products available in the store, I couldn't refute just how good these sounded by comparison. The lack of suction means that I can wear these for far longer without getting sick of feeling them, too... an important quality for a device you intend to wear! These headphones are expensive, but the open-back design is worth the cost, especially if you intend to use them in an environment where nobody will mind the sound leakage. They sound incredibly natural, almost like having a personal surround sound system instead of two speakers mushed up against your eardrums. (And yes, they *do* leak sound. It's an unavoidable consequence of the open-back style and will occur regardless of what open-back headphones you buy.) The microphone sounds great and the variety of features make these an excellent value proposition. Want it wired? It comes standard with a fully detachable 3.5mm cable with in-line volume control. Want it wireless? It either hooks up directly to your devices via bluetooth, or to any computer with USB via the provided dongle. It charges via USB-C, meaning no more digging up your old Micro USBs just for more juice. If you want an open-back pair of gaming headphones rich with features for an expensive but reasonable price, especially in a market where open-back headphones are rare at the consumer level? These are an excellent buy. I would purchase these headphones again.

Extremely comfortable headset but the build quality is very poor. Sound is pretty good. I like the open back design. No issues with the software. Mic is good. Here’s the main problem. As you can see in the photo, the entire headset is held together by a cheap piece of sticky tape, which already peeled within the first week of purchasing. That is unacceptable and I will be returning to Best Buy and I don’t think I would ever buy another Turtle Beach headset. The design is great but the build quality is absolutely garbage. I find it offensive that they chose to ruin an otherwise excellent headset by using cheap, poor quality materials.$180 is an insult for how cheaply made this is.

This is my second purchase of the atlas air. Nothing is wrong with my first one use it daily and love it. Buying this one for my fiancée because she loves it just as much as I do. Sound is great and they are the most comfortable headset I have ever used in my.

Sound great, super comfy. Not quite as able to hear whats going on around me as i hoped but still better than typical over ear headphones. Mic is good enough.

These are rather impressive for sub $200 open back gaming headphones. This is coming from someone who owns a few Planar magnetics one of which is the Audeze. The Atlas Air have surprisingly good sub bass for a open back, other open backs I have experienced usually are flat in the sub bass. So these give you a little bit of that bass pressure and rumble. The mids are presented well, are not muddied what so ever and the treble extension is detailed. Over all these are " exciting " headphones that work very very well across the board for movies, music and games.

I’m really satisfied with the sound quality they have and the comfort of the over ear option

Excellent sound quality, and it's very lightweight and flexible.

Ive always had issues with headsets giving me headaches or smashing my ears and making them ache. The atlas airs are a awesome ALMOST WEIGHTLESS and good sounding headset!

Finally a headset where my ears don’t get hot at all. I can wear them all day and forget they are on.

Turtle Beach has a great offering with this open back gaming headset. When I first unboxed it, I loved that it looks pretty cool and that it comes with braided cables, removable microphone, USB dongle, and a carrying bag for it all to pack it in. The headset is surprisingly light weight for it's size. Because of it being light weight, it is primarily all plastic that doesn't feel all that durable or scream premium but it still looks good. Also, with it being so light, it adds to it being one of the most comfortable to wear for an extended gaming session when compared to some other headsets. As a big headed dude, it felts really nice to wear even with it's minimal headband adjustments that it has. The sound itself does a decent job in all the ranges. Pros: - Price to feature ratio seems worth it - Comfortable to wear - Open back cups are great for sound quality Cons: - Cheap, flimsy, plastic feel - The Swarm II (Turtle Beach PC software) sometimes doesn't detect the headset - Volume could be louder on max - Volume wheel could be more instinctive

