Usage and Final Thoughts on the Fractal Design Scape Gaming Headset
I’ve been using the Fractal Design Scape for the past couple of weeks and I have really enjoyed it. When it comes to a headset I am going to be wearing for hours at a time it need to be comfortable. The Scape is extremely comfortable. Being 320g it is not overly heavy, which leads to less stress on the top of your head and your ears. I think Fractal really got the amount of cushioning right on this headset too. The fabric feels good and does not get hot like leather would. I’ve had multiple multi-hour gaming sessions with this headset and I did not experience any type of strain from the headset and my ear didn’t get too hot either.
When it comes to sound the drivers are tuned quite good. If you were to get the headset and not even adjust anything I think most people would be satisfied with the sound overall. I feel the headset has a really full sound, which is not only great for gaming, but also really good for listening to music. While we do not have any surround sound or virtual surround sound I was able to identify were enemies were coming from in games like Apex Legends.
If you are wondering what the detachable microphone sounds like on the microphone below are some sound tests. These were wirelessly recorded into Adobe Audition with no editing or adjusting.
Detachable Microphone (Noise Cancellation)
Detachable Microphone (No Noise Cancellation)
I also tested on on-earcup microphone.
Beyond just being comfortable and sounding good this headset comes with the wireless docking station. This not only acts as a stand for the headset, but will wirelessly charge the headset, and it is where you’ll plug in the 2.4 GHz USB dongle. Because you can only put the headset in the docking station one way you won’t place it on there only to come back to your PC ready to game with a dead headset. Talking about battery life with RGB lighting on you should get around 20 hours, but turn the RGB lighting off and that goes up to 40-50 hours. I full charge in the docking station will take 5 hours, but a 15 minute charge will give you 3 hours of playtime. Traveling or heading to a friends house? You can just take the 2.4 GHz dongle with you or use the headset in Bluetooth mode. I really like the versatility, but I was a bit disappointed that you can’t lay the headset flat.
The headset is really easy to setup and I absolutely love that all of the adjustments are done online and then saved to the headset. No need to download any type of software to bog down your system. I really hope this is the way forward for more brands. I also really like the control crown, for me it is a lot easier to use than buttons or dials I’ve used on other headsets.
The Scape goes on sale today for $199, which I think for the quality and what you are getting here is a fair price. Overall ThinkComputers gives the Fractal Design Scape a 9 out of 10 score and our Recommended Award!
Pros:
– Sleek design
– Very comfortable
– Tuned quite well out of the box
– Wireless docking station
– Can be used wirelessly or wired
– Control crown
– Settings are all done online
Cons:
– No surround sound / virtual surround sound
– No lay-flat design
