The Turtle Beach Recon 500 are wallet-friendly wired gaming headphones. Although they're fairly barebones in terms of extra features, these decently comfortable over-ears have a detachable boom mic that offers an excellent recording quality and can separate your voice from ambient noise. They have a warm sound profile with extra boom that can help emphasize sound effects in gameplay. However, they have simplistic controls and a plasticky design. They also lack companion software, so you won't be able to adjust their sound to your liking.
Our Verdict
The Turtle Beach Recon 500 are good for neutral sound, although their sound profile is more warm than neutral. While they have a fairly neutral mid-range, vocals and lead instruments are boxy and veiled. They also lack a thumpy low-bass, and a bump in the high-bass adds extra boom to mixes. Unfortunately, they lack companion software to help you adjust their sound to your liking. They're also prone to inconsistencies in audio delivery.
- Decently comfortable fit.
- Great mid accuracy.
- Prone to inconsistencies in audio delivery.
The Turtle Beach Recon 500 are poor for commute and travel. They have a bulky design that can be hard to carry with you, especially as they don't have a carrying case to help protect them. They also really struggle to block out the low rumbles of bus and plane engines. On the upside, they're decently comfortable.
- Decently comfortable fit.
- Poor noise isolation performance.
- Bulky and not very stable.
- No IP rating.
The Turtle Beach Recon 500 are disappointing for sports and fitness, though they're not designed for this purpose. While they're comfortable, they can fall off your head with moderate head movements, and their audio cable can snag on something and pull them off your head. They're also not very breathable.
- Decently comfortable fit.
- Not very breathable.
- Bulky and not very stable.
- No IP rating.
The Turtle Beach Recon 500 are mediocre for office use. Although they're decently comfortable, the ear cups can trap in heat, which could become uncomfortable over time. They also have some trouble blocking out ambient noise like office chatter around you. On the upside, you can detach their boom mic to help them look more casual.
- Decently comfortable fit.
- Poor noise isolation performance.
The Turtle Beach Recon 500 are wired-only headphones and can't be used wirelessly.
The Turtle Beach Recon 500 are decent for wired gaming. They have full mic and audio compatibility with consoles that have an AUX port. Their boom mic has an excellent recording quality, and you should be heard clearly if you're speaking in moderately noisy environments. However, they lack sound customization features and don't support channel mixing.
- Great overall mic performance.
- Decently comfortable fit.
- No companion app or customization features.
The Turtle Beach Recon 500 are satisfactory for phone calls. Their boom mic does an excellent job of recording your voice, and you're heard clearly, even in moderately noisy environments. Unfortunately, they lack active noise cancelling, and they struggle to block out ambient noise around you.
- Great overall mic performance.
- Decently comfortable fit.
- Poor noise isolation performance.
- Bulky and not very stable.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Turtle Beach Recon 500 come in two color variations: 'Black' and 'Arctic Camo', which is a grey and white camouflage motif. We tested the 'Black' variant, and you can see our model's label here. If you come across another variant, please let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Turtle Beach Recon 500 are wired gaming headphones. Like other headphones from this manufacturer, like the Turtle Beach Recon 200, they have a simple design with a well-performing boom mic. However, their fit isn't very breathable, and they feel a bit plasticky. They're also not compatible with Turtle Beach Audio Hub companion software, so you won't be able to tweak 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 PS5.
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 Turtle Beach Recon 500 are slightly better gaming headphones than the Turtle Beach Recon 70. While both headphones are comfortable, the Recon 500 are better built, and their boom mic does a significantly better overall 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 HyperX Cloud Alpha are somewhat better gaming headphones than the Turtle Beach Recon 500. The HyperX are more comfortable, feel better built, and have a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer. However, the Turtle Beach's mic has a better recording quality.
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Test Results
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