ASUS Cerberus V2 Stereo Gaming Headset Review

A Closer Look

The headset comes hard-wired with a nice black braided cable. The cable is more than long enough to plug into the front panel of your PC, a console controller, laptop, or mobile device. Of course, you can use the extension cable in the box for those who need to reach the audio jacks at the rear of their computer.

On the hard-wired cable, you’ll find a single pin-hole microphone, with a master microphone mute switch; perfect for when you want to curse and scream in the middle of an online match, but don’t want your team to hear it. There’s also a master volume wheel on the side, allowing you to quickly tune the sound levels without having to tab out of your game and tinker with the system levels.

The build quality of the headset immediately looks like it has some significant improvements over the V1 headset. Gone are the plastic flex arms, now replaced with thinner yet stronger steel arms for the headband supports. The design features red highlights on the side of the ear cup mounts, as well as some red trim around the drivers too. The headband design is significantly improved too and now features thick padded sections, while the old model was more like a leather strap.

The drivers measure in at 53mm, so they require larger ear cups to house them. The bigger design means that they’ll comfortably fit around your whole ear, allowing the headset to create a close fit that will block out a lot of unwanted ambient noise, while also locking in the sound from the drivers. The improvements mean that you can get lost in the sound of your favourite digital world much easier; without too many distractions from the outside world. On the bottom of the left earcup, you’ll find the hard-wired cable, as well as a small recessed jack where you can hook up the included boom microphone.

The ear cups are mounted on a pivot, although they don’t have much adjustment. The few degrees of movement of the ear cups improves the overall comfort of the headset; always important for those marathon gaming sessions.

The new headband is a significant improvement, and the steel frame is very durable and lightweight. The Cerberus feels comfortable to wear, even after extended use; the thicker and softer padding on the interior headband certainly helps.

There’s a nice bit of red stitching on the headband too. Stamped into the top of the Cerberus, is their logo, to give it some added flair.

The ear cup padding is a soft leather-like material. It’s nothing too fancy, but it’s comfortable and provides a good fit around your ear.

The detachable boom microphone is pretty standard stuff for this price range. It features a flexible boom and a foam windbreaker. I do prefer detachable microphones, as I rarely use them for gaming myself; just remember to keep it somewhere safe though, as they’re also easier to lose.

ASUS have created a few great headsets over the years, and it’s clear the Cerberus incorporates that experience. The 53mm drivers, which are tuned for a powerful sound, deliver a  thick and detailed low-end. There’s a bit of warmth to the mid-ranges, and the treble is clear, but not overly sharp. When it comes to listening to music, they have a punchy rock music loving sound. The same applies to gaming, and this is a gaming headset after all. My audiophile brain is telling me these aren’t accurate monitors, and they’re certainly not. They do have some pre-built EQ going on that gives them a more “wow” sound. That’s not a bad thing though, and for day-to-day movies, music and games, they sound great.

The microphone attaches easily enough and easily bends into the optimal position. Of course, you can fall back and use the pinhole mic on the cable. However, the best quality will come from the boom. Neither microphone is anything crazy, but both microphones do a good job for online gaming and Skype calls. Of course, those recording podcasts or streaming will want something more robust. One thing I do like is that the drivers give a nice vocal range. This means that listening to your teammates sounds reasonably natural; team chat is certainly enjoyable with the Cerberus.