Asus STRIX DSP Gaming Headset Review

Performance

With the base unit connected to my computer and the headset plugged in, we can see that the base unit has come to life. The top panel has a ring of LED lights which indicate the volume level or feature selection for the main wheel. It’s a nice and bright colour, but not so much that it would become distracting,

Despite all the advanced features, the DSP is plug and play compatible. There’s no need for desktop software as the build-in amp of the base unit takes care of everything for you; making the whole thing very user-friendly. It also comes with support for native 7.1 channel surround sound processing, which includes Dolby Headphone and Dolby Pro Logic IIx technology.

With such large ear cups and massive 60mm drivers, you would expect a good level of low-end thump from the DSP; it doesn’t disappoint. Bass sounds rich, detailed and crystal clear across the entire volume range. No matter how heavy the bass gets from your movie, music or game, the mid tones stay warm and the treble is crackle free; pretty much what you want from a headset within this price range.

I threw a bunch of my favourite music at this headset and was very impressed with the clarity and detail it offers. While it’s not marketed at music lovers, it still ticks a lot of boxes for kicking back and enjoying your favourite albums. Movies are equally impressive and ASUS have done great work with their surround sound processing. Virtual surround features often leave me uninspired, but I’m tipping my hat to ASUS as their surround modeling does give you a clear distinction of where the sound is coming from without dampening the overall sound quality.

Gaming, that’s what this headset was designed to excel at and that it does! The drivers are incredible when it comes to noisy games such as Battlefield 4, where you’ll find explosions flying around constantly, but the DSP keeps things nice and clear no matter how manic things get. Being able to tweak chat audio is a bonus too, as no matter how chaotic your game is, you can always keep team chat a priority if you really need to. What really impresses are the spectrum features, dial in the setting for footsteps and you’ll find the game drops most of the bass tones and enhances the treble; making it much easier to hear your enemies coming rather than the flashy sound effects that are there to boost immersion. All the DSP settings are great for one game or another and they do work, it’s just a case of trying them all out and finding one that best suits the needs of your game.

The Environment Noise Cancellation is pretty incredible too. A built-in microphone detects ambient noise and filters it out for you. If you’re playing at a noisy LAN gaming event, or even just in a living room with two kids running around and cartoons on the TV, you’ll find a lot to love for this feature.