The name of the American company Monster Cable is well known to music lovers due to its cooperation with the manufacturer of Beats Electronics headphones, founded by rapper Dr. Dre. In 2008, together these two companies released a line of audio products under the brand Monster Beats, to the advertising campaign of which the famous singers of pop and hip-hop music joined. A few months later, Monster Beats headphones were literally told to everyone. But in 2012, the way Monster and Beats Electronics split. Today Monster Cable is trying to win the hearts of consumers with its new products, one of which I would like to tell you. It's about the professional gaming headset Monster Fatal1ty FXM 200.
To hear that the company, which made a name for itself in the production of professional cables for audiophiles, suddenly decides to conquer the market of gaming devices, it is rather unusual. Honestly, until the manufacturer sent me the Monster Fatal1ty FXM 200 headset for experiments, I have never even heard of it. But I'm always open to everything new, that's why I began to study the new device with interest and tried it on all sorts of sources of the game sound in my apartment, and I have a lot of them, as you understand. I already have quite a full impression of this device Monster, so I'm ready to share it with you, dear readers.
Traditionally, we start with the box. In addition to the name, we immediately see that the manufacturer is very proud of the weight of the headset: "8 ounces, ultra-light" - says a separate icon on the front of the package. Yes. The box with its contents and the truth is very easy, you can not argue with that, but the lightness is not always good. For many people, for example, light materials are strongly associated with their low cost, so in everything you need to adhere to the golden mean. The headset also supports not only PlayStation 4 and Xbox One gaming consoles, but also mobile devices. That's all we can learn by looking at the box in front.
The reverse side is more informative. Here, PC is added to the list of platforms, and incomparable advantages of the device are listed in order. For example, its incredibly comfortable ear cushions, steel frame, hidden in the headband, as well as exclusive technology fHex720 Sound Chamber.
As you can see, the name Fatal1ty appears in the name of the headset, and it appeared there not from scratch. It's not just the stylized title of the death-fight of Mortal Kombat, but the nickname of professional American cyber-sportsman Jonathan Wendel. His name Jonathan did, winning in numerous championships for games such as Quake III Arena, Quake 4, Counter-Strike, Call of Duty and Painkiller. In total, the pro-gamer managed to win more than half a million dollars in prize money, making Jonathan appear on the pages of the Times, Forbes and other famous tabloids. Now Fatal1ty is reaping the fruits of its labors and producing computer hardware, as well as various accessories on which flaunts its nickname. Thanks to the company Monster Cable, now he has as many as two models of gaming sets, the eldest of which I'm telling you right now.
In the box, I found an operation manual, a yellow leaf, reminding that it would be nice to register your product on the official website, as well as a guide to quickly connect the headset to various sources of sound. Immediately frustrating owners of PC and Xbox One. The first to buy a Y-adapter from a 4-pin 3.5-mm jack to two similar jacks, but 2-pin. In the complete set it is not present. And the owners of the console from Microsoft will have to buy an official adapter for their gamepad, allowing you to stick into it standard headphones. Comfortable in this situation to the owners of the PlayStation 4 - they are generally unlimited and to their console the headset is suitable without any auxiliary devices.
Immediately strikes the unusual color of the ear-cups. Personally, I associate it with wines from the French Bordeaux, and this, as you know, is very noble drinks. Not often you will meet headphones or a headset made in such color. He gives the device an extremely serious and even elitist appearance. In fact, the headphones were really very light. Their weight is approximately 230 grams. This means that on your head you will hardly feel them.
On both cups of the headset you can see the logo of the pro-gamer Fatal1ty, about which I told you a little higher. Some elements of the body are made "like metal", but in fact, it's just a stylized plastic. It's understandable: if you want to make the design easier - you'll have to get rid of the metal parts.
In the upper part of the headband is fixed a pillow filled with foam with a memory effect. It will allow the already light weight of the device to spread evenly evenly over your head.
The headband is named one of the brand technologies of Monster Cable - Pure Monster Sound. Nowhere is it explained how this technology works, but, apparently, we do not need to know this. The main thing, the manufacturer promises us the perfect sound of unsurpassed clarity and depth. Well, we'll appreciate it when it comes to testing the headset in the field.
The headband is adjustable in height from both sides. I never saw a metal frame, but in the description of the headset it is written in black and white that it is hidden inside the plastic. It's strange. But nothing can be done. Again, we'll take the manufacturer's word for it.
It is rather unusual in this headset that the cable goes to the right cup, and not to the left, as we are used to in models of other manufacturers. At first I several times put the headset on the head with the wrong side, just out of habit of thinking that where the cable is - there is left.
Both cups have a small stroke around their vertical axis, as well as a rather large angle of rotation around the horizontal axis. This is enough to adjust the position of the cups almost to any ears.
At the bottom of the left cup is located a hole for connecting a removable microphone. The mount is quite dense, so you can not worry about the fact that the microphone suddenly drops out during the game.
