ROG Kithara Gaming Headset (90YH0470-BHAA00)

If you want the absolute best for competitive FPS then you need to look into IEMs IMO. I recently tried all kinds of high end headphones, both wired and wireless, and nothing even comes close to the level of detail/clarity that a good pair of IEMs will get you and that’s ultimately what I settled on (Kiwi ears Astral). I did try switching back to headphones (tried the ASUS ROG Kithara) but they just sounded inferior and i cannot go back now.

According to specification, this will definitely become one of the top headsets. 100mm Planar drivers with ultra low 16 ohm impedance. No gimmicky RGB distraction, though I suppose it can be turned off but then again it's one more thing to go wrong. Thin headband, no bulk. Black, my favourite shade. Open back cups, suits fine for hearing surrounding...Postman, door bell, cat & dog. Aesthetically pleasing in that I'll no longer look like a Dr Who Cyberman while wearing a Corsair Virtuoso. As it essentially a HiFiman, it's most probably have excellent sound. At the cost of purchase, it's not cheap but consider it as a HiFiman and it's a bargain. With all that said.........the deal breaker is wired, no 2.4GHz wireless or Bluetooth, as I tend to frequently walk around the house to check on cat and dog.

They are literally better built than all other EGG shaped Hifimans and other than a 6 khz peak the response in better in every way than any version of Arya other then the unveiled one and for a lot less money so just becuase it has a Gamer market advertisement doesnt mean shit when it comes to the actual product. Thank god someone made a hifiman without the same plastic toy design that we have gotten for the past 10 years like it actaully looks nice for once.

Looks better than the arya to me and its built better with 2 pad options and more accessories. Its just a better arya with more features for less money to say this is too expensive is to say all hifimans are too expensive like what are these people on?

Asus ROG Kithara is exactly 300$ and comes with everything you need in the box. With EQ it will behave however you would want it to behave. Skip the BD. Treble is sharp as nails to my ears so can’t recommend them. Skip the Senny. If you want a better Senny then a HD505 is significantly more enjoyable than a 560S (IMO). But needs to be paired with a good DAC. In that case you are looking at adding maybe another 130$ for a DAC like K11 or portable DAC like Crinacle Protocol Max for 90$. Then add a BAM 500 mic as well. My 2 cents.

Deep bass, really? I'm not an audiophile expert at all, I've just tried many, many gaming headphones over the years and finally switched to an EPOS/Sennheiser headset. I've been given the Kithara to try out and review before it goes through to content creation reviewing, but my first thoughts were that the bass seems really, really bad. But I've not got the ears developed to really understand what exactly I'm listening to, I just know it sounds *off*. What do you think?

I listened to it at CES. It's resolving XV with a more-mainstream tuning. Think broader bass impact and a less-polarizing upper-register. [Some photos from the Asus CES booth](https://imgur.com/a/VUpF5yZ).

Which is craaaaazy for a wired gaming headset in 2026 - no one is going to buy these The people that don't mind wired also don't mind having a separate mic, or using a modmic. The people that don't like wired are going to look at literally anything else - and if they're willing to spend 400 they're probably going to land on Maxwells.

Still too high. I agree that chasing wireless is funny for most gamers - though I think it's easy to see why some do - I have a son that likes to sit way back on the couch or his bed regardless of pc/ps5 and then you have people like a friend of mine that can't be trusted not to forget the headphones he's wearing have wires and take half the desk with him when he gets up. I'm with you - I don't get the appeal, but I understand why many want it. I just don't think these are going to gain any traction. In a weird way I hope they do - just because wired headsets gaining some notoriety again would tilt more gamers toward good wired setups. Regardless for 359 you can build a way better experience especially for desktop use.

Nah no need for anyone that already has high end headphones open back or otherwise to consider these

Closer to reasonable but it's still not going to sell on a wide scale.

I think you're missing the point - the argument for headphones and mic as a better option than a gaming head\*set\* is rarely about audio quality as much as it is about price to performance ratio - the same could be said about suggesting certain headsets over others. Example 1 - if you are going to pay 359.99 for these - ask yourself is it really going to be better or even more convenient to get them over something like HD6xx and a modmic? You can have \*both\* right now for under 250 total - same amount of cables to manage - and right out the gate you get a headphone that sits high on the majority of tier lists. Example 2 - Suggesting other wired gaming headsets - is someone looking for a wired head\*set\* really going to tell a $300 dollar difference between these and something like hyperx cloud 3's? Maybe but probably not - and honestly dealing with hyperx customer support is easier than dealing with Asus \*or\* HFM in my personal experiences. And then you get to the fact that they're marketing these as a premium product, at a premium pricepoint.... Have you tried Audeze Maxwells? Why would I spend 360 on these when I could spend 330 on those? Another planar, from a vetted planar mfg......**wireless** and with great dsp so I can change the sound profile on the fly.... If you want Kitharas more power to you, not trying to yuck your yum - but there is 0 chance that they are worth the asking price when compared to literally anything else at the same msrp. ......And it's already been touched on in here somewhere but I fully expect the price on these to plummet at most a year after launch because the majority of gamers will not spend this kind of money on wired, and the majority of headphone purists won't touch these at all.

Lmao but *who is it for*. I would bet my whole collection that they end up releasing a less garishly branded set that comes without the mic at some point to try and push them to headphone enjoyers. Big sponsorship branding like that should not cost more - it should cost less - but if they can get the price down closer to 250 and the sound is in edition xv/edition xs territory I could see it being a good value for someone with no headphone or mic whatsoever looking to get started.

Just got mine yesterday (coming from Drop PC38X) and these things are awesome. Buuuuuut they don't fit.... They are too large for my head. Anyone know if the Edition XV run a little smaller?

Yeah, it just sits slightly too low. I need about 1 fingers width higher for it to be perfect. I might try adding in some material or something because I really do want to keep them.