Asus Strix Pro Gaming Headset Review – Owl be watching you

Every good gamer needs an arsenal of great tech to see them through their gaming sessions. Sure, a great mouse and keyboard are definitely important, but many people seem to forget that a good headset can go a long way too. The Strix Pro Gaming Headset arrived on my doorstep for review and I took a good listen to it. Is it worth your money and aural time?

Touchy Touchy

The most prominent feature of the headset upon removing it from the box is, just like you can see in the header, those mystical owl eyes. It’s a nice design, menacing in a way, which I’m sure many gamers will appreciate. Nothing says “HEY BRU I’M COMING TO KLAP YOU”  at a LAN like a pair of orange eyeballs staring out of your ear cavities.

Compared to my current headset, the Strix Pro is enormous. It’s not necessarily heavy, weighing in at only 320g, but some people might be put off by the size. That being said, it fit onto my head (hair and all) quite comfortably. The headband adjusts according to your noggin size, and after a while, it’s almost like it doesn’t exist.

For the purpose of this review, I wore the headset every single time I was at my computer. Whether it be working, gaming,  or watching, the headset never came off. Honestly, I was surprised at how comfortable it was. Even on a typical hot summer day (and my room is hot, trust me) my ears never became sweaty, and the Strix never once felt like it was a nuisance or irritation. The ear cups might be huge, but for me they made for one heck of a comfortable wearing experience. They also conveniently fold away, making them just that little bit extra compact for travel purposes.

Once everything is plugged in, the cable measures in at 2.7m. It’s a nice braided fibre, meaning even the most violent of cats or dogs will have a tough time chewing through them. The cable to the Pc is a lot thicker, and it ends with a USB, sound and microphone connection. On the opposite end is a neat control box which can be used to dial the volume up or down, or mute the mic.

This little box is nice and handy, as it can be positioned wherever you want it to be. I placed mine just in front of my keyboard. I no longer want a headset with volume control hidden somewhere on the cable after using the Strix. The headset plugs directly into this, meaning that if positioned correctly, you’ll never have to worry about annoying cables crossing your arms ever again. It’s also handy when you just want to leave to do something quickly. Simply unplug the headset without taking them off, and walk away to do whatever needs to be doing. Just remember to take them off before leaving the house of course.

Another neat feature is the microphone. Instead of being swung up or down when in or out of use, it can be plugged in or out. It’s also completely flexible and adjustable, which on paper is quite nice, except it was a tad annoying. I had to try find the perfect and non-annoying position each time I plugged it back in. It’s hardly a game breaker though, and comes down more to personal preference than anything. For me,  prefer the traditional piece which moves in and out of sight with a simple flick.

One last awesome accessory is a set of connectors which lets you connect the Strix to your phone. I wouldn’t wear these out in public. I know people who would though, and they would rock these so hard. It works well at home too anyways. I often unplugged from my PC and went to bed, plugged in and carried on listening to music or watching YouTube.

Sonic Boom!

Without a doubt, the real bread and butter of a good headset is in it’s sound quality. The Strix Pro Gaming Headset doesn’t disappoint at all. I am by no means an audiophile, far from it actually, but I’m confident I can at least tell when a headset performs admirably.

I played all manner of games such as Dota 2, Heroes of the Storm, Borderlands 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and so on. I think those make decent enough yardstick on whether the headset is worthy of a gamers time or not. Counter-Strike is the perfect test for me because knowing exactly where your enemy is can really sway a game in your favour. The sound quality is fantastic. To my knowledge, I heard everything there was to be heard – every grenade bounce, distant footstep, and of course, barrage of fire. When it came to Dota 2, I  could distinctly hear all the rage.

With regards to movies and music, I obviously watched the most explosive thing I could find, and listened to a mixture of dubstep and chillstep to make sure my wub came through distinctly. There is nothing I hate more than a headset that doesn’t even sound loud when on maximum volume. The Strix Pro will blow your hair back (and eardrums off) if turned to max. It’s nice and loud, something I appreciated immensely. The bass was fantastic, and it never distorted once.

My only drawback with the headset overall came once more from the mic over applications like Teamspeak, I was told I had an annoying buzz every time I spoke. No amount of research told me how to fix it, until somebody pointed out that my PC was not grounded. I did not have the time to rectify this, so be wary if you’re buying this set and you are unsure whether your PC is grounded or not. Take away the buzz, and the voice quality is perfectly fine.

Specifications and features

• Cable: Braided fibre (headset cable 1.2M + control box 1.5M = 2.7M (Max.)
• Weight: 320 g
• Frequency Response: 20 ~ 20000 Hz
• Sensitivity: 98 dB
• Thunderous 60mm drivers
• Environmental noise cancellation (90%)
• Cross-platform flexibility
• Foldable ear cups
• RRP: R1499.00

Last Updated: November 17, 2014