Not bad, but there are better budget options.
Be sure to visit IGN Tech for all the latest comprehensive hands-on reviews and best-of roundups. Note that if you click on one of these links to buy the product, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, read our Terms of Use.
The Recon 50 (See it on Amazon) is the entry-level model in Turtle Beach’s line of wired gaming headsets. There are Turtle Beach Recon 50 models "designed" for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation, but they're identical in specs, features, and price - the only difference is their color scheme. We're specifically evaluating the PC version here, for what it's worth.
With a 3.5mm jack connection, any of the Recon 50 headsets work with PCs, Macs, PS4, and Xbox One, along with phones and tablets. It also boasts such a low price that it doesn’t qualify for Turtle Beach’s $50 minimum purchase for free shipping, but that of course won't matter if you're picking them up from Amazon or in store. In fact, at $39.95, this is the most inexpensive budget headset we're evaluating in this set, which includes the Astro A10, HyperX Cloud Stinger, Plantronics Rig 400, and Roccat Cross. But price doesn't matter if the performance isn't there, so let's get into it:
Design and Features
If green means Xbox and blue signifies PS4, then red must denote PCs and Macs because the Turtle Beach Recon 50 comes at you with a bold, red-and-black color scheme. The black, plastic headband features red extension forks on either end and red padding underneath. A small, red Turtle Beach logo is embossed on each earcup.
The headband can be extended a bit for adjustment, but even at its maximum, the headband will struggle to accommodate large heads. The headband also has more tension than I found comfortable, creating a bit too tight of a fit against my ears. The earcups can be rotated, which can create a comfortable fit against your upper chest when the headset is resting around your neck, except in this case the earcups hit my throat because of the small headband and its surprising tension.
The oval-shaped earcups are wrapped in synthetic leather, with memory-foam padding that feels a step above what's usually offered in a budget headset. The padding underneath the headset, however, is substandard. It is also covered in synthetic leather but the padding is minimal.
Inside the earcups, 40mm drivers power the audio output, the same size as those on the Astro A10 and the Plantronics Rig 400HX. The Cloud Stinger and Roccat Cross have larger 50mm drivers and delivered fuller sound. The Recon 50’s sound was middling; it supplied bigger sound than the Astro A10 but was less impressive than Rig 400HX. More details to follow in the performance section below.
The Recon 50 comes with a single, affixed audio cable, which terminates in a four-pole 3.5mm jack. It can be used with PCs, a PS4, Xbox One, and phones and tablets. A large, inline volume control supplies a volume slider and mute switch. Both controls are easy to operate without needing to look, but the control is too far down the cable to be found easily. A better spot would be where the cable splits to run to each earcup, which is the arrangement of the Plantronics Rig 400HX’s inline volume/mute control.
A detachable boom mic plugs into the left earcup. The boom is long and thin and offers the perfect balance between flexibility and the ability to hold its position. The mic’s design and performance is the best aspect of the Recon 50.
The Recon 50 is extremely light. It weighs 209 grams, with its cable included. Being so light makes it comfortable during long gaming sessions, but I prefer the weight and feel of the 276-gram HyperX Cloud Stinger. The Recon 50 is so light that it feels a bit flimsy.
Performance
To test the Turtle Beach Recon 50, I ran it through games on a PC and an Xbox One and then connected it to an iPhone to test how it handled music playback.
With Battlefield on a PC and Star Wars Battlefront and NBA 2K17 on an Xbox One, the Recon 50 failed to distinguish itself. Bass notes of bombs exploding and heavy artillery could be felt, but the mids and highs of rifle fire and boots crunching on the ground sounded a bit muddied. Both the HyperX Cloud Stinger and the Roccat Cross offer more dynamic sound.
Next, I connected the Recon 50 to an iPhone 7 Plus, fired up Spotify, and used Steely Dan’s “Dirty Work” to test the high and mid-frequencies and DMX’s “X Gon’ Give It To Ya” to get a sense of the headset’s bass response. I heard less separation in the highs and mids than with the HyperX Cloud Stinger on “Dirty Work;” the organ and voice tracks sounded a bit muddied. With “X Gon’ Give It To Ya,” the bass lost clarity at max volume. Finally, I tested the mic by making a voice recording.
Surprisingly, The Recon 50 turned in the cleanest, most natural-sounding recording of all the budget headsets we're evaluating now. So if you're not an audiophile, but need to have your own voice coming through crisp and clear, the Recon 50 is a solid, inexpensive pick.
Purchasing Guide
The Turtle Beach Recon 50 has an MSRP of $39.99. It's usually sold for exactly that price, or just a couple of dollars off:
The Verdict
The Turtle Beach Recon 50 is very inexpensive, even when compared to other budget headsets. But you get what you pay for, with cheap-feeling build quality and mediocre sound quality. Its microphone performance is surprisingly impressive for its class, but anyone seeking a budget headset should strongly consider spending $10 more to pick up a better option.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire