Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 vs Recon 500

Which Headphones Are Better?

Products

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2
Turtle Beach Recon 500

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Aug 06, 2024 03:53 PM

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Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Feb 14, 2024 06:52 PM

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Amazon.com

Our Verdict

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless

Turtle Beach Recon 500

The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 are better for wireless gaming, while the Turtle Beach Recon 500 are better for wired gaming. The 600 are more comfortable, feel better built, and have under 24 hours of continuous battery life. However, the 500 have a more neutral default sound profile, and their boom mic offers better overall performance.

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Variants

  • Stealth 600 Gen 2 (PS4 (Black/Blue))
  • Stealth 600 Gen 2 (PS4 (White/Silver))
  • Recon 500 (Arctic Camo)
  • Recon 500 (Black)

Check Price

PS4 (Black/Blue)
Stealth 600 Gen 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Arctic Camo
Recon 500
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
PS4 (White/Silver)
Stealth 600 Gen 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Recon 500
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Xbox One (Black/Green)
Stealth 600 Gen 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Xbox One (White/Silver)
Stealth 600 Gen 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 

Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 
 

7.4
7.6
No major differences between these headphones for neutral sound. See full list of tests below.

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2 
 

Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Design Picture 2
Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Over-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Yes
No

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

7.5
7.0

Comfort Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Comfort Picture
Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.64 lbs
0.77 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

1.3 lbs
0.9 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

5.4
5.7

Controls Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Controls Picture
Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Decent
Good

Feedback  

Decent
Good

Call/Music Control  

No
No

Volume Control  

Yes
Yes

Microphone Control  

Mute/Unmute
Mute/Unmute

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
No

Talk-Through 
 

No
No

Additional Controls  

Presets
No
Show Text 

Breathability 
 

5.8

Breathability After Picture  

Turtle Beach Recon 500 Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

7.4 °C
Show Text 

Portability 
 

5.5
5.5

Portability Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Portability Picture
Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Portability Picture

 

7.7" (19.6 cm)
8.1" (20.5 cm)

 

7.5" (19.1 cm)
10.8" (27.5 cm)

 

3.2" (8.1 cm)
2.2" (5.6 cm)

Volume  

185.00 in³ (3,031.59 cm³)
189.85 in³ (3,111.00 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

Yes
No
Show Text 

Case 
 

0.0
0.0

Case Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Case Picture
Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Case Picture

Type  

No case
No case

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

Volume  

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

7.0
6.5

Build Quality Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Build Quality Picture
Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

6.5
6.5

Stability Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Stability Picture
Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Angled Picture
Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Angled Picture

Side Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Side Picture
Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Front Picture
Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Front Picture

Rear Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Rear Picture
Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Top Picture
Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless In The Box Picture
Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Recon 500 In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Frequency Response  

 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Frequency Response
 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Frequency Response

Bass Amount 
 

-1.77 dB
-1.59 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-0.76 dB
-3.9 dB
Show Text 

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

5.4
5.5

Consistency L  

 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Consistency L
 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Consistency L

Consistency R  

 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Consistency R
 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Consistency R

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

1.34 dB
1.17 dB
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Raw FR L
 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Raw FR L

Raw FR R  

 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Raw FR R
 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Raw FR R

Bass Accuracy 
 

7.6
7.9

Bass  

 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Bass
 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Bass

Std. Err. 
 

3.09 dB
2.89 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

87.24 Hz
36.68 Hz

Low-Bass 
 

-4.66 dB
-2.67 dB

Mid-Bass 
 

-2.21 dB
1.83 dB

High-Bass 
 

1.9 dB
4.24 dB
Show Text 

Mid Accuracy 
 

8.0
8.2

Mid  

 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Mid
 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Mid

Std. Err. 
 

2.61 dB
2.39 dB

Low-Mid 
 

-3.54 dB
0.27 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-1.25 dB
2.83 dB

High-Mid 
 

-0.31 dB
1.87 dB
Show Text 

Treble Accuracy 
 

7.8
7.7

Treble  

 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Treble
 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Treble

Std. Err. 
 

