I love a good gaming headset. In fact, I own at least 3 pairs. But none of them works wirelessly across all the different devices I own and so I need to keep swapping them out. And none of these work with my smartphone either. Arrgh! The new Asus ROG Go 2.4 Wireless Gaming headset comes very close to being the solution I’ve been looking for.
This new wireless headset uses a 2.4Ghz USB dongle and a wire to connect to all your devices. And it puts on a hell of a show. It works wirelessly on PC, Mac, Smart devices as well as Nintendo Switch and the PS4 with an adapter.
And it’s just plug and play too. Add to that, they are a really sexy looking pair of ear cans that are light and comfortable. I mean really, what’s not to like? Enough gushing, read the review because not everything is perfect.
Asus ROG Strix Go 2.4 Gaming Headset Review
The Strix GO sets are some of the sexiest gaming headsets I’ve ever had the pleasure of reviewing. No, I take that back, they ARE the sexiest gaming headsets I’ve ever reviewed. In fact, if you don’t know the ROG brand, you’d not know it had anything to do with gaming.
Asus has managed to create a headset that looks and feels so fresh, and hipster. You’d be mistaken in thinking these are made by Sennheiser or Sony.
They really look and feel a million bucks.
Asus chose a design that screams restraint. There are no garish red color splashes or unnecessary RGB lights. It’s clean, elegant and doesn’t scream nerd at all. Actually, you’ll look rather hipster and cool. What you get is an all black headset with soft touch ear cups that can swivel as well as fold for easy storage.
The headband is part hard plastic, part baby soft rubber and it does a great job of easing any pressure on top of the head. The combination makes the headband not so flexible which leads to a fairly aggressive clamping force around the ears. You can adjust the height of the headband by sliding either plastic arm away from the softer middle bit. The internal plastic arms are covered with a silver metal lining that contrasts rather nicely with the all-black plastics. The two silver metal bands add some extra flourish.
The ear cups are oval-shaped and sit at an angle to the headband giving the Stix Go a slight V-shaped profile. I like it. The cups are over-ear with good coverage for most ear sizes. One problem for me is that they aren’t glasses friendly so I get some pressure which requires I periodically adjust the cups to get some relief. In saying that, the cushions are soft and comfortable – very premium feeling. I like how Asus embossed the ROG logo on each ear cup which gives it that little extra bump in pizzaz.
Bundled with the Strix GO are a couple of accessories – the most important being the 2.4Ghz dongle. It’s a small, L-shaped USB-C dongle emblazoned with the ROG logo. It’s tiny profile works great on desktop PC’s and laptops but does look a strange on the bottom of a smartphone. In addition, you get a USB-C cable for charging, a 3.5mm audio cable, a detachable bidirectional microphone and a USB-C adaptor for PC and PS4.
Control. I must have it
The left earcup is where all your controls live. You get a unique spring-type volume rocker which requires you to push or pull a tiny lever in either direction to adjust volume rather than spin a dial. It felt a little weird at first because you have to push, hold and wait as the volume changes. But you get used to it. One problem with this electronic sort of volume rocker is that it doesn’t work when the headphones aren’t powered. So if you are using it in wired mode like with an Xbox, you can’t adjust the volume on the headset but only on the Xbox itself.
Underneath the volume rocker is a media button that can pause or play media with one press. Two and it skips ahead while three presses skip backwards. Next to that is the connection mode/ power switch which toggles the Strix Go between wireless(read powered on) mode and wired mode(powered off). You also got the 3.5mm cable jack for your wired connection, the detachable microphone jack and a tiny hidden microphone. The right cup only has a USB-C charging port.
Yep, sounds about right
So I’ve gushed about how good the Strix GO look but how do they sound? Pretty good actually. Now, don’t get me wrong, they are no Beoplay H9’s but you do get a rich, neutral sound profile. Not bass heavy, not tinny. I like headsets that can shake my ears off without distorting any of the ranges but, while the Strix Go’s won’t do that, you certainly won’t be disappointed with their performance.
The 40mm Neodymium drivers produce a clean and warm sound and are very good at picking out details in games. I could easily hear and pinpoint the direction of footsteps from Guardians in Destiny 2 Crucible. The separation is great too with voices not getting lost in wonderfully rendered soundtracks. Listening to music on Spotify, the sound is crisp with enough bass to have character although, again, I’d have liked some more powerful bass. Watching content on YouTube was just as satisfying with clear voices and enough warmth.
However, the Strix Go’s only really shine when paired with a Windows PC running the Asus Armoury Crate or Armoury II software. Not only does this boost the power of the sound but you also get various equalizer controls that digitally enhance the sound signature. I notice a marked difference in bass and volume when using the Go’s on any other device. The Armoury software offers a ton of controls including those for the mic as well as firmware updates and a battery indicator.
Connect to everything
One of the best things about Strix GO is its flexibility. You can connect it to so many types of devices and that’s a huge win. The USB-C 2.4Ghz dongle works perfectly on PC, Mac and modern smartphones. Once I plugged in, it just worked. No hassle to set things up. However, as i mentioned earlier, on Windows PC you will want to install the Armoury software ASAP to get the most juice out of the Strix GO.
