Hardware Review: Turtle Beach Ear Force Recon Camo Headset

Turtle Beach is celebrating the holidays with it’s newest entry into the Ear Force series, the Ear Force Recon Camo. This wired headset plugs directly into your PS4/Xbox One/PC and comes packed with an external mic and a soft and sleek facade that tells the user in no uncertain terms that this device is built for military shooters.

Out of the box this thing is ready to go. Since it plugs direct into a controller there’s zero set up time, just plug in and play. I utilized the Ear Force Recon Camo headset primarily with Call of Duty: WWII (XBox One) and the results were promising.

The headset felt comfortable. There wasn’t much tension on my head (I have a massive one, which usually makes most headsets sit tightly) and the device is lightweight. The only area that I thought would be an issue is voice pops and mic sensitivity because of the external mic, however because the microphone is fully adjustable (bends in any direction like a pipe cleaner), this was an absolute non-issue.

Next came sound quality. I loved it. I could hear every single tiny movement and the direction they came from. The sound balance was also great as there seemed to be just the right amount of highs and lows, and the volume matched perfectly with the television. Turtle Beach always seems to nail this, and I’ve had other brands of headsets that were twice the price point that couldn’t seem to get this right. It seems like a small thing, but when switching from television sound to headset, it’s nice to have the volume similar to what it was before so that my eardrums don’t get blown out.

The only area where I felt somewhat disappointed was the insulation on the headset. I could hear a lot of white noise during quiet portions of the game and I could also hear a lot of external sounds.

The device features in line controls. This allows for the user to adjust the volume or mute the mic in only a second or two. What’s more, if the user doesn’t want to chat, simply unplug the mic, and if the user changes their mind, simply plug it back in. On the fly. It’s that simple.

The Ear Force Recon Camo headset features and MSRP of $69.95, but The Turtle Beach website shows them on sale as of this writing at $49.95. At this price point, the device cannot be missed. While I found very minor inconveniences with background noise, that did not affect my game play at all. This is a solid, comfortable headset at a solid price, and it’s another fine addition to the ever-growing Turtle Beach line of headsets.