Pros
Excellent audio high quality
Compatible with a variety of gaming gadgets
Lots of options and lengthy battery life
Cons
Big, cumbersome and heavy
Ugly design
Some annoying button placement
What is the Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. 9 Wireless Surround Headset?
Just like Lord of the Rings’ One Ring, the Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. 9 Wireless Surround Headset goals to be the one headset to rule all of them. It does just about the whole lot you’d ever need from a gaming headset: it’s wi-fi, works with each main gaming machine, and has all the audio options you possibly can consider. The Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. 9 is solidly constructed from high quality elements, so it’s comfy to put on for lengthy durations of time. It additionally options all the buttons that you must management what you’re listening to with out having to tug your machine out of your pocket, comparable to quantity controls and monitor skipping. An iOS and Android app additionally means that you can management the headphones and monitor the battery degree, the latter of which remains to be a uncommon function.
All this know-how doesn’t come low-cost although–at £280, the Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. 9 headset sits on the very high of the gaming headset market, and competes with premium life-style manufacturers comparable to Bose and Beats as a lot it does with Turtle Beach and Astro. Thankfully, the very good sound replica, 20-hour battery life, and plethora of equipment go someway to warranting this excessive price ticket. That’s to not say the F.R.E.Q. 9 is ideal. The headset itself is huge, heavy and albeit fairly ugly. There’s nothing engaging about its design, so for those who’re searching for a conveyable headset that doesn’t scream “gamer”, you’ll wish to look elsewhere. There are additionally different smaller points: the pause button is straightforward to press when adjusting the headset or taking it off, leading to dropped calls and unintentional Siri requests. The headset additionally has points that could be acquainted to homeowners of different Bluetooth headsets: particularly random audio drop-outs, confusion between which machine you’re attempting to play audio from, and even loud static noise. Overall, the F.R.E.Q. 9 headset is a high-quality headset to be used throughout a number of gaming platforms at house, however much less so to be used on-the-go.See additionally: Best Gaming Headset 2015
Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. 9 Wireless Surround Headset: Intro and Design
Mad Catz could also be a venerable member of the gaming accent market, nevertheless it’s solely within the final six years that it has actually began to construct up a fame as a top quality {hardware} producer. In the early 2000s, it was maybe greatest identified for its low-cost and sometimes nasty equipment that had been aimed on the worth finish of the market. So it was fairly a shock when, in 2009, Mad Catz introduced that it had partnered with Capcom to provide the official Street Fighter IV Tournament Edition Fight Stick. It was much more of a shock when the completed product turned out to be presumably the perfect preventing stick ever made for the house market — its stable development and genuine Sanwa arcade components gained over notoriously fickle hardcore preventing recreation followers, and was the beginning of Mad Catz’s enlargement into different premium product traces. Enter the Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. 9 Wireless Surround Headset, which takes the “everything but the kitchen sink” strategy by providing the whole lot you’d realistically need from a gaming headset. They work with virtually each gaming machine in the marketplace, they’re utterly wi-fi, they usually boast just about each main audio function you possibly can consider, together with energetic noise cancellation. See additionally: PS4 vs Xbox OneLet’s begin with the fundamentals. The headset options built-in Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, so it’s going to join to each main cell phone, pill and laptop computer in the marketplace, in addition to set-top packing containers just like the Amazon Fire TV and Mad Catz’s personal M.O.J.O. Android console. Not solely that, nevertheless it helps twin Bluetooth pairing, so that you might be listening to music out of your laptop computer after which take a name in your cell. When all of it works correctly, it’s fairly darn cool. For non-portable gadgets like video games consoles and desktop PCs, it’s important to join a small field roughly the identical measurement as a conveyable exhausting drive. On the again of the field is a USB enter for energy, and each a digital optical enter and a 3.5mm enter for audio. The package deal contains all the cables and adapters wanted, even the previous Xbox 360 AV cable. There are additionally cables for the PS4’s DualShock 4, the Wii U GamePad, and the Xbox 360 controller. See additionally: PS4 vs PS3The main omission on this lineup is the Xbox One, which requires a separate adaptor. We suppose it’s cheap to anticipate {that a} headset costing £280 would come with an adaptor for the second most-popular video games console in the marketplace proper now, however we’re extra inclined to put the blame at Microsoft’s door, slightly than Mad Catz, because it was their choice to make use of a proprietary connector. So when you have an Xbox One, you’ll have to spend round £20 on a separate adaptor.