The microphone itself is quite traditional. Thanks to the flexible leg you can position it at the necessary distance from your face. And it is also equipped with wind protection and built-in noise reduction. The sound he conveys reasonably well, but the shortcomings can immediately be attributed some metallic coloration, which he gives to your voice. On the other hand, we're not talking about the studio microphone right now. His task is clear and clear to convey your words to teammates, and with it he copes quite.
So the microphone looks in the connected state.
The headset is equipped with two dynamic radiators with neodymium magnets, supporting the exclusive technology Monster fHex720 Sound Chamber. This technology was developed specifically for video games by the company's specialists, and allows significantly increasing the detail of the sound, which is critically important for pro-players.
The ear pads are made of artificial leather, which will inevitably lead to fogging your ears. The headphones are so closed and isolated from the environment that if you press them lightly against your head when they are put on your head, you will feel pain in your ears, as the air presses sharply on the eardrums. I did not like very much the strong pressure applied by the headset on the ears, it so strongly clasps your head that over time I had a feeling of discomfort. Most likely, it was done for the sake of noise insulation. And noise insulation here is pretty good, so that most of the noise of the surrounding world will be cut off from you by an invisible wall.
Monster Fatal1ty FXM 200 is equipped with a control panel on which the wheel for volume control is located, a button for controlling calls of the smartphone, a switch for the microphone, and an internal backup microphone so that the headset can be used while walking, but the removable microphone is left at home. The console is also equipped with a clip so that it can be fixed on clothes.
A non-standard 1.1 meter long flat cable is unlikely to be used with your home PC if its audio outputs are located on the back of the case. In this case, you will have to purchase an extension cord in addition. As I wrote above, the kit does not include a Y-cable for two 2-pin 3.5mm plugs. But the 4-pin plug is gold-plated to improve the conductivity of the signal. Owners of gaming consoles have enough cable with a margin, as, indeed, and those who plan to use this device as a headset for a smartphone.
It's time to talk about the sound provided by Monster Fatal1ty FXM 200. Well, we have a professional gaming headset, so first of all I tried it in video games. There are really no complaints from me. In the horror, my blood froze in the veins, when monsters crept behind me and breathed into my head, and in shooters I could determine with a high enough accuracy exactly where the enemy shooter was, in order to shoot it with an accurate shot. I was very pleased with the rich bass, which is a distinctive feature of headphones and Monster headsets. High detailing of sound thanks to the fHex720 Sound Chamber technology has really allowed some games to play with new colors.
When listening to music, the headset is unlikely to surprise avid music lovers. It, of course, demonstrates pretty good results without any distortions in those or other frequencies, nevertheless this device, first of all, for true gamers, and not for connoisseurs of music. In the instructions to the headset it is written that in order for the sound to open completely, it should work for at least 20 hours. I specially listened to the music in the headset for a week and a half and yes, I noticed that some frequencies began to be felt much better than at the very beginning. The sense in the manufacturer's council is definitely there. The volume of the Monster Fatal1ty FXM 200 is quite decent, so it's unlikely that you will squeeze out all the power from them to the last drop.
Surely many readers have noticed one unusual feature of this review: I never brought the technical characteristics of the headset, if you do not take into account its weight and cable length. I would be glad to tell you about its characteristics, but only here the manufacturer for some reason known to him, keeps them in secret. You will not find this data on the official website, on the box with the device, or even in the operating instructions. I do not know what it is connected with, but I meet this approach for the first time in my practice. Even Chinese manufacturers frankly weak sets do not consider it right to hide technical characteristics from their consumers. And here - an eminent American company with a long history and millions of fans around the world. Miracles, and only.
Pros:
- Excellent positioning of sound sources and sound detail in games.
- Pleasant design and chic color of earrings in the style of expensive Bordeaux wines.
- Very light, yet robust construction, reinforced with a metal frame.
- The sound of the headset does not open from the first seconds, but gradually, over time.
- The presence of two good microphones: removable and built-in console.
Minuses:
- Incredibly poor equipment.
- The headset exerts a strong pressure on the ears.
- No Y-adapter for 2-pin plugs.
- The price tag of the device is unjustifiably overstated.
Frankly, the Monster Fatal1ty FXM 200 has certain pluses and very tangible disadvantages. The headset is extremely curious in terms of design and unusual color of the ear cups, it is equipped with a good cable and quality emitters, as well as provide a wonderful sound in your favorite video games. But personally I have a sincere surprise price tag, which today is an average of 11,890 rubles. I can easily remember now several names of headsets from other manufacturers, which cost twice as cheap, but at the same time provide approximately the same quality of sound in games. Apparently, the company Monster Cable is betting on its loyal fans, so it does not really think about compromises in terms of its pricing policy. And fans are after all such people who buy up everything that their favorite producer will release. And who am I to condemn them for this?
The article is based on materials .
Comments
Post a Comment