Turtle Beach Recon 500 vs Recon 200 (2021): Entry-Level Multi-Platform Gaming Headset Comparison

The Turtle Beach Recon 500 are the latest addition to the brand’s Recon lineup of gaming headsets. Similar to other Turtle Beach Recon headsets, the Recon 500 are a wired gaming headset that have multiplatform compatibility with an affordable price. However, they are also much improved in many areas. Sporting 60mm dual drivers, the Recon 500 are equipped to deliver better sound than other headsets in the lineup. To find out how the Turtle Beach Recon 500 perform, we will compare it to another Recon headset—the Turtle Beach Recon 200.

Turtle Beach Recon 500 vs Recon 200 Comparison Chart

Design

The Turtle Beach Recon 500 look better and are more comfortable than the Recon 200.

The two headphones have a decent build quality that should hold up well. Although they are both made of plastic, they come with metal frames for durability. The weakest points in their construction are their hinges. However, as long as you handle them with care, they should last a long time. As for their cables, they are fixed, so you don’t have the option of just replacing the cable should they get damaged.

Both gaming headsets have a “gamer-y” look, which is common with Turtle Beach headsets. That said, the Turtle Beach Recon 500 have a sleeker overall design than the Recon 200. The Turtle Beach Recon 500 are available in either black or arctic camo, while the Recon 200 are available in black or white.

As for comfort, the two are quite good. They are lightweight so they aren’t fatiguing even during extended gaming sessions. Also, they have sufficient padding on their ear cups. Their clamping force are also relaxed, so you won’t feel too much pressure even when you wear them for a long time. One advantage of the Recon 500 in this area is their ProSpecs glass relief feature, which removes pressure when playing with glasses on.

Features and Connectivity

The two gaming headsets are compatible with any gaming platform that has a 3.5mm connection.

Both gaming headsets are multi-platform compatible. You can use them with any gaming platform since they use a standard 4-pole 3.5mm jack. These two are stereo headsets, but the Turtle Beach Recon 200 offer Windows Sonic surround sound for Xbox One and compatible Windows 10 PCs.

Another feature that is exclusive to the Recon 200 is their battery powered amplified audio with always-on bass boost. With this feature, the bass is boosted so that explosions and other low frequency sound are emphasized. The downside with this feature is that it can’t be disabled and you have to charge the headphones even though they have a wired connection. The headset will not function if the battery is fully drained.

When it comes to onboard controls, the Turtle Beach Recon 500 offer a simpler control scheme that makes use of only two physical controls—mute/unmute and a volume wheel. On the Turtle Beach Recon 200, there are wheels for volume and mic monitoring, and there is a switch for Xbox and PS4 presets. To mute the fixed microphone, you’ll need to flip it up. Flipping it down unmutes it.

Sound Quality

The more neutral sound of the Turtle Beach Recon 500 is more enjoyable to listen to than the overemphasized lows and highs of the Recon 200.

The Turtle Beach Recon 500 have an accurate and a fairly neutral sound profile. This gaming headset offers very good audio output when gaming. They are capable of producing satisfying rumble when playing action-heavy games, and they do so without sacrificing clarity in dialogue and other high frequency sound. When listening to music, the bass is a bit underemphasized, while the mids and highs are clear and crisp. The Recon 500 are great if you listen to various genres of music, however, if you listen to mostly bass-heavy music, you may find this headset to be a bit lacking.

Meanwhile, the Turtle Beach Recon 200 have an overemphasized bass due to their always-on bass boost feature. When gaming, this headset delivers a boomy, thumpy and loud bass response. Explosions and other rumble sound effects can be twice as loud. The mids are surprisingly accurate, so dialogue and speech are clear. However, the highs are a bit emphasized, so there may be some harshness when listening to high pitched sound effects.

The Recon 200 have an audio output that’s suited for bass-heavy tracks with pounding bass—hip-hop, EDM and the like. When listening to other genres, the bass can be quite overpowering and since they also have emphasized highs, listening fatigue can be an issue. Overall, we prefer the improved sound of the Turtle Beach Recon 500 over the Recon 200.

Verdict

The Turtle Beach Recon 500 are better than the Recon 200 across the board.

If you are looking to get an affordable gaming headset, we recommend that you go with the Turtle Beach Recon 500 over the Recon 200. The Turtle Beach Recon 500 are better built, more comfortable and they sound better. Also, they don’t have an internal battery so you can use them whenever you want, without worrying if the battery is charged. The Turtle Beach Recon 200 are outclassed by the Recon 500 in every way.

FAQs