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 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 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 HyperX Cloud Stinger is a better gaming headset than the Turtle Beach Recon 200. It has a superior microphone that will transmit a clearer and full-bodied speech to your online teammates. Also, the HyperX wired headset doesn’t need a battery to function like the Turtle Beach do. The HyperX also feels better made and more comfortable. On the other hand, the control scheme of the Turtle Beach is more complete and useful, and some will like the sidetone feature.
The Astro A10 are better gaming headphones than the Turtle Beach Recon 200. The Astro are noticeably better built and have a less bass-heavy sound profile, which some users may prefer. The Astro mic offers better overall performance, and their ear cups don't get as hot as the Turtle Beach. However, the Turtle Beach have a more stable fit.
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.
The Corsair HS60 is a better gaming headset than the Turtle Beach Recon 200. The Corsair is well-built and feels durable. The materials feel premium, and the headset is more comfortable than the Turtle Beach. It offers better overall microphone performance as well. You can also use the Corsair Utility Engine to EQ the headset and enable surround sound.
The Turtle Beach Stealth 300 is a better gaming headset than the Turtle Beach Recon 200. Their porous fabric is slightly more comfortable and allows for more airflow, so you won’t feel your ears get as warm as with the Recon. However, both headsets are wired and still need a battery to function. The Stealth has about twice the Recon’s battery life. On the other hand, the Recon is slightly better-built than the Stealth but doesn’t have channel mixing.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 Gen 2 are the second generation of the Turtle Beach Recon 200. While both headphones are decently comfortable, but the second generation have mesh fabric padding instead of faux leather. The second generation also have a virtual soundstage feature, a better battery performance, and can be used passively.
We've upgraded our Headphones Test Bench to 2.0! This update brings several key changes to our tests and usages, making it easier than ever to interpret our sound results based on your personal preferences. You'll also find a brand-new interactive graph tool featuring multiple targets (including our own!) for you to explore and compare.
For a full breakdown, check out our changelog, which includes detailed commentary from our test designer explaining the rationale behind our update.
We'd also love to hear your thoughts: your feedback helps us keep improving, so join us in the comments!
Test Results
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 are plastic gaming headphones covered with a faux carbon fiber finish. They also come in white if you prefer a more flashy look. Unfortunately, they still retain a fairly gamer-like look as their boom microphone isn't detachable.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 are decently comfortable headphones. Their plastic construction is lightweight, and their ear cups are well-padded. However, only a small part of the headband has padding, and you may touch the plastic parts of the band if you have a larger head. These headphones may also feel tight for some users.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 have disappointing controls. As these are gaming headphones, they lack more casual features like music and call management. However, they have volume and microphone monitoring wheels. You can easily mute the boom mic by flipping it upwards. Also, they have a preset audio slider for PS4 and Xbox One. Xbox One, in particular, is optimized for Windows Sonic for Headphones virtual soundstage feature, though we don't currently test for that. Still, either setting works regardless of the console you're using, and there doesn't seem like there's much of a difference other than audio volume.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 have poor breathability. These headphones have a tight fit which creates a seal that doesn't really let air circulate. They can trap heat in their ear cups during longer listening sessions, which can cause your ears to sweat more than usual, especially if you wear them while you're on the move.
Similar to most other over-ear gaming headphones, the Turtle Beach Recon 200 aren't very portable. While the ear cups can swivel to lay flat, their bulky, plastic design can't be folded for easier storage. Their mic also can't be detached to make them easier to store.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 have an okay build quality. Their plastic construction feels cheap. Parts of the headphone are also thin and can break if you drop them. Luckily, the headband is reinforced with metal which gives it slightly more flexibility and sturdiness. Unfortunately, since the audio cable isn't detachable, you may need to replace the entire unit if it gets damaged.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 are decently stable. Their relatively high clamping force keeps them from moving around, especially when sitting in one place during a gaming session. However, their non-detachable audio cable can snag on something and pull off your headphones if you're not careful.
- Turtle Beach Recon 200 headset
- USB-A to Micro-USB charging cable
- Manuals
- Turtle Beach sticker
Whether you're using the 'PS4' or 'Xbox' setting on the ear cup's slider, these headphones have a fairly boomy sound profile, in part likely due to their always-on Bass Boost feature. Their overemphasized bass response emphasizes the thump and rumble of sound effects in action-heavy games, though some users may find this gives some mixes a boomy quality. Thankfully, their well-balanced mid-range should result in clear, present, and detailed in-game dialogue.
Although our original testing measured a quieter frequency response than our Xbox or PlayStation passes, once level-matched, there isn't much of a difference in frequency response between these settings.
