ASUS ROG DELTA S REVIEW: THE FIRST HEADSETS WITH MQA, ALSO IDEAL FOR PS5
Asus has always been in the Olympus of large technological manufacturers and in recent years, in parallel with the development of PC hardware, has been able to present to the public a good series of peripherals dedicated to the world of gaming. In the audio segment, and in particular in the one dedicated to headsets, the company has experienced constant qualitative growth, so much so that with the latest products the Republic of Gamers has reached peaks of excellence.
After the majestic Asus ROG Theta 7.1 , the Taiwanese giant
is back to offer the Asus ROG Delta S headphones, which behind a simple and
compact design hide quality and audio fidelity capable of satisfying the most refined
eardrum: this particular model is in fact the first headset created
specifically for gaming to support MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) decoding
, a feature that also makes it suitable for higher level music listening.
Currently the product is not available in Italy but will
arrive between the end of December and the beginning of January, at a price not
yet announced, which should be slightly higher than that of the ROG Delta
released last year at 199 euros. Let's find out together this headset compatible
with PC (where the pro was made), Nintento Switch and with the new PlayStation
5.
The simple design hides ...
Let's start our analysis from the packaging: the Asus ROG
Delta S are presented in an essential but very accurate packaging. Inside the box,
in addition to the headphones, we find the 1 meter USB 2.0 adapter, the
comfortable removable microphone and two types of ear cushions: a pair in
normal synthetic leather, suitable for use on the move, and another in the
special fabric ROG Hybrid , which thanks to the memory foam materials offers
the right comfort even during the longest sessions. The design of this headset
is quite simple, especially when compared to other solutions presented by Asus
itself: the plastic headband, covered with synthetic leather, hides a metal
skeletonwith the classic sliding mechanism that allows you to adjust the width
of the pavilions.
The latter follow the now famous shell design of the house,
finished with the slightly off-center ROG logo and surrounded by an LED: the
RGB effect is simple but very successful and can be managed via software or
through a convenient analog switch placed on the roof. left, just above the
volume controls.
Also on the left pavilion is the USB-C connection cable in
flexible 1.5 meter rope. The drivers inside the earcups are angled 12 degrees
to match the natural angle of the earhuman body and the total weight of 300
grams complete the picture, giving back a light, comfortable headset with solid
materials. In short, Asus ROG Delta S offers a design immediately referable to
the gaming field but rather essential and clean, therefore also suitable for
the now frequent streaming meetings or listening to music on the road.
powerful hardware
The heart of these Asus ROG Delta S brings a series of noteworthy
technical features. The 50 mm neodymium drivers guarantee listening on the
frequency spectrum 20 - 40.000 Hz, brilliantly expressed thanks to an impedance
of 32 Ohm. The ace in the hole of this headset, however, is represented by the
QUAD-DAC ESS 9821 , a digital-to-analog converter capable of processing audio
with a fidelity usually reserved for products more devoted to listening to
music: thanks to the four separate DACs in fact the sound is processed on
different signals and dedicated to each specific frequency. The 130 dB
signal-to-noise ratio delivers bright, powerful and unusually clear audio for a
gaming headset.
The users experience turned out to be of a high level in the
gaming and general entertainment fields, with a balanced and crystalline sound
performance, emphasized by the excellent 7.1 virtualization. Even on the move,
this headset passes the exam with flying colors, reaching peaks of absolute
excellence when it comes to listening to music.
The real "killer feature" of the ROG Delta S is in
fact dedicated to the finest eardrums: support for MQA technology , an acronym
that stands for Master Quality Authenticated . This particular technology makes
it possible to render "loseless" audio files, ie those sound samples
that do not undergo (or only partially undergo) the process of deterioration in
quality due to the compression of normal formats such as MP3.
Basically, these headphones are able to connect to the MQA
signal and thus express all the nuances of sound conceived in the mastering phase
by the specialists of the trade . Currently, these audio formats can be
purchased on various platforms and among these TIDAL stands out, offering
access to a large library of MQA files that can be directly streamed.
For a gaming headset, a good microphone is essential and
even in this situation the Asus ROG Delta S do not disappoint, offering a
simple and functional solution. The microphone comes in the form of the classic
flexible stick, connects to the headset via jack and provides a frequency response
ranging from 100 and 10,000 Hz with a sensitivity of -40 dB, all accompanied by
theAsus' proprietary AI Noise Canceling technology that allows noise
cancellation managed by an AI-based algorithm.
In general, the performance of the microphone is good and
allows you to face any gaming session without worries, as well as telephone
calls and streaming meetings of the highest level.
Software and management
As with other Asus peripherals, even the ROG Delta S can
rely on the Armory Crate management software with which to control every aspect
of the headset, from managing RGB lighting to configuring audio parameters.
Starting from this second aspect it is in fact possible to adjust all the
parameters from a single screen: EQ, compression, reverb, 7.1 virtualization
configuration and MQA stream. Obviously the application provides various
presets and facilitates the firmware update, as well as the complete management
of RGB lighting, which covers a wide range of colors and effects that can also
be activated by the physical switch placed on the ear cup.
