The Turtle Beach Recon 200 Gen 2 are the next generation of the Turtle Beach Recon 200 and are wired gaming headphones. Unlike their predecessor, they use mesh fabric padding instead of faux leather. They have a unique surround and Bass Boost feature to provide a more immersive audio experience on PlayStation and Xbox consoles, depending on the setting you've selected. This feature is powered by a battery that offers roughly under 17 hours of continuous battery life, although you can use them passively, too, if you prefer. Their flippable boom mic also does a very good job of recording your voice clearly. However, the headphones have a cheap and plasticky build quality.
Our Verdict
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 Gen 2 are good for neutral sound. They have an excited sound profile with extra boom in the bass range. Their mid-range is also very flat and neutral, so vocals and lead instruments are accurately reproduced, although they're a bit bright. They have a wide and natural passive soundstage too, but it seems like it's coming from inside your head, rather than from speakers placed around you. However, they lack sound customization features to help adjust their sound to your liking.
- Decently comfortable.
- 16.8-hour battery life.
- Prone to inconsistencies in bass and treble delivery.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 Gen 2 are sub-par for commute and travel, though they aren't designed for this purpose. These gaming headphones have a hard time blocking out the low rumble of bus and plane engines, which can be annoying during your trip. Their boom mic doesn't detach either, and they have a bulky design that doesn't fold into a more portable size. On the upside, they're decently comfortable.
- Decently comfortable.
- Poor noise isolation performance.
- No call or music-related controls.
- Prone to inconsistencies in bass and treble delivery.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 Gen 2 are middling for sports and fitness, although they're not designed for this use. They can easily fall off your head with moderate head movements, and they have a bulky, gamer-centric design. They also have a cheap and plasticky build, and their non-detachable audio cable could snag on something and pull them off your head.
- Decently comfortable.
- No call or music-related controls.
- Prone to inconsistencies in bass and treble delivery.
- Can fall off your head with minimal movement.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 Gen 2 are fair for office use. If you don't mind their bulky and gamer-centric design, they have a decently comfortable fit, and their 16.8-hour battery should easily last through long days at the office. However, they struggle to block out office chatter around you, and they leak a lot of audio at high volumes.
- Decently comfortable.
- Very good recording quality.
- 16.8-hour battery life.
- Poor noise isolation performance.
- No call or music-related controls.
- Prone to inconsistencies in bass and treble delivery.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 Gen 2 are wired-only headphones, and you can't use them wirelessly.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 Gen 2 are decent for wired gaming. They have a decently comfortable fit, have a surround sound feature that you can use on PlayStation or Xbox consoles, and their wired design ensures low latency. Their flippable boom mic also has a very good recording quality, but it struggles to separate your voice from moderate ambient noise, and your voice could be drowned out by the sound of traffic from an open window.
- Very good recording quality.
- Surround sound feature available.
- 16.8-hour battery life.
- Prone to inconsistencies in bass and treble delivery.
- No EQ.
- Mic has mediocre noise handling.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 Gen 2 are passable for phone calls. Their flippable boom mic has a very good recording quality, ensuring your voice sounds clear and natural. However, it struggles to separate your voice from moderate ambient noise around you, and your voice may be drowned out if you're taking a call from a busy street. Unfortunately, the headphones also struggle to block out background noise, so it may be hard to hear your conversation.
- Very good recording quality.
- Poor noise isolation performance.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 Gen 2 come in three color variants: Black, White, and Midnight Blue. We tested the Black variant, and you can see our model's label here. If you come across another variant of these headphones, please let us know in the discussion section below, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 Gen 2 are budget-friendly wired gaming headphones and are the next generation of the Turtle Beach Recon 200. They have a surround sound and Bass Boost feature for PlayStation and Xbox consoles. This feature requires a battery, but it lasts just under 17 hours, and you can use the headphones passively if you run out while gaming. However, unlike the Corsair HS60, they lack companion software to help you adjust their sound to your liking.
Check out our recommendations for the best gaming headsets, the best gaming headsets under $100, and the best headsets for Xbox Series X/S.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 Gen 2 are slightly better wired headphones than the Turtle Beach Recon 70. While they're both comfortable, the Recon 200 Gen 2 are better built, and they have a virtual soundstage feature that's powered by a battery with over 16 hours of continuous playback time. Their boom mic also has a somewhat better recording quality, although the Recon 70's mic delivers a better noise-handling performance.
The Turtle Beach Recon 500 and the Turtle Beach Recon 200 Gen 2 are similarly performing gaming headphones. While they're both decently comfortable, the Recon 500 have a detachable mic with a better overall performance. However, the Recon 200 Gen 2 have EQ presets built-in as well as a virtual soundstage feature that's powered by a battery with over 16 hours of battery life.
The Corsair HS60 are better wired gaming headphones than the Turtle Beach Recon 200 Gen 2. The Corsair are more comfortable, feel better built, and their mic has a better noise handling performance. They also have companion software that allows you to adjust their sound using their graphic EQ and presets.
The Corsair HS50 and the Turtle Beach Recon 200 Gen 2 have different strengths, and you may prefer either one. The Corsair are more comfortable, feel better built, and their mic has a better noise handling performance. However, the Turtle Beach have a virtual soundstage feature, and their mic has a better recording quality.
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