All the gamers in the house will know that Turtle Beach makes the best headphones for gaming; their award-winning headphones have even been voted no.1 for gaming headphones and validated by gaming celebrities such as The Doc. But did you know that you can connect Turtle Beach Headphones to your Mac? We’re going to explain how to do this in no time.
You can connect a wide range of Turtle Beach headphones to your Mac using their dongle, which is a wireless transmitting device. Newer models of Turtle Beach headphones can be connected using the free firmware app Turtle Beach Audio Hub, allowing wireless Bluetooth connectivity.
While Turtle Beach headphones that use the dongle are largely plug-and-play, it’s also worth looking into using Bluetooth connectivity with the Turtle Beach Audio Hub. Besides allowing for Bluetooth connectivity, the app also offers some improved audio features such as interpretive EQing, chat boost, active noise cancellation, and surround sound mode change.
Connecting your Turtle Beach headphones to your Mac Laptop or Desktop
If you’re planning to connect your Turtle Beach headphones to your Mac laptop or desktop, then you’ll need to use the wireless dongle that comes with your headphones. This will allow you to connect to a Mac. There are two steps to setting it up: one for setting up the audio (output) and one for setting up your microphone (input).
To set up audio (output):
- Simply plug your dongle into your USB port on your Mac laptop or desktop and then you’ll see the LED light on your headphones turn blue, indicating that they are connected.
- Next, click on ‘System Preferences’ in your Mac toolbar.
- Click on ‘Sound’.
- In the Sound tab, you will find three titles: Sound Effects, Output, and Input.
- Click on ‘Output’, and from the Device for Sound output list, select your headphone name.
- This controls the audio you’ll hear while gaming, streaming movies, or listening to music on your Mac.
To set up your microphone (input):
- Click on ‘System Preferences’ in your Mac toolbar.
- Click on ‘Sound’.
- In the Sound tab, you will find three titles: Sound Effects, Output, and Input.
- Click on ‘Input’.
- Select your Turtle Beach headphone microphone from the Sound input devices list.
- You can also adjust the input volume level of the microphone using the volume slider.
If your Mac is newer than 2016, then you won’t have USB ports as Apple removed these. New MacBooks use ‘Lightning’ USB-C charging ports, so you have two options. You can use a USB-C to USB (Standard) adapter to connect the dongle, or you can use Bluetooth connectivity with the Turtle Beach Audio Hub for newer models of headphones.
Connecting your Turtle Beach Headphones to your Mac Using Bluetooth
Newer models of Turtle Beach headphones are compatible with macOS using Bluetooth connectivity through the app, which is available from the App Store. To enable and pair your headphones with your Mac, floor these steps:
- Press and hold the pairing button on your headphones and the LED should flash when in pairing mode. You will also hear a voice prompt “ Bluetooth pairing”.
- On your iPhone or iPad, click on settings (or System Preferences for MacBooks or Mac desktops).
- Find the Bluetooth logo and click on it.
- Ensure your Bluetooth is turned on.
- Your headphones will appear in the list of devices and you just click on the name of your headphones to pair.
- That’s it, you’ve successfully paired your headphones with your Mac!
Troubleshooting Tip
One of the most common issues when connecting Turtle Beach headphones with a Mac is Bluetooth connectivity. This is due to your headphones requiring the most up-to-date firmware to be installed through the Turtle Beach Audio Hub app. We’re going to show you how to download the latest firmware for your headphones.
Before trying to connect your headphones using Bluetooth, first ensure you have the most recent firmware update for your headphones installed. Follow these steps to reset your Bluetooth connectivity on your Mac and reconnect it:
- Start with the headphones turned off.
- Uninstall the Turtle Beach Audio Hub app from your device.
- Remove your headset as a Bluetooth device via your device’s settings menu. (If there are multiple listings for the same headset, remove all).
- On your headphones, hold down the Bluetooth button, then power on the headset and continue to hold the Bluetooth button until you hear a double tone.
- Re-pair your headset to the device via Bluetooth (follow the steps mentioned earlier in the article).
- Test your headphones.
- Finally, download the Turtle Beach Audio Hub app.
- Open the app up, and click “get connected”.
Connecting Your Turtle Beach headphones to your iPhone or iPad
If you’re planning to use Bluetooth connectivity between your Turtle Beach headphones and your iPhone or iPad, you will need to download the Turtle Beach Audio Hub app to get things connected.
That’s not a bad thing though. While the app gets mixed reviews online, it allows you to update your headphone software and keep things running smoothly.
There are also some excellent features built into the app, from providing a visual guide for volumes of the mic and audio input signal to controlling mic and audio volumes individually. Then there are also the adaptive EQ options that allow you to dial in custom EQ settings for different genres of music.
Turtle Beach Audio Hub Features
Here are some of the features included in the Turtle Beach Audio Hub App
- Game/Chat Mix – Balances the audio game volume and audio from a chat volume.
- Mic Monitor – Ability to adjust the volume of your own voice in the headset when you speak into the mic.
- Superhuman Hearing mode – Allows users to increase the volume of distant noises like enemy footsteps or weapons reloads.
- Chat Boost mode – Automatically raises the chat audio.
- Mic Noise Gate – Gates background noise when a user is speaking.
- Surround Mode options – Game, movie, music, stereo.
- Game Preset options – Signature sound, bass boost, bass and treble boost, vocal boost.
Final Thoughts
With award-winning design and exceptional sound quality, plus loads of features specifically designed for gamers, using Turtle Beach headphones on your Mac is a great option. At first, it may seem a little tricky to understand how to pair with a Mac, but with the steps mentioned above, you’ll be gaming in no time.
Best of all, once you’ve paired your Turtle Beach headphones, your Mac will be configured to use them easily the next time you are gaming.
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