All the completely different audio connections and requirements could make organising a
headset like this complicated, however Mad Catz supplies a big, full-colour
guide that very clearly exhibits find out how to arrange every console, with numbered
baggage separating every of the cables. Multiple-console homeowners might be
disenchanted which you could’t join two gadgets on the similar time, so
you’ll want an optical audio splitter, or ideally an AV Receiver.
Rounding out the package deal is a micro-USB cable for charging the headset
itself, plus a slightly giant and hulking carrying case for shielding the
headset whenever you’re on-the-go. See additionally: Xbox One vs Xbox 360The F.R.E.Q. 9 is just like the headset equal of a Land Rover: constructed for consolation when going off-road. It’s sturdy and stable; it simply survived being thrown round in a bag with out the necessity for the case. It’s additionally comfy to put on for lengthy durations, thanks primarily to the comfortable leather-based pads on the ears and headband, slightly than the heavy 367g weight. However, the F.R.E.Q. 9 is by no means fashionable–it’s huge, cumbersome and distinctly retro. Basically, it seems identical to a gaming headset, from the sharp traces and industrial-looking plastic to the ridiculous “F.R.E.Q. 9” title itself. We wore the F.R.E.Q. 9 commuting out and in of London for per week for this evaluate, and we couldn’t wait to by no means be seen in public with them once more.
If you’re searching for a pair of wi-fi headphones and also you care about the way you look even just a bit bit, we’d strongly dissuade you from shopping for the Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. 9. Instead, contemplate the Beats Solo 2 or Sennheiser Momentum headphones. They could lack the video games console compatibility, however they appear infinitely cooler. See additionally: Best Headphones 2015The closest competitor to the F.R.E.Q. 9 come from Turtle Beach within the type of the brand new Elite 800. The Elite 800 is barely cheaper at £250, nevertheless it’s broadly related by way of options. The Turtle Beach various are barely heavier, lack an Xbox 360 adapter and have a shorter battery life although. The most important benefit the Elite 800 has over the F.R.E.Q. 9, although, is that it seems much more fashionable, plus it comes with a very neat charging dock and sounds barely higher. If you’re searching for an all-in-one gaming headset to be used at house and on-the-go, it’s the one to go for in our opinion. Back to the F.R.E.Q. 9, it has quite a few discreetly-placed buttons on the headset, that means you don’t have to get your machine out to manage what you’re listening to. The proper earcup options monitor skip buttons, a quantity management wheel, and different buttons to manage noise cancellation, encompass sound and microphone settings. Annoyingly, one of many key buttons is much less well-placed. The Mad Catz brand, which takes up a great portion of the fitting earcup, is just too simple to press whenever you’re adjusting the headset or taking it off. Depending on the variety of instances you press it, or how lengthy you maintain it down, you’ll both pause the music, activate Siri (on an iOS machine) or flip the headset off. It doesn’t occur too usually, however we’d have most popular a smaller button that’s much less simple to by accident press. See additionally: PS4 FAQ – Things that you must know before you purchaseAndifferent subject with headset is that typically the buttons work, and typically they don’t, relying on what machine, working methods or software program you’re utilizing. For instance, for those who’re listening to Spotify on a cellphone then the skip monitor buttons work positive, however on a Mac, they don’t. In one other instance, for those who’re listening to Spotify on a Mac and press the pause button, that opens up iTunes and begins taking part in one thing out of your library. It’s annoying. We additionally encountered different extra frequent Bluetooth-related issues. The skill to attach each a pc and a cell phone is cool, nevertheless it usually doesn’t work as meant. If you wander out of the vary of your pc, for instance, the audio out of your cellphone can find yourself randomly dropping out. If you wish to swap from one audio supply to a different, that you must cease playback on the unique machine first, after which transfer over to the second machine. We additionally encountered random audio dropouts, which solely occur for a split-second, however they’re nonetheless annoying. We even got here throughout one event the place the headphones began producing loud static noise for no obvious cause, forcing a whole reset of the headphones (we fortunately weren’t carrying them on the time). See additionally: Xbox One FAQ – Things to know before you purchase
Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. 9 Wireless Surround Headset: Audio Quality
