Turtle Beach is a major player in the gaming accessories world, and for good reason. Recently, the company took the wraps off of a number of new gaming headsets — including the Turtle Beach Recon 200 headset.
The headset sits alongside the Turtle Beach Recon 70, which we found to be a great headset for the budget. The Recon 200 is still for those on a budget, considering the $60 price tag. But is the Turtle Beach Recon 200 much better than the Recon 70? We put the headset to the test to find out.
Design
The first thing to notice about this headset is its design, and it’s not a bad-looking option. The headset is available in black and white models. We’re reviewing the white model — however based on online images, the black model looks great too.
On the left ear cup, you’ll get a few controls, which is nice to see. There’s a switch for using the headset with a PS4 or Xbox, as well as a volume wheel for the microphone, and another volume wheel for the main audio. It’s nice to be able to mix the audio to your needs. Under those controls, there’s a MicroUSB port for charging the headset. It would have been nice to see a USB-C port instead here, but considering the cost of the headset, it’s not surprising to see a MicroUSB port instead.
Also on the left ear cup is a retractable microphone, which can exist in three different positions. Thankfully, putting the microphone all the way up mutes it, plus it blends a little better into the headset when it’s flipped up like that.
The headset generally felt very durable, thanks larger to the use of metal in the frame. It’s still relatively lightweight too, which helps play into comfort down the line. While you’ll still want to take care of the headset, it should be able to withstand most abuse that you can throw at it.
Overall, the Recon 200 looks pretty good. It’s not the most flashy headset out there, but it’s solid, offers good controls, and more. In the box, apart from the headset itself, you’ll get a MicroUSB charging cable.
Comfort
As mentioned, the Turtle Beach Recon 200 is relatively lightweight, and that helps make the headset a little more comfortable. But in general, it’s still far from perfect.
While there’s a good amount of padding on the ear cups, there’s really not all that much under the headband, and that can translate to an uncomfortable experience at the top of the head during use. More padding under the headband would have been appreciated.
Apart from that, the clamp on the headphones is also a little tight — but you’ll get used to the clamp, and it’s not as big of an issue as the slight lack of padding under the headband.
Sound
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 isn’t perfect, but ultimately sound quality is the most important thing to consider — and the Recon 200 sounds great.
The bass, for starters, is deep, boomy, and strong. This is helpful in gaming situations — you’ll get huge explosions, nice body in things like gunshots, and so on. It’s helpful in music too. While the bass can sometimes feel a little over the top in music-listening situations, it still generally sounds great.
The mid-range is well-tuned too. Carrying over from the boomy bass is a relatively boosted low mid response, which helps give the headphones some warmth. The high mids are solid, and despite being slightly laid back compared to other frequency ranges, it’s not too bad by any means.
The highs on these headphones are pretty well-tuned, and there’s definitely a good amount of clarity and detail on offer. That said, the highs can get a little overshadowed by the lows, which is something to keep in mind.
Generally, however, these are excellent-sounding headphones for a pair of headphones in this price range.
Microphone
The microphone on the Turtle Beach Recon 200 is fine, but it’s really only useful for communicating with teammates. That’s to say, I wouldn’t recommend using the microphone in this headset for things like podcasts or Let’s Play videos.
You can hear a sample of audio recorded with the Turtle Beach Recon 200’s microphone below.
Performance
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 is a wired headset, but it still has a battery built into it. According to Turtle Beach, the battery should deliver 12 hours of gaming on a charge. That’s a little disappointing — some will want a wired headset simply so they don’t have to deal with a battery, and the fact that the battery life is relatively low makes that even worse.
Conclusions
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 headphones have a lot going for them, especially in this price range. Perhaps the best thing about them is how great they sound. The headphones offer deep, immersive bass, with a decent midrange and high-end. Sure they’re not as comfortable as some other options out there, but if sound quality is your priority, then these are the way to go.
Because of their excellent value-for-money, we’re awarding the Turtle Beach Recon 200 headphones the Headphone Review Bronze Medal.
| Store | Price |
|---|---|
 |
$60 |
 |
$60 |
| Turtle Beach Recon 200 | $60 |
| Frequency response | 20Hz – 20kHz | Active noise cancellation | No |
| Driver size | 40mm | Noise attenuation | Unknown |
| Driver type | Dynamic | On-ear controls | Yes |
| Design | Closed | Microphone | Yes, retractable |
| Sensitivity | Unknown | Earpad material | Foam |
| Rated impedance | Unknown | Magnet material | Neodymium |
| Total harmonic distortion | Unknown | Water resistance | No |
| Rated input power | Unknown | Battery life | 12 Hours |
| Maximum input power | Unknown | Wireless distance | N/A |
| Wireless connection | None | Cable length | 1.2m (4ft) |
| Wired connection | 3.5mm | Case type | N/A |
| Detachable cable | No | In-the-box |
|
| Weight | Unknown | Colors | Black, white |