What’s so interesting about this headset?
The Recon 50 is a closed dynamic headset fully protected by plastic. This gives it a certain lightness in the absence of good flexibility.
The risk of breakage is therefore much higher in case of transport, especially as no case is provided. Despite decent finishes, this helmet almost looks like a toy.
Each ear cup, circum ear design, has a soft, airy and fairly thick faux leather pad. Despite a fairly correct feeling of comfort, the support on the head is not however perfectly assured due to the shape, and especially the rather strange inclination of the ear cups.
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Material for Headset Turtle Beach
The very thin coating placed in the center of the arch generates a significant pressure in the center of the skull. This is particularly the case for large heads due to the low deployment of the hoop. Nothing to report for the other heads, the helmet is suitable for sizes from 36 to 44 cm approximately (measured between the center of each ear, passing through the top of the head).
The Recon 50 comes with a thin, fixed Y-cable that terminates in a straight 3.5mm 4-pin mini-jack connector. Its length is no problem for connecting it to a controller or a laptop (PS4, Xbox One compatible, WiiU, laptop, etc.)
A double mini-jack adapter supplied allows it to be connected to other sources and especially to extend the total length to bring it to 2.20 m. The remote control is also simple, offering only volume control and microphone mute.
Quality as Expectation?
The Turtle Beach Ear Force Recon 50 gives pride of place to bass and displays a truly warm sound signature. The low frequencies are very round and a bit soft, which among other things causes masking on the vocals.
On some songs, it sometimes even happens that sources such as bass, double bass or kick drum arrive at the level of the voice, normally placed more forward.
The midrange register is more precise, but its reproduction plunges sharply after around 1.5 kHz. The voices are particularly nasal and lack clarity and proximity. The effect is however not as catastrophic as on a Razer Kraken or a Steelseries Siberia, because the latter offer an even more boosted rendering.
Bass of Turtle Recon 50
In the bass and much more masking on the vocals. Regarding the treble, the Recon 50 gives a little boost in brilliance, but lacks fullness and air. Hissing sounds are heard from time to time.
The sound insulation of the Recon 50 is good. Because of the small concern for the placement of the ear cups, it will be used more in quiet rooms with little surrounding noise to obtain maximum sound immersion.
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Stereophony is quite wide, but in-depth reading is not easy. It is therefore difficult to really perceive precisely the distances involved or the elements behind in a mix .
The Recon 50 is particularly powerful and can be used without problems with most devices. Distortion is imperceptible, even at loud listening levels.
Microphone
This headset has a detachable gooseneck microphone accompanied by a windshield. Far too long, this gooseneck often disturbs our field of vision and its rigidity does not facilitate the task when we want to shift it.
Its sound performances are generally good: the voice is captured clearly, without pronounced sibilance or plosives. The microphone is also very directive and effectively eliminates surrounding noise.
On the other hand, its gain is a bit tight. You need to boost it by around +10 or +20 dB in the Windows microphone settings to be fully heard.
STRONG POINTS
- Good power / low distortion.
- Cross-platform compatibility.
- Lightweight.
- Good quality microphone.
WEAK POINTS
- Basses too round.
- Nasal and recessed voices.
- Manufacturing that seems fragile.
- Uneven comfort depending on body type.
- Micro that lacks sensitivity.
The Turtle Beach Recon 50 is an unpretentious headset that delivers decent overall performance. For a few dollars more, however, we prefer the Plantronics RIG 500 and the HyperX Cloud .
