Asus ROG Gjallar Gaming Soundbar Overview: Sorry, Did You Say One thing?

In an ideal world, I’d sport headset-free, my nonexistent hair flowing within the nonexistent wind inside my residence. It’s not that gaming headsets aren’t nice—I’ve used just a few spectacular pairs this 12 months—however there’s one thing interesting concerning the concept of having the ability to plop my ass on the sofa and play cooperatively with my buddies on-line with out ever donning a further piece of {hardware}. Wearing a headset isn’t an enormous deal, however not carrying one would simply really feel a lot simpler.

That’s the world that Asus ROG’s Gjallar gaming soundbar—the corporate’s first-ever within the class for Asus ROG—guarantees. With an oblong row of drivers for in-game audio and an included hub with built-in AI microphones, the Gjallar positions itself as an all-in-one bundle for either side of the gaming audio coin: an answer for listening to sound out of your sport and likewise projecting your voice to buddies. Unfortunately for Asus ROG and my goals of being headset-free, just one aspect of that coin is definitely price one thing, and the opposite aspect is… sorry, did you say one thing?

Big sound, not the very best sound

Asus ROG’s Gjallar consists of three primary parts: the soundbar, a side-firing subwoofer, and a USB-C-tethered hub with mics for communication, controlling sound, switching inputs, and different stuff.

Since it is a soundbar, let’s begin with the sound half. It’s not dangerous! Okay, overview over. (Just kidding.) While it is a pretty compact soundbar, it delivers a fairly large sound, due to a 2.1.2 channel format, or 5.1.2 when factoring in Dolby Atmos. Up-firing audio system give the Gjallar a good quantity of peak and house, which interprets nicely to the gaming expertise.

Playing video games like Fortnite, I used to be capable of hear environmental noises on all sides: footsteps, gunfire, and so on. And for much less co-op experiences like Cyberpunk 2077, the Gjallar was stable, although perhaps rather less satisfying. There was loads of quantity for issues like gunfire or dialogue, however I wasn’t fairly getting probably the most spatial sound from environmental seems like rainfall or vehicles driving by. If I needed to describe the Gjallar’s sound, it could be “big.” Big is nice in some instances, however it’s not all the time probably the most nuanced. Sometimes large is simply large, and I used to be left wanting extra finesse.

There are totally different EQs for numerous eventualities, so if you wish to swap from gaming to watching a film, you’ll be able to activate the film mode.

Generally talking, I discovered the Gjallar to be rather less compelling for non-gaming makes use of. While it was okay for watching TV (I watched just a few episodes of NBC’s Hannibal), I discovered it to be slightly muddy at occasions. Dialogue was nonetheless audible, however it felt slightly bit flat even with the film EQ on.

Compared to the final soundbar I examined, the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar, issues felt just a bit much less clear, although I suppose in the event you’re shopping for this soundbar from an organization that actually has the phrases “Republic of Gamers” within the identify, then films and TV in all probability aren’t the largest ticket gadgets in your agenda. Still, it is a $600 soundbar, so you may want it to do some extra.

Speaking of blasting, one factor you have to be ready for is an effective quantity of low finish due to the (reasonably giant) side-firing subwoofer. The vibrant aspect of this woofer being form of giant is that it actually places out low-end sound. The subwoofer was significantly noticeable when watching films. Again, watching Hannibal, I received the entire low warbles from the rating, making the present really feel significantly eerie.

Though the low finish is a pleasant contact, this isn’t the best-sounding soundbar I’ve ever used. The sound is highly effective however a bit hamfisted at occasions, and whereas there’s a way of house, I don’t suppose it reaches the highs of different, costlier soundbars, even with the upfiring audio system.

Sorry, come once more?

The sound may be okay, however there may be one side of Gjallar that doesn’t move muster, and that’s the microphone. The Gjallar, as I discussed, has built-in microphones within the included hub. Those microphones have what Asus ROG is asking “Acoustic Echo Cancellation,” or AEC. The concept right here is that you should use the hub as a microphone for chatting with your pals whereas it makes use of AI to cancel out noise within the background, like gunfire or different distracting stuff that occurs in your sport.

