Asus has announced the ROG Kithara, its first high-fidelity gaming headset that’s powered by planar magnetic driver technology. Built for an immersive sound experience, the Kithara is aimed at both gamers and audiophiles.
The Kithara is a premium headset powered by customised 100mm HIFIMAN planar magnetic drivers, configured for impressive frequency extension at both ends of the spectrum with minimal distortion. Asus claims that this configuration delivers sounds that stay true to the original source, with a wide 8Hz to 55kHz frequency response for exceptional audio clarity. To prove its audiophile sound quality, the Kithara has its own certificate, giving you an idea about its sound signature.
The ROG Kithara uses an open-back design, allowing it to deliver a wide and dimensional sound stage with clear sound separation between balanced bass, mids, and treble. This means that its imaging and spacial awareness should be solid, enabling precise sound localisation at the cost of some outside sound leakage. However, this also means that if you like punchy bass, you may not get enough of it with such a design.
Asus indicates that the Kithara offers precise left-right consistency across both earcups thanks to rigorous driver matching, where each couple is paired based on identical frequency response for perfect channel matching. Combined with the detailed sound reproduction from the planar magnetic drivers and the open-back design, the Kithara delivers, one would hope, the kind of quality normally reserved for audiophile headphones.
But that’s not all, the Kithara features a full-band MEMS boom microphone with pickup across a wide 20Hz to 20kHz frequency range, ensuring clear and distortion-free voices. Furthermore, the box includes a balanced cable with 4.4mm and a 3.5/6.3mm single-ended plug. The latter can be handy when pairing the Kithara with a DAC or amplifier to extract the maximum performance. While the headset comes bundled with a USB adapter and sound card, a dedicated DAC/amplifier combo will give you better overall sound quality.
Being wired with plenty of plug options, the Kithara can be paired with any device that supports analogue output, including PCs, Macs, mobile devices, handhelds, and gaming consoles. Furthermore, its reasonable 16ohm impedance shouldn’t be too demanding on said hardware, ensuring a good listening experience.
Lastly, on the comfort side, the Kithara is equipped with an 8-way adjustable headband, providing a comfortable fit for various head shapes, and plush memory foam leatherette padding to spread pressure across the skull while maintaining focused sound. The latter can be swapped for velour pads if you prefer a soft fit and warm acoustics. Regardless of the ones you choose, both are built for long listening sessions, which is a nice touch since the Kithara’s 420g weight could become uncomfortable if not correctly distributed.
The Asus ROG Kithara is now available in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland at 319.90 EUR/CH, including VAT. This makes it cheaper than the excellent Audeze Maxwell while providing similar or better specs, at least on paper.