I recently procured the Turtle Beach Atlas Air Wireless Open Back Gaming Headset, and overall, I have mixed feelings about this product. Let's dive into the pros and cons based on my experience. Pros: One of the standout features of this headset is the very comfortable netting on the top. As someone with a sensitive head, I appreciate the "floating feeling" it provides, almost as if I'm not wearing anything at all. The headset is quite large, which offers a comfortable fit for those with smaller heads like mine. However, this can be a downside as it affects noise cancellation and may impact audio crispness for some users. Adjusting the band with Velcro is a nice touch for customization. I found it useful to set it higher at times. However, I wish the ear cups were a bit tighter for a more secure fit. In terms of sound quality, I was impressed. The audio performance is on par with more expensive headphones I own, delivering an excellent gaming experience. The packaging is also noteworthy. The headset comes neatly packaged with a drawstring bag and all cords organized. Just be sure to locate the hidden mic foam and Bluetooth plug-in initially. Cons: One major downside is the tedious process of downloading the required program for the headset. I encountered issues with connectivity, multiple updates, and restarts, which made the setup frustrating and time-consuming. I believe such programs should be optional for users. The headset's vocal notifications like "wireless mode" are obtrusive and unnecessary. The loud and startling announcements are disruptive, especially when the headset is connected directly to a computer. An annoying issue I faced was the volume randomly changing when unplugging the headset. This inconsistency can be frustrating, especially when expecting a consistent volume level. You have to turn the headphones up really high to hear much; I’m sensitive to loud noise usually but I still had to get close to 100. In conclusion, the Turtle Beach Atlas Air Wireless Open Back Gaming Headset offers comfort and great sound quality but falls short in terms of user experience with its cumbersome setup process and disruptive vocal notifications. Not big deals, but items to consider.

