Overview
The Asus ROG Theta 7.1 gaming headset gives the user an amazing sound experience, especially in the world of gaming headsets when so many continue to needlessly ramp up the low end, the Theta 7.1 delivers some pretty good natural sound. When it comes to the microphone it under delivers for a headset at this price and at between £240 - £260 you would expect it to be flawless across the range of features.
The Theta 7.1 does deliver in many aspects though and we are going to go through the headsets plus points as well as a few small sticking points below.
In-depth
The Asus ROG Theta 7.1 is a bulky headset with ASUS gamer styling that many gaming headsets are known for but keeps the the controls simple making it easy to play with them mid game without losing much focus. The earcups are also huge adorned with RGB logo and a matte-black finish.
The earcups are adjustable using a push/pull mechanism and each of them containing four Asus Essence neodymium drivers which is probably where a good bit of the considerable weight comes from as these weigh in at nearly 600 grams, the faux leather padded metal headband helps to address this by adding comfort to the headset meaning that the weight did not make the headset uncomfortable so you can still use it for hours of gaming.
Additional set of earcup cushions is included with the Theta 7.1, giving you padding that is thicker in order to create more comfort and enable even longer play sessions.
One complaint of this headset is the cabling, each of the headcups requires a USB cable to come out of in order to power the 8 total drivers which isn't an issue in itself, but the design of the wire is such that it makes contact with the neck around the throat which can be annoying and is probably the most common complaint of this headset and the only thing which deducts points from its general comfort.
The Theta 7.1 controls are simple to use and easy to access which is exactly what you need for changing options mid-game. The left earcup has a rocker switch which deals with volume adjustment and will also double as your mic on/off switch when pressed in, and a toggle for stereo/virtual 7.1 surround sound.
The audio performance really is top notch on this headset, the pretty natural sounding high quality sound makes this a good headset to listen to music on. Combine this with the decent 7.1 surround sound this gives you a great sense of immersion during your gaming sessions.
All you really need to know is that when it comes to the sound quality, the ASUS Theta 7.1 is good enough for everything you'll throw at it. Some people have noted this sounds quieter than other headsets, but combine the seal of overear earcups with long gaming sessions at a slightly lower volume and your ears will be thanking you in the long term.
The 7.1 surround sound really does shine, its excellent to provide you with directional audio meaning audio cues in games are really clear, and the audio keeps a composed clear sound even when in the middle of particularly chatoic scenes.
One downside is the mic on this headset which we found came in really hot, meaning you'll have to make some adjustment to the input in order to get this mic delivering a good clear sound without clipping and the mic noise cancelling technology for the mic isn't perfect meaning a bit of playing in the software and adjusting the noise gate to get it working effectively.
The software is a pretty decently feature packed and simple to use addition here, you can change the EQ settings for those who wish to forego the natural sound and ive the base a bit of a boost, you also have things like compressors but this isn't something to really play with unless you know what they do and how they work.
The RGB colouring is also contained in the software and there are lotsof standard effects as well as the ability to create your own custom ones.
The ASUS ROG Theta 7.1 is a great gaming headset albeit on the high end of the cost scale, the sound is great, the build quality is great, pretty much the only let down is the mic audio which isn't a dealbreaker in our book because the things which really matter (sound and comfort) are worth the price.
If you'd like to buy the Theta 7.1 for your gaming setup check the button linked below and pick them up for your next gaming session!