Review: ROG Delta S, MQA-Enabled Multiplatform Gaming Headset

GAMEFINITY.ID, Jakarta – ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) last December released the ROG Delta S, the world’s first MQA-capable gaming headset. ROG Delta S offers a high-resolution ESS 9281 CODEC with QUAD DAC technology and integrated MQA support to deliver highly detailed, lifelike audio.

GAMEFINITY.ID had the opportunity to try out the product directly and review it. Overall, this gaming headset provides a great audio experience, as well as clear voice communication. ROG Delta S is a new class of headset designed for gamers, music lovers, and anyone who loves high-quality audio.

Without further ado, here’s.ID’s review of ROG Delta S

Design

In addition to first-class audio and communication quality, the design of the Delta S headset is also one of its advantages. With an ergonomic reverse-D shape, ROG Delta S is a headset with a beautiful design that looks elegant when used.

Compared to oval ear cups, the ROG Delta S’s ergonomic reverse-D-shaped ear cups perfectly fit gamers’ ears. This reduces the area of unnecessary contact by up to 20 percent. The drivers in each earmuff are tilted 12 degrees, perfectly matching the natural angle of the human ear.

The slanted design also provides better comfort and also helps improve the quality of sound that flows directly into the ear canal.

With a total weight of only 300 grams, ROG Delta S is very comfortable to use, especially during long gaming sessions. The cushions are made of 100 percent protein leather and memory foam that cools quickly, so users stay comfortable for hours using this gaming headset.

In every purchase package, ROG also provides two sets of cushion types: ROG Hybrid fabric and ROG fast-cooling protein leather. Both can be selected and adjusted according to the preferences of each user.

ROG Delta S also has the exclusive Soundwave light effect, which makes the lights flash in sync with the player’s voice. This feature complements the customizable ROG Aura Sync RGB lighting integrated in ROG Delta S, and all lighting effects can be quickly turned off via the headset button, so users can easily adjust their own vibrations.

Feature

Talking about the features offered, it feels like ROG Delta S is a complete package for lovers of high quality audio. ROG Delta S offers a high-resolution ESS 9281 CODEC with QUAD DAC technology and integrated MQA support to deliver highly detailed, crisp and true-to-life audio.

The ESS 9281 CODEC with QUAD DAC technology on the ROG Delta S gaming headset provides lossless audio processing and highly detailed sound. Each of the four DACs in the ESS 9281 CODEC devotes processing power to the audible portion of the frequency range, from lowest, middle, highest to ultra-high.

The four signals are then combined to produce clearer sound with a signal-to-noise ratio of 130 dB, which is claimed to be much higher than any other similar device currently available on the market.

Award-winning MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) technology delivers studio-quality audio that reveals every detail of the original recording. The integrated MQA renderer in ROG Delta S reads the core MQA signal, which is sent by global streaming services like TIDAL to reveal audio quality.

ROG Deltas S also offers in-game voice communication with support for ASUS AI Noise-Cancelling Microphone (AI Mic). This detachable Al Mic is also found on the ROG Theta 7.1, ROG Strix Go, and ROG Strix Go 2.4 headsets.

Owned AI Mic is unidirectional, detachable and certified by Discord and TeamSpeak. The indicator light at the end of the boom flashes red when the microphone is turned off, so users can easily determine its status.

ASUS AI Mic has a dedicated processor designed to reduce over 50 million types of background noise while maintaining vocal harmonics for crystal-clear in-game voice communication. This feature can be controlled via ASUS Armory Crate software and can be easily turned off whenever needed.

One more thing, ROG Delta S also features a USB-C connection and the bundled USB-C to USB 2.0 adapter allows full compatibility with a wide variety of consoles and devices, be it mobile devices, PCs, Macs, Nintendo Switch, to PlayStation 5.

Experience

The author tested this ROG Delta S gaming headset by playing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. In addition, the author also uses this gaming headset to listen to songs on Youtube, during the writing of this review. The result: satisfying!

As a gaming headset, in-game audio does seem better. When playing CSGO while using Delta S, the stereo headset sound can be tested optimally, where the sound of gunshots and footsteps can be measured, both in terms of direction and distance. It can be said that the audio produced is quite precise and adds to a more enjoyable playing experience.

With ROG Delta S, users can hear every detail and enjoy crisp, clear sound for a true-to-life audio experience.

The communication voice produced by the AI Mic is also clear and can be captured by other players smoothly. Al Mic is specially designed for users who need to communicate outdoors or anywhere with background noise. Thus, common background noises such as chatter, keyboard clatter, and mouse clicks are reduced by up to 95 percent.

The intuitive control button feature on the earcups also allows users to instantly control volume, mute the microphone, or adjust RGB lighting during gameplay. Gamers just slide the scroll up or down to increase or decrease the volume, press easily to mute or activate the microphone, and press the button to change the RGB color.

While using this headset to listen to music and videos, the audio produced is also not broken and sounds clear, even though listening to music and videos is not a top priority for ROG as a gaming headset.

With multiplatform compatibility for various consoles and devices, ROG Delta S can be compatible with all gamers, whether console, PC or mobile.

Specification

Black
Interface: Wired
Cable Length: USB-C: 1.5m ; USB 2.0: 1m
Connector: USB 2.0, Type-C
Support Platform: PC, MAC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox one
Driver Material: Neodymium magnet

Driver Size: 50mm
Headphones Impedance: 32 Ohm
Headphones Response Frequency: 20~40000 Hz
Microphone Sensitivity: -40 dB
Microphone Response Frequency: 100~10000 Hz
Hi-Fi DAC: ESS 9281 Pro
Hi-Fi Amp: ESS 9281 Pro
Channel: Virtual 7.1
Lighting: RGB
Weight: 300 g
Accessories:
- Detachable microphone
- User guide
- ROG Hybrid ear cushion
- USB-C to USB 2.0 (Type-A) adapter

Price

Currently, ROG Delta S is available in Indonesia and is priced at around Rp. 3.3 million. According to the author in terms of price and features offered, in general the build quality presented is not far from the price offered by Delta S. Gamers do need to dig deep enough to get this gaming headset, but we can be sure that what they get is not in vain. . (zal)