Turtle Beach makes some of my favorite headsets and the Atlas continues that trend. This is the supposedly first “open back” wireless gaming headset. I found it to be extremely comfortable to wear. It provides exceptional audio quality, although it does let in ambient sound (it’s open back). It’s versatile and can connect to any PC or console, via Bluetooth, USB cable, or the USB-A dongle. IN THE BOX I was pleasantly surprised to see all the included accessories. Albeit it isn’t much, but in an age where you no longer get charging bricks for your phones, I was pleased. Obviously you get the headset, a removable boom microphone, a USB dongle, a 3.5 MM cable (for Xbox controllers), a USB cable to connect, and a soft carrying case. The latter won’t give you much protection per se, but I appreciate it being included. DESIGN The headphones are made of mostly plastic with an elastic headband underneath the ear band. The ear cups feel like memory foam with slick feeling fabric covering it. They’re very plush. THe volume is controlled by “dial” on the left ear cup. I love this placement. There’s only three other buttons, all placed on the left side, with two inputs (one is USB-C for charging, the other is 3.5 MM port). The only buttons are power, switching between wireless mode and Bluetooth mode, and the Bluetooth button (I used it to put the headphones into pairing mode). I’m always for the fewer buttons the better. There’s also a microphone that can be detached. I’m not sure why you would ever take it off, unless you never plan on chatting through your headset, but the option is there. And when it’s attached, you can still swivel it upwards which mutes the microphone. And the entire boom mike is flexible (it looks like stiff plastic) which gives you flexibility on microphone placement in front of your mouth to get the best sound. The headphones have a floating ear cup design. It’s tough to describe, but imagine your standard over the ear headphones that have an extended headband, and swiveling ear cups (swiveling left to right). Hare, the ear band doesn’t extend - it’s large and uses the elastic band underneath - and rather than having ear cups that swivel to fit your head, the ear cups inside the headband are attached by rubber strings under tension, so the earcup portion swivels all around. I like the design choice because it looks good and it does seem more comfortable. There’s not a great deal of tension, just a little flexibility for the earcup to fit around your head. The one downside to the design is that these are some big headphones. I hesitate to say bulky because that implies that they’re heavy, which they’re not - they’re extremely light - but if you were to look at yourself in the mirror with these on, you’ll notice some big ear cups on the side of your head. I’m assuming this was an attempt to keep moving parts down and keeping the weight down. It’s as if it was designed to fit the biggest head - without extending the ear band - while having elastic underneath that fits smaller heads. And I’ll add that the elastic band is good enough to keep the headphones in place, but does put any noticeable pressure on your head. In other words, these headphones are big, but light and very comfortable to wear. GETTING STARTED Is pretty easy, like most other gaming headsets and/or Bluetooth headphones. You can plug the USB dongle into your PS5 or PC and get going immediately. Or plug the 3.5 MM cable into your Xbox controller. Pairing it to your phone is dead simple, just put it in Bluetooth mode and then hit the Bluetooth pairing button to put it in pairing mode. But you’ll want to consider downloading the Turtle Beach Swarm II app, either on your phone or PC. I believe both will accomplish the same thing, although I only downloaded it on my phone. When paired to your phone, you’ll open the app and the first thing you’ll be prompted to do is to download a firmware update. But, even if you skip this part, it should still work (it did for me before I downloaded any firmware). AUDIO PERFORMANCE I’m no audiophile, but I was pleasantly surprised by the rich and realistic audio produced by the headphones. They’re open, however, meaning ambient noise will be let in. When I’m playing video games in my basement, this is no issue, but when I wear them while working (with a fan on behind me) I can hear the fan running. Basically, there’s no “seal” to your ears, and certainly no noise cancellation. For most, I only see this as a problem if you’re wanting to listen to music at your desk and want to block out outside noise. But there’s also the convenience of being able to hear someone talking to you (letting you know they’re there) while wearing them and listening to music/playing games. This is obviously all personal preference. But just know that the open design does not diminish the audio quality, in some respects, I think it gives more realistic audio because of its openness. Of course, this means the bass isn’t quite as punchy as other enclosed headphones, but punchy bass isn’t always realistic. When listening to music at my desk, I was impressed by the dynamic sound. It’s very clear and rich. When gaming, they worked great at surround sound, allowing me to hear enemy footsteps from all around me. In short, I found the audio quality to be fantastic. SWARM II The app is great, as it’s easy to use and navigate and isn’t overwhelming. THere are a number of preset EQ settings, but you can also create your own. You can also adjust the microphone settings, increasing/decreasing sensitivity, noise gate, and monitoring volume (or sidetone). The monitoring volume was default to off (I like to hear feedback when I talk with headphones on so I don’t end up yelling). I was pleasantly surprised to see this feature and to me, increases its value. I could have lived without it, but it was a big plus to me. Notably, I haven’t downloaded the app on my PC, but the settings made on the phone seem to be saved to the headset, so the microphone and EQ settings seem to work no matter which program you adjust them on. CONCLUSION In a crowded field of gaming headsets, you are getting a large headset, but extremely light and comfortable to wear with terrific sound. The biggest thing to remember about the sound is ambient noise around you. It shouldn’t matter for gaming and may be a plus to some, but if you’re looking to be fully enclosed in whatever you’re listening to, and blocking out the rest of the world, this won’t do it. It’s also extremely flexible and the app is easy to use.

