The ASUS STRIX 2.0 is a mid-range stereo headset that has a design directly influenced by the STRIX owl. It features extra large ear cups, 60mm drivers and a removable microphone.
Product on Review: ASUS STRIX 2.0
Manufacturer: ASUS
Street Price: UK: £59.99, US: $69.99, EU: €90
ASUS are renowned for over designing things, something which can be seen in almost every market they enter in and the same goes for the STRIX line of gaming peripherals. We had a look at the STRIX 7.1 this summer and proved to have that ASUS spirit. Now taking a look at the much more affordable stereo version that can be found in the UK (at time of writing) for a reasonable £59.99.
Primary differences between the 7.1 and the 2.0, naturally, would be that the 2.0 is a stereo headset with 60mm drivers in place of surround drivers, and that the 2.0 is an analogue headset, meaning there is no USB audio processing included and will depend on your existing soundcard/ audio processing solution. Despite these differences, the body of the headset itself is near identical to that of the 7.1, featuring the huge, oversized earcups, plastic frame, and suspension headband. The earcups can completely fold flat to reveal the owl eye design in the earcups,though due to there being no USB power the headset foregoes any lighting.
Overview by ASUS
Strix 2.0 is powered by 60 mm neodymium-magnet drivers to deliver punchy, high-fidelity sound. In addition to providing fantastic gaming audio, Strix 2.0 is a great way to enjoy listening to music. Connect Strix 2.0 to your desktop, laptop, PS4 or smart device and experience superb sound with brilliant details and punchy bass from games, music, and more.
Technical Specifications
Headphone Connector: 3.5 mm (4 pole)
Driver diameter : 60 mm
Driver material : Neodymium magnet
Impedance: 32 Ohm
Frequency Response (headphones): 20 ~ 20000 Hz
Sensitivity (headphones): 98 dB
Microphone Pick-up Pattern
Microphone boom: Uni-directional
Frequency Response: 50 ~ 16000 Hz
Sensitivity: -40 dB
General Info
Braided fibre cable
Cable Length: 1.5 metres
Weight: 320 g
Accessories
Alternative adapter cable
Mobile adapter (type B)
Detachable microphone
Quick start guide
Driver diameter : 60 mm
Driver material : Neodymium magnet
Impedance: 32 Ohm
Frequency Response (headphones): 20 ~ 20000 Hz
Sensitivity (headphones): 98 dB
Microphone Pick-up Pattern
Microphone boom: Uni-directional
Frequency Response: 50 ~ 16000 Hz
Sensitivity: -40 dB
General Info
Braided fibre cable
Cable Length: 1.5 metres
Weight: 320 g
Accessories
Alternative adapter cable
Mobile adapter (type B)
Detachable microphone
Quick start guide
Packaging & First Look
The front packaging has a large window to show off the product inside, and lists the various features to the left. There are several notes for is multi-platform cross compatibility.
AT the back there is a more detailed breakdown of some of the already listed features, as well as a note about having an in-line microphone for mobile use as well as having a detachable boom microphone.
Contained inside with the quick start guide and the warranty card, you will find the retractable boom microphone, a 4 pole to 2x 3.5mm jack Y splitter for use with PC/Mac and any other compatible device as well as a 4 pole adaptor for devices which have an alternate wiring such as older mobiles.
The in-line remote is slim and non intrusive and has a clip on the back for easy positioning. There is a volume dial on the side, a microphone mute switch and an integrate microphone. Because there is an integrated microphone, the in-line remote is situated quite high up on the hard lined cable.
The STRIX 2.0 headset has a native 4 pole jack attached via a 1.5m long braided cable.
Closer Look
Face on, the huge ear pads are rather promintent when compared to the arching frame and the suspension style headband. The black and orange theme is attractive, with the orange stitching giving a high quality impression.
The headband feels high quality leather or PU leather, and is lined with small memory foam cushions. The headband is stretchy and will automatically adjust to fit.
The side earcup is clear plastic and shows off the STRIX owl eye, which gives an interesting aggressive gamer appearance, though some will be put off by the overuse of plastic.
The STRIX headset can fold flat, from this angle the owl design becomes much easier to see.
The earcups provide a huge amount of ear space to create an enclosed cavern of sound, the inside fabric lining is a more sienna colour over an outright orange but it looks attractive and fits the aesthetic nicely.
