Gaming and micro
Asus ROG Kithara : gaming
The ROG Kithara intends to do justice to the Asus gaming family and shine in gaming. The brand’s communication seems to be aimed at competitive gaming. Its rapid response and precision will enable it to offer a precise perception of the sound stage. To verify this assertion, we tested it on a panel of competitive and single-player games:
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Valorant
- Subnautica
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Death Stranding
- Metro 2033
For gaming tests, the headset is connected to the PC via USB-C using the Asus dongle . Few external DACs have a microphone output. This setup therefore corresponds to the most plausible scenario for taking advantage of the microphone.
Competitive gaming
In this type of game, spatialization and the ability of a headset to accurately reproduce certain sounds, such as footsteps, make all the difference. Spatial distribution is perfect. The Kithara is never at fault, and stands out favorably from general gaming headsets.
On the other hand, the promise of dominance through the precision of footsteps and other characteristic sounds seems somewhat exaggerated. The ROG headset has nothing to be ashamed of and delivers a respectable performance, but doesn’t really stand out from much less expensive headsets. Above all, its open design and Hifi orientation do it a disservice. Models dedicated to gaming and tuned to shine in this specific use will dethrone it without difficulty.
Solo gaming
Rediscovering Subnautica with headphones of this stature is a real pleasure. The sense of immersion is perfect. On Death Stranding, it shines even brighter. The game benefits from a polished soundtrack and probably offers the ideal playground for the ROG Kithara, giving it the freedom to exploit its dual identity to the full.
The same applies to the other solo games tested. In all cases, the experience is pleasant. However, the temptation to reconnect the headset to the external DAC when the game is not using the microphone is strong. The Asus USB-C DAC definitely limits the Kithara’s performance.
The microphone
The built-in microphone is one of the Kithara’s main assets when it comes to competing with standard Hifi headphones. Here, we’ve compared it with an entry/mid-range USB microphone, the Sennheiser Profile.
ROG KITHARA microphone standardized test
It’s not brilliant, but it doesn’t fall short of the mark either, coming in at the good average for built-in gaming headset microphones. It does even better overall than the Sennheiser Profile, with less pronounced hiss and better attenuation of ambient noise.
Standardized microphone test SENNHEISER PROFILE
It’s worth noting that audio and microphone signals pass through separate cables to the headset, a very good point.
