Overview:
Of all the gaming accessories, headsets are some of the hardest to pin down at times of weighing your options versus your pocket.But most for most of us, we’re open comparison tabs looking for that happy medium of audio quality, price and comfort. And getting our finely tuned hands on some of the most, state-of-the-art gaming equipment can sometimes seem like a far off dream especially on console. Thankfully The Fatal1ty FXM Headset, a collaboration audio manufacturer Monster and Pro Quake player Johnathan Wendel has arrived to deliver hardcore console players to the next level.
Design: 4/5
The Fatal1ty FXM 100 by Monster, is well rounded headset at pretty great price point of $69.99-$79.99. It’s a quality piece of hardware for gamers on a budget. Which is really a dream come true when it comes to quality headset. Comfort is a high on the list of necessities, the FXM thankfully 100 dos deliver amazingly. The easy mic on/off button is connected just below the main device. An the mouthpiece is a detachable, so you can snap in or take off with relative ease. The head and ears section is perfectly cushioned, from the head band with Monster’s “Flex Foam” tech. It was at times like you’re wearing nothing at all, Monster’s “Sound Chamber” design are pretty close to complete sound cancelling as you can get.
Audio Quality: 3.5/5
Of course the main reason for picking up any headphone/mic set is audio quality. This however is where I started to have issues with the headset. The sound in most action oriented games, such as your Overwatch or Battlefields works without a hiccup on PS4 and XBox One. The FXM 100 thrives in delivering a well balanced audio regardless of how many voices you have piping through your headset. I found the quality of multiplayer chat to be pretty unrivaled. It stood out me, as well as my teammates of how easy it was to hear and communicate. That being said, this is why the FXM was made with the console in mind.
The headset I was able to play around with didn’t come with the Y adapter necessary for PC usage, but I came prepared. The audio quality took a noticeable dip when I hooked it up to my rig. I was hoping to really push the limits by playing a horror game, a very audio centric genre. The results were less than what I experienced on the console side. Background noises were a bit muddled, I had to rely on tweaking the sound in game to get it just right. The audio would also sometimes become distorted during times of high activity.
Verdict:
Overall the FXM 100 is a good piece of hardware, at a fair price in a market saturated with overtly expensive tech without the quality to match the tag. Monster has achieved the goal of delivering a reliable console headset, that feels remarkably close to what hardcore PC gamers have come find as the standard. It does have some setbacks, which mostly stem from a few small tweaks over on the PC side of things. A few minutes of manual settings and However its cool and comfortable design earn high praise.
As far as affordable headsets go, the quality to price ratio on the Fatal1ty FXM 100 has a large leap on competitors. It delivers everything you could hope for out of a good pair of multiplayer headsets. Clear and crisp sound quality, a fantastic ear cup design that maximizes comfort. Which even works in tandem with the design to give a solid audio experience, without breaking the bank. The Fatal1ty FXM 100 is more than worth the price if you’re considering upgrading to a new piece of hardware.