Turtle Beach has done something I never thought could be done with can style headphones. The Atlas Air are lite, as air, to the point I forget I am wearing them half the time. I have been using these for the past 5 days straight for work and gaming and I do not want to use any other set, period. I started using them at first on my PS5 and just had to plug in the included USB dongle in the back and boom, sound was there as was the microphone, not hard at all. Sound is great from the PS5, zero delay I can notice which is always a positive when gaming. I played multiple FPS and Sim racing games to test the sound and love every second of these headphones. Are they the best ever for my PS5? No, but the ones I like the most cost 4 times the price and should sound better, but, for the retail price of these Atlas Air, your hard earned money will be well spent on these and you should not shy away. The overall sound through the PS5 was on par with what I would expect, GT7 sounded amazing, the 3D sound enabled makes the cars sound great and I can easily hear the cars around me as I am racing. While playing FPS games, sound was amazing, hearing footsteps easily and gun shots out in the distance. I found 3D sound was better off for FPS games. Now, the Xbox X was basically the same experience, no issues once I put the dongle in the USB, the headphones were playing in seconds and found no delay or weird sounds, just like the PS5. I am very happy with them on both gaming consoles. On to the PC side of things. Make sure you download the updated Swarm II software before you even think about trying out these on your PC, you will have zero luck and just get super frustrated. The updated software as of 06/05/2024 fixes the weird issues I first had seen once I connected to the PC were gone and sound was on point right away once everything was updated. Playing my favorite SIM Racing games to my MMO of choice, gaming is fantastic in these headphones on PC, especially with Dolby Atmos activated, simply an amazing experience especially when you forget you are wearing them. As for the headphones themselves, they are LITE! The volume knob is HUGE and I love this design so much, why can't more companies think like this? The ear pads are so soft and easy to wear for hours on end, I have got over 70 hours in these headphones in 5 days, no joke, I work all day in them then game at night. I have also been using them for music production to compare them to my expensive headphones and I can say there is a difference, these were definitely not studio tuned for music, they are tuned for gaming in my ears. Yes, they sound great for music but some of the mid range gets muffled compared to studio headphones. Battery life is fantastic, I have gone 12ish hours so far and they have not died, so the battery life to me is amazing, plug them in and they are ready to go the next day. Material quality is very good for the price, yes, plastic is the main material, but, the feel is what you would want from plastic and metal is not lite. So, here is a Pro and Cons of these Amazing Headphones! Pros: LITE Great Microphone Comfortable Soft Ear Pads Great Battery Amazing Sound for Gaming Works on all consoles and PC Big Volume Knob Nice carry bag Came with wires and dongle Headphone Jack!! Cons: Not Studio Tuned for Music Production I highly recommend these for any gamer, I am honestly going to buy a set for my wife too, she is always complaining about hers hurting her ears, but if I let her try these, I won't get them back.

I am a big fan of turtle beach. All of their products are very well made. The atlas air wireless open back PC gaming headset is very versatile, which is what I appreciate. The idea of a floating ear Cupp design seems a little weird. But once you put them on, the lightness of the headset is unbelievable. The very comfortable ear cushions allow you to wear this headset for hours on in. I usually have to give my ears a break after couple of hours, but not with this headset. I even like the scrollbar on the side for the sound it does taking it used to because I’m used to pushing a button but the control Knob on the side is very cool. Haven’t tried the 50 hour battery life but after each use, I decide to charge them. The lightweight design again allows me to wear them without feeling heavy or wait it down by this headset. I wear glasses and these headphones are glasses friendly, which is something a lot of people don’t have to think about. I do have a problem with a microphone detaching itself And walking off, but that is my fault not the headset. Last, but not least the sound quality is great, Super crisp.

These are outstanding headphones for pretty much any system. They work best with PS5 and PC but have wide compatibility with the included 3.5mm cable. I got them primarily for PS5 gaming, but I have also started using them as my primary PC headset for gaming and music since they are extremely comfortable for long time wear, have great audio quality and insane battery life. Pros: - 50-hour battery life - 24-bit 96khz audio (PC) - Wireless and wired compatibility - Easy to hear external noises with floating ear cup - Easy to update Cons: - Uses Swarm II software (PC) - Large First use: I first tried my unit with the PS5 using the 2.4ghz adapter. The setup was instant as they are already paired, all you need to do is turn on the headphones and select it in the menu as the output device. I was very impressed with the quality of the audio as well as the ability to hear my kids in the background since the design has floating ear cups. Next, I tried it on my PC. I listen to a lot of HD audio, so I was intrigued by the 24bit 96khz support with the wireless adapter. Again, setup was instant, and I selected the desired output in the sound settings. One thing I found interesting is the Swarm II software will update the device wirelessly with the adapter, so no USB cable is needed to update the device. I also tried Bluetooth on mobile and 3.5mm audio with my Xbox and Switch, all work well with no hiccups. Controls work nicely with an input button, power button and a dial to change volume on the left ear cup. The mic boom goes up and down to enable or disable. You can install the Turtle Beach Swarm II software for updates, but that is about all it does. The device comes with a 3.5mm cable, USB cable, 2.4ghz adapter, mic boom with pop filter and a cloth bag. The ear cups are easy to replace and are very comfortable memory foam with cloth lining. Sound quality: I was very impressed by the audio while gaming and music. Music feels well balanced with bass that is not too heavy while still feeling full. HD audio is reasonable up to 24bit 96khz which can be used with Apple Music, Tidal or any other file or service of your choice. The is a good sound stage with a decent amount separation between speakers. I mainly listen to Punk / Alt rock and EDM. Drum symbols are district and bass guitars are clear without overpowering anything. Vocals are clear and crisp. Gaming: There is a perfect amount of balance here to hear the environment as well as punch when doing things such as shooting at enemies in Doom or Destiny 2. I was impressed by the engine noises and sound separation when playing Forza Horizon as it greatly enhanced the experience. I have nothing to complain about here! I used it with Dolby Atmos, but it should support Waves 3d Audio as well. For games that support voice, the mic is very clear and comes with a foam pop filter if you wish to install it. It supports 32khz which is plenty for game talk for clear audio.

