Table of Contents
- design and comfort
- audio and drums
- Microphone
- Conclusion and value for money
- Turtle Beach Recon 200 Specifications
Uniting the "two sides of the coin" with the gamer who has both the Sony like the one Microsoft, o headset gamer Turtle Beach Recon 200 works on the last two generations of consoles. The proposal to be aimed at the console audience is impressive, with a simple selector switch to switch between PS4/PS5 and Xbox One/Series X.
With P3 plug, another surprise is Recon works only if the battery is charged. The reason? It has built-in amplifiers to enhance your sound experience. In the last few weeks we were able to test the Turtle Beach Recon 200 in different scenarios and we tell you here in this review how it did.
design and comfort
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 features a lightweight design and a metal headband, working across consoles Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4 Pro, PS4 e PS5. There are dual 40mm speakers and a high-sensitivity microphone. It also has faux leather and memory foam cushions for added comfort (and better insulation). On the left side we find a switch for console selection, the wheel for adjusting the volume of the headphones and the volume adjustment for the microphone monitor.
What really surprised me about taking the Turtle Beach Recon 200 out of the box was not being able to plug it into a device and test it right away, after all, it runs on a battery – yes, even wired. The justification? Recon features audio amplification and Bass Boost. The manufacturer's estimate is 12 hours by full charge, recharging it via micro USB. By the way, its connection to the video game controllers is via the P3 plug.
A common annoyance of those who wear glasses and headphones is how comfortable this combination stays during hours of gaming. Over-ear headphones need to hold steady without putting pressure on the point between your ear and the eyeglass frame, which in itself is a design challenge. Because the Turtle Beach Recon 200's materials are very malleable and light, I can say: even after two hours, the headset was stable and was gently placed over the highest pressure point – that is, it is subtle and imperceptible.
Our test model came in white with black and gray details, however, there is the option of black headphones for those who prefer. As I had only two weeks to test it, as usual in the reviews here on the site, I cannot say how well it does in terms of the long-term durability of the materials. We remember that, in the “golden times” of Turtle Beach here in Spain, at the beginning of the last decade, the products themselves were highly praised for the resistance of the components. Chances are this is the case given that the padding is covered in faux leather, but only time will tell.
audio and drums
As it is an amplifier headphone that depends on battery to function, it is possible to comment simultaneously on these pillars in our review of the Turtle Beach Recon 200. By connecting it to the Xbox Series X it was necessary to go to the audio output settings to realize one of the strengths of Recon: having Dolby e DTS straight from the console. The only problem is that the license for both is paid – in the case of Dolby Atmos for headphones it's almost 30 dollars. The free option is Windows Sonic for Headphones.
Complete irony was that the audio was much louder when I selected the PS4 mode, both on the Series X and on my smartphone. I didn't notice a difference in frequency, but the maximum volume as a whole is higher in PS4 mode regardless of where I connected the Turtle Beach Recon 200. By the way, it has 40 mm drivers, a normal one among these headphones. Their size and frequency response (20Hz – 20kHz) translate into a reasonable range between bass and treble.
Immersive competitive first-person shooter or stealth games, where enemy footsteps and minimal noise serve as an aid, encourage you to play with headphones for better spatial awareness. Who wants to play the new 3×3 mode of Apex Legends, for example, you will be able to take advantage of the perception of the environment provided by the Recon 200. It also isolates external audio well and completely dispenses with functions such as active noise cancellation – it has physical cancellation due to the over-ear headphones.
Testing the Turtle Beach Recon 200's performance with songs, it really shows where it came from. The volume is very high, as expected. Even so, for routine use outside of games, its differential depends more on comfort than necessarily on sound quality. The memory foam of the headphones “hugs” the ears and makes the ideal isolation for those who want to concentrate on work while listening to good music.
The Turtle Beach Recon 200's most delicate (and weak) point is the drums. This was the first time I had the pleasure of testing a wired phone that needed charging to work, so that explains the awkwardness when I learned it needed that extra attention. It is not uncommon for wireless headphones to have a P3 or USB connection, with the Bluetooth connection only being an option. In this scenario, we would have justified the obligation of a battery.
With the Turtle Beach Recon 200 the idea is different, as the drums have a single purpose: as we mentioned, there is amplification. It actually works. The headphones even vibrate. Depending on the content, there are distortions you put on the stalk, which is more noticeable with music and ignored when you're playing. However, it is at least curious that other P3 headphones without battery (with detachable cable) of intermediate/high standard can provide a very similar immersive sound.