I was particularly surprised at how well they worked on my Pixel 4XL Android phone. You wouldn’t believe how fussy Pixel 4 phones are with USB-C headsets. They won’t even work with the AKG earbuds that ship with every Samsung. So, well done Asus. The dongle is really awkward on a phone and adds too much height for most people’s pockets. I don’t own a Nintendo Switch so I couldn’t test how well the Strix GO work with it but Asus clearly is targeting Switch owners with these headsets.
On PS4, you need to use the bundled adapter since the PS4 doesn’t have USB-C. But plug it in, and the PS4 recognizes the Strix GO as a wireless headset and mic and you are set to play. This sort of ease of setup and use is one of the best things about the Strix GO and is something you’ll really appreciate.
Unfortunately for my Xbox peeps, the dongle doesn’t work so you can only use the Strix Go’s with the bundled cable. This is something I see all the time with wireless multi-platform headsets and it’s all because of Microsoft’s wireless protocols.
Speaking of wireless, Asus doesn’t disclose the effective range of the 2.4Ghz wireless connection but I found that moving beyond six or seven meters(and especially when changing rooms), the Strix GO will start dropping the connection. Overall though, it’s nothing detrimental to the experience.
Artificial Intelligence in your mic
The Strix Go comes with a detachable, flexible bidirectional microphone in the case. Just plug it in when you need it, bend the stem towards your mouth and you’re good to go. The microphone is very good and even better when connected to the Armoury software. Listen to the two samples below.
The one above was recorded on a Macbook Pro without the Armoury software and the second below was on a Windows 10 PC running the software.
You can immediately notice the difference the AI noise cancelling in the software makes to the audio quality. The Mac sample is decent but you can hear a slight hissing in the background. Whereas the PC sample is crystal clear. You can fiddle around with multiple settings in the Armory to T-Pain your voice or simply turn all digital processing off if you don’t like the processing.
The other win for the Strix GO is its hidden built-in mic. It’s perfect for using the Strix Go for hands-free calls on the go. I used this as my primary microphone for a ton of Zoom calls for work and had zero complaints from my callers. One problem I encountered was a slight echoing when using the Strix Gos to make calls through my mobile. It was audible to me and my callers. In saying that, I reckon most users will never need to use the detachable mic.
Battery life
The Strix GO is rated for 25 hours of wireless listening and in my experience, they averaged three days straight. I used them for 7 -10 hours each day for Zoom calls, Spotify and gaming. I’m happy with their longevity. I don’t like that there’s no obvious way to know how much battery life is left on the headsets. You can only see the battery level in the Armoury software.
And when the battery is low, a nice female voice nags you every minute. I couldn’t find anywhere to turn that off. Whats really strange is that its the only time you hear a voice prompt. Anyways, when you do lose charge, big thanks to Asus going with USB-C means you can use your PC or even your phone charger to juice up. I also like that you can still use the headset while they are charging.
An odd thing about the Strix GO is its aggressive battery saving. It will turn the headset off after about 2 min of inactivity. I appreciate how this can save precious battery life but it can get really irritating very quickly. Mostly because you can’t just touch the volume rocker to wake it up. You have to switch it to wired mode and then back to wireless. Furthermore, there’s no way to change the standby interval in the Armoury so hopefully Asus will bake that into a future update.
It will take over 2 hours to charge the Strix GO to full but Asus has given them fast charging which nets you 3 hours of listening from just 15min of charging. Most smartphones have been able to do this for years now and these are the first gaming headsets I’ve encountered with this tech. This is perfect for when you’re due to join a gaming session and need a quick top-up or if you just need a top-up for the commute. I dig it.
Verdict
Yes. Buy this now. In fact, I’d probably buy one right now except that my primary gaming platform is Xbox and I really can’t stand wired headsets anymore. Yes, I’m a headphone snob but this is truly the age of cord cutting. Seriously though, I really can not find any fault with these headsets that would suggest you steer clear.
They are gorgeous, comfortable, multiplatform with great mics and long-lasting battery. And they cost $329 but you get a whole lot of bang for your buck. I couldn’t be blunter. The Asus ROG Strix GO 2.4 are possibly the best multiplatform wireless gaming headsets you can buy right now. So, what are you waiting for? Shoo, go get a pair, or two.
The Asus ROG Strix Go 2.4 was loaned to PowerUp! by Asus Australia for the purpose of this review.
Asus ROG Strix Go 2.4 Gaming Headset Review - Multipotentialite
Product Name: Asus ROG Strix Go 2.4 Gaming Headset
Product Description: Wireless gaming headset for PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch and smart devices
Offer price: $329
Currency: AUD
Availability: InStock
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Finally a gaming headset that looks great
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Excellent battery life
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Very versatile and works with a ton of devices easily
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Exceptional value for money
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Great microphone with added bonus of a built in mic for true mobile use
