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Turtle Beach Recon 70 Headset Review: Plug In and Go

When creating the ultimate gaming experience, whether it be on PC or console, the peripherals and accessories are often the finishing touches. But when it comes to these devices, a premium experience often necessitates paying premium prices, which is why good value for money peripherals are always welcome.

To aid in that regard is the Recon 70 gaming headset from Turtle Beach, which at R699 (RRP) sits neatly in between a professional and novice setup.

While its price will certainly pique your interest, does it actually deliver the value for money that Turtle Beach is touting? We took the Recon 70 headsets for a spin to find out.

Simple and Sturdy

The design of the Recon 70 can best be described as utilitarian. The majority of the headset is swathed in black plastic, with hits of electric blue scattered here and there to catch your eye. It also features a diagonal slash on the outside of the ear cups in order to make them stand out a bit.

All in all though, it’s a design that won’t turn many heads, and that’s just fine for me at R699.

What I’m wanting is something that can last a good while. Despite not throwing the headset around after a rage quit, I mean when the CPU was clearly cheating, the headsets feel reassuringly solid despite the plastic heavy design.

Another characteristic of the Recon 70 is the fact that all the moving parts feel rigid, which has its ups and downs.

The downs come in the form of a lack of fluidity when adjusting the size of the headphones on the  sides just above the ear cups. This mechanism does not seem to have a great deal of movement, and only increases or decreases two positions either way, which means it won’t get much larger.

Luckily it’s fairly large as is. I myself have a particularly pronounced noggin and the Recon 70 fit nicely.

The upside of the rigidity meant the headband doesn’t provide too much flex. This results in a snug but comfortable fit, although it may mess up any “unique” stylings you’ve chosen to adorn the top of your head with.

Sticking with comfort the ear cups are generously large, and sit over-the-ear. They also have a good deal of padding and cushion things nicely without leaving any gaps. As such if you’re wanting to wear these for prolonged sessions, there is no fear constant fiddling or moving in order to cope with a lack of comfort.

A bit of everything

Now let’s move onto some of the specifications of the Turtle Beach Recon 70 headset.

Driving the sound here are some respectable 40mm neodymium speakers which yield a frequency of 12Hz to 20kHz. The range of offer here is solid, with it coping nicely with bass and not producing any kind of tinniness during my time with the Recon 70.

If there is one complaint when it comes to sound, it’s the sensitivity of the volume wheel located on the ear cup, as the dial does not travel very far. This means nuances in volume are best handled on the device you’re playing on than the headset itself, which is a pity.

Sticking with some of the issues I encountered the 3.5mm cord, fixed to the headset, felt a tad shorter than expected. The fact that they are fixed to the headset also means you cannot switch out with a longer option, and will need to find some sort of extender if needed. This is less of an issue for PC gamers who will more than likely be close to their setup, but may prove an obstacle for console gamers playing in a living room for example.

That said, it’s not a deal breaker, but something to consider.

Said 3.5mm headphone is compatible for PC, PS4 and Xbox One, and did not provide any weird feedback or anomalies while connected.

One of the other elements worth talking about on the Recon 70 is the omni-directional mic, which swivels up or down depending on whether you’re using it or not. The quality it produces is mixed, with it performing fine in co-op gaming or multiplayers in small groups.

The moment you try to make yourself heard in a larger group of players also trying to get their instructions across and the mic struggles slightly, getting the odd “please repeat” or “what was that?” Again I’m splitting hairs here, and for the price of the Recon 70 the audio experience is certainly above par.

Final Verdict

I’ve harped on about the price of the Recon 70 for some time now, and for good reason. Value for money is hard to come by when it comes to good quality headsets, and at R699 this pair provides enough all-round solid use to provide peace of mind that it’s money well spent. It also means you can spend your hard-earned cash on other elements of your gaming setup.

For cost-savvy gamers who want a headset that handles the basics well, the Turtle Beach Recon 70 is definitely worth a second look.

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