We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-27 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a lightweight, glasses-friendly chat headset that lets you hear your TV's game audio while you talk to your squad, choose Turtle Beach Recon Chat; if you need a full stereo gaming headset with a bigger driver, a retractable noise-cancelling mic and a fun cat-ear look, choose SOMIC GS510. Both are wired 3.5mm over-ear headsets, but they solve two very different problems. One is built for chat. The other is built for immersion. In my opinion, almost nobody should be torn between them once they know what each one actually does.
• Turtle Beach Recon Chat — biggest strength: The open earcup design. You wear one over-ear cup for chat and still hear your game audio in stereo from the TV or home theater in both ears.
• Turtle Beach Recon Chat — biggest trade-off: It is a chat headset first. There is one 40mm speaker, no stereo music playback through the headset itself, and no noise isolation at all.
• SOMIC GS510 — biggest strength: A full over-ear stereo headset with 50mm dynamic drivers, a retractable noise-cancelling omnidirectional mic, magnetic speaker tags, LED lighting and a 20Hz–20kHz frequency range.
• SOMIC GS510 — biggest trade-off: It is heavier (500 g), it is wired to a 3.5mm jack, and the LED lighting only works on a device with a USB port.
• Who each pick is for: Pick the Recon Chat if you game on a TV and mainly need to talk. Pick the GS510 if you want one headset for game audio, music and voice chat — and you like the look.
The Recon Chat is a specialist, and it is honest about it. The core idea is an open earcup: one full-size over-ear cup sits on your ear for chat audio, while the open design lets game sound from your TV or home entertainment system reach both ears in stereo. That is a genuinely useful trick for console players who sit back on a couch and don't want to be sealed off from the room. It is also reversible, so you can wear the cup on whichever ear you prefer.
The comfort angle is the other standout. Turtle Beach's SpecsFit design puts a channel in the ear cushion so glasses wearers don't get that extra pressure pushing the frames into the side of their head. If you wear glasses and most headsets give you a headache after an hour, that detail matters more than any spec sheet number. Add the lightweight build (7.52 oz / 212.56 g) and it stays easy to wear for long sessions. The 40mm dynamic driver handles chat audio clearly, impedance is 32 ohm, and the frequency range is 80Hz–10kHz — tuned for voice, not for bass drops.
Buy it if you play on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, PC or mobile over a 3.5mm jack, you already get game audio from your TV, and you want in-line mic mute and chat volume right on the cable. The high-sensitivity mic is the point of the product. Skip it if you want to listen to music, if you game on a monitor with no external speakers, or if you need isolation from background noise. It has no noise control, and the single open cup means the headset alone won't give you a private listening experience.
The GS510 is the opposite philosophy: wrap the player up in the audio. Two over-ear cups, 50mm dynamic drivers, and a 20Hz–20kHz frequency range — that is a full-range stereo headset spec, meaning it covers the deep end that the Recon Chat's 80Hz floor cuts off. If you want gunfire, footsteps and bass you can feel, this is the design that delivers it. Impedance is 32 ohm, so it behaves like a normal headset on a phone, controller or PC.
The microphone is the other headline. It is retractable and omnidirectional with noise cancelling, so you can pull it out for chat and push it back in when you're just listening. That's a small thing that makes the headset feel less like a permanent gaming rig. The controls are on-ear buttons for volume and mic mute.
Then there's the styling. Memory foam and leather-ish padding, cat-ear shape, magnetic detachable speaker tags (two pairs included), and a white breathing LED effect. Be clear on two things: the light only lights up when the device has a USB port, and the color doesn't change. It's aesthetic, not functional.
Buy it if you want one wired headset for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Switch, laptop, iPad or iPhone over 3.5mm, and you want stereo game audio plus a mic you can hide. The kit even includes a splitter cable and four speaker tags, which is thoughtful for a headset at this level. Note the old-model Xbox One controller needs a Microsoft adapter that isn't included. Skip it if you want the lightest possible headset — at 500 g it's the heavier of the two — or if you need wireless. The GS510 is a wired 3.5mm headset, full stop.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for bass and immersive stereo sound → SOMIC GS510. 50mm drivers and a 20Hz–20kHz range beat a single 40mm chat speaker on paper.
• Best for glasses wearers → Turtle Beach Recon Chat. The SpecsFit channel is designed specifically to relieve pressure from frames.
• Best for a mic you can hide → SOMIC GS510. The retractable, noise-cancelling omnidirectional mic is the more flexible design.
• Best for light weight on long sessions → Turtle Beach Recon Chat. 212.56 g versus 500 g is a real difference on your head and neck.
• Best for style and desk presence → SOMIC GS510. Cat ears, LED glow, magnetic speaker tags you can swap.
• Best for use as a music headset → SOMIC GS510. The Recon Chat is tuned for voice, not for music.
• Best for couch console gaming → Turtle Beach Recon Chat. Reversible cup, in-line mute and volume, and you never feel cut off from the room.
• Best for PC gaming with one cable → SOMIC GS510. Stereo cups plus a retractable mic make it the more complete desk headset.
In my opinion, the SOMIC GS510 is the one I'd buy for most people. It's the more versatile product: real stereo sound from 50mm drivers, a wide 20Hz–20kHz range, a retractable noise-cancelling mic you can hide, on-ear volume and mute, and a look that stands out on a desk. It covers gaming, music and chat with one cable, and the included splitter and extra speaker tags add value.
But if you're a glasses-wearing console player who games on a TV and just wants to talk to your squad without being sealed off from the room, the Recon Chat is the smarter, more comfortable pick — its open earcup and SpecsFit design are genuinely hard to replace. Before you decide, check the current price on Amazon for both, since that's the only thing that can shift this call.
are in ear headphones good for gaming
That's a different category from both of these — both the Recon Chat and the GS510 are over-ear headsets, not in-ear. In-ear models can work for gaming because they're small and portable, but they can't match a 40mm or 50mm over-ear driver for spacious sound, and neither of these products uses that design.
do over ear headphones damage hearing
Volume and listening time are what matter, not the style of headphone. Both headsets here are wired with on-cable or on-ear volume controls, so you can keep levels sensible. As a general habit, keep the volume moderate and take breaks during long sessions.
how do over ear headphones work
A driver inside each cup converts the audio signal into sound, and the cup sits over your ear to direct it in. The GS510 uses two 50mm dynamic drivers for stereo sound with a 20Hz–20kHz range. The Recon Chat is different: one 40mm driver delivers chat audio, while an open earcup lets game audio from your TV reach both ears.
is gaming headphones good for music
It depends on the headset. The GS510 has a 20Hz–20kHz range and 32 ohm impedance, so it handles music reasonably well as a stereo headset. The Recon Chat is tuned for voice with an 80Hz–10kHz range and a single speaker, so it's built for chat rather than music listening.
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