Sound Quality

The Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. 4 is equipped with a pair of 50-mm dynamic drivers. According to the manufacturer, these are "tuned for gaming", which means special attention has been given to spatial awareness, the ability to quickly and accurately pinpoint the distance and direction of auditory cues, such as footsteps, weapons being reloaded, gunfire, and everything in between.

Although the drivers are 10 mm larger than those of the F.R.E.Q. 2, they perform similarly. Meaning, if spatial awareness was what Mad Catz is going for, they tuned these speaker drivers well. In games like Warzone and Apex Legends, I had an easy time figuring out where my enemies are approaching from, and from which direction they're trying to end my virtual existence. The amount of detail delivered by the Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. 4 is very surprising for what is essentially an inexpensive USB gaming headset.

This was done by pushing the entire midrange forward (making it louder), which makes sound cues that may otherwise go unnoticed more apparent. Also, Mad Catz was careful not to go overboard on the bass response as it is present enough to prevent the headset from sounding dull, but not exceptionally deep or meaty, or even particularly punchy. Because of that, it doesn't get in the way of the midrange, so even massive explosions won't cover up the footsteps of your enemy, which is quite handy when fighting for your life in a virtual arena. Having said that, if you consider yourself a bass head, this headset won't provide you with your daily intake of that thick, massive, earth-shattering bass you're after.


One possible way to get a more powerful bass response is to simply boost the bass within the software driver. The built-in speaker drivers respond well to equalization, especially in the low end. While you're at it, it's worth playing with the treble, too. The F.R.E.Q. 4 will sound snappier and noticeably more exciting.

The USB connection provides plenty of power to drive the F.R.E.Q. 4. You're unlikely to ever push it as loud as it can go. Unfortunately, it also introduces an annoying, persistent electrical buzzing noise, which can be heard whenever there's no sound playing through the headphones, or during quieter parts of songs, movies, and games. This issue wasn't present on the analogue F.R.E.Q. 2. For me, this is a complete deal-breaker as there's no way I could live with a headset that constantly buzzes, even if the buzzing mostly cannot be heard while gaming or listening to music.

The passive noise isolation is great. The foam/pleather ear pads will form a tight seal with the sides of your head, so no sound will leak in or out. This is a great choice for everyone who shares their gaming space with other people.

7.1 Virtual Surround Sound

The 7.1 virtual surround sound is provided by the Xear technology. Avoid it at all cost as it doesn't sound good at all. In 7.1 virtual surround sound mode, the sound becomes compressed and significantly less detailed than in stereo mode. It's almost like you're suddenly playing the audio signal at a very low resolution. The bass sounds choked, and there are no improvements to spatial awareness or immersion to speak of.

For a proper virtual surround sound experience, you'll have to dig a bit deeper into your wallet.