These are open-back headphones, though. So don’t expect exterior sounds to be muted or silenced like with closed-back and / or noise-cancelling headphones. And people near you will definitely be able to hear what you are listening to.
I didn’t have enough time to truly test the headset’s removable mic in games. But in a quick check using Windows’ Sound Recorder, it seemed plenty sensitive, but not great at minimizing plosives, despite its foam covering.
Matt Safford After a rough start with the Mattel Aquarius as a child, Matt built his first PC in the late 1990s and ventured into mild PC modding in the early 2000s. He’s spent the last 15 years covering emerging technology for Smithsonian, Popular Science, and Consumer Reports, while testing components and PCs for Computer Shopper, PCMag and Digital Trends.
thestryker I originally got a pair of HE400 SE headphones because I wear headphones in summer months, only had noise canceling and needed to be able to hear my dad calling if he needed help. They were a pretty great experience given the price so a couple of years later upgraded to the Edition XS which were a good improvement (as long as they fit right). The specs on this Asus branded headset seem pretty good relative to the cost which is somewhat surprising given how much of a premium they tend to charge on their stuff. Reply
wakuwaku This cable is OK, but at only about seven feet, it could be restrictive if you plug the headset into the jacks at the rear of your PC (as you generally should for the best possible audio). Excuse me? No you don't. Unless you are VERY SURE that among your rear audio jacks there is one for headphone/headsets, you are NOT supposed to plug them into the rear, especially NOT into the Line-Out. Many motherboard audio implementations route the headphone amp, and the dedicated DAC if they use one, directly through the front audio connector ONLY. ( I know because I OWN motherboards and Built systems that for others with motherboards that do this). The rear line out is almost always connected straight to the audio codec. It has no business trying to power a headphone, let alone a planar one. Don't be fooled by the 16ohm impedence "only", planars sound like crap without some decent amping. And if your mobo has a dedicated DAC that is not routed through the rear, that just make it even more pointless to plug into the rear. If your casing has terrible front audio jack connections, and you can afford this, get a USB DAC. Don't blindly follow this sorry excuse of a tech reporter that pretends to know what he is writing about. Reply
UnforcedERROR wakuwaku said: Excuse me? No you don't. Unless you are VERY SURE that among your rear audio jacks there is one for headphone/headsets, you are NOT supposed to plug them into the rear, especially NOT into the Line-Out. Many motherboard audio implementations route the headphone amp, and the dedicated DAC if they use one, directly through the front audio connector ONLY. ( I know because I OWN motherboards and Built systems that for others with motherboards that do this). The rear line out is almost always connected straight to the audio codec. It has no business trying to power a headphone, let alone a planar one. Don't be fooled by the 16ohm impedence "only", planars sound like crap without some decent amping. And if your mobo has a dedicated DAC that is not routed through the rear, that just make it even more pointless to plug into the rear. If your casing has terrible front audio jack connections, and you can afford this, get a USB DAC. Don't blindly follow this sorry excuse of a tech reporter that pretends to know what he is writing about. Not to nitpick, but neither of you really know what you're saying. While I don't disagree with your assertion that you shouldn't plug these into the rear of the motherboard, I'd argue the front is no better. First, you mistake the fact that "audio codec" and "DAC" are basically the same thing. A DAC is a digital-to-analog converter, if you're getting sound from a digital source it's going through a DAC. Period. Front port, rear port, both are given a signal from an amp through an internal DAC. Second, while you're right about planars and amping, it's because planars need current. At 74db these are very inefficient headphones. The best way to amp these, and no motherboard or case will handle this, is to use an external balanced DAC and amp. This is because true balanced DACs can supply double the voltage of single ended (4 vs 2), which in turn allows double the power through a proper amp. This is also ignoring the benefit of common mode noise rejection, of course. Sorry. I'm not trying to come off condescending, I just want to clear this up because it could be helpful to other users considering this product. Personally I wouldn't recommend Hifiman products, as they don't generally hold up well (as someone who has owned a few pairs of their headphones). Were these Dan Clark we might have a different conversation entirely. Reply
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/peripherals/gaming-headsets/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/peripherals/gaming-headsets/asus-teams-up-with-hifiman-for-planar-magnetic-rog-kithara-gaming-headset-extremely-comfortable-and-excellent-audio-for-a-price#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
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