As a lifelong gamer and musician, I’m right here for this new world of audiophile gaming headsets

When I used to be a child within the ‘90s, audio capability was something you added to your PC with a sound card, not something built-in to the motherboard. My father refused to buy a sound card for the family PC, contending that he already had a stereo and had zero interest in gaming. So until I saved up for one and installed it myself, I gamed to the soundtrack of whatever bips and boops the PC could conjure out of its tinny internal speaker. Fast forward to today, and it’s laborious to think about gaming with out high-quality audio. In my thoughts, I can’t separate the unsettling ambient soundscape from Amnesia: The Dark Descent’s constructing horror, the heavy-metal soundtrack from DOOM’s adrenaline-fueled demon-slaying thrill trip, or the wealthy voice performing from Baldur’s Gate III’s enthralling drama.

Flip over to my different lifelong interest, and there’s a complementary but very totally different story with regards to audio. As a young person studying to play electrical guitar, I solely needed to play loud. I saved up for a Marshall amp and a cab with 4 12-inch audio system, and I liked each alternative I needed to crank its quantity as much as 11. That factor may transfer some air. I’d go as far as to say that when you’ve by no means felt each fiber of your physique vibrating in time with the unrestrained roar of an electrical guitar performed via an opened-up tube amp, you’re lacking out.

Sadly, my alternatives to play with that type of quantity have been few and much between. Jamming that loud in my highschool bed room would have damaged a window. Even taking part in with that a lot quantity in my college’s gymnasium was a questionable resolution — not that I’ve any regrets. In the dorm rooms or flats of my early 20s? Someone would have known as the cops. Even as a home-owner residing within the countryside, my alternatives for cranking up the amp have been restricted: rule primary within the survival information for brand spanking new mother and father is “don’t wake a sleeping baby.”

Fast ahead to right now, and my guitar setup has fully modified. I’m now not making an attempt to see how a lot quantity I can get away with. I don’t even play via an amplifier anymore. I’m all-in on an ampless setup that not solely lets me convey within the versatile capabilities of my PC into my audio chain, however lets me play as loud as I like — within the personal area created by my headphones.

And that’s the place my two passions converge. Or no less than, that’s the place they converge now, because of the emergence of audiophile gaming headsets. In the years since I took the plunge into an ampless guitar setup, I’ve needed to cut up my headphone finances between studio-oriented cans and mic-equipped headsets that made it potential for me to coordinate with my squad. I had loads of choices for each of my hobbies, however by no means a single resolution that performed effectively in each worlds. Given finances constraints, that meant settling for much less on each fronts.

Today, that’s all modified. Now, I’ve one headset for gaming and music and guitar observe: the ROG Kithara. Combining a high-quality microphone, audiophile-grade planar magnetic drivers, a flexible assortment of cables and adapters, and a super-comfy design that I can use for hours, the Kithara lets me improve my guitar observe, gaming, and music-listening with pristine audio, multi function headset. Here are my impressions from my first few weeks of use.

The basis: planar magnetic drivers and an open-back design

What makes the distinction between the ROG Kithara and the older headsets that now stay in my closet? That can be planar magnetic drivers and the open-back design.

Designed in collaboration with the consultants at HIFIMAN, the Kithara’s planar magnetic drivers ship standout audio. Unlike customary dynamic drivers, which use a voice coil hooked up to a cone diaphragm, planar magnetic drivers have a skinny, flat diaphragm with conductive traces suspended between robust magnetic fields. This association supplies minimized distortion, extremely correct sound replica, sharper transients, crisp separation, and a large frequency response.

The planar magnetic drivers work along side the open-back design. Typically, gaming headsets are closed-back, that means that the cups absolutely enclose your ear. That’s not a foul factor, contemplating that it isolates you from noise within the room round you and usually presents a bit extra kick to the bass. But open-back audiophile gaming headsets have their benefits, too. They use earcups with grilles that allow air and sound stream extra freely, offering an enormous benefit in sound high quality.

In explicit, an open-back headset just like the Kithara can vastly increase what’s known as the “soundstage,” your notion of the spatial width and depth of the audio. When I placed on the Kithara, that’s truthfully the very first thing I discover. It widens the stereo mixture of no matter I’m listening to, offering better spatial definition for every part. I’ve discovered myself creating a newfound appreciation even for very acquainted songs, as every sound has a extra distinct presence.

The wider soundstage is yielding dividends for my guitar observe, as effectively. I just lately reworked my pedalboard and audio interface for stereo output, and the higher-quality headset permits me to extra rigorously fine-tune the sound of every stereo impact.

These qualities make the ROG Kithara a standout for gaming, too. It makes an instantaneous distinction the second I fireplace up a aggressive shooter. And pay attention — I’m not evaluating the Kithara right here to some type of bargain-bin greenback retailer headset. I haven’t gone as far down the audiophile rabbit-hole as some fans, however I haven’t precisely ignored audio high quality both. I’ve some good units in my desk drawer. But the Kithara is my first open-back possibility, and it’s instantly taken over as my new go-to for any sport that depends closely on positional audio. When I hear a footstep or a gunshot in Counter-Strike 2, I do know precisely what course it’s coming from.

