Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. 4 is a decent gaming headset that delivers qualitative sound for a reasonable price. The aim to provide fine-looking gaming design, good sound n the best headset under 100, is ambitious at any time. Mad Catz makes smart compromises with F.R.E.Q. 4 and supplies the market with a good gaming periphery.
What we liked:
- Comfortable ear cups and headband.
- Stylish design
- Good highs and lows
What we disliked:
- 7.1 surrounding sound is not that great
- Poor software
- The headset feels cheap in some places.
Design
Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. 4 follows all the standards of a gaming headset. It has RGB lighting, which you can customize, and a retractable microphone. The flexibility of the micro makes it easy to switch between online multiplayer and single-player modes easily.
F.R.E.Q. 4 may look a bit outdated, but it has a certain charm in it. The headset has a fabric headband to cover your head and two metal headbands above it. The headset is not adjustable, which may be a downside for certain users. However, it fits snuggly and stretches pretty well. Therefore, Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. 4 fits on any head.
The earcups are made of polyurethane, and they’re a bit oversized for a regular ear. It makes them sit comfortably on the head. We tried F.R.E.Q. 4 for long sessions and were satisfied. You don’t get tired, and the sound leak is minimal.
Nevertheless, the overall good design has some cheap elements in it. The headset is wired, which explains its reasonable price. It has an in-line remote on the wire. The remote is pretty big and made of plastic.
It has four buttons: mute, increase volume, decrease volume, and 7.1 stereo sound. Only the mute button glows red when it is activated. The rest of the buttons do not have lighting. It would be good to see if the 7.1 function is active because it is hard to tell from hearing solely that it is working.
Performance
The overall quality of F.R.E.Q. 4 is pretty good. 50mm Neodymium drivers provide clear, loud, and distinct sound in any game. You can hear good bass, and, at the same time, the headset does not lose the quality of the high sounds.
Besides, the design contributes to the sound quality as well. The minimum sound leak is a nice feature to have when you listen to a whole variety of sounds. However, the 7.1 sound feature leaves much to be desired.
The sound does change a bit, but this change is not enough to pinpoint the exact enemy’s location or distance to the source of the sound. Therefore, the 7.1 function is more of a gimmick than a useful feature. Still, action games, movies, and music work just fine with F.R.E.Q. 4.
Another downside of the headset’s performance is its software. F.R.E.Q. 4 has an app. However, the app is very limited in performance. It has a poorly designed interface and requires a reboot of the PC after installation. You will have more hassle with it than the real benefits. F.R.E.Q. 4 works fine without the app that does not give anything new in terms of settings.
Final Words
Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. 4 is a well-made gaming headset for long gaming sessions. Whether you are a single-player gamer or a competitive enthusiast, the headset will be a good choice for being your workhorse. If you are looking for wide customization options or deeper sound effects, you should look for another headset.