The frequency response consistency is passable. Depending on these headphone's fit, seal, and positioning, bass, and treble delivery can vary noticeably across users. You may also experience a noticeable drop in bass if you wear glasses or have thick hair, as this can interfere with the ear cups' seal against your head.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 have poor bass accuracy. The entire range is overemphasized, resulting in plenty of extra thump, punch, and warmth, though this comes with the consequence of generating excess boominess in some mixes. It's worth noting that the bass delivery is somewhat sensitive to fit, seal, and positioning. This measurement represents an average response, and your experience in the real-world may vary.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 have excellent mid accuracy. A slight overemphasis in the low-mids slightly clutters in-game dialogue as well as vocals and lead instruments, but these harmonics should still be present and detailed in the mix.
The treble accuracy is decent. There's a slight peak in the low-treble that causes dialogue, vocals, and lead instruments to sound slightly harsh, while a rise in the mid-treble makes sibilants like S and T sounds piercing. However, this treble accuracy performance represents the average response. As fit and positioning can affect sound delivery for different users, your experience may vary.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200's peaks and dips performance is okay. The peak in the high-bass brings a lot of boominess. The following dip in the low and mid-mids also thins out dialogue, vocals, and lead instruments, nudging them to the back of the mix. The uneven mid-treble gives sibilants, like cymbals or S and T sounds, an alternatively dull and piercing quality.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200's stereo imaging performance is great. The weighted group delay falls mostly beneath the audibility threshold, resulting in a transparent treble and passably tight bass. The L/R drivers are also well-matched in amplitude, frequency, and phase response. This ensures accurate localization and the placement of objects (like voices, instruments, footsteps, and video game effects) in the stereo image. However, these results are only valid for our unit, and yours may perform differently.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 have a middling passive soundstage. Due to their closed-back design, the soundstage doesn't sound overtly open or spacious and may feel like it's coming from within the listener's head rather than all around you.
These headphones are compatible with Windows Sonic Spatial Audio, which is available on Windows and Xbox consoles. This can help create a more immersive audio experience. Keep in mind that the Turtle Beach Recon 200 don't work passively and need to be on for them to work. If you run out of battery life, they stop working.
Unlike their successor, the Turtle Beach Recon 200 Gen 2, they aren't compatible with 3D Audio on PlayStation 5. However, you can still use them on PS4 consoles. It amplifies the audio when using the 'Always On' bass boost feature. Since these headphones have a 'PS4/Xbox' slider on their ear cup, if you select 'Xbox' when connected to your PS4 (or vice versa), audio sounds a bit louder than when using the correct settings.
The weighted harmonic distortion performance is good. While there's a peak in the mid-treble and the high-treble at moderate listening volumes, this may not be noticeable to all listeners. The frequencies otherwise fall within good limits, which should result in clear and pure audio reproduction.
These are the settings used to test the Turtle Beach Recon 200. Our results are only valid for these settings. Note that we tested them using 'Xbox' mode on the slider.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 have poor noise isolation performance. They do very little to block out noise from the bass range, like bus or plane engines. They perform slightly better in regards to mid-range noise, which helps cut out some of the chatter from other people in cafes or office settings. Thankfully, they do a great job of blocking out high-pitched ambient noise, like the hum of an AC unit.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200's leakage performance isn't bad. If you like to crank up the volume to your favorite tunes, those around you may hear some of it, even in louder environments like an office. It can also sound fuller than in-ear headphones or earbuds that leak audio mostly from the treble range.
The boom microphone has a satisfactory recording quality. Your voice should sound fairly clear and natural, though just a little thin. However, a peak in the treble range may make sibilants like S and T sounds sharp and piercing. If you're looking for Turtle Beach headphones with a better recording quality, try the Turtle Beach Recon 500.
The mic's noise handling performance is mediocre. It struggles to capture speech in loud environments. However, those on the other end of the line shouldn't have trouble understanding you if you're gaming at home in a reasonably quiet room.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 have decent battery performance. Although they're wired headphones, they have active features like Bass Boost that use an internal battery. They have just under 16 hours of continuous playtime, which is great for long gaming sessions, though it's worth noting that their battery life can vary depending on your usage habits. However, unlike their successor, the Turtle Beach Recon 200 Gen 2, they don't have passive playback, and you won't be able to use your headphones once the battery dies. While it takes some time to charge them back up, you can listen to your audio while charging.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 come with a 1/8" TRRS audio cable that can be plugged into PC, PS4, and Xbox One with full audio and microphone capabilities. They also come with a USB-A to micro-USB cable for charging.
You can plug the Turtle Beach Recon 200's 1/8" TRRS cable into an Xbox One controller and receive audio and use the boom microphone.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 don't have a base/dock. If you're looking for gaming headphones with a dock, check out the SteelSeries Arctis 7 Wireless 2017 or the Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017.