F.R.E.Q.5 Stereo Gaming Headset for PC and Mac, Gloss Black

cons 1.not very comfortable I had to take it off after periods of 1-2 hours because it either started getting too hot, or my ears started hurting. I think this was because the cups were so shallow 2.sound isn't that great sound is okay, but not great. Also in 3.5mm jack mode, non of the on ear controls work, which is a huge let down especially, because the eq doesnt work and it is stuck on one setting. 3. wire there is a wire that is about 8 inches long that comes out of the headset that connects to the 3.5 mm jack or usb adaptors. I don't see why they couldn't have just done a direct connection from the source to the headset. It gets annoying because even when you take the wire out, you have this awkward 8 inch thing flailing around. Also the braiding of the clable is not very good, and feels cheap. Pros 1.bass is good self explanatory 2.looks cool very cool industrial design 3.High quality feeling headset feels solid, although some parts are metal but look plastic. 4.great mic the mic sounded very good, and could go anywhere with no problem. 5.easy to find buttons button were located in locations that were very easy to find In the end I would not recommend this headset, mostly because of the comfort. You could probably find a headset that is just as good, or better than this for less.

The mic on this headphone is AMAZING. I've purchased other headsets where people tell me it sounds like I'm talking in a tunnel. Then, I do the Skype test and I see what they mean. I use this headset and it's simply amazing how clear people can hear me. In my business that's ABSOLUTELY KEY. I feel bad I had to go through five other headsets to learn this information about the mic. I even tried the Sennheiser PC 360. And, the mic quality was better than that headset. On the Sennheiser people told me it sounded like I was in a "tunnel underwater." That's not good when the no. 1 thing I need to a headphone is to communicate. The sounds quality is very nice. Anyone who says the sound quality of anything but a "dedicated headphone" is terrible is simply exaggerating. I've played multiple difference instruments. If you put a blindfold on 100 people and asked them which one is the "dedicated headphone" just for music, it's proven most people don't know the difference. Comfort levels are superb. On other headphones with little round ear pieces may hurt if you have glasses or might even feel too small. Headphones like the Sennheiser PC 360 with its ear pieces are comfortable but this one is even more comfortable. Just give it a few days to break in. One thing I don't like about this headset is the Closed acoustics. That means when I'm wearing these headphones I can't hear things going on in my house. This can be a positive and a negative. If you are in an environment with lots of outside sounds you want to avoid, this is good. I notice I can't hear myself when I'm talking on the phone as well as a headset with Open acoustics. But, I can hear myself well enough so I don't feel like I have to yell. People who say the sound on this headphone is crap recommend getting a desk mic with a "dedicate headset" just for music. For me, this suggestion is absurd. I'm someone who doesn't need "perfect sound" like I'm at a concert in London. I need to communicate and have that communication clear. This headset does that PERFECTLY for Skype and my HTC phone. Probably would work with a Iphone as well. And, there's the cool factor with this headset. It just looks and feels really very cool.

I have seen a lot of reviews on these being uncomfortable and so I was a bit skeptical about picking them up right away, but given that they appeared to have a sturdy construction I decided to give them a shot and I am glad I did. They have survived many a fall from my desk and I have found myself coming close to jerking out the USB when it is caught, but unlike traditional USB headsets the cable immediately detaches when this happens and prevents any damage. They did take a bit of getting used to in the first couple wares, but after that they started to settle around my ears just fine. I have been using them for over two years now and I can safely say that it was well worth the price. I got them for around fifty dollars and when comparing them to the Plantronics headsets I have owned in the past as well as Logitech headsets these win hands down. The sound quality from the mic is as good if not better than any Plantronics I have ever used and the detachable readjust is a nice touch. Another thing worth noting here is that I have had no issues with the mic (knock on wood). Often times a good headset had to be replaced because the mic would go out after two or three years, but not so with this headset. The mic itself is surrounded by a flexible metal tube and so it has been free of damage and held up well over the years. Yes, as some have said you do have to mess with the sound equalization a little bit, but once you do everything works like a charm. Is it going to be the very best headset you buy for the price? No, probably not, but if you are looking for a headset that is going to last and that continues to work even when it had a hard fall and the plastic piece broke in half (mine did after a year) then this is the headset for you. The rest of it has held up very well through hours of use and I can attest to it feeling comfortable even after 6+ hour gaming sessions with friends. Just like any headset, there are going to be certain issues when it comes to ears and how comfortable the headset feels, but with a fully adjustable side bar on each side it won't be hard to find that happy medium. If I had to say anything negative about these it would be the fact that while the major areas are protected with metal that is not the case for the headpiece. Mine broke because it was simply plastic and I think that had they made this part of the same material as the headset rest it would have survived the big fall without any damage. I understand that this probably isn't as easy given that you would give up a bit of comfort, but at the very least it needs to be replaced with a bit more sturdy plastic.

