Fractal Scape review: looks great, sounds even better

Not many gaming headsets have a Scandinavian minimalist aesthetic, which is why Fractal’s $199.99 Scape caught my eye. Like many of Fractal’s PC cases, this headset looks more sophisticated than you might expect from gaming gear, with clean lines and simplistic color schemes that might blend in better with your furniture and desk setup.

I’ve spent the last few weeks using the Scape at work and while playing games, and it’s among the best that I’ve ever tested in this price range. The fit and finish are impressive for a first-gen device from a company with no lineage in audio hardware. Its sleek design comes in gray or black, with minimal LEDs that add a subtle glow around the bottom edge of the ear cups (these are the first LEDs in a headset I haven’t wanted to immediately switch off). It has a chunkier version of Apple’s Digital Crown on the back of its left ear cup. The knob controls volume and can be clicked to pause and resume content (double- or triple-clicking skips and reverses songs, respectively).

This headset features a button on its right ear cup that lets you toggle between three premade audio equalizer settings. It’s great to have these controls on the hardware, not just buried within a companion app. And configuring the Scape feels as elegant as using it. Everything —including customizing those EQ presets — is handled by a web tool called Adjust Pro. It also lets you tweak the mic’s sidetone, adjust the headset’s LED lighting (you can opt for one of 10 tasteful themes, including “campfire,” and “northern lights,” set it to a custom color and pattern, or turn it off), and install firmware updates when needed. You can even download a portable version of the Adjust Pro app that works without installation or an internet connection. It’s all very thoughtfully designed.

I like that Fractal gives you two mic options. You can use the flexible flip-to-mute boom mic for superior voice quality, or detach it to enable the Scape’s built-in microphone. Not many headsets allow for this level of flexibility, but we’re seeing it on occasion with models built to pass as over-ear headphones in public; SteelSeries’ new $600 Arctis Nova Elite wireless headset is the most recent example. The recording quality from the Scape’s boom is serviceable (the built-in mic is less good, but works in a pinch). Pressing and holding the mute button toggles microphone noise cancellation. I have an oscillating fan going in my office, and the setting mostly tuned it out. You can adjust the amount of sidetone in the web app — the higher the value, the more you’ll be able to hear your own voice (and maybe your breathing, too) through the headset, along with more background noise.

Fractal advertises over 40 hours of battery life with the RGB lights off, or around 24 hours with them on. Even with them on, the headset had no issue surviving a few full days of work, as well as a weekend full of gaming, before needing a charge. However, battery life wasn’t a concern during most of my testing because the included magnetic charging dock removes almost all of the friction usually involved in charging a headset. (You can also plug the headset in via the included USB-C cable and keep using it as it charges.) The dock also serves as a stand to keep it off your desk, and as an extender for its 2.4GHz audio transmitter.

The dock or just its transmitter can be used with other devices; I’ve been plugging it into my Switch 2 dock after work. Or you can toggle the switch on the Scape’s left ear cup to switch on Bluetooth (it can’t pipe in audio from both 2.4GHz and Bluetooth sources simultaneously). It supports multipoint over Bluetooth, letting it connect to two devices, but it can’t play audio from both devices simultaneously.

The Scape’s connectivity isn’t nearly as versatile as some recent headsets, including the $179.99 Astro A20 X, which connects via 2.4GHz to a box that lets you swap between two wired sources with a button, and also has Bluetooth (it can’t mix Bluetooth and its Lightspeed wireless, though). SteelSeries’ new $599.99 Nova Elite sets a high bar, lettings you hear up to four wireless audio sources mixed together: three inputs plugged into its base station’s USB-C and aux ports, and one over Bluetooth, including three wireless sources, plus audio coming through its base station’s wired aux port (the company’s 2021 Nova Pro Wireless can do three wireless sources simultaneously). I’d love to see Fractal expand the number of devices you can listen to at once in the next version of its headset.

Fractal’s headset delivers better sound quality than I was expecting for its price. Songs and games come through with warmth and a high level of detail. It’s surprisingly competitive to Sony’s $349.99 InZone H9 II, and it handily beats the Astro A20 X . The big difference is that the H9 II has active noise cancellation, while the Scape doesn’t. It’d be great to have ANC here, but I wouldn’t pay the extra $200 just to get ANC, especially since it’d mean giving up the Scape’s sleek design, clever charging dock, and easy customization.

The Scape stands out as a great-looking, great-sounding headset that’s nearly effortless to customize. While it lacks some features compared to its pricier competition (concurrent multi-source audio, ear cups that lie flat, and ANC would all be nice), Fractal’s first headset leaves little else to be desired at this price.

Photography by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge