The Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. M Wireless tries to do everything, and it generally succeeds. This $199.99 headset is part of Mad Catz’ GameSmart line of mobile device-focused gaming accessories, but it’s more than just headset for smartphones and tablets. Besides Bluetooth with aptX support, it can function as a wired device through a 3.5mm or USB cable, offering ways to connect to any device you might have. It’s packed full of features and flexibility, but its sound quality doesn’t quite hit the levels you can get from similarly priced dedicated Bluetooth headphones like the Editors’ Choice Supertooth Freedom ( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window)  or non-Bluetooth wireless gaming headsets like the Skullcandy PLYR 1 ($149.99 at ThinkGeek)(Opens in a new window) .

Design
Like most of Mad Catz’ gaming devices, the F.R.E.Q. M Wireless ($19.95 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window)  is colorful and stylized, with a glossy, candy shell-like plastic body available in red, black, or white. The headband and outsides of the earcups sport the headset’s primary color, while the round earpads, the hinged joints between the headband and the earcups, and the small padded cushion on the underside of the headband are black or white. The F.R.E.Q. M Wireless is comfortable to wear without being bulky, even if the fit is a bit snug. The hinges on the earcups both pivot and bend inward, letting the headset fold up neatly for carrying in the included padded mesh pouch.

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The outsides of the earcups are shiny and angular, with casings shaped vaguely like Mad Catz’ R.A.T. gaming mice. They’re differently and irregularly shaped compared with the circular earpads they hold, which along with the big hex bolts on the hinges give the headset a stylish cyberpunk look.

All connections and controls sit on the outside of the right earcup. A large button that takes up most of the earcup’s area sports the Mad Catz logo and serves as the standard multi-use Play/Pause/Call control. The button’s easy to tap accidentally, especially when folding up the headset and putting it in a bag. Two smaller sets of buttons flank the large one above and below, offering volume controls, track navigation, and microphone muting. Full-fledged Track Forward/Back and Volume Up/Down buttons are welcome and not often found on Bluetooth headphones, and it’s nice to see a full selection of physical controls that don’t require multiple, timed taps to get the job done. A 3.5mm port and micro USB port sit on the back edge of the right earcup, between the two rows of buttons.

Features and Connectivity
Mad Catz’ free A.P.P. app for Android and iOS offers some useful controls and information about the connected headset. It can switch between Speech, Game, Music, or Movie equalizer settings or turn off the equalizer entirely, and can toggle the microphone on and off. It also has a very handy battery meter that shows how charged the headset is and how much time is left on it. Mad Catz estimates the F.R.E.Q. M Wireless can last approximately 24 hours playing music at medium volume, but that number will obviously go down as you crank the headphones up. With regular use at high volume and connection to multiple devices (the headset can maintain two connections at a time), I found the battery life to be closer to a still-impressive 12 hours.

The F.R.E.Q. M Wireless is primarily a Bluetooth headset, but it can work as a wired headset with or without power. It can connect to your mobile device with the included 3.5mm audio cable to work passively in what Mad Catz calls Flight Mode, or connect to your computer through a USB connection, serving as its own digital-to-analog converter (DAC).

Performance
While it’s billed as a gaming headset, the F.R.E.Q. M Wireless also works as a pair of Bluetooth or wired headphones. It does an admirable job playing music, but it doesn’t quite reach the clarity or response offered by dedicated, non-gaming Bluetooth headphones in the same price range. It handled our standard bass test track, The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” very well, though it did brush up against distortion at maximum (and borderline unsafe) volume levels. The bass response is powerful enough to rattle the ears, but I heard just a hint of crackle when the bass synth hits kicked in. Fortunately, it went away completely by reducing the volume a little bit.

The F.R.E.Q. M Wireless handles non-thumpy music fairly capably, as well. I listened to Ninja Sex Party’s “Everybody Shut Up” and “Attitude City” through a Bluetooth connection on my computer, and the funky synth of both tracks sounded full without muddying Danny “Sexbang” Avidan’s dulcet vocals. Miles Davis’s much less synth-heavy “So What” didn’t fare nearly as well, though, with the piano lacking enough definition and brightness. The texture of the recording itself lost its warmth or clarity, turning the scratchy analog sound into a steady hiss. This isn’t a headset for audiophiles or fans of very subtle mixes at all. 

So music performance isn’t quite on par with music-oriented Bluetooth headphones in the same price range, or high-end, non-Bluetooth gaming headsets like the Skullcandy PLYR 1 or its older, more expensive brother, the Astro Gaming A50 . Instead, the audio profile is very clearly tweaked towards gamers, with notable sculpting in both low-end and high-end to make games and music sound more exciting. Even the equalizer presets, which are only available through the A.P.P. app, change the headset’s sound in ways that will make audiophiles cringe, like pulling up the midrange and high-end and completely dropping out the bass for the Voice preset. For music, the Music equalizer setting offers the best general performance, but it’s still sculpted heavily enough to give even my forgiving ears pause. It sounds very good, but not particularly accurate to any given track’s mix.

Because the earcups are relatively small and don’t completely cover the ear, the F.R.E.Q. M Wireless can bleed sound outwards if you play games or music too loud. It’s not an issue for your listening experience, but it can be disruptive if you’re using them in a relatively quiet place around other people.

I played Team Fortress 2 with the F.R.E.Q. M Wireless, and the small, collapsible headphones sounded full and powerful while I fought through the Asteroid beta map. Explosions were forceful and punchy, and the music and atmospheric dialogue was clear. The headphones are strictly stereo, and there aren’t any audio processing effects to produce positional imaging, like many dedicated PC gaming headsets offer.

I paired the F.R.E.Q. M Wireless to my PlayStation Vita PCH-2000 without any problem and played both Persona 4 and Persona 2: Innocent Sin. The games’ soundtracks came through loud and clear, though both funky, atmospheric games obviously emphasize dialogue and music more than explosions.

Conclusion
The Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. M Wireless is an audio Swiss army knife that’s aimed at gamers, but capable in multiple roles. It sounds very good for a gaming headset, but for its price its sound profile isn’t particularly balanced or friendly to audiophiles. If you spend most of your time on front of a PC or HDTV when gaming, a Skullcandy PLYR 1 might be more up your alley, or the best-in-class Astro Gaming A50 if you can afford the even higher price tag. If you mainly want a good set of headphones to listen to music wirelessly on the go, the Supertooth Freedom offers a more comfortable fit and superior sound. If you’re the type of hardcore gamer that lands between those categories, and wants to be able to go wireless both on the go and at home across multiple devices, the F.R.E.Q. M Wireless is an ideal headset.