Updated 6-12-2014: Time to revamp my review on this headset, as my opinion has totally changed over a span of a couple months during almost daily use. I really wanted to love this headset. The sound was amazing, with deep and heavy (but not muddy) bass, but with crisp and clear highs. The ear padding was comfortable and was great for long wearing sessions. The detachable mic was made of metal, as were the arms holding the ear cups. The cord is Kevlar coated. All of these things suggested that these headphones were meant to last. Except they dont. None of the above matters because of the headband being made of plastic, of which gets more and more brittle over time. I swear, the durability of the headband is worse than skullcandy back in the day. I currently have these headphones collecting dust in my closet, literally broken in half at the headband. I'm not abusive with my headphones at all either, quite the opposite actually. I tried not to flex these too much upon putting them on my head each time, and when I'm not using them, they rest on a headphone stand I bought for these so they're not just getting knocked around by other things on my desk. I feel really bad for recommending these to a friend, because the same thing has probably happened to him. I absolutely recommend avoiding these headphones. It seems the price on these has lowered to around $60. I wouldn't be so disappointed if I had paid that. At the time, these were selling for $150. Totally not worth it. I would recommend to those considering this headset, to please save yourself the grief and look elsewhere. They're high-dollar, but the V-Moda LP2 seem to be everything these headphones were trying to be.

I've had this headset in the past and it worked pretty well for years. I bought it again and now the microphone mute button appears to not work. I press the mute button the light flashes red for a second and then goes off. I speak and my voice transmission is still going through. I have no way to mute the microphone, if anyone has any solutions please let me know otherwise I may have to return this headset. I am operating on Windows 10, everything else works.

I got my new headset yesterday. It came in a box that was very much like the one that the R.A.T. came in. The box was well packed with all the cords for hooking it up to my computer with the USB, and a jack for my MP3 player and cell phone. The hookup and operation was simple. I plugged it in and the drivers loaded in about 30 seconds, then I enabled the sound in Win 7 control panel, and vuala, sound from the headset. The headset itself has a Cyborg apperance with the head logo on both side with webbing. It feels solid, but not too heavy. The ear cups were large enough for my big ears and comfortable on them as well as my head. They are adjustable and should fit the largest gord. Parts are made from a combination of quality plastics and tempered metal. The parts that flex the most are metal. The F.R.E.Q. 5 is made to last. I listened to Music, then a video, and finished off with a couple of hours with COD MW2. In all cases, the headset performed well. There was deep base, and high trebles. Voices on the video game came through over the combat and were easy to understand. I heard things in the game that I hadn't notice in months of play with external speakers. Music sounded better, as well. The volume and EQ were easily found on the headset without taking them off, and if need be, the headset can be detached from the USB cord with a dangle of less than a foot. The USB cord is about 7 feet long, so I was able to plug it in the rear of the computer keeping the cord out of the way while playing games, and I could also sit in my recliner to watch a streaming ball game (Go Ducks!!!), or watch a movie in comfort. Well, that's about it. I think the F.R.E.Q. 5 was a good buy, and I'm sure the other people in my living area would agree to that if I don't blast them out of their comfort zone anymore. I would recommend this to others. jymbow7

The digital has two quirks, if you plug it into USB 3.0 by cheep-o logitech extension cord you get anomalies, however, when I got off of my lazy butt and plugged the silly thing into the back (or when I was using a 2.0 port on the front without extension) the anomalies went away. The moral of this story is, get a good quality USB extension. Using USB does of course mean that you have to use one of the three equalizer settings: Game, Voice, and Music. Music pumps up the bass, voice turns everything that isn't normal speaking tone essentially to zero (oh DOG that is awesome for Skype calls), and game is pretty much the same as not having an equalizer. There isn't an indicator to tell you what setting you're on, so you have to play it by ear. Using 3.5mm audio produces excellent quality, I though that my sound card was worthless, but it was just that I never did have a quality pair of headphones to produce a faithful reproduction of the audio in my machine. When using 3.5mm audio you lose the functionality of the mic mute, volume control, and equalizer, thankfully this means that these controls are digital and require power therefor, unlike the in-line controls of 3.5mm headsets, will not go bad as easily. These controls are easy to find and easy to operate. The tips of my ears hurt a little for about a day, but that's because I have big ears that come into contact with the inside of the phones I will wear a headset for as long as 6 hours at a time. The quality of the audio is excellent, any anomalies that I have encountered are due to the extension cord thing, other reviews that I have read have stated that the audio from USB sounds flat, if that is the case push the equalizer button to take it off of "voice." The construction is aluminum between the earcups and the headband, the headband and earcups are made of a heavy duty plastic. The cushions on the earcups are made of an impressively soft faux-leather, the cushion on the headband is rubber over light cotton foam. All of the cables, including the ones between the earcups and the headband are wrapped in nylon. This headset is NOT micro-USB. It is mini-USB (cable included). Don't go trying to replace the cord with a micro-isb cable if you wear it out. Lastly, the retaining clasp on the cover to the microphone port is fragile, but responds will to super-glue. The long and short of it is: If you want to have a headset that you can operate all of the controls on using an mp3 player, look elsewhere. If your budget is lower than [above listed price] look elsewhere. Otherwise, stop shopping, because these are excellent. *****UPDATE***** THE MINI USB CABLE IS NOT A MINI USB CABLE! I tried plugging in another USB cable (because it was more convenient) and it didn't work, without further ado I moved back to the USB cable provided to discover that it was no longer working either, despite having worked perfectly less than an hour ago. I can only conclude that the USB cable provided crosses wires in some way or another that other mini USB cables do not and trying to use another mini USB cable will fry the powered controls on the headset. The 3.5mm audio still works. *****UPDATE****** This headset is now a pair of headphones due to the microphone dying inexplicably without warning (about 4 months after purchase).

I think they look cool but the ear cups are really shallow and press against your ears (if you have big ears like me). They also don't seem to work well with my xbone controller which could be the adapter or the controller. Who knows. I'd give it a 4 if it was a better fit.