I have always been a fan of turtle beach so was very excited to try this headset out. The out of box experience went great, easy to remove the tape and unpackage. I was really impressed how things were packaged and the pouch it comes with. The cords are made very well and had great lengths, very snug connections. It comes partially charged so strongly recommend fully charging before proceeding with the setup. Setup was a pain, the QR code on the phone brought software that didn’t properly work on my android note 20 ultra as it would never detect the headset. So instead went through the PC setup for the software. The PC setup software updates the dongle and the headset however it randomly turned of the headset without noticed to where had to reconnect. Thankfully it appears it did not mess up the firmware update and seems to be part of the update. Just wished there would be prompted added that "headset may turn off during/after update". It also requires a reboot of the PC which is very inconvenience for just a headset firmware update. Sound quality was impressive, I really like how it comes with pre-setups of popular game titles. The physical large wheel to increase / decrease the sound is a great plus so you are not having to find / locate the volume wheel. The sound was crystal clear and able to block out all other external sounds. I do wish it would get louder, either I am starting to loose my hearing or there seems to be an issue with trying to hear the faint sounds in this headset. Mic quality was impressive, I love the extra touch of a mic cover on the microphone. It is flexible to a point, and picks up my voice without having to place it close to my mouth. If anything I have to move it away from my mouth as my friends says its too loud. Headset Comfort is amazing, I love how much padding there is for the ears and how its made for large ears like mine. It fits perfectly over my entire large ears and rests so comfortably I was able to use the headset for house without any discomfort. I also love how it rests on the top of my head. The extra band makes this headset extremely lightweight and I have never felt it was heavy / falling off my head. Battery life is very impressive, I would use this headset for multiple hours, multiple days, without having to worry about the headset dying. Overall I have been very impressed with this headset. I like the audibles when you switch from Bluetooth to dongle along with the power on/off, battery low. Overall I would recommend this product to try out for anyone looking for a good headset.

The Atlas Air Aiming set has lots of very nice features with only one minor limitation which I wil mention a the end. Starting with the sound quality which is outstanding carrying great lows and high frequencies and no distortion at high volumes (not recommended). The detachable mic is nice with the added benefit of a wired mic with volume control. Attaching the wire disables the volume control on the left which is a bit disappointing but not a problem. The design is a change from the ordinary with the cords holding speakers in place. All controls are in the left speaker which help with knowing where they are. One of the best features is the wireless via Bluetooth or RF so can be used with the USB adapter or without it which means I have it connected to my PC as well as my phone. It requires the app however, which I wil not comment here. The only shortcoming that I found in this headset is that of the cloth padding. While is not silk, it has a soft material but it becomes un confortable after al while on which I attribute to the material used. The speakers do not swibel or rotate or fold, so a stand is needed... The monitor serves this purpose. For the features this is a good investment for gamers or Conference calling.

