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    man holding a pair of Turtle Beach Atlas Air Headphones
    Turtle BeachAtlas Air Review for the Flight Simmer

    Atlas Air Review

    Category: Other·Published: ·Last Updated:
    Steve - G-LOC Media

    Steve | G-LOC MEDIA

    Flight simulation enthusiast and YouTuber

    The Turtle Beach Atlas Air is the most comfortable headset I've ever worn and for flight simmers spending long hours in the sim that comfort advantage is genuinely significant - the floating ear cup design, 300 gram weight, and open back audio make it a completely different experience to conventional closed back headsets. As the only wireless open back headphones available they enable a really cool ATC and ambient audio separation trick in MSFS that adds a nice layer of immersion for VATSIM and SayIntentions.ai users. The mic won't beat a dedicated streaming headset and there's no noise cancellation, but as an all round package for flight simulation the Turtle Beach Atlas Air is outstanding value at $180.

    Pros

    • Most comfortable headset tested by a significant margin
    • Only 300 grams, crazy light for a full sized headset
    • Floating ear cup design conforms to almost any head shape without adjustment
    • Plush memory foam ear cups with a cool silky feel, great for long sessions
    • No pressure buildup around glasses legs unlike most over ear headphones
    • Open back design delivers a far more natural and fatigue free audio experience
    • Only wireless open back headphones currently available
    • ATC and comms can be sent to the headset while ambient sounds play through speakers
    • Flip up mic design is brilliantly executed, no guessing whether it is muted
    • Settings saved directly to the headset, no software needed in the background
    • Bluetooth mode switches almost instantly for connecting a phone or second device
    • 3.5mm jack included as a backup if battery runs out
    • Large conveniently placed volume knob on the left ear cup
    • 50 hours of battery life is a solid chunk of time
    • Good value at $180 especially if comfort is the priority

    Cons

    • No noise cancellation or sound isolation, open back means ambient sounds come in
    • Mic quality does not match the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro for content or streaming use
    • Volume knob rotation feels slightly cheap and not as smooth as expected
    • Ear cup materials and headband netting could be susceptible to wear over time
    • Xbox users cannot use wireless, 3.5mm jack only on Xbox
    • 50 hours battery life is not the longest available in the market
    • Not suited to anyone who needs sound isolation in a noisy environment

    Turtle Beach Atlas Air Review — The Best Headset for Flight Simulation?

    There's been a lot of hype surrounding the Turtle Beach Atlas Air headset. But is what everyone's saying actually true, and what specifically makes it stand out for flight simmers? Turtle Beach sent these through for testing and review but as always this is entirely my own take — no beating around the bush.There are two reasons I think these could be the best headset for flight simulation available right now. There are also a couple of things that could be deal breakers depending on how you want to use them. Let's get into it.

    Reason One

    Comfort

    The number one reason these might be the best headset for flight simulation has nothing to do with audio quality. It's comfort. These are genuinely the most comfortable headset I've ever put on my head. Not by a small margin - by a mile. And for anyone spending long hours in the sim, that matters more than almost anything else.

    Weight

    At only 300 grams the Atlas Air is crazy light for a full sized headset. Lighter than the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro which was previously my benchmark for comfort.

    Floating Ear Cup Design

    The ear cups are suspended by rubber bungee style connections that allow them to conform to the shape of your head without any adjustment. It's a genuinely clever design that makes the headset feel like it belongs on your head regardless of your head shape.

    Memory Foam Ear Cups

    Plush, silky, and cool against the ears. The ear cups have an outer diameter of 100mm, an inner diameter of 55mm where your ears sit, and about 22mm of thickness. Even with glasses on there was zero pressure buildup around the legs - something I usually struggle with on over-ear headphones.

    Headband

    Soft, easy to adjust via a simple pull mechanism with guide markers to help you line it up. Quick and comfortable.

    The only concern around comfort long term is that the softer and more plush the materials the more susceptible they can be to wear over time. Something for a longer term review to address properly.As soon as you put these on you'll immediately understand what I'm talking about. I get significantly less audio and ear fatigue over long sim sessions with these than with any other headset I've used.

    Reason Two — Open Back Design

    The second thing that sets the Atlas Air apart for flight simulation is the open back design. And crucially - these are the only wireless open back headphones currently available.

    Open back headphones let ambient room sounds in, giving a more transparent and natural audio experience. If you've only ever used closed back headphones, the best way to describe it is this - that closed off boomy pressure you sometimes feel in your ears with noise cancelling or closed back headphones simply doesn't exist here. It feels open, natural, and comfortable to listen to for extended periods.