3.3 dB
3.46 dB

Low-Treble 
 

-0.48 dB
-1.48 dB

Mid-Treble 
 

0.35 dB
-0.08 dB

High-Treble 
 

-9.8 dB
-13.98 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.0
6.7

Peaks/Dips Graph  

 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Peaks/Dips Graph
 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Peaks/Dips Graph

Peaks 
 

2.01 dB
2.38 dB

Dips 
 

1.53 dB
1.21 dB
Show Text 

Imaging 
 

8.1
8.6

Group Delay  

 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Group Delay
 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Group Delay

Phase Response Mismatch  

 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Phase Response Mismatch
 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Phase Response Mismatch

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.3
0.25

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

9.02
9.11

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.52
0.26

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

2.6
1.67
Show Text 

Passive Soundstage 
 

6.1
6.2

PRTF  

 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless PRTF
 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Recon 500 PRTF

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

2.85 dB
3.08 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

6.93 dB
4.5 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

12.05 dB
15.09 dB

Openness 
 

5.7
5.1

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

4.0
3.9
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0
0.0

Virtual Soundstage 
 

Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Virtual Soundstage
Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No
No

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

No
No App
Show Text 

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.0
7.3

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Weighted Harmonic Distortion
 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Weighted Harmonic Distortion

WHD @ 90 
 

0.569
0.482

WHD @ 100 
 

0.193
0.163
Show Text 

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

1.1.6
No Firmware

Power 
 

On
Passive

Connection 
 

Wireless (Proprietary)
Wired

Codec 
 

PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz

EQ 
 

Default
No EQ

ANC 
 

No ANC
No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

Boom
Boom
Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation 
 

3.8
4.8

Noise Isolation  

 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Noise Isolation
 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Noise Isolation

Isolation Audio 
 

Overall Attenuation 
 

-9.44 dB
-12.74 dB

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Bass 
 

0.82 dB
-0.32 dB

Mid 
 

-7.24 dB
-11.83 dB

Treble 
 

-22.57 dB
-27.14 dB
Show Text 

Leakage 
 

6.5
6.6

Leakage  

 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Leakage
 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Leakage

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

42.25 dB
41.83 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

No
No

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

Yes
Yes

Detachable Boom 
 

No
Yes

Mic  

Yes
Yes

Recording Quality 
 

7.3
8.5

Microphone Frequency Response  

 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Microphone Frequency Response
 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Microphone Frequency Response

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

177.02 Hz
20 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

2.2 dB
2.07 dB

HFE 
 

6,267.15 Hz
8,736.03 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

8.938
0.787

Gain 
 

10.48 dB
29.32 dB
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

6.0
7.5

SpNR  

 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless SpNR
 Preview Graph
Turtle Beach Recon 500 SpNR

SpNR 
 

6.54 dB
33.74 dB

Noise Gate 
 

Always On
Always On

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

6.0
7.5

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

6.0
7.5

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

8.5
0.0

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
No Battery

Continuous Battery Life 
 

23.7 hrs
N/A

Additional Charges 
 

0.0
N/A

Total Battery Life 
 

23.7 hrs
N/A

Charge Time 
 

2.2 hrs
N/A

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Auto-Off Timer
No

Audio While Charging 
 

Yes
No

Passive Playback 
 

No
Passive Headphone

Charging Port  

USB-C
None
Show Text 

App Support 
 

4.0
0.0

App Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless App Picture
Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Recon 500 App Picture

App Name  

Turtle Beach Audio Hub
No App

iOS  

No
No

Android  

No
No

macOS  

Yes
No

Windows  

Yes
No

Equalizer 
 

No
No

ANC Control 
 

No
No

Mic Control  

No
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

No
No

Button Mapping  

No
No

Surround Support 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Bluetooth 
 

0.0
0.0

Bluetooth Version 
 

No Bluetooth
No Bluetooth

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

NFC Pairing 
 

No
No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (SBC) 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (aptX) 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A
N/A

iOS Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Android Latency 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Non-Bluetooth Wireless 
 

8.4
0.0

Non-BT Line Of Sight Range 
 

92.00 ft (28.04 m)
N/A

Non-BT Latency 
 

34 ms
N/A
Show Text 

Wired 
 

0.0
9.0

Cable Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Cable Picture
Compare High-Res
Turtle Beach Recon 500 Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

No
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable  

No
No

Length  

N/A
4.56 ft (1.39 m)

Connection 
 

No Wired Option
1/8" TRRS

Analog/USB Audio Latency 
 

N/A
0 ms
Show Text 

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

No
Audio + Microphone

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
No
Show Text 

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

No
Audio + Microphone

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

PS5 Analog 
 

No
Audio + Microphone

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
No
Show Text 

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

No
Audio + Microphone

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

No
Audio + Microphone

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Base/Dock 
 

3.4
0.0

Type 
 

Wireless USB Dongle
No Base/Dock

USB Input 
 

Yes
No

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

No
No

Power Supply 
 

USB
No Base/Dock
Show Text 

Check Price

PS4 (Black/Blue)
Stealth 600 Gen 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Arctic Camo
Recon 500
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
PS4 (White/Silver)
Stealth 600 Gen 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Recon 500
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Xbox One (Black/Green)
Stealth 600 Gen 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Xbox One (White/Silver)
Stealth 600 Gen 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 

Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless

Turtle Beach Recon 500

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