ROG Kithara Gaming Headset (90YH0470-BHAA00)

I didn't find it to be as close as the OP regarding detail, soundstage, ect., but nevertheless the tuning was very familiar, close enough that I can use my custom music and gaming EQ profiles I created for the HE1000se. A discount version of that for $299 plus some nice accessories definitely impressed me. The Kithara would be an incredible upgrade in sound quality from typical "gamer brand" headsets. A SteelSeries, Astro, or Turtle Beach to a Kithara would be a huge improvement that will shock some people. I think that is more the target audience, but I actually had a use for it as well for my consoles (PS5 Pro and Switch 2). The Kithara, particularly with at least a basic DAC/ amp, is genuinely entry level audiophile, not "gamer brand" headset, sound. I am using the Schiit Gunnr for consoles and EF600 for PC. https://preview.redd.it/cbkqq99d2rjg1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cfdea8e765cea2d2216c08f909448cc252856196

Wasn't sure what to expect at first. I feel like I wasn't blown away at first. But I think I just needed some adjustment time on them. I really like them. Was interested in something I can use for music and gaming. Was initially going to get Audeze Maxwell, but saw Hifiman was doing the collar with Asus/ROG and figured I'd give them a try. First planar as well. Got a first Gen JDS labs El Amp off marketplace to go along with them. First thing I do after work is sit down and jam for a bit to relax. Love it.

Hey, its good but they are big haha. For example when im wearing my hoodie which is rather loose and oversized. If I turn left or right it will touch my hoodie. Which is for me a slight annoyance. Compared to my Sennheiser HD490 comfort wise, slight edge to the HD490 as they are just smaller and lighter. But the build quality of the Kithara is good, premium feeling. Sound wise, the treble on the Kithara is slightly better, but HD490 is more neutral/balanced. This is on dac/amp Fosi K7. There is no real clear winner, both sound extremely well listening to music (rap/hiphop) and when gaming. Both headsets are really good and comfortable, but like I mentioned the Kithara is a big headset. If you don't have a separate mic I would go for the Kithara. Otherwise the HD490 as they are slightly more comfortable. Can't go wrong with either headset, Kithara more bang for your buck, though some will say 300 bucks aint cheap. I have decided to keep them, as I like the sound signature and its my first planar headset.

Default or velour pads on Kithara? I don't vibe with the 1.5kHz scoop and the different pads completely transform the midrange. I finally found what I was missing in all other hifimans that I've owned or tried before. I use EQ, because there's always something that bothers me and I want to fix, but Kithara with velour pads has come closest to my endgame so far and needed so little fixing with EQ.

Yeah, I am really happy with them. I always ended up prefering tonality over soundstage and Arya lost some of that staging magic for me after EQ (I didn't really have enough time with it, I think). The build quality on the Kithara is also nice for sure and I couldn't pass up the value. I'll probably try to skip Arya and find some of the cheaper TOTL headphones (XK Serene, NAN-7, Cosmo, Tungsten) next time I get back into trying/buying headphones. From what I've heard the Arya is a great platform and if you ever get bored of it EQ and padrolling can make them punch far above their weight if you manage to find something that suits you perfectly.

Quite funny seeing this thread now - I've had the 490s for a while and recently got the Kitharas to try out, partly because I fancied a change, saw all the praise for the Kitharas, but couldn't find that much direct comparison between them and the 490s (lots of Kithara vs all kinds of other brands and models of Sennheiser, not much vs 490 Pro). I spent a long time trying to gauge them objectively, and came to the same conclusion many do: Neither are outright "better". They have different design philosophies and traits and any areas they're better than each other are marginal - arguably the 490s have the edge on imaging, KItharas have the edge on detail because of those planars, and a few other tit-for-tat things. The Kitharas are certainly a great collab between Asus and Hifiman, it feels like what they came up with was better than the typical sum of their parts, hats off to the two of them for making a great product. However, except for when swapping between the two and immediately listening to exactly the same test, I was hard pressed to see benefit from either (and any other differences I had a preference for sound-wise I could just EQ out) - you almost certainly won't unless you're an esports pro min-maxing stuff, which you're probably not given you also want to listen to music on them :-) I'm ignoring a load of other things, e.g. Kithara has a mic and it's a bit of a fiddle to get a boom mic on the 490s; reputation of the vendors; repairability of the 490s; the weird headband tightness issue on the Kitharas (which is easily fixable); etc. etc. I initially decided to keep the Kitharas, but once I'd used them solidly for a few weeks I ended up returning them because of ergonomics: They are *heavy,* the cups are *big,* and the clamp force is light, which is an unfortunate combination. I have a big head, but if I leant to the side they'd clip my shoulder and shift, if I leant my head forwards or back they'd start sliding off. Don't underestimate the practical comfort of the 490s. The Kitharas also look goofy as all hell, but whatever. What did I end up keeping? The 490s, then I swapped those for some Heddphone D1s. They're an upgrade in sound (for my combo of preferences and use cases, but they really should be at nearly twice the price) and address the remaining niggles I had with the 490s. Endgame, for now :-) What would I recommend? Live with both for a week and put the others away. Sell/return the ones that you get on best with. There is no "better". Wiring: My desk is an Ikea Alex+Karlby combo, so I run a USB extension through the back of one of the taller drawers and keep the DAC (dongle not desktop, so I don't need to press buttons on it much/at all) and cans in there. When I'm using the headphones I grab them from the drawer and have the cable running through the gap at the front. It keeps the audio cable short, and I don't need to plug/unplug anything to get everything back to tidy.