If Mad Catz doesn’t strategy Bose by way of fashion, then it fortunately does in terms of audio high quality. The F.R.E.Q. 9 is a fantastic-sounding pair of headphones able to creating actually immersive audio throughout quite a lot of genres. These are headphones that you should use for the whole lot: equally nice at video games as they’re with video and music, making them an awesome alternative of headphones for individuals who play video games at evening and take heed to music at work, for instance. While the headphones produce punchy bass and wealthy element at regular quantity, additionally they preserve this high quality at loud volumes, going method louder than equal headsets we’ve used. As a end result, we discovered they had been nice for these bombastic story moments in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, however they had been additionally sprightly sufficient to provide particulars comparable to grenade drops and footprints in multiplayer video games. Whereas most headsets require some degree of tinkering to sound their greatest, the F.R.E.Q. 9 sounds nice out of the field. The flipside is that the F.R.E.Q. 9 affords no possible way of tinkering with the audio ranges, as a result of there’s no accompanying software program. Audiophiles could lament this lack of management, however we’ve usually discovered these options are sometimes too in-depth and pointless on competing headsets, and the F.R.E.Q. 9 headset carried out effectively with out them. See additionally: Best Games 2015Mad Catz’s Digital Active Noise Cancellation works notably effectively. When it’s engaged (utilizing a button on the underside of the fitting earcup), it’s going to block out many of the ambient noise in an workplace, on public transport and in a busy road. Listen to music on the similar time, and you may block out the skin world utterly. The F.R.E.Q. 9 does an particularly good job of noise cancellation with out inflicting the nauseating feeling of stress of some headsets. We’re much less bought on the headset’s encompass sound options. While they do present a barely extra enveloping sound in genres comparable to shooters, it was pointless when the usual stereo replica was so good. The microphone, although, was completely great, with binaural processing that means you possibly can hear your self speak, so that you don’t should shout. Battery life on the F.R.E.Q. 9 headset is effectively above common at round 20 hours at medium quantity, though this drops to much less when you have noise cancellation engaged. We additionally like that the headset expenses utilizing micro-USB — there’s a cable within the field, however likelihood is you have already got one mendacity round. Mad Catz’s accompanying iOS and Android app is ugly and solely actually has controls which might be already on the headset. However, its greatest function is permitting you to see what number of hours you may have left on the battery, which is a kind of easy options all too usually lacking on competing wi-fi headsets.
If we had been nitpicking, we’d level out that SteelSeries’ vary of
headsets usually have a headphone port that means that you can share audio with
a good friend. Also, we couldn’t really discover the F.R.E.Q. 9 headset for
sale on-line wherever apart from the Mad Catz web site, the place it was additionally
out of inventory at time of writing. See additionally: Upcoming Xbox One Games 2015
Should I purchase the Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. 9 Wireless Surround Headset?
It’s clear that Mad Catz has reached for the celebs with the F.R.E.Q. 9. It’s a wi-fi headset that works with almost each gaming machine in the marketplace, has all of the high-end options you’d ever need, and it sounds completely very good. It’s all of the extra disappointing then, that its comparatively few weaknesses cease it from being a house run for Mad Catz. The most important drawback is that it’s too huge, too heavy and too ugly to be thought of a very viable transportable choice. Gamers used to carrying their headsets in public could effectively disagree, however until your most important apparel is scruffy denims, a hoodie and a few form of geeky t-shirt, you’ll not wish to be seen carrying the F.R.E.Q. 9. There are additionally extra minor points, comparable to an annoying button placement, the shortcoming to attach a number of consoles, and the dearth of Xbox One compatibility out-of-the field. These are extra niggles than real complaints, however when Mad Catz is charging £280, it’s cheap to anticipate them to be addressed. If you worth sound high quality and have a number of completely different gaming gadgets at house, then the F.R.E.Q. 9 nonetheless comes really helpful. General audio replica is great, whereas the headset’s noise cancellation function, microphone high quality and wide-ranging compatibility are additionally higher than equal headsets at this value.
Verdict
The Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. 9 headset has the whole lot the discerning gamer might presumably need from a wi-fi headset, nevertheless it falls wanting being the final word all-in-one headset for normal use on-the-go.