Build Quality, Audio Performance, and Conclusion

Build Quality and Comfort

This headset is very light at just 6 oz. That alone would make a difference over longer listening sessions, but the headset is also well-padded, making it a very comfortable listen for any duration. I did find that the effort to make the headset attain such a light weight affects my overall perception of build quality, which is adequate nonetheless.

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The headband could be flexed pretty easily and there won’t be a reassuring heft to anything that only weighs 6 oz at this size, but they held their own in my testing. Headband adjustments do have a weighty click and hold their position firmly. The clamping force – which I would categorize as “medium” – is sufficient to hold the headset securely in place on your head, and there was just enough ear cup movement to allow for a comfortable fit.

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The ear pads are a soft cloth-like material, and while the cup size is fairly small these do fit as over-ear (rather than on-ear) headphones.

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I was impressed by how well the light, squishy padding in the ear cups also reduced outside sounds. I could barely hear myself clacking away on a mechanical keyboard, and even louder room noise was reduced significantly.

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The microphone is easily detachable via a socket on the left earcup, and once in place it's a flexible boom design that allows for complete customization of mic position.

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Audio Performance

The first thing I noticed the bass, and how warm the sound was overall. What do I mean by "warm"? There is an emphasis on bass and lower midrange, and with this design it works very well. The FXM 100 headphones are capable of a forceful sound characterized by powerful bass, and the lower midrange presence that adds warmth and body to voices. There was still plenty of detail to the sound, but overall these do sound bass-heavy. As far as the claim of distortion-free sound from the fHex720 Sound Chamber Technology, I have to agree with Fatal1ty and Monster, as even at very high volume levels these never sounded distorted.

Listening to game audio and various music as source material I found myself having a lot of fun with the FXM 100 headphones. They easily have some of the most prominent bass that any prior headphone I’ve tried out, but they control these lower frequencies well enough to prevent too much of a "thump" – though they could sound a little one-note in the lowest bass when pressed (this was resolved with a slight bass reduction via EQ settings). The lower midrange is where I found the largest “coloration” (another audiophile word) to the sound, but this simply results in the above mentioned warm character. I wish I had the equipment to display objective data here, but the sonic signature of these headphones is pronounced, and easily observed through subjective listening.

One last note on sound quality concerns the microphone. These are more than simply headphones, of course, as they have a removeable boom mic. This does a very good job of rejecting background noise in my testing, though sound was rather thin from the mic in my test recordings – but this is a characteristic of all of the gaming headsets I've tested. It's just fine for calls and chat, but I'd use a dedicated mic for more serious voice work.

Conclusion

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Comparing the FXM 100 headphones to recently reviewed headsets I found that these produced a deeper and more lively sound than Corsair’s $79 VOID headset with 2-channel sound – though VOID has the advantage of simulated 7.1-channel Dolby surround effects from its included USB adapter. The Logitech G633 still has the edge in overall sound (and also offers 7.1 surround effects), but even at its recently reduced price is still $30 more at $99. I think the FXM 100's $69.95 price is fair, but if the price drops at all they will be a more compelling option.

Strengths

  • Very light and comfortable
  • Deep, powerful sound
  • Easy to drive
  • Capable of loud, distortion-free audio
  • Very good background noise supression from mic

Weaknesses

  • Short cable
  • Competition offers surround effects

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I had a lot of fun with the FXM 100 headphones.They produce warm, clear sound with tons of bass power on tap, and made listening to music and game audio an engaging experience. The headphones are also very easy to drive, which will allow virtually any source to push them to loud, distortion-free volume levels if desired.

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