ASUS ROG Delta S Gaming Headset Review

Picking a good quality headset is pretty easy these days, in the £50-100 area, it seems that every brand has something very competitive. Of course, if you want a few more features and better sound quality, you can expect to spend more in the region of £80-150, and you'll find most brands have something exciting in this price range too. However, when we get to the £150-£250 price range, which is firmly in enthusiast's territory, our expectations go up quite a lot. For this kind of money, you'll want all the latest and greatest features, premium build quality, connectivity, style, comfort and more. At around £190, the ASUS ROG DELTA S is far from the most expensive gaming headset I've reviewed, but it's expensive enough to leave me expecting a lot from it. Let's see if it can impress me! ASUS ROG Delta S Fortunately, ASUS has a strong history of really amazing headsets, and their DELTA series have proven to be some of the best equipped on the market for a few years now. Actually, their Delda headset from two years ago is still one of the best I've ever reviewed, and even two years later, it's still one of the best equipped. So, can the DELTA S really improve on it? Well, it features the same QUAD DAC ESS 9281 hardware, so no improvement there... not that it was needed. You get their latest AI Noise-Canceling Microphone, which is great, but otherwise, the hardware seems identical to me. Features Features industry-leading high-resolution ESS 9281 with QUAD DAC™ technology, plus MQA technology support to deliver impeccably detailed, true-to-life audioASUS AI Noise-Canceling Microphone offers crystal-clear in-game voice communicationCustomizable, multi-colour RGB lighting and unique Soundwave Light mode let you shine in styleExclusive ASUS Essence drivers, airtight chamber design and audio signal diversion technology work in unison to produce immersive audioLightweight 300-gram design provides maximum comfortErgonomic and fast-cooling D-shaped ear cushions ensure a perfect fitUSB-C® connector ensures compatibility with PCs, Mac, mobile devices and game consoles such as Nintendo Switch™ and Sony PlayStation® High-Resolution ESS 9281 Quad-DAC The ESS 9281 digital-to-analog converter (DAC) features QUAD DAC™ technology to provide lossless audio processing. Each of its four DACs devotes processing power to a subset of the audible frequency range, from lows, mids, highs to ultra-highs. The four signals are then combined, which produces clearer sound with an impressive 130 dB signal-to-noise ratio that's much higher than any other comparable device in the market. Hear every detail and enjoy crisp, clear sound for a true-to-life audio experience with ROG Delta S. What ASUS Had to Say "ROG Delta S gaming headset delivers impeccably clear, detailed audio to give serious gamers the edge to win. It features industry-leading, hi-fi-grade ESS 9281 with QUAD DAC™ technology and the ASUS AI Noise-Cancelling Microphone. At a total weight of just 300 grams, and with ergonomic D-shaped ROG Hybrid ear cushions, ROG Delta S offers unmatched comfort during extended gaming sessions. Its USB-C® connector allows you to play on your PC and then jump to your gaming console or mobile device without having to change headsets." - ASUS Packaging & Accessories The headset comes in a lovely designed box, with a nice mixture of black and red giving us that classic ROG look. There's a nice photo of the drive on the front, as well as badges telling us it has Hi-Res audio support and works with PC, mobile, and PlayStation 5. The back of the box is littered with lots of information. We can see features such as the AI noise-cancelling microphone, balanced drivers, QUAD DAC, and more detail on the device support. The box is heavy duty, and should withstand pretty severe knocks and bumps easily enough. There's thick moulding around the headset, plus a firm layer of foam ensuring nothing gets damaged. Bundled with the headset, you'll find all the usual documentation, as well as the microphone, extra ear pads, and a USB C to USB A extension cable/adapter. A Closer Look & Performance The ASUS ROG Delta S is hard-wired with a USB-C cable. The cable is braided and has a lovely premium quality feel to it. Of course, being USB-C, it'll readily connect to most modern mobile devices, laptops and desktops easily enough. However, it can be used on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch also. Don't worry if you don't have USB-C though, as it comes with the adapter cable for USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports. If you remember my review of the original Delta headset, you'll notice that it looks pretty much the same. ASUS has changed the textures, given all the metalwork a blacked-out stealthy look, and made it look more elegant and premium overall. However, the shape and size of it are pretty much identical. Take a quick look at the old model here. I say old model, it's still a currently produced headset and it's rather fantastic too. ASUS has stuck with their D-shaped ear cup design, and this is copied in the ear cup padding, which they say improves the comfort; more on that in a moment. The ergonomics are thankfully unaltered from the previous model. There's plenty of wiggle room on this headset, literally. You can turn the ear cups in by quite a good margin. Plus they can be turned back the other way so they can be worn flat when the headband is placed around your neck. It's easy to adjust too, allowing it to naturally fit the shape of your head easily when worn. The headband comes with a friction lock slider on each side, allowing for easy adjustments to the overall size. Most headsets I test don't quite fit my head, but thankfully this one has slider to spare even when adjusted for my big head, yet it can be made small enough to fit younger and smaller users too. The headband has a nice layer of padding, not so much that it feels loose on your head, but after a few hours continuous use, I didn't feel any discomfort or hot spots from it. Stamped into the top, you'll find the ROG wording and more of the leather-like material wrapping around to complete the look. This is the most interesting part