I've tested a fair few gaming headsets in my time, but none of them have had the premium feel of the Fractal Scape. Fractal Design is one of those "it" hardware brands that's very good at tapping into an almost minimalist design philosophy. Imagine if IKEA made luxury gaming items, and you're not too far off. It's never made a gaming headset before the Scape launched earlier this year, so I'm a little surprised that this is one of the best gaming headsets I've ever used.
Why am I telling you this? Well, Fractal's $200 gaming headset has just taken its first price cut - Black Friday gaming headset deals are upon us, after all. And if you're looking for a step up in audio quality, as well as a more sophisticated feeling headset that really feels like a treat to have in your setup, the Fractal Scape is the one I'd recommend. It's currently $169.99 at Amazon, and for audio quality this good, I think that's a great price to pay.
I've had the Fractal Scape in my setup for a few months now. I'll be honest, I'm a little saddened that one of my favorite features on any gaming headset (simultaneous Bluetooth connection so you can get your phone audio at the same time as your game) is missing here. You can flick a switch and easily change to a Bluetooth connection, but it'll cut out the audio from your USB device, which is just kind of annoying.
But that's hardly a deal breaker for me, because the audio quality of the Scape is just so good. I've been playing with a SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7P for over a year as my daily go-to headset, and the Scape wipes the floor with it in terms of pure audio quality and comfort. Those are two important wins for me. The main multiplayer game I play is Hunt: Showdown 1896, a game that's dependent on you using your ears to determine where enemy players are.
With the excellent detail of Fractal Scape's custom-tuned drivers, I feel like I don't have to pump the volume up to dangerous levels for my ears in order to get the detail I want. It also helps that Fractal has a handy online customization suite that lets you control the nitty-gritty elements of your audio so everything is balanced the way you like it.
I reviewed the Sony INZONE H7 headset, which, of the sets I've tested, has some of the best audio quality available - especially in mid-range devices like these. Fractal's feels even better. The detail, the balance, it all feels like a much more premium set of Bose studio headphones, not a bass-heavy and often tinny gaming headset.
I'm also a glasses wearer, and I don't feel at all as limited with the Fractal Scape as to what frames I wear while gaming. The cushioning is really comfy, and because it's plush, I don't feel aching pressure on the sides of my head when I have my glasses on underneath it. Combine that with a really convenient charging stand and some classy (albeit kinda pointless) RGB lighting, and you've got a device that feels like a mature evolution of the typical gaming headset.
If you or the gamer in your life is looking for a new audio device this Black Friday/Cyber Monday, and you know they'd love a real treat for their ears, I would point you firmly in the direction of the Fractal Scape's discount. There are few parts of my gaming setup that feel as premium as this does.
- See some more gaming headset deals at Amazon
- Fractal Scape: $169.99 at Amazon
- Fractal Refine: $399 at Amazon
There are plenty of savings to be made at the moment, thanks to Black Friday gaming PC deals, Black Friday VR headset deals, and Black Friday gaming chair deals.
