Taken from the ancient Roman and Greek word for owl, Strix means the keenest hearing and sharpest eyesight. Strix means feeling your environment so that you detect and react to the slightest movement. Strix means survival on the very edge of instinct.
The Strix Product line debuted last Sep 2, 2014 with the release of the ASUS R9 285 STRIX. Strix is a new gaming brand from ASUS that targets performance-to-premium segment.For graphics cards it will both replace some standard DirectCU II models with additional features, as well as offer an alternative in both style and features to ROG’s pre-overclocked, or hybrid cooled graphics hardware. At the very high-end, as the premium brand ROG will remain king – with its Matrix, MARS and ARES graphics cards leading the performance crown.
FEATURES
The Strix Pro packs 60mm neodymium-magnet drivers for precise position, immersive game audio and accurate sound fidelity. To go with the large drivers is the Environmental Noise Cancellation(ENC) technology which filters out over 90% of noise for a clear in-game communication. ASUS ensures Cross-platform compatibility with different kinds of adapters included for the PS4, current smartphones and even old from Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung. The ear cups of the headset are foldable to compensate for its slightly larger than average design.
SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions:
- 515.5 x 178.6 x 32.9 (mm)
Connectors:
- 3.5 mm(1/8”) connector Audio/mic combo
- 3.5 mm(1/8”) connector Audio/mic separate
- 3.5 mm(1/8”) connector unique 5-pole
Driver:
- 60mm Neodymium magnet
Impedance:
- 32 Ohm
Frequency Response
- 20-20,000Hz
Sensitivity
- 98db
Cable Length
- 2.7mm maximum
Weight
- 320g
PACKAGING
The design of the box is straightforward and aesthetically pleasing. The design itself highlights that this headset is one of ASUS’ premium quality products. But that remains to be seen as we go on with the review.
The back side states the complete details of the headset from its features to its packaging contents. Its a nice move by asus to maximize the space and not just put some gimmicky pictures and quotes from eSports players like some brands do. 3:)
When the packaging is open you’ll have the following
- Headset
- Quick-start Guide
- Detachable Boom Mic
- Smartphone adapter cables
- PC attachment kit
As I’ve said earlier and as what ASUS claims, the headset is compatible with almost every device thanks to its included adapters. The two adapters are basically just sorted by how new the product is that you will be using. ASUS didn’t specifically stated how old are the Samsung products classified in the Type B adapter. Nonetheless, you’ll just have to do the trial & error method if you have a Samsung phone if your phone is probably older than the Galaxy Y.
The Strix Pro comes with a separate PC attachment kit that splits the 2-in-1 3.5mm jack into 2 separate 3.mm jacks for the audio and mic. The attachment kit is USB powered that also acts as an amplifier to maximize those large 60mm drivers.Having the dedicated PC attachment kit makes plugging the headset in and out easy incase you ever choose to bring it along with your travels.
The volume control is satisfying and has a premium feel when using it as I made it a turntable and felt like a DJ when I used it for the first time. There’s a slider on the side to handle mic muting and just under the volume control you can find the switch for the Environmental Noise Cancellation.
The main body has a matte black finish and is plastic that has quite a texture but doesn’t feel rough. The headband is separate from the plastic frame for a more ergonomic and comfortable feel as the headband can stretch up to the frame to accommodate different head sizes.
The headset includes a nice headband that’s leather and has an orange stitching to highlight the Strix theme. The headband itself has some bulgy cushions to reduce head stress from wearing it. It is really comfortable only after your head suffers from the strong hug(clamping force) your headset gives to your head when wearing it for the first time.
The earcups fold completely flat, which makes packing it easier if you want to take it with you. Do take not that you can’t fold it if you wear them on your neck-shoulders when not being used. The size of the earcups are just too big to fit comfortably in your neck-shoulders while maintaining a flat orientation.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, the headset has a matte black finish and is equipped with a leather headband and earcup padding coupled with orange highlights to denote the Strix theme. Like any other leather pads, they can get when worn overtime. Unfortunately, there are no alternative velour earpads included for the Strix Pro headset.
The mic is located at the left side and is detachable. The mic itself is 3.5mm but using other detachable mics in the headset mic port is pretty much useless because of the plastic housing surrounding the jack. Needless to say that mics are the trade-offs of most headsets but ASUS surprised me with its sound quality being above average as it does well in minimizing the background noise when shouting at your teammates requesting for a gank. 😀
User Experience & Conclusion
Performance. The headset performs well in games with a crisp sound detail hearing every footstep in CS:GO and Battlefield 4 without the need to crank up the volume more than 45%. Having a headset also means using it all around and not just for gaming unless you’re some rich kid who has a Sennheiser game zero headset for gaming and an Audio Technica ath-m50x for music. With that given I was interested in the performance of this headset in music. Being a bass head I usually tend to either crank up the volume or use a bass booster equalizer. At first I was amazed by how solid the bass was and how balanced the mids and highs giving it a nice overall sound reproduction spectrum in my listening experience but then cracking up the volume to enjoy the bass rocking experience had me quite disappointed as it began to muffle.
Build Quality. ASUS did well in terms of the quality and ergonomics of the headset. The headband, foldable earcups and the volume control are testament to ASUS’ high quality production.
Functionality. The features are above my expectations specially the headset’s Environmental Noise Cancellation. I couldn’t hear myself typing on my MX Blue Strix Pro Mechanical keyboard when it’s activated. Ultimately, I couldn’t hear my parents shouting and calling me for dinner. The volume control also does a nice job specially if your keyboard doesn’t have a handy volume wheel integrated to it.
Bundle. What Asus has hear is quite some innovation on how they implement things and that more manufacturers should follow this path not just adding RGB lighting and call it an innovative product. The ease of taking your headphones anywhere thanks to its foldable earcups even though its large and the use of the volume control which not just acts as a the volume control itself but more of a “to-go” function. Instead of having to reach the back of your case plugging it in & out with the hassle of plugging it to the right jack, you can just unplug the headset directly from the volume control that you can place just place at your desk and you’re good to go. But then, there are no velour earpads to accomodate our leather hating readers that should’ve been included in this price point like Hyperx’s Cloud 2 gaming headphones.
Strix Claw Gaming Mouse which we also reviewed last December together with the Strix Glide Control Mouse Pad.
Value. Priced at 4,630, the features are not just marketing materials that ASUS used to shine light on their new product in a highly saturated market but brings a punch to its competitors as they have truly made an innovation in the headset market. I personally would like to see ASUS’ offering on the budget side as we have experience time and time again that ASUS really gives the bang for your buck. Adding surround sound like its competitor, the HyperX Cloud 2, would’ve been great as more gamers specially FPS oriented ones would prefer this feature rather than an ease of use type of feature.
While the design is a “hate it or love it” noting the cups resembling hooters (ehem) or owl’s eye(if you still don’t get it) which are eye-catching either in a good or bad way not to mention the decision to veer off from the usual red and black gamer motiff and going with an orange & black color scheme of the Strix line instead.
The Strix Pro gaming headset is all around headset and can gladly be used not just for gaming but for music and voice calls as well thanks to its quality and ergonomics but its not the perfect solution or an all-in-one to replace top-of-the-line headset specialized for music and the likes. The addition of a 7.1 surround feature by means of ASUS’ own software or integrating it with the volume control would make this headset a tougher one to beat in its price range still and with ASUS having good experience in the dedicated audio market with their own sound card and ROG audio solutions, these are within expectations.
With that said, ASUS presents this product with a 1-year replacement warranty and we present our B2G Recommended Award!