The Turtle Beach Recon 200 are wired over-ear gaming headphones. They're fitted with a rechargeable battery that's used to power active features, like their Bass Boost function that emphasizes in-game sound effects. However, while they offer almost 16 hours of playback time on a charge, you can't use them for passive audio once you run out of charge.
Our Verdict
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 are okay for neutral sound. While their bass and treble delivery depend on their fit, seal, and positioning, their default sound profile is very bass-heavy as they have an always-on Bass Boost feature. Some may find this sound profile muddy, and boomy and they lack an easy way to adjust it as they don't have companion software or an app.
- Decently comfortable, stable fit.
- Inconsistent audio delivery.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 are inadequate for commuting though this isn't their intended use case. They reduce very little in the way of low-end background noise like bus or plane engines. Their bulky design also makes them impractical to carry around, and they lack any on-board call or music management controls. Despite their wired connection, they need to be charged to function. Thankfully, their near 16-hour battery life should be sufficient for most trips, and they're decently comfortable to wear.
- Decently comfortable, stable fit.
- No passive playback for a wired headset.
- Poor isolation performance.
- Bulky, plasticky design.
- Lack of controls for call or music management.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 are sub-par for sports, though this isn't their intended use case. They have a tight fit and are fairly stable, but their design is very bulky, making them difficult to carry around with you. They're not very breathable and make your ears warm while wearing them, which can cause you to sweat more than usual. Their audio cable can also snag on things and pull them from your ears. Their lack of any call or music management controls forces you to pull your phone out to make an adjustment too, which can ruin your rhythm.
- Decently comfortable, stable fit.
- Bulky, plasticky design.
- Not especially breathable.
- Lack of controls for call or music management.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 are a sub-par choice for office use. While they're fairly comfortable, they trap heat around your ears, causing your ears to sweat. They also struggle to block out background chatter, and their mediocre audio leakage performance means that those nearby may hear what you're listening to. That said, their battery life is long enough to get you through the day, so you won't have to worry about charging them while you're in your workflow.
- Decently comfortable, stable fit.
- No passive playback for a wired headset.
- Poor isolation performance.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 are wired headphones and can't be used wirelessly.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 are okay wired gaming headphones. They're fairly comfortable, but they get warm around your ears if you wear them for long periods. They have a bass-heavy sound profile that should emphasize the thump and rumble of in-game sound effects but without completely overwhelming dialogue or music. That said, it's worth noting that their audio delivery is highly sensitive to fit, seal, and positioning. Their boom microphone transmits your voice fairly clearly unless you're speaking in a loud environment.
- Decently comfortable, stable fit.
- Satisfactory mic recording quality.
- No passive playback for a wired headset.
- Bulky, plasticky design.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 are unremarkable for phone calls. The boom microphone does a fair job in capturing voice, but it still lacks airiness and brilliance. Since it can struggle to isolate your voice from loud ambient noise, people on the other end of the line may have trouble understanding you if you're gaming in an especially noisy environment. You may also have a problem hearing the other person on the line as these headphones do a poor job of blocking out the noise around you.
- Decently comfortable, stable fit.
- Satisfactory mic recording quality.
- Poor isolation performance.
- Lack of controls for call or music management.
Changelog
- Updated May 10, 2022: We've verified 'Virtual Soundstage' and 'Test Settings'. Both tests didn't exist when we originally tested these headphones, and we incorrectly assumed that they didn't have a virtual soundstage feature when updating them to the latest test bench. These headphones also have a battery that needs to be on in order to use them. As a result, we have corrected Power from 'Passive' to 'On'. We also added a note specifying that we tested the headphones using the 'Xbox' setting, and you can see a comparison of the frequency responses when using either the 'Xbox' or 'PS4' setting.
- Updated Nov 22, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Mar 04, 2021: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated Mar 26, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 are available in two color variants: 'Black' and 'White'. We tested the 'Black' variant, though we expect the other variant to perform similarly.
Let us know if you come across a different variant of these headphones so that we can update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 are okay wired gaming headphones. However, unlike other wired headphones, they have an always-on bass-boost feature that's powered by an internal battery that needs to be charged in order for the headphones to work. Otherwise, they don't really stand out amongst other gaming headphones unless you like heavy, boomy bass. Still looking for more gaming headsets? Check out our recommendations for the best gaming headsets, the best gaming headsets under $100, and the best PS4 headsets.
The Turtle Beach Recon 70 and the Turtle Beach Recon 200 are very similar gaming headphones, but the Recon 70 will be less of a hassle than the Recon 200 unless you want the always-on Bass Boost of the Recon 200. Having this feature means the Recon 200 need a battery, which is quite rare for wired headphones. Also, the Recon 70's mic offers superior recording quality. On the other hand, the Recon 200 are slightly better built thanks to a metal-reinforced headband, and they have more controls on their ear cups, like microphone levels and presets.
The Turtle Beach Recon 500 are better wired gaming headphones than the Turtle Beach Recon 200. While both headphones are comfortable, the Recon 500 have a more neutral default sound profile and a better overall microphone performance. However, the Recon 200 can be used wirelessly and have a bass boost feature.
The Astro A10 Gen 2 are better than the Turtle Beach Recon 200. The Astro have a better build quality and a more comfortable fit. Their boom mic has a better overall performance. Their warm sound profile emphasizes sound effects in game, but lacks some low-bass. You might prefer the Turtle Beach if you like a really bassy sound, since they have an always-on 'Bass-Boost' feature and add a lot of extra rumble and punch into your audio. However, despite being wired headphones, they have to be charged to work.
The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 are better gaming headphones than the Turtle Beach Recon 200. While they both have the same battery life, the Recon are wired. The Stealth use a wireless USB dongle for low-latency audio, have a companion app with a few customization features, and give you channel mixing controls. The Recon isolate more noise and are compatible with more devices.
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