The Atlas Air is the 3rd Turtle Beach headset I’ve caught & released over the past few years. Specifically, I found the Recon & Stealth headsets to have fitment/comfort & usability issues--which was a shame because they SOUNDED great. When the Atlas Air came along w/a new design & interesting tricks up its sleeve, I really hoped this headset would land closer to the bullseye. In the end, however, the same kinds of problems w/comfort & ergonomics/usability cropped up, one of which turned out to be a deal-breaker. On the positive side, the open-back design really does add some spaciousness to the soundstage, especially with well-mastered music--some of that “in your head” feeling associated w/many closed-back headphones is appreciably opened up here. And for those of you who want to be mindful of the environment, the Airs do pass through most ambient noises so you can attend to both your game and the rest of the world. Construction is all plastic which makes the Airs reasonably light. Sizing is via lengthening/shortening an elastic suspension headband by securing its Velcro tabs higher or lower on the inside of the headband. The headband & strap is also wrapped in a fishnet-style material that helps keep air flowing. The earcups are fairly large & helpfully labeled L & R inside. The memory foam earpads are covered w/a spandex-type fabric rather than PU leather or mesh. The texture is comfortable against the skin & breathes well enough help reduce overheating. The Airs also feature a unique earcup support system using what looks like rubber O-rings. The rubber supports radiate from earcups like wheel spokes so that the tension/pull against the circular frame cutouts suspend the earcups in the middle. The elasticity of the support bands help reposition the earcups according to your anatomy as they are donned. It’s a neat idea & separates the Atlas Airs from the crowd. The lift-to-mute mic is detachable & thankfully retains shape/bends over several hours’ use; there is also a foam windscreen in the box. Mic audio quality was outstanding on both game chat & BT calls with teammates & callers reporting incredibly clear speech on their end. Other pack-ins include a wireless dongle, braided USB-A to USB-C charging cable, braided 3.5mm cable w/inline volume control, & a drawstring fabric bag for the headset w/an internal pocket large enough to hold all accessories. Controls & ports are on the left earcup: 3.5mm jack, USB-C power/update port, & buttons for power, BT pairing/multi-function (play/pause & call answer/end), & input switching between wireless & BT. The outer ring of the left earcup is conveniently a rotary volume control as well. A voice prompt indicates BT or wireless mode while all other status messages (power, EQ preset, mic mute, etc.) are collections of beeps/tones. The dongle's LED also changes colors indicating operating mode (BT, wireless, connecting/updating, etc.) & mic mute status. Other features are accessed w/Turtle Beach’s Swarm II app. It’s fairly straightforward w/many common headset features so most gamers will likely need little instruction. Adjustments include "superhuman hearing” settings; game/chat mix; chat volume/vocal boost; Waves 3D audio enhancements; mic sensitivity, sidetone volume, & noise gate; 10-band/9dB cut/boost EQ w/presets & custom settings for game & mic audio; as well as auto-off timing, dongle LED brightness, & readouts for drivers, firmware, charge level, etc. You will also be prompted to download/install the Turtle Beach Waves audio driver though thankfully there is no additional Waves app to worry about. So where did things start taking a turn? As a playback device, the Atlas Air supports audio resolution up to 24-bit/96kHz, enough for many high/ultrahigh-definition files/streams. I spun up some of reference tracks to see if the Airs could hold their own w/complex, multi-layered, & detailed musical passages as well as reproduce vocals without stridency or strain. The results were--fine, maybe even really good--just kind of boring. Don’t get me wrong, the Airs sounded VERY nice & provided a great deal of clarity & detail in the mid & higher registers without any hints of sibilance, screechiness, or exaggerated high-end sparkle, but the lower end just didn’t have much visceral oomph or impact without major EQ tweaks to fill out the sound. This is one potential shortcoming of open-backed drivers simply because there is no enclosure to naturally reinforce/enhance bass frequencies. And while I don’t consider myself a bass-head, I DO appreciate snappy, accurate, & responsive bass that also hits w/palpable heft when appropriate. I find such balance more critical in gaming headsets given that many games I play have very kinetic/bombastic soundfields (explosions, weapons, engine/rocket noise, busy ambient environments & musical accompaniment, etc.). With the Airs, game audio just felt a bit flat & unexciting. The