ASUS Strix Pro Headset

Sound can make or break an experience. It is a sense that can trigger an emotional response just by a change of pitch. Throw in a gaming experience and a good headset can fully immerse you in a story or have you owning on a battlefield, yet if the sound is weak, you lose so much of the experience.

Enter the ASUS Strix Pro Gaming headset. A mid level entry into the gaming headset market. Boasting cross platform ability, thunderous 60mm drivers and environmental noise cancelling.

The first thing you notice when you get the Strix Pro out of the box is the beautiful yet aggressive styling. The main body is finished in matt black with contrasting bright orange highlights. Lines are sharp and definite and the texture of the plastic is grippy, but not rough.

There is a hell of a lot of them too. The Strix Pro is a big headset. The size is due to those massive 60mm drivers in each ear-cup needing to be housed on a robust and forgiving frame. While some might find the overall build to be too big, it is part of the appeal to me.

Ear-cups are covered in beautiful black leather and again highlighted. The leather gives a nice comfortable wear but after a bit of time, like all leather ear pads, they can get a bit warm. The ear-cups do fold completely flat which makes for much easier packing for travel. With the amount of travel I do this is a big help. 

The headband is once again a nice blend of black leather and orange stitching, giving it a real quality look and feel. The headband sits away from the plastic frame aiding in comfort and keeping as much flexibility as possible.  

Mic is connected on the left hand side and is detachable. I have not seen a mic that has been so easy to connect. It is a basic 3.5mm connection but there is a big plastic housing around it that locates it perfectly and easily. The mic itself is on a flexible arm and thankfully doesn't have a light on the end, one thing that has annoyed me on a few headsets I have tried. 

Included in the box is connectors for your PC which includes the noise cancelling and volume control and 2 connectors for use with consoles or mobile devices. 

The ASUS Strix Pro is a stunning looking headset, but just how well does it perform?

The first time I logged into a chat with the headset on the difference was immediately noticed. I was coming through crisp and clear and sounded like I would normally sound face to face.  

In terms of sound quality, the Strix Pro is a decent all round headset. Bass rumbles and thumps away at your head, the mid range is well balanced and high frequencies came through crisp. While I have tried with music and movies, where the Strix Pro really shines is gaming. 

With only a single pair of drivers it does a fantastic job of differing the audio sources. It is no 7.1 set so does lack in terms of 3D sound, but the stereo setup is more than enough. Explosions, gunshots, footsteps all sound great and closing your eyes while galloping through a field on a horse you would swear you were there. Dialogue is crisp and doesn't get mixed up with everything else going on as can be the case with cheaper sets. 

Using with the PC I had to same experience in terms of sound quality.  

The volume control dial is smooth and housed within a case that can be stuck down to your desk. On the underside though is the ENC (noise cancelling) switch so be sure to have that set before you stick it down. With the ENC turned on Asus's 90% noise reduction technology kicks in. I was a little skeptical in the ability but it works really well. Typing on my keyboard wasn't heard and back ground noise was almost non-existent. I say almost as I have a 3 year old that made sure she could be heard. The only downside is if the mic is not set close to your face and you speak very clear you get a electronic sound to your voice. I found it best to adjust the boom to be right near your mouth. 

All in all I was extremely impressed with the ASUS Strix Pro. The sound is great, voice is clear and is both comfortable and durable. Styling sets it apart from others in the market place and the ability to use with PC, console and mobile makes it a good all round headset. 

The only downside I could see some having would be in its size. After long periods of gaming and getting later into the night the headset can feel a little on the heavy side.