[Review] Turtle Beach Recon 500 Headset

I was lucky enough to get a PlayStation 5 back in March. Seeing the PS5 touts unprecedented audio (one might say it’s a Virtual Barbershop of audio), I was looking for a new gaming headset, to test it out with. As a result, I am back with another headset review. My second Turtle Beach review to be exact -- Turtle Beach’s Recon 500 over-ear gaming headset.

The Recon 500 has a host of features. The headband is metal reinforced, making it sturdy, which is a huge plus for me, as I’m especially hard on stuff. The ear cushions feature athletic weave fabric with memory foam, as well as Turtle Beach’s patented ProSpecs Glasses Relief System, which allows for easy adjustment to accommodate gamers who wear glasses. The speakers are Turtle Beach’s 60mm Eclipse Dual Drivers. The official Turtle Beach website states that these drivers deliver “stunning sound with dedicated woofers and tweeters, engineered with AccuTune for acoustic perfection.”

The headset uses a standard 3.5mm audio plug, and that 4-foot long wire is braided, making it very durable. Also, because it does use a 3.5mm audio plug, it can be plugged into any device that has a 3.5mm audio output jack, like, an MP3 player, phone, or computer, as well as the Switch. It also comes with a detachable TruSpeak microphone, but due to the fact that I'm unable to verbally communicate, I have no use for the mic, which plugs into the hole on the front corner of the left earcup.

The audio quality is superb. I could very easily tell where sounds were coming from. Listening to Spotify was equally amazing. The Eclipse drivers do a fantastic job making everything crisp and vibrant without making any one thing overpower another. That being said, there are two things that I don’t like about the Recon 500. The first being, the volume dial is on the lower backside of the left earcup, making it impossible for me to use without taking the headset off. The other thing is that the mute button is on the side of the left earcup, which, again, makes it unusable for me. While these are my only complaints about the Recon 500, they are also very huge downsides as far as accessible usage is concerned.

Would I recommend the Turtle Beach Recon 500? Yes, I definitely would, as the sound quality is fantastic. With an MSRP of $79.95 USD (EDIT: currently on sale for $69.95 USD as of this writing), it’s a very good gaming headset under $100. It also comes in 2 color variations -- black, and “Arctic Camo” white. You can purchase the Turtle Beach Recon 500, on Amazon, other retailers, and from the official Turtle Beach site. Note: if you buy it via the Turtle Beach site, you also have the option to pay for it in multiple payments. So, that might be more feasible for some, rather than paying the entire $79.95 at one time.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Accessibility Rating: 1 out of 5 Stars

The Turtle Beach Corporation is a global gaming accessory manufacturer based in San Diego, California. It produces gaming headsets for Xbox, PlayStation, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices. They graciously sent me a Recon 500 for review, and I would like to sincerely thank them for doing so.