Turtle Beach has been perfecting its craft for a long time. Its logo is now iconic in the gaming world, as is its affordability; yes, the company has broken into the higher end of the market with a few of its releases, but it will always be known for consistency in catering to low-budget gamers. The Recon 70 Headset falls into the latter bracket and seems perfectly content with this fact. Retailing at just £29.99, it’s likely that many would write them off as poor quality – after all, you get what you pay for, right? Well, the Recon 70‘s has something to say about this mentality. There’s more here than meets the eye…
In a world dominated by ever-more garishly designed gaming headsets, Turtle Beach’s Recon 70 Headset is a breath of fresh air. It boasts a simple aesthetic with minimal chunkiness – the only flare comes from a few stripe-like indents to give it a bit of character. In the design department, it’s a product for those who aren’t too fussed about winning any fashion awards at the next LAN session and just want a functional piece of equipment.
Cubed3 received the white and blue colourway, which is marketed as the PS4 version but in actuality this makes no difference as the 3.5mm jack ensures that this headset will work across all mainstream devices. The only true point of contention is the lack of face buttons; there is a simple volume dial behind the left ear, and the microphone can be muted by folding it up. Simplicity was clearly the primary aspiration here, and these are the design choices that contribute to the extremely affordable price.
As for build quality, it’s what you’d expect of a budget headset. The body is entirely made up of plastic – the only respite being the padding on the arch and around the ears. Again, all in the name of simplicity and affordability. Nevertheless, the Recon 70 feels pretty solid; it’s inadvisable to carelessly toss it around, but it isn’t going to randomly disintegrate, either. For an all-plastic shell it’s actually pretty sturdy, but nothing to write home about compared to what else is on the market.
Of course, the two most important factors in a serious gamer’s headset checklist are comfort and sound quality, and here is where the Recon 70 rises above its price tag. As mentioned earlier, the foam padding is very simple, but it’s excellently utilised to ensure the headset remains comfortable even during longer play sessions. The earcups rotate 45 degrees backwards to accommodate multiple head shapes which is a great bonus.
The sound quality, though? Mamma mia! The sound is simply excellent for a headset this cheap. There’s great clarity throughout the dynamic range, and some above par performance in the mid to high ranges. The lows could be a bit better, but they’re still decent, resulting in a crisp and clear audio range that really delivers where it counts.
The microphone is also quite impressive – audio input sounds great on the other end without any untoward muffling or crackling. There is an audible and unmistakeable click when the mic is flipped up to mute, though, so if you mute yourself in a lobby, everyone is going to know you’ve just gone dark.
Overall, the Recon 70 can hardly be faulted. It’s simply designed and sturdy enough for a cheap headset, but the majority of its accolades come from some great sound output and a surprisingly comfortable fit. Turtle Beach has made a name for itself by providing some impressive tech at very affordable prices, and its effort with the Recon 70 is more of the same from the company in the best possible way.