A premium equipment for connecting the Kithara to all my {hardware}

As a man with long-running hobbies in gaming, music, and guitar taking part in, I’ve developed fairly a set of cables and adapters. I don’t run into too many eventualities the place I’ve to place in a rush order on Amazon simply to attach a brand new piece of equipment.

But even I used to be impressed with what comes within the field with the Kithara. For comfort, the Kithara ships with two cables. The first was destined for my gaming setup, for the reason that cable integrates a full-band MEMS increase microphone. Two jacks on one finish join the cable to the cans whereas positioning the mic to choose up my voice. An in-line management places me accountable for quantity. At the opposite finish, customary 3.5mm jacks await connection to units, although I can even insert these into an included adapter to attach the Kithara by way of a USB port as a substitute. The USB-C adapter has additionally proved helpful in spots when a tool provides me inadequate energy output from its audio jacks. Running via the adapter provides me all the quantity I would like and extra.

The second cable is best fitted to my guitar observe setup. It’s a balanced cable with a versatile plug design that lets me choose between 6.3mm, 4.4mm balanced, and three.5mm jacks. My USB audio interface requires a 6.3mm (¼”, for the Imperial-lovers on the market) jack for the monitor output, and I appreciated having every little thing I wanted proper within the field.

I like how handy it’s to have two cables, one for my gaming setup and one for my music setup. I depart the cables plugged in at both setup, shortly plugging within the Kithara to whichever setup I’m utilizing for the time being.

All-day consolation

One side of the ROG Kithara that I do need to be up-front about: they’re heavier than the opposite choices in my assortment. The planar magnetic drivers must be protected, so the grilles on the earcups are constructed of reassuringly hefty metallic. All instructed, the Kithara headset weighs 420g. If a lighter design is a precedence on your setup, you may favor the ROG Pelta, which checks in at a extra svelte 309 g.

As for me, I’m not involved in regards to the uncooked weight of the Kithara as a result of I discover that the headset carries its weight effectively. The earcup angle and earpads are balanced to use stress evenly, minimizing stress towards my jaw. The three-layer design of the large headband distributes the load properly in order that I’m not distracted by a single stress level. I additionally admire the eight adjustment ranges for the metallic body. I’ve a bit of a giant noggin, so I’ve suffered with too many headsets that felt uncomfortable even after I opened all of them the way in which. The Kithara has room to spare.

A standout headset for gaming and music manufacturing alike

There are a couple of spots in my life the place I nonetheless depend on different audio {hardware}. The ROG Kithara does many issues effectively, but it surely received’t change the in-ear displays that I take advantage of on stage, the earbuds I put on whereas jogging, or the closed-back headphones that I seize when for recording something via a microphone — open-back headsets do leak a little bit of sound into the close by setting, and I can’t have a mic selecting it up once I’m recording my acoustic guitar.

But even with these caveats, the ROG Kithara is extra versatile and presents higher sound than anything in my headset and earbud assortment. Nothing I at the moment personal comes near offering the audio high quality that it does. Putting it on for the primary time gave me a type of “headlights coming on” moments. I impulsively and instantly tried it out in each state of affairs I may consider, and I used to be rewarded each time. The Kithara made music really feel recent and new, even tracks that I’ve been listening to for years. This headset offered higher readability for my guitar observe, taking my ampless setup to the subsequent stage and serving to me hear my instrument extra clearly as I practiced alongside recorded tracks.

On high of all that, the Kithara boasts spectacular gaming chops. The improved notion of positional audio virtually looks like a cheat code once I play aggressive FPS titles. This headset elevates high-quality voice performing with unimaginable realism, placing the timbre and nuance of the human voice on full show. And once I load a sport with a thumping soundtrack — Loop Hero doesn’t get enough credit for its boss-battle music, and I will die on this hill — I discover it simpler than ever to get misplaced within the sport.

In some ways, the ROG Kithara is the primary headset I’ve ever encountered that really feels prefer it was made for me. Usually, audio {hardware} feels prefer it’s designed for one silo of customers or one other, as if audiophiles and players couldn’t deal with buying in the identical aisle with out throwing palms. But I do know that I’m removed from the one gamer on the market who’s simply as enthusiastic about music. Now, I’ve one headset that’s equally prepared for each worlds.

If you’re like me, you may hear the phrase “audiophile” and assume that the product in query requires you to drop a grand or two. The ROG Kithara really checks in at $299.99 (USD). Considering what you’d spend to get comparable sound high quality by buying a gaming headset and an audiophile-grade headset individually, the Kithara presents loads of worth. So whether or not you’re seeking to improve your enjoyment of music and podcasts, your music observe setup, your gaming battlestation, or — like me — all three worlds on the identical time, the ROG Kithara is the improve that you simply’re in search of. Follow the hyperlinks beneath to seek out your personal set.