    For flight simulation specifically the open back design enables something pretty cool. You can send ATC and comms audio to the headset and leave the ambient sim sounds to a set of external speakers. The audio separation adds a genuinely interesting layer of immersion - particularly useful if you're flying on VATSIM or using SayIntentions.ai.

    Important caveat: if you want noise cancellation or sound isolation these are simply not the headset for you. Open back means ambient sounds come in - that's the design and there's no way around it.

    Audio Quality

    Honestly I don't have enough expertise to go deep on audiophile level analysis here. What I can say is that I prefer the sound of these over my previous favourite - the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro 2023 edition. Good separation, natural sounding, and the open back character makes engine noise and ambient air sounds far less droney and boomy than closed back headphones. That's a meaningful quality of life improvement over long sim sessions.

    The Microphone

    The mic is decent. It won't beat the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro in pure quality - that's still the benchmark for headset mic quality in my experience. But for most people it's more than good enough. Unless you're a streamer or need high bandwidth audio for content creation, this mic is absolutely fine.

    The flip up design is one of the best implementations I've seen. When it's down it's live. When it's up it's muted. No guessing, no fumbling. When flipped up it's completely out of your peripheral vision so it just feels like a regular pair of headphones. That's a great design decision.

    Features

    Battery Life

    50 hours — a fair chunk of time, though not the longest in the market. Based on usage so far it feels about right.

    Bluetooth Mode

    Quick and easy to switch to Bluetooth for connecting a phone or second PC. Almost instant switching between modes.

    3.5mm Jack Still included

    useful if you run out of battery. Not all newer headsets have this so it's worth noting.

    Volume Control

    A large knob on the left ear cup. The placement and size are excellent — super convenient to find and adjust. The actual rotation of the knob is a touch underwhelming in feel but it's a minor gripe on an otherwise well executed control.

    Settings Saved to Headset

    Any adjustments made in the Swarm 2 software are loaded directly to the headset, meaning you don't need the software running in the background during use. If you don't want to change anything you don't even need to download it.

    Software - Swarm 2

    The Swarm 2 app is clean and straightforward. Key features include microphone sensitivity adjustment, a noise gate, EQ profiles for game audio including bass boost, treble boost, and vocal boost, and four microphone profiles — signature, full, clarity, and smooth. You can also set up to five profiles that load automatically depending on which application you're using.

    The noise gate is a useful feature but keep it low - I run mine around 5% to avoid cutting off quieter speech. The auto shut off can be set at 5, 10, 20, or 30 minutes which is a handy addition.

    Build Quality

    Overall build quality is fair. The headband bends without creaking, the mic feels solid to flip up and down, and the attention to detail across the buttons and mechanisms is typical Turtle Beach - nothing to complain about. The main areas of concern are the ear cup materials and the headband netting which could become susceptible to wear over time, and the volume knob which feels slightly cheap in rotation. Neither is a deal breaker but worth knowing going in.

    Xbox users note: wireless is not supported on Xbox. You'll need to connect via the 3.5mm jack.

    Price and Value

    At $180 the value question depends entirely on what you're looking for.
    If comfort is your primary concern - and for long sim sessions I'd argue it should be - these are an absolute bargain. If you want a balanced combination of comfort, design, sound, and mic quality, they're still well priced. If you need noise cancellation or the best possible mic quality, look elsewhere.

    Who Is the Turtle Beach Atlas Air For?

    Buy it if:

    • You spend long hours in the sim and comfort is a priority
    • You prefer natural open audio over boomy closed back sound
    • You want the only wireless open back headphones currently available
    • You fly on VATSIM or use SayIntentions.ai and want audio separation between ATC and ambient sim sounds
    • You wear glasses and struggle with pressure from over ear headphones

    Look elsewhere if:

    • You need noise cancellation or sound isolation
    • You're a streamer or content creator who needs the best possible mic quality
    • You're on Xbox and need wireless connectivity

    Final Verdict

    The Turtle Beach Atlas Air is my recommendation as the best headset for flight simulation for most people. Comfort is by far the most important thing I look for in a headset for long sim sessions and the Atlas Air has it in bucket loads - both in terms of wearing comfort and audio comfort. The open back design makes engine sounds and ambient audio far more natural over long periods, the flip up mic is brilliantly designed, and the wireless open back combination is unique in the market.

    Once you put these on your head you'll understand exactly what the hype is about.

    Affiliate Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I personally believe in.