The Turtle Beach Recon 70 are budget-friendly gaming headphones. They feature a non-detachable, flip-to-mute boom microphone and are compatible with PCs, PlayStation, and Xbox family consoles, as well as Nintendo Switch. They're a solid option if you want a versatile wired headset for all your gaming platforms without breaking the bank.
Our Verdict
The Turtle Beach Recon 70 are decent for neutral sound. Their bass lacks a bit of low-end thump and rumble, meaning cinematic sounds, like explosions, can lack intensity. However, a slight bump in the high bass helps bring out footstep sounds. Their mid and treble ranges are quite well-balanced though, which adds detail to dialogue and speech. Unfortunately, they don't have a companion app with an EQ to fine-tune their sound profile.
- Soundstage isn't bad for closed-back headphones.
- Audio delivery inconsistencies.
The Turtle Beach Recon 70 are bad for commuting, as they're not intended for this purpose. They offer very little isolation against ambient noise, so you're likely to hear the rumble of bus or plane engines as well as the chatter of other commuters. They're also quite bulky and hard to carry around. On the upside, you don't have to worry about running out of battery and won't experience any latency. They're also quite comfortable to wear for a while without feeling ear fatigue.
- Decently comfortable fit.
- Cheap and plasticky build.
- Poor isolation performance.
- Wired-only connection limits versatility.
The Turtle Beach Recon 70 are sub-par for sports, though they aren't designed for this use. They're bulky and not especially portable, plus you can't detach the boom microphone from the headset itself. Their audio cable can also snag on other things.
- Decently comfortable fit.
- Cheap and plasticky build.
- Unstable fit.
- Wired-only connection limits versatility.
The Turtle Beach Recon 70 are a poor fit for the office. They block out very little background noise and leak a lot of audio, which means surrounding colleagues will hear what you're listening to. On the upside, they're comfortable enough to wear for a while.
- Decently comfortable fit.
- Poor isolation performance.
- Wired-only connection limits versatility.
The Turtle Beach Recon 70 aren't suitable for wireless gaming, as they're wired-only headphones.
The Turtle Beach Recon 70 are satisfactory for wired gaming. While they feel cheaply made, their boom microphone offers good recording quality, so you'll be easily understandable to your teammates. While their lack of low-bass robs sounds like explosions of some of their intensity, they have a balanced mid-range, and the bump in the high-bass helps bring out environmental audio, like footsteps. They're also comfortable enough for long gaming sessions and have virtually no latency, thanks to their wired design. However, they don't have a companion app for customization options.
- Good voice recording quality.
- Soundstage isn't bad for closed-back headphones.
- Decently comfortable fit.
- Cheap and plasticky build.
- Audio delivery inconsistencies.
- No companion app with customization features.
The Turtle Beach Recon 70 are passable for phone calls. Their boom microphone makes your voice sound clear and full-bodied, but it struggles to isolate it from loud background noise. You're also likely to hear a lot of ambient noise due to their poor noise isolation capability.
- Good voice recording quality.
- Poor isolation performance.
Changelog
- Updated Feb 16, 2024: We've updated this review to ensure it remains up-to-date and accurate and included relevant comparisons to similar gaming headsets.
- Updated Nov 12, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Nov 17, 2020: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated Mar 24, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
These headphones come in several different color variants: 'Lavender,' 'Black/Red,' 'Blue Camo,' 'Green Camo,' 'Black/Blue,' 'Black/Green,' 'Red/Black,' 'White/Blue,' 'White/Green,' and 'Silver.' We tested the 'Black/Red' model but expect the other color variants to perform similarly. While there are also variants listed as the Turtle Beach Recon 70P, Turtle Beach Recon 70X, and Turtle Beach Recon 70N, there doesn't seem to be any differences in terms of features, performance, or system compatibility, with these models only offering color schemes that complement specific consoles.
If you encounter a different variant, let us know in the forums, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Turtle Beach Recon 70 are budget-friendly gaming headphones with a decently well-balanced sound profile and good microphone recording quality. Unfortunately, they feel very plasticky and have a very rudimentary control scheme. They lack companion software to fine-tune your listening experience, which is present in other budget headsets like the Logitech G432. You also can't detach the integrated boom mic for a more casual look the way you can with the SteelSeries Arctis 1.
See our recommendations for the best gaming headsets, the best gaming headsets under $100, and the best budget and cheap gaming headsets.
The Turtle Beach Recon 70 are better gaming headphones than the Razer BlackShark V2 X. While the Razer have a more comfortable and stable fit, their sound profile is considerably less balanced than the Turtle Beach, with a very recessed treble range that makes lead instruments and speech sound dark and muted. However, the Razer have a better performing mic, that also does a better job of separating your voice from background noise.
The Astro A10 Gen 2 are similarly performing headphones to the Turtle Beach Recon 70, but the Astro have the edge for most uses. Both are wired headsets with bulk designs that lack portability. However, the Astro are better built and more comfortable. They also have a more prominent bass response, and their mic does a better job of separating your voice from background noise. That said, the Turtle Beach have a more consistent treble response.
The Turtle Beach Recon 70 and Turtle Beach Recon 50X/Recon 50P models are very similar, but the Recon 70 might be a better option thanks to their more comfortable design and better sound profile. However, the Recon 50x have an excellent microphone and outperform the Recon 70 in this regard. Overall, the recording quality of the Recon 70's mic is good, making them a decent choice for gaming.
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.
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