In a market now almost totally focused on over-ear gaming headphones, Asus ROG recently launched the ROG Cetra II, from the cuffie in-ear in contrast to the rest of the industry. It goes without saying that this choice piqued our curiosity and we spent about a week in the company of these apparently anachronistic devices. Here is our review of the ROG Cetra II.
ROG Cetra II: our review
One of the first things we noticed about ROG Cetra II is the liquid silicone rubber driver, specifically designed to stabilize the speaker performance, with pronounced bass and perfectly balanced equalization. At the same time, the response frequency is sufficiently wide and covers a spectrum 20 to 40 Hz. In the body of the headset there is also the microphone, for any voice chats.
Also the very welcome technology is not missing Active Noise Cancelation, able to recognize and eliminate environmental noises to ensure better immersion and sound performance. Particularly useful is the possibility of reversing this function, which will allow us to hear surrounding voices and sounds without necessarily having to remove the earphones.
A negative side that we must report is the attack USB C, the only way to connect the headphones to your device, completely devoid of an adapter to make the headphones usable even for the slightly older hardware. However, this attack guarantees compatibility with Windows PC, Mac and Nintendo Switch.
The cable that powers the headphones is about 125 cm long, is made of rubber and ends with a control center that serves only to manage theActive Noise Cancelation, as the microphones are placed on the headphones themselves. Also on this panel we find the volume adjustment and the key to access or turn off the ambient mode.
Our proof
Immediately after wearing the earphones we could see that the insulation from external noise is actually of a high standard, suitable for long gaming sessions to fully immerse yourself in the universe played. Of course, we are still faced with in-ear devices, so if you find headphones of this type annoying or invasive, the ROG Cetra II is probably not for you.
During our test we played in the company of ROG Cetra II in different titles of different genres. In Call of Duty Warzone, for example, we were able to appreciate the excellent audio performance, which allowed us to hear in detail all the environmental sounds, including the footsteps of allies and enemies when they were still out of our field of vision.
Another title in which we appreciated the sound performance of the headphones is Monster Hunter Rise, where we were able to enjoy the in-game music like never before, along with all the sounds that the game’s monsters make as they fight us. Finally we tried the headphones with Persona 5 Strikers, where the riot of music and sound effects literally captivated us.
Ultimately we can only recommend the purchase of ROG Cetra II, given that we are faced with a medium-high range product, both in terms of cost and technical characteristics, but which on the other hand offers incredibly high audio quality. A not insignificant element if we consider that it is an in-ear device without practically a consideration on the market.