to me though. I love the finish on the ear cup padding, it looks subtle but it's really cool. However, it's the way it is padded that really surprises me. It's more of an air cushion than a memory foam block. There is foam in there, I'm certain of that, but it's wonderfully soft. The padding has such a luxurious feel to it, and when you wear it, it just soothes and relaxes the drivers around your ears. You couldn't ask for a more comfortable headset... or could you? Some super soft fabric pads included in the box that are EVEN MORE comfortable; they don't offer the acoustic isolation of these leather ones, so it's really a preference thing. Amazingly, I'm still not done with ergonomics. The ear cups are also mounted on rockers, allowing them to tilt out a few degrees like this. Or inwards by quite a significant amounts. Overall, this headset should fit just about any head shape or size with ease. It fits on mine, and it's easily one of the most comfortable headsets I've ever used... and I've used hundreds. Having the right controls at your fingertips is always welcome too, and you'll find the master volume controller here, with a push to mute function on that also. Around the side, a single switch allows you to turn off the RGB, set it to main effect mode (customisable via the software), and EQ mode where... the headset will flash when the microphone detects noise. No, I don't know who needs that feature either... so let's just gloss over that. I am a little confused why the headset is hard-wired, I mean, it's not a deal-breaker. However, I would like to use my own custom cable or replace this one should I become a bit worn or even damaged. The main feature of this headset, however, is what you can't see. It's the ASUS Essence Drivers, the ESS 9281 QUAD DAC, and the MQA Technology. In the simplest terms, kick-ass audio processing hardware, and some truly high-end speakers to realise the full potential of anything you want to play through them. The headset has a very flat and balanced feel to it at the stock settings, which's a good thing. I often find "flat" results in a sound that feels like something is missing from the low-end, but not with the Delta S. The high-res drivers sound full-bodied and bigger than you would expect of a headset. That being said, when you do want "more" there's a mighty EQ in the software that can really unleash some bone-shaking tones here. As for gaming, they're just a masterclass in audio reproduction. Especially if you play games with a strong surround soundtrack such as The Witcher 3, or Shadow of the Tomb Raider, it feels very immersive. However, the quality of the drivers also makes directional audio very clear in surround sound modes. Picking out the direction of enemies is surprisingly natural and easy. However, keep in mind you can only use surround via the Armoury Crate software (so PC and Mac only really). However, if you have Dolby Atmos Headphone or DTS:X Headphone software on your PC, console or mobile device, you won't really have to lose out. Personally, I like how they sound with Atmos Headphone enabled. Overall though, they're just brilliant headphones for gaming, no matter the format. For movies, music, gaming, or another bloody Zoom quiz, you'll find a lot of joy here. It's nice to see a gaming headset with Hi-Res audio support too, I thought the market would be full of them by now, but there's really not that many. If you're a gamer, you'll love the headset, and if you're an audio purist, you'll find even more to love about this headset than most. However, it's still pretty much the same headset from two years ago, it really is. The MQA processing certainly gives it an edge though, as does this new AI microphone technology. The microphone is bigger, better and comes with significantly more advanced processing. It's one of the best microphones you'll find stuck to a gaming headset, by quite a margin. The AI tech works well, and can even mute out my keyboard bashing and my whiny kids doing their homeschooling behind me, so big thumbs up there. Plus, the RGB does look pretty dope too, so again, top marks for that. How Much Does it Cost? Just like everything else, it seems this is sold out on Amazon too, and "out of stock" is just something the gaming market is getting accustomed to right now. Alas, it should cost you around £180-190 from most major retailers. You can check for up to date pricing and stock here. Overview While you can get many gaming headsets for a lot less money, there's a lot more going on here than just a simple gaming headset. This is more in the territory of audiophile hardware, and premium grade music headphones. However, it still blends in the best technologies for surround sound processing, voice chat, gaming EQ features, etc. That means that you can kick-back and enjoy music in formats like FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, and DSD, and it'll sound brilliant. However, when it comes to watching a 7.1 movie track, or playing a competitive FPS title, or even just calling your family on Zoom, the headset still has all the best features to enjoy those too. I might even suggest that this headset is better than most people ever need. Your typical consumer isn't going to care what a DAC is, let alone that this thing has four of them, or that it has advanced MQA processing or those lovely hi-resolution drivers. The headset doesn't complicate the user experience with having on/off switches for all that stuff, it just works, it's all out of sight, and I love that about it. There's no shortage of strong competition out there, with Razer, SteelSeries, Logitech, Astro, Corsair and a bunch of others all having similarly-priced high-end models, but they're all very unique in their approach to audio, design, etc. While I would like to see them change it to a removable cable design, and ditch the silly EQ RGB mode, ASUS has a really focused headset here, it has superb ergonomics, it's lightweight and comfortable, has unrelenting sound quality, and an AI noise-cancelling microphone that's a clear cut above the competition. It's a small, but very noticeable update to the original Delta, and it's still one of the best headsets on the market today.