The excellent news is the hub seemingly does cancel out background noise—the individual I performed with reported no echo—however the dangerous information is they may barely hear a phrase I mentioned. Despite the truth that the hub was about two ft from my face, I needed to often repeat myself. The individual I performed Fortnite with described my voice as “far away,” and oftentimes after I spoke, they reported listening to noise, however not what I used to be saying. Not nice—actually, it was fairly dangerous. I requested my teammate to price the expertise out of 10, and so they gave it a 4.

Another factor I used to be bummed to study is that the microphones within the hub should not appropriate with consoles that use HDMI. Since HDMI can solely move audio a technique (that’s simply how the cables are designed), you’ll be able to solely use the microphone in the event you’re related by way of USB-C or Bluetooth. Since my Xbox Series S can’t join that manner, I used to be out of luck. If you’re taking part in on a gaming laptop computer or PC (which is how I examined the Gjallar), this gained’t be an issue, however in the event you’re desirous about utilizing this for console gaming, it’s one thing to pay attention to.

The microphone on the hub sucks, however I do prefer it as a bit of {hardware}. It’s received an LCD within the heart of a dial that you should use to manage quantity and likewise press right down to mute or unmute. There are additionally a number of buttons to vary the enter, which means you’ll be able to simply swap between HDMI, eARC, USB, or Bluetooth. There’s even a play/pause button, track-skipping buttons, and a button to manage the RGB on the soundbar—sure, you’ll be able to flip it off by holding the “Aura” button.

The hub does should be hardwired, although, which implies you’ll should plug it into the again of the soundbar by way of the devoted USB-C port. The cable isn’t significantly lengthy, so I wouldn’t plan on having it tremendous distant from the soundbar. Besides, this factor has a tough sufficient time relaying your voice as it’s, so I wouldn’t add further distance to the state of affairs.

Brick-like, however at the least there are ports

The Asus ROG Gjallar is a little bit of a log. Soundbars are onerous to make attractive, however this factor actually is a black rectangle with some RGB on it. There’s RGB, in fact, and you may cycle between just a few colours and a dramatic strip throughout the highest with textual content that reads “for those who dare.” Oh boy.

While I’m not an enormous fan of the aesthetic, the shape issue does make it very appropriate with desks. The Gjallar is simply shy of two ft lengthy and is about three inches tall, so except your desk is egregiously small, you’ll possible be capable to match this on prime underneath a monitor. The subwoofer, nevertheless, is 12.5 kilos, although it’s tall, so you’ll be able to at the least push it to at least one aspect.

Another perk of the {hardware} is the variety of ports. There’s an HDMI 2.1 in and out (the out is the eARC able to 4K passthrough at 120Hz), two USB-C (one for the hub and one for connecting a PC), an optical port in the event you’re old-school like that, and a 3.5mm jack for consoles just like the Nintendo Switch. On the aspect, there are additionally two USB-A ports that may act as passthrough for equipment like a mouse or a keyboard. That’s a correct port array.

It’s clear that Asus ROG put thought into how a gamer would possibly use a soundbar like this—if one would possibly use a soundbar in any respect. From a measurement perspective, I’m awarding the Gjallar factors, particularly as a result of it places out a variety of quantity for a way compact it’s. From a visible perspective, I’m not an enormous fan, although. Sure, it’s received some RGB gamer aptitude, however in any other case it is extremely a lot only a black log with a cool-looking hub.

Not fairly groundbreaking

While I like Asus ROG’s ambitions right here, I don’t suppose the Gjallar brings all of it dwelling. The sound is respectable, and I just like the low finish and inclusion of a devoted subwoofer, however the hub’s devoted microphones do a poor job of creating your comms, um… audible.

Without that characteristic, the Asus ROG Gjallar Gaming Soundbar feels much less thrilling and fewer helpful. The inclusion of upfiring audio system and Dolby Atmos positively provides a way of house that you could be not get with some displays, however I’m undecided if it’s sufficient to essentially justify the worth.

Despite the Gjallar’s finest efforts, gaming headsets are nonetheless one of the simplest ways to ensure your teammates can truly hear what you’re saying, and so they’re additionally loads inexpensive.