Asus ROG Delta S Review – Good, but not great

Everyone wants in on the lucrative gaming headset market. Everywhere you look there’s a new brand trying their hand at making the next fully immersive headset and mic that appeals to players wanting to look good on stream. Why opt for one of those brands when you could turn to one of the most established and trusted sources of gaming peripherals: Republic of Gamers. ROG has been around for ages and released loads of great products. So when we sat down with the Delta S gaming headset, we were excited.

But after using the, for a couple of weeks we noticed some rather worrying problems with it. While ROG has made a sleek and stylish headset that feels crafted by a team of elite engineers, it unfortunately lacks quality in other important areas. It’s a decent headset, don’t get us a wrong, but it never really reaches for greatness. It settles for being… fine.

Designs on greatness

The design of the Delta S headset is easily its strongest factor. This is a staggeringly pretty headset that bends and curves in just the right ways. We often find that gaming peripherals, headsets in particular, appear over-designed. They’re busy and messy, resulting in a product that’s never easy on the eyes. The opposite goes for the Delta S headset which is just… clean.

There’s restraint in the lighting as it circles the outer edge of the earcups. It never feels overpowering or like it’s trying to draw too much attention. It tastefully highlights simple, minimalist language that will likely never age. It’s an excellent design overall and hopefully sets a trend in the industry.

The mechanical design is also excellent, resulting in a headset that’s always comfortable. The D-shaped ear cups fit well and should leave users with enough space to comfortably position them as they want. They feel built to last ,with quality that goes a long way in proving how serious ROG is about this product. I will confess that the protein-leather ear cushion is comfy but in South African weather it does get very hot. Whenever I was wearing the Delta S headset for a long period, I often needed to sit in front of a fan for a minute or two just to cool off.

A little off-bass

As far as audio goes, the Delta S is pretty hit or miss. First and foremost, these have been designed for games in mind so playing music was clearly not ROG’s priority. Songs often sound a little too sharp and vocals are noticeably over-pronounced. Makes sense, given how ROG wants this to be used predominantly by folks communicating with each other in the thick of online battle.

In-game, the audio is much better. It’s still unremarkable, though. Playing Apex Legends while using the Delta S was a perfect showcase of the headset’s stereo sound, as enemy gunfire and footsteps were easy to gauge, both in terms of direction and distance. Competitors have certainly provided more precise audio but the Delta S delivers a respectable experience.

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the Delta S is the microphone, which can be attached and removed whenever you want. The main complaint is that it’s neither very good nor is it reliable. On too many occasions I removed and reconnected the mic multiple times in a row following complaints from folks in the Discord that my mic quality had suddenly deteriorated. Even when it worked, the mic quality isn’t especially amazing. Considering the target market for the Delta S are gamers, who’ll definitely make frequent use of the mic, it should be better.

Asus ROG Delta S Verdict

While the Delta S is an absolutely gorgeous headset dripping with restrained style we’d love to see more of in gaming hardware, it lacks in several important areas. With the audio quality going between average and good and the mic straight up failing to work sometimes, we’d be lying if we said we weren’t a little disappointed. The build quality is excellent and the design is top notch but if a headset fails to deliver on consistently quality audio and a functional mic, those are two massive issues that can’t be overlooked.