ASUS ROG Delta II Wireless Gaming Headset Review

In for a much needed in-depth review is the much anticipated ASUS ROG Delta II Gaming Headset. This wireless gaming headset is priced locally in the Philippines for about ₱11,280 PHP, which is at around $200 USD globally.

Disclosure: ASUS sent the ROG ASUS ROG Delta II gaming headset for the purpose of this review. Like many samples before it, the brand did not ask me to say anything particular about this certain product.

Technical Specifications

The ASUS ROG Delta II is a gaming headset with a completely different tuning compared to the previous models. We’ve tested its prototypes, including the demo unit from Computex 2024 and I could confirm it follows the Harman curve to an extent. As for specifics, the ROG Delta II comes with 50 mm drivers, a uni-directional microphone and tri-mode connectivity. It also comes with a 1800 mAh battery, two sets of pads, and weighs in at 318 grams according to ASUS.

Headphone
Transducer	50 mm, Dynamic
Frequency Response	20-20,000 Hz
Impedance	32 Ω
Sensitivity	N/A
THD	N/A
Connectivity	3.5 mm, 2.4 GHz RF, BT
Microphone
Transducer	10 mm
Polar Pattern	Uni-directional
Frequency Response	100-10,000 Hz
Sensitivity	-40 dB
Dimensions
Length	N/A
Width	N/A
Height	N/A
Weight	318 g

Packaging and Accessories

The ASUS ROG Delta II is packed with care, along with a separate compartment for its array of accessories.

Scope of delivery are as follows:

• ASUS ROG Delta II Wireless Gaming Headset
• Detachable microphone
• ROG Hybrid ear cushion (Mesh)
• Wireless 2.4 GHz USB-C dongle
• USB-C to USB-A adapter
• USB-C to USB-A charging cable
• 3.5 mm cable
• User guide

Design, Build and Connectivity

The ASUS ROG Delta II sports the distinct D-shaped design of the series – hence the Delta in its name. Compared to its predecessors, the Delta II is a welcome refinement, featuring a more streamlined yoke and headband design along with a slimmer pair of ear cups.

ASUS provides the ROG Delta II with two types of ear cushions: one set made of PU leather and another of mesh fabric. These cushions offers nearly an inch of depth, each with their own advantages and drawbacks.

As for input, ASUS opted with a 10 mm uni-directional microphone for the ROG Delta II. The microphone is designed to be flexible and detachable, connecting through a 3.5 mm jack with a unique mold. It features a status LED that indicates whether it is muted.

The ROG Delta II features controls and connectivity options in intuitive locations. For an instance, the right ear cup houses the Bluetooth button and its independent volume wheel. On the other hand, the left ear cup holds the USB Type-C port, the power switch, and the primary volume wheel, which can also be pressed to mute the microphone. As far as I know, there is no way to adjust the microphone input level via physical wheels or buttons.

The ASUS ROG Delta II comes with all the accessories needed to get it connected to your devices. For wireless, there’s Bluetooth and the 2.4 GHz receiver with its own adapter for Type-A ports. ASUS also included a 2 meter TRRS cable for those who prefer analog connectivity.

Ergonomics

The ROG Delta II is a lightweight gaming headset, weighing in at 311 grams with the microphone attached and 300 grams without it. If you opt for the mesh pads, the weight decreases by 3 grams. It is also able to accommodate a variety of head sizes – best suited for medium to large due to its relaxed clamping force. The Delta II’s Weight distribution is great, with better balance between each cups compared to the bulkier designs of the older models.

Regarding the pads, their internal dimensions are approximately 64 mm in height, 54 mm in width, and 30 mm in depth. These dimensions are suitable for individuals with small, medium, or even large ears, taking into account the D-shaped design. Additionally, I have found that the pads can accommodate thin-framed glasses without significantly affecting the seal.

Software

The Armoury Crate software suite is a required if you want to maximize the ROG Delta II’s features. The software has six main menus, with the Audio serving as the most important section with its selection of presets, and other niceties – that includes a crude equalizer.

Of course, you could also adjust its RGB lighting, setup the microphone’s features and check out the power options of the headset. The only things I wish that ASUS implemented are the following: a remapping function for certain buttons and a parametric equalizer. This stems from my requirement to enable input adjustments on the fly along with the option to fine tune the ROG Delta II.

Frequency Response

The ASUS ROG Delta II is able to output an assortment of frequency response, primarily due to the possible combinations of presets, pads, and even its connectivity options. To narrow down the selection between various responses, I started to play with the presets and have found out that flat is indeed the flattest out of the bunch along with an acceptable amount of response towards the ear gain region. These results are not normalized, meaning the headset had different volume or gain levels depending on the preset selected.

The next step is to evaluate the headset’s frequency response with various pads and connectivity options. Based on the measurements – and our ears of course, the mesh pads has a slight advantage over the PU leather ones. I also noticed that running the ROG Delta II wirelessly nets a more favorable result over analog, with better bass output, ultimately concluding that ASUS uses DSP to improve the frequency response of the gaming headset.

