Page 3 -Subjective Audio Analysis
As with all the audio products we review here at APH Networks, it takes quite a bit of experience and training of the ears before we can begin making a fair judgment. Even for the best of audiophiles, it can be hard to produce an exact and accurate evaluation of a product without a thoroughly familiar product to use as a simultaneous reference. I do not claim to be the reviewer of all reviewers for headphones and are still learning things myself. There are no true objective measurements for audio sound quality. As the reviewer, however, I will put the ASUS ROG Delta S Wireless through a series of subjective tests to try to come up with the most objective rating as possible. The tests were conducted with the ASUS ROG Delta S Wireless connected through the wireless 2.4GHz interface.
After over 50 hours of break-in time -- well above the typical required period -- we put the ASUS ROG Delta S Wireless to the tests. All tracks are uncompressed or high-bitrate audio files. Equalizer settings were manually set to flat for testing purposes. For gaming, I played VALORANT, Warframe, and Phasmophobia. First and third-person shooter games are probably the most crucial games to test these headphones, as gameplay can heavily rely on hearing additional sounds. Phasmophobia in particular is also a very sound-reliant game, as you need to clearly hear the sounds of subtle footsteps, doors creaking, and other ghostly noises to complete the objectives.
Starting on the lower end of the frequency spectrum, the ASUS ROG Delta S Wireless provided smooth bass throughout the tests. When playing games that required me to listen to sound effects like heavy movements or explosions, I found the bass to be very deep. When listening to music, the bass was very punchy and solid. These are all very positive sound qualities for bass, whether you are looking to use it for gaming or listening to some EDM. I did find the bass to get a bit boomy when it came to heavy dubstep drops, but this was not an issue for other genres of music.
Moving on to the middle of the frequency spectrum, the midrange was average, which is what I expected for this headset. When listening to vocalists, their voices came out as reasonably natural. Instruments like acoustic guitars and pianos came out very clear with these headphones. There is a bit of a drop within the midrange, specifically where one would expect to hear the vocals of a song. This is typical for gaming headsets though. Midrange proves to be decently useful in gaming, as it helps to clearly hear your teammates or lighter sounding in-game cues.
When it comes to the very top of the frequency spectrum, the treble ends up forming the V-shaped sound signature. Instruments of higher sounding frequencies were energetic and crisp. Instruments like trumpets, violins, and electric guitars had a strong kick to it. When it comes to gaming, treble also proves to have an important role, as having good high-frequency responses can let users recognize sound effects like glass shattering.
The ASUS ROG Delta S Wireless provided solid depth and width when producing an image, which is expected for an over-ear headset. There was a reasonably open soundstage that gave a clear picture of the situation, whether it listening to a live performance or in the heat of gaming. The 50mm neodymium magnet drivers play a big role with allowing the headphone to clearly present this image too.
When it comes to layering, the Delta S Wireless provided a good amount of detail. The frequency separation was also adequate, with each frequency level having distinct detail. Some details were lost in complicated audio situations such as songs with multiple instruments playing and vocalist singing all at once. I did not notice any electronic distortion when I cranked the volume up to the maximum threshold, which is a good quality for headphones to have.
The ASUS ROG Delta S Wireless does lack a bit when it comes to passive noise cancelling. I could often hear outside noises around me when I was wearing the headphones, which took me out of the immersion of gaming or listening to music. Whether it was my coworkers talking around me or just my PC fans spinning in the background, I was able to hear my surrounding environments fairly well. While this does have the benefit of keeping you aware of your surroundings, it does take away from the immersion of gaming, which is what these headphones are designed for.
The Delta S Wireless did a good job at preventing sound leakage. The protein leather was able to keep the noise from leaking out to my external environment, so you do not have to worry about bothering anyone sitting near you. This in part is thanks to its closed-back design, although it is important to note this will affect other acoustic properties. As such, you should have an idea of where you are likely going to be using these headphones before purchasing them.
With the microphone, the ASUS ROG Delta S Wireless provided clear audio. I used Audacity to record the voice sample shown above. We can hear that the Delta S Wireless did a good job at picking up my voice from the recording above, but it does sound a bit thin and hollow. This headset will do a good job for voice communications. If you are looking to start a hobby in streaming though, there are better options, and we review a lot of dedicated microphones here at APH Networks.
The ASUS ROG Delta S Wireless is advertised to have 25 hours of total battery life for non-stop gaming. For the battery depletion test, I set the volume to 50% and listened to music, played games, and went on calls until the battery was fully depleted. I was able to squeeze 30 hours out of this headset before it ran out of power, which is better than the advertised 25 hours. While 25 hours is shorter than other headsets we have reviewed, I am happy to see the tested battery life exceeded what it was rated for. When recharging the headset, I was happy to see that ASUS was accurate with their claims of getting 3 hours of playtime off just 15 minutes of charge. It took around 2 hours and 20 minutes overall to charge the Delta S Wireless back to full power, which for around 30 hours of battery life, is pretty good. ASUS claims to have a 25m wireless range with the Delta S Wireless headset. Once again, the headset exceeds the ratings. It took 50 meters before the sound started to get fuzzy, which is double what the wireless range was rated at.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Subjective Audio Analysis
4. Conclusion
