Page 4 - Conclusion
After seeing the tagline "Make It Yours" from Cooler Master, you might think the Fnatic Gear DUEL is the epitome of this saying. Indeed, the tag team duo of AIAIAI and Fnatic Gear has made one of the best implementations of modular design in a headset. For one, the build construction and quality shows attention to detail when designing a modular headset. Whether it is the speaker units, the earcups, the headband, or the cable, I think they have struck the right balance between personalizing and overcomplicating. These parts are easy enough to put together and quick enough to swap out when necessary. Personally, I really like the Fnatic-inspired parts, including the engravings on the sides and the headband and the orange accents seen throughout. Finally, despite all the modularity, the Fnatic Gear DUEL is definitely the most comfortable headset I have ever worn, hands down. On the other hand, audio performance is not as satisfying, at least not in perspective. Do not get me wrong, the audio performance from the Fnatic Gear DUEL is overall not bad, but there are areas to improve upon. The V-shaped nature of the sound output fits well in the gaming world, though it is not always the best for music performance. My concern lies with the cleanliness of the headset sound, with a slight muffle and imbalance heard throughout, whether gaming or in music. It really is a shame because for everything Fnatic Gear and AIAIAI have done superbly in the build and comfort, the audio just does not seem as outstanding as the rest. Taking a look at the price reveals the Fnatic Gear DUEL costs a pretty penny at $180 USD, which is starting to encroach on much more expensive headsets. To keep this in mind though, manually configuring the AIAIAI TMA-2 to get the same configuration gives us a larger price tag of $250 USD, not including the price of the boom microphone or the carrying bag. Modularity definitely is also a price to pay, so the higher than normal price is to be expected. I think if some tuning with the audio reproduction is done, we would have a winning combination all around.
Fnatic Gear provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
APH Review Focus Summary:
8/10 means Definitely a very good product with drawbacks that are not likely going to matter to the end user.
7/10 means Great product with many advantages and certain insignificant drawbacks; but should be considered before purchasing.
-- Final APH Numeric Rating is 7.2/10
Please note that the APH Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other sites.
The Fnatic Gear DUEL is a tinkerer's headset, with a modular yet comfortable design to boast.
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Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Subjective Audio Analysis
4. Conclusion