Waves 3D “Game” setting did a little better at creating a lively & convincing sense of space/ambience, but sound source localization was not as precise as it was w/something more advanced like Dolby Atmos. All together, the best way I can describe the Atlas Air's sound is “polite.” If that is your jam given your gaming/listening preferences, these headphones will undoubtedly serve you well; for me, the sound wasn't wrong or bad, but it wasn’t very compelling, either. Speaking of polite, you'll have to remember to be so when gaming in public. Given the open backs, everyone within earshot will hear what you're hearing. But that goes the other way as well--when I tried gaming during a long flight layover, the surrounding din was so intrusive it was hard to concentrate on the game at all. Usability also took a few knocks. For example, when I downloaded the Swarm II installer, McAfee quarantined the file for a Cache! virus. I suspect this was a false-positive, but it wasn’t a very reassuring start. Upon first opening Swarm II, a message said the client I had *just* downloaded needed a version update. Once installed, I was prompted for headset & dongle firmware updates. After those, the headset wasn’t recognized until I unplugged & reinserted the dongle. At that point, another message indicated I had to download/install a Turtle Beach audio driver which required a full system reboot. It wasn't the worst installation I've dealt with, but I can see where it could get confusing/intimidating to someone setting up their first gaming rig. Infuriatingly, the onboard controls are the same size, shape, & placed closely together. Blind operation became unnecessarily irritating due to constant confusion of the power & input-switch buttons. The input switch is also at the bottom of the earcup where I naturally grasped when removing the headset, so I was CONSTANTLY changing from wireless to Bluetooth when doffing the Airs. Some controls or even additional functions could easily have been migrated to the other earcup to reduce confusion, maybe w/another rotary dial like the volume control to do things like change the EQ or Waves 3D setting on the fly (presently, you can only change those options from the Swarm II client). Long-term durability is also concerning. The headset [mostly] offers a robust build, especially the beefy earcups & sturdy headband that can be twisted/bent without any plasticy creaks or obvious signs of materials fatigue. However, the fishnet over the headband feels about as durable as a spider web & hangs like sheer gossamer just begging to get snagged on something sitting on your desk, couch, tabletop, etc. before holes/tears start to appear. Similarly, the suspension bands for the floating earcups better be made of some industrial-grade rubber as breakage from repetitive stretching or cracking from dry rot arent' unreasonable expectations. But the deal-breaker for me was [dis]comfort. Despite the lightweight build, the Atlas Air exerted a wholly unacceptable amount of clamping force on my ears that grew uncomfortable after only 15-20 minutes. After an hour, the pain was so great I was shifting the headphones several times a minute just to keep them on at all. There may be several factors at work. One is likely my anatomy. My hat size is 7 5/8"--not huge, but I usually wear an XL or XXL hat/helmet. Perhaps larger adult head sizes are not what Turtle Beach primarily designed the Airs to chiefly accommodate given the last-minute inward curve of the earcup mounts or the sharp headband arc that seemed to fight against its sustained expansion on my head. The floating earcup design may also be responsible how hot, fatigued, & sore my ears became. Specifically, while the elasticity of the supports means the Airs will naturally be repositioned to match your physiology in terms of inward/outward tilt & pivot, the range of tilt & pivot is not that great because the bands themselves are pulled taught & are not all that stretchy. As such, once they settle into place on your head, the support bands are constantly pulling/exerting tension & fighting against your anatomy to return to their neutral lengths & positions. Worse is that despite their large exterior, the earpad openings were not wide enough to fully enclose my ears. Thus, the headband's substantial inward clamping force & the return-to-neutral pull on the earcups yielded considerable & constant pressure on the skin & folds of my outer ear to the point that the headset became too painful to use. My daughter (w/a smaller noggin) found them quite comfortable; but for me, this was another Turtle Beach misfire despite by hopes to the contrary. Given my experience, even IF the Atlas Air's sound signature appeals to you, I cannot recommend them on a blind-buy--at the very least, try on a pair for yourself before committing these headphones to your collection or you might regret a potentially painful mistake!