It’s possible, over the course of playing with so many different headsets of late, that my ears have become somewhat elitist in terms of what should be expected from sound quality. For instance, given how impressed I was by my recent review of the reasonably priced Turtle Beach Ear Force Z60s, it’s difficult to determine what demographic the Recon 320s are aimed at.

Quick recap: except for the long USB cable and lack of ear-bleeding volume capabilities, I adored the Z60 headset. The sound quality and accuracy are fantastic for a DTS 7.1 headset with an asking price of AUD$129.95RRP. In the case of the Recon 320 headset, it’s also a USB-powered plug-and-play 7.1-surround headset aimed at PC gamers, but with an asking retail price of AUD$99.95, it’s relatively pricey in light of the great performance from the $30-more-expensive Z60 headset.



While the USB cable length is comparable to the lengthy Z60s, the Recon 320 mini-amp is much closer to your chest, making it finicky to reach the mic mute slider and volume dial. Outside of the usual changing of default options for ‘playback’ and ‘recording’ default audio sources in Window, the Recon 320s are, expectedly, plug-and-play. You’ll have to visit the Turtle Beach website to download the Dolby Surround Sound driver to get the most out of them for games, and the driver is compatible with Windows 7 and above (otherwise you’re stuck with stereo).

The Recon 320 headset doesn’t suffer from the lack of sound for the first half of the volume dial, as the Z60s did; you’ll get big sound early on the dial, as should be the case. As with the Z60s, Turtle Beach has apparently restricted the maximum volume, which restricts ear-bleeding sound, but the 320s do still get loud enough to be able to hear everything – games, movies and music (the latter items in stereo) – at a higher level than what the Z60s hit. By far the most impressive component of audio playback is in-game sound, with a satisfying oomph whenever the bass kicks in.

They’re not as comfortable for bigger ears as the Z60s, because of a tighter noise-cancelling design that grips around your ears. Unfortunately for the Ear Force Recon 320 headset, if I’d tried them before a host of other 7.1-capable headsets, they’d be more recommendable. Their overall sound quality and directional accuracy are commendable, and while the sub-$100 entry price is attractive if you’re looking for your first foray into the benefits of 7.1 sound, there’s a better Turtle Beach alternative just $30 away.

Tech Tuesday rating:

Not recommended / Take it or leave it / Worthy purchase / Purists only / Essential kit