Our frequency response curve of choice is achieved through a blend of flat preset and complemented by the mesh pads under wireless connectivity. This frequency response offers more than enough bass for gamers along with a solid midrange output, combined with a lively treble. While I wouldn’t classify it as flat or reference quality, this gaming headset is the closest to Harman’s tuning that I’ve tested straight out of the box. Technically, it aligns more closely with the Harman IE 2017 tuning, which is designed for in-ear headphones, resulting in a V-shaped sound profile.

Bass

The ROG Delta II comes with an elevated sub bass and bass response, which is +8.5 dB higher compared to what I am used to listen with. This is acceptable, and I find it appealing for games and movies where you want that low-end grunt and rumble. Easily fixable with parametric EQ shelving. There’s a reason why you’d want to do that so keep on reading.

Mids

The midrange of the Delta II is the smoothest I’ve seen with a gaming headset, with little kinks and humps between 500 Hz and 1 kHz. Unfortunately, the upper midrange (2-4 kHz) lacks a desired ear gain response along with 4 dB of channel imbalance – most likely due to the coupler’s design. This is yet another candidate for EQ but I’d rather only touch 3.5 kHz and above due to the said imbalance.

Treble

Now the treble has excess energy from 6-9 kHz. Going by ear, I do not find this harsh, so the measured response has to be exaggerated. It is however undoubtedly accentuated so you may want to EQ this down if it is not to your liking. Fortunately for us, the software’s equalizer could be used to easily adjust this range.

Distortion

The ROG Delta II comes with an elevated distortion level at the bass region. This could explain the uneven bass response and the unpleasant bass boost feature when it is enabled. To add, the irregularities in the frequency response graph align with the observed distortion measurements.

CSD

The CSD indicates a significant amount of residual energy in the bass region extending to the midranges. Reducing the amplitude should greatly benefit the ROG Delta II in this regard – more so if you like tighter sounding bass.

Noise Isolation

The ROG Delta II offers an average noise reduction of 24.1 dB for the PU leather pads while it is an average reduction of 20.6 dBA for the mesh pads. Improvements were noticeable starting at 650 Hz.

Microphone

The microphone on the ASUS ROG Delta II leans towards the lower end of the frequency spectrum. This characteristic can be a double-edged sword; it might give your voice a fuller tone but at the risk of introducing muddiness or nasal qualities. Additionally, it tends to sound a bit compressed when compared to other headsets I’ve tested featuring a similar price range.

Regarding the noise gate and perfect voice features, I observed no notable differences in their frequency response measurements, except for a slight alteration in group delay. Now, upon reviewing the recordings, it is apparent that turning off Perfect Voice results in improved noise cancellation if Noise Gate is enabled. This was verified through repeated testing, confirming that it slightly amplify background noise so there is no reason to enable it with Noise Gate. If you’re interested in checking out the microphone quality of the ROG Delta II, you may do so with this SoundCloud album.

Input Lag

Measurements via OSLTT revealed that the ROG Delta II has an average input lag of 22 ms when using 2.4 GHz RF. As expected, the input lag increases to 220 ms over Bluetooth. As for range, the ROG SpeedNova wireless technology is quite surprising. Rx and Tx range was tested over 30 meters, even without LOS and it just wont break.

Final Thoughts

The ASUS ROG Delta II Wireless Gaming Headset has proven itself to be a notable advancement in the ROG Delta series, offering a well-rounded package for gamers seeking a versatile wireless headset. Priced at around $250 USD, it brings several improvements and features to the table – along with a few caveats of course.

The ROG Delta II has a refined D-shaped design, a lightweight build at 318 grams, and an improved weight distribution make it a comfortable gaming headset for extended gaming sessions. The inclusion of two types of ear cushions (PU leather and mesh) allows gamers to customize their comfort.

The gaming headset follows the Harman curve to an extent, providing a balanced audio profile with elevated bass and upper treble that’s suitable for gaming and multimedia consumption. While not entirely flat, it’s one of the closest to the Harman tuning out of the box for a gaming headset. Although to be fair, it vaguely follows the Harman IE 2017, and is not the tuning I expected – i.e., Harman OE 2013, 2015, 2017. At best, I would describe its sound signature as V-shaped.

With tri-mode connectivity (3.5 mm, 2.4 GHz RF, and Bluetooth), the Delta II offers flexibility for various devices and use cases. Performance wise, with a low 22 ms input lag on 2.4 GHz RF, it’s definitely suitable for competitive gaming and beyond due to its range. Regarding battery life, the 1800 mAh lithium-ion battery included is expected to offer substantial playtime. It’s estimated to last up to two weeks with a maximum daily usage of eight hours. Having used this for nearly a month, I’ve only needed to charge it once throughout the review period.

As for the cons, the Armoury Crate software offers customization options, though it lacks some advanced features like a parametric equalizer or button remapping. Now, while the detachable microphone performs decent, it leans towards the lower end of the frequency spectrum, which may result in a fuller but potentially muddier or even nasal voice quality.

Although there are areas that could be improved, such as the channel imbalance in the upper midrange and the increased distortion in the bass region, the ASUS ROG Delta II stands out as an attractive wireless gaming headset for its price. Its sound profile, comfortable design, and versatile connectivity options make it a strong contender for gamers seeking a high-quality audio experience with the ROG branding attached.