Though cable is hardlined, next to is there is a port for the removable boom to be plugged into.
The STRIX 2.0 with microphone attached.
Performance Testing
Setup, Design & Observations
As the STRIX 2.0 is an analogue setup there is no need for additional drivers outside of your standard audio drivers for your system. Depending on what device you will use this with will depend which cable you will use, for example, you may use the Y splitter with your PC system, but use the native 4 pole for your Xbox ONE/ PS4/ notebook or mobile device.
The construction material is mostly plastic with exception to the leatherette headband and earpads and feels quite solid. The clamp strength is quite a strange aspect as the headset itself doesn’t have much flexibility to open, if you have a larger head, you may find it difficult to wear, and the clamp strength too high, though if you are smaller you may find that it is too large and will slip off. The clamp strength also made it difficult to wear glasses with this headset, it would knock them off while trying to put it on and once you have it in position, you will feel the glasses being pressed into your head.
The comfort for most will be fine once mounted on your head, the super large earpads keep things comfortable and the headband feels great. Some may feel that the earpads are too large as they could almost take up the entire side of a smaller persons face and the pressure locations are more around the jaw, and farther behind the ears than many may be used to, some may find this strange or simply not optimal.
The earcups do a good job at blocking external sounds, however the plastic frame creates a creakiness which can sound similar to how one may image to be wearing a large wooden ship on their head. In use, this creakiness doesn’t tend to cause any bother, but can be distracting as simply facial movements and gestures can result in plastic creaking sounds.
Multimedia
In our subjective music listening tests, the STRIX 2.0 sounded pleasing with good separation between frequencies with nice punchy bass. Most notably is the very wide soundstage due to the large earcup design. The STRIX headset reaches a very loud maximum volume, and as the volume is increased, audio quality starts deteriorating a touch. The bass starts to become muddy, interrupting the mids and highs and thus losing precision. At moderate to high levels though (not sure why many would go above such volume) the sound quality remains very good, and enjoyable.
Moving on to playing various games (DOTA2, Dark Souls 2, CS:GO, Metal Gear: TPP) using the STRIX 2.0, the wide soundstage made you dive deep into these worlds and provided impressive spatial awareness.
Microphone
The microphone boom is very flexible and bendy, allowing you to position it exactly where you want it, when you mute it however, there is an audible electronic pop heard by others in conversation. The microphone boom picks up voice very well, sounding natural and good quality without picking up too much background noises or static. The in-line microphone in contrast is very muffled, but wouldn’t be your go to solution while gaming. Though when used via a mobile device, the in-line microphone sounds adequate and is a viable alternative than having to attach the boom on the go.
Conclusion
The STRIX design will come as a love or hate affair for many people and the use of plastic could be described as excessive by some. Though the aggressive gamer design is likely to be one of its more stand out features compared to many in this highly competitive price range, though the ASUS STRIX 2.0 doesn’t just stop at a fancy design. The punchy bass combined with a wide soundstage will place gamers in their fantasy world for long sessions of enjoyment.
The comfort aspect may be a little situational due to its fixed shape design and this lack of overall flexibility combined with the use of plastic causes a lot of creaky sounds to permeate through the headset which may cause a distraction. Though, these are oversights from our experience, when in game, the creakiness fades away and we found the comfort to be good and long sessions were no issue at all. This places the STRIX 2.0 in a somewhat unique position compared to the many excellent competitors out there. Fans of ASUS and the STRIX series may find that the weaknesses we observed may be outweighed by the charm and character of the design and come to greatly appreciate the good quality audio from those huge 60mm drivers.
Regardless of which platform you choose to game on, the ASUS STRIX 2.0 and its 60mm drivers pump out clear audio with a deep, punchy bass; gamers will especially love the large earcups that help provide an impressive stereo surround experience.
Pros.
+ Aggressive gaming aesthetic
+ Large earcups
+ Good all round audio
+ Wide soundstage/ good stereo surround in games
+ Dual microphone: in-line/ Removable microphone boom
+ Multi-platform compatible
Cons.
– Audio quality deteriorates at high volume
– Creaky, plastic frame
+ Aggressive gaming aesthetic
+ Large earcups
+ Good all round audio
+ Wide soundstage/ good stereo surround in games
+ Dual microphone: in-line/ Removable microphone boom
+ Multi-platform compatible
Cons.
– Audio quality deteriorates at high volume
– Creaky, plastic frame
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