Review: ASUS Strix 7.1 gaming headset

Conclusion

The ASUS Strix 7.1 surround gaming headset is an all-singing, all-dancing piece of audio kit and has a price tag to match - £170. That price is unequivocally expensive for any type of user, be it a casual gamer or enthusiastic prosumer. Such an elevated price is justified by the fact this product's main rival, the Razer Tiamat 7.1, fetches £175 and is still in high demand.

The ability to learn from the mistakes of the competition is what sets the Strix 7.1 in good stead. ASUS had the foresight to tailor this headset for users who do more than just game. The true 7.1-channel surround implementation with customisable audio profiles stands up brilliantly in compatible gaming environments but doesn't carry over as seamlessly to music and movies. That's where the ability to opt for the 2.1 mode comes in handy. The Strix 7.1 isn't as strong in 2.1-channel mode as other dedicated 2.1 headsets with larger drivers, but it does a much better job at handling stereo audio than other surround gaming headsets which often muddy the frequency range.

The ASUS Strix 7.1 has a worthy place in world of gaming headsets for gamers who crave true surround sound, directional audio and a versatile gaming experience. The Strix 7.1 isn't going to appeal to everyone but neither should it - a jack of all trades is usually a master of none. With that in mind this headset most certainly isn't direct competition to similarly priced stereo headsets, from the likes of Audio Technica and Beyerdynamic, that use a smaller number of large, higher-quality drivers

Against its most significant rival, the Strix 7.1 deals with a lot of the bugbears that might have previously put gamers off a true 7.1 surround headset, notably an inability to handle stereo audio well. Execution isn't flawless - we feel comfort, quality and the overall fit-and-finish should be better for the price. Nevertheless, being the first attempt at a true 7.1-channel surround gaming headset ASUS has made, the Strix 7.1 deserves credit.

The Good		The Bad
Versatile USB audio station Excellent microphone noise-cancellation Strong audio performance with extensive customisations		Expensive Clamp-fit pressure can cause fatigue Excessive use of plastic

HEXUS.awards

ASUS Strix 7.1

HEXUS.where2buy

TBC.

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At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.

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Thanks for the review! I've been looking out for these as a potential replacement for my nearly 10-year old AudioTechnica ATH M50s (studio stereo headphones), which I use daily for music and gaming alike. The M50s are fantastic headphones, but I still very fondly remember my old Speedlink Medusa 5.1 headset, which had admittedly bad sound quality, but phenomenal sound placement. The newer version of the Medusas doesn't compare to the original, and I then bought some roccat kave 5.1 cans, which disappointed me greatly and led me back to using the stereo studio headset for the better sound quality. I barely used the roccat headset - most unlike me as I usually research to the point of agony to make the right decision on such things before buying.
I'd like to hear some of these in the flesh - it's a lot of money to drop on something which will be worse in sound quality, but may offer good positional audio without being *too* bad sounding. Not knowing how much worse they will sound is the problem, and as it's truly subjective, this could be tricky!
The only way I could see to test it is to get studio quality recordings of each headset and let readers compare the sound files on their own devices (with the caveat that unless they use good quality equipment, it might all sound bad, but at least it will be comparable).

Naff…

The review says:

Unlike the Razer Tiamat the Strix 7.1 provides hardware-level control between stereo and 7.1-channel operation

and

The ability to toggle between 2.1 and 7.1 with a quick-response button is what sets the Strix 7.1 apart from the competition.

I'm an owner of the Tiamat 7.1 and I think you need to revise the above 2 mentions in the review, since the Tiamat 7.1 has a hardware switch for stereo mode right on the volume control unit.

I'm in no hurry to replace my Tiamat but this looks interesting, if my headset breaks I'm happy the Tiamat has some competition to consider :)

These will no doubt appeal to a certain age group :p
Not for me I'm afraid lol

increased use of leather or brushed aluminium would help ASUS appeal more to the premium consumer this product is targeted at.

Can't agree with that statement. The owl theme, the moulded plastic, the hexagonal USB box, the software design + features… This isn't a product targeted at premium consumers, but at those that consider themselves gamers and who are wooed by gizmos and GAMER branding.

I hate the aesthetics of GAMER gear, it's just so form over function which is a massive no no when it comes to product design.