The 12 hours of duration claimed by the manufacturer are real. Charging it as soon as I took it out of the box, I used it for a whole weekend and, during the afternoon, working the other days. On the computer it took about 3 hours to charge. At least you can use it while it's charging, but for that you'll need a longer cable than the one included in the package. If your PlayStation 4 setup is close enough to the screen, you can use the controller cable without any problems. In the case of the Xbox, which runs on batteries, you will need another outlet – such as plugging the Recon into the cell phone power adapter.
Microphone
on a call via Discord I had the audio praised when I decided to plug the Turtle Beach Recon 200 into the computer. The voice was “clear and at a higher volume”, as the colleague on the other end of the line reported. The same happened when I risked a conversation on the cell phone (Android smartphone). Switching from PS4 to Xbox made no difference in this case.
I particularly prefer the retractable mics (which go into one side of the headphones), but the function of muting the mic when you turn it up comes in handy in the middle of a close match. With Recon on Xbox the only issue I had was the low volume during an in-game call from Call of duty warzone, by comparison with other friends in the lobby. During Apex Legends' own communication there was no complaint. It's obviously a compatibility issue, but I was surprised that I never had this complaint when I plugged in cheap cellphone headphones.
The monitoring volume adjustment was a good option. Because I don't particularly like hearing my voice and external noises in real time, I left this function at zero most of the time. Due to the excellent isolation, placing the monitor at the height of 20% helps to get a sense of the ambient noises without having to take the Recon out of the ear.
Conclusion and value for money
The Turtle Beach Recon 200 is on sale at stores like Amazon in white versions (R$ 649,90) it's black (R$ 670,52). By comparison, in stores dedicated to gamers products, Recon can go over R$800. On the official US website, Recon is for US$59.95 (just over 300 reais in direct conversion), with a dollar conversion very similar to what we see with Apple here in Spain: 1 dollar goes for more than 10 reais.
One of the Recon 200's strongest competitors is the latest Razer Kraken, with the cross-platform versions costing half the Recon. The fact is that both Corsair as HyperX soar in the national market in its lines of headphones for PC and consoles. THE Cloud Stinger S., for example, can be found for a much lower price and there are even specific versions of the Stinger line, for both PS5 and Xbox, in this same price range. P3 or USB connection (and the addition of the 7.1 card) varies, so it's up to the customer's taste.
Therefore, the cost-benefit ratio of the Turtle Beach Recon 200 is not the best when we make a simple direct comparison to the competitors. One factor above that, though, is how well a Turtle Beach would work in the long run. Earlier models last for years until the pads wear out. The rods are reliable and are for gamers who like to have a robust product on hand. Again, we're back to talking about the presence of the battery, whose useful life can be questionable – a concern that has been nullified in other wired headsets.
In addition, we also have the wire itself which, if it could be removed/changed, would increase the life of the product. Owners of gaming headsets know very well that any bad contact with the wire (fixed) is synonymous with uselessness. So if the Recon's battery justification is for amplification and, virtually, you don't feel a great contrast between 30% cheaper headphones, the differential that should "attract" buyers ends up being a shot in the foot.
Finally, those who spend hours in front of the console are looking for basic confidence in the headphones and don't want to worry about their battery - because the controller is enough. Those who need to intersperse gaming sessions with other tasks will take time to remember to turn off the headphones whenever they take them off their neck and, consequently, see the charge go away faster.
So, did you like the Turtle Beach Recon 200 headset? Tell us in the comments below!
Turtle Beach Recon 200 Specifications
| Operational system | Xbox One and PlayStation 4 |
|---|---|
| parts for assembly | Turtle Beach Recon 200 gaming headset Micro USB charging cable |
| headphone type | over the ear |
| microphone design | Fixed omnidirectional “turn to mute” microphone |
| Loudspeakers | 40 mm with neodymium magnets |
| frequency response | 20 Hz – 20 kHz |
| phone design | Circumaural (closed) |
| rod pad | Synthetic leather with foam padding |
| Ear pads material | Synthetic leather with memory foam padding |
| Integrated controls | volume wheel Variable microphone monitoring Button to switch platforms Xbox/PlayStation |
| audio port | 3.5 mm |
| Cell or battery composition | Alkaline |
| connection technology | Wired |
| Includes rechargeable battery | Yes |
| Color | Black White |
| corresponding color | Black White |
| Product weight | 499 g |
| Price | R$ 649,90 |
