ASUS ROG Kithara Gaming Headset Overview
Taking a first look at the ROG Kithara it looks nothing like most gaming headsets that are out there. It has very large egg-shaped earcups with a metal frame. I did go look at some HiFiMan headsets and the design is very similar. As you can see from the photo below this headset has a lay-flat design which is good if you are traveling with this headset as it can lay flat in luggage or a backpack.
Taking a closer look at the earcups these do have an open-back design. These means not only will you hear what is around you, but the headset will be audible to people around you as well. This is pretty standard when it comes to open-back headphones, but the open-back design means that you’ll have a wider sound stage. You will however miss out on the immersion of a closed-back headset.
The headset is powered by 100mm HiFiMan planar magnetic drivers. Not being an audiophile I’ve never used a headset with planar magnetic drivers, but from my understanding these type of drivers typically offer a larger sound stage, lower distortion (especially in the mids and bass), and more tight bass.
By default the headset ships with leatherette ear cushions that have a mesh fabric. These ear cushions are actually angled too, so on the front of the headset they are thinner and towards the back they are thicker. These do have “L” and “R” printed inside so you know you have the headset on correctly. The second pair of ear cushions are velour and are designed like the default ear cushions being thinner at the front and thicker at the back.
On the bottom of each of the earcups you’ll find a 3.5mm connection used to connect one of the included cables.
The headset makes use of a floating thin mesh and memory foam headband. You can adjust it on either side of the headset. This headband does say Republic of Gamers at the top and we can see the metal frame as well. Even though we have a metal frame the headset it pretty flexible overall.
