Unboxing & Overview: Strix 7.1 Discrete Surround Gaming Headset

The Strix 7.1 Surround Gaming Headset is a new premium gaming headset with true 7.1 surround sound, a noise-cancelling microphone, and a plug-and-play audio station with comprehensive controls.  Even though it is classified as a gaming headset it is even a compelling alternative to buying an amplifier, a subwoofer, a center speaker, a pair of front speakers, a pair of rear speakers and a pair of surround side speakers; in many ways this is a more appealing option than a complete 7.1 channel home theater system.

Strix 7.1 Unboxing

Although you can check out these headphones through the see-through box cover, you really have to put them on and listen to be a believer (but considering how good they look, it must be hard to resist already). Nevertheless, it's good to do the research so you find exactly what you want, so here it is.

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Open up the box to find the Strix 7.1 audio station, Strix 7.1 gaming headset, detachable FleXion microphone boom, USB cable, a speaker cable (in case you want to switch between the headphones and your existing 7.1 surround sound speakers), the user's manual and warranty.  There's a lot of matte black with bright orange indicators to clearly display your current settings in the dark.

Strix 7.1: The Hardware

To make one thing absolutely clear, this is not virtual surround sound, not downmixed either, this is true, 7.1 discrete channel surround sound!  Every single channel is present and separately positioned to blast you from 360 degrees using ten neodymium magnets to drive five channels in each ear-cup.  If you think this might be an unfair advantage, well, it is.

In each earcup there is a 30mm driver for the center channel, 40mm for the front channel, 20mm for the rear channel, 20mm for the side channel and a 40mm for the subwoofer channel.  Sizes are proportional to that of a full-size home theater speaker system where the front speakers and the subwoofer are ideally the largest to achieve a balanced and natural sound as originally intended.

These are 7.1 surround headphones, but you won't need to switch earphones when listening to music or other content which doesn't support 7.1, as a dedicated stereo mode is available which enables the front, center and subwoofer channels.

The worst thing is having to constantly move the microphone closer to your mouth in the middle of the game because it keeps flinging back into its default position, or, it begins to droop down as you move around.  So, the Strix 7.1 uses a detachable, flexible microphone featuring exclusive ASUS 'FleXion' technology. You can bend and mold it whichever way you like and it will retain its position and flexibility.  Oh, and which other headset mic looks this good?

To maximize comfort and fit, the Strix 7.1 uses dual-swivels on each ear-cup (total of four) to accommodate all head shapes and sizes, thus providing even pressure across the whole surface of both ear-pads.  It doesn't matter what size you head is; it can be resized significantly, there's no longer the need to adjust the band manually, the band retracts automatically and even looks great whether retracted or not.  

These are circumaural headsets (full-size headphones completely covering the ears), which are typically more comfortable since they do not press on the ears like supra-aural headphones, on top of that providing a better seal to block out external noise more effectively.  The protein leather cushions feels nice, adding comfort as they are super-soft and breathable so you don't get drenched in sweat. Since there's almost nothing worse than putting on cold, damp pads, that's worth noting. 

These headphones, despite being large, are still portable. Simply fold them flat for when you want to throw them in a bag and take them to your friend's house.  

The lighting effect on the cans can be set to pulse, as if you're breathing, or a constant glow. Now you not only have a sixth-sense to locate attackers you don't see, you can also keep a fierce Strix eye on others at all times (a pretty good distraction if you ask me!).

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Strix 7.1 USB Audio Station

The Strix 7.1 USB audio station is where the digital signal processing is handled and the headphone amplifier resides.  From the audio station you can also choose between the static and breathing lighting effects on the headphones.

With four buttons (7.1/Amp/Mic/Speakers), two dials (Volume/Mode Selector), two HDMI ports (Speakers/Headset),  the ENC (Environmental Noise Cancellation) switch, an ENC microphone and a USB port, it's high-end features may seem overwhelming at first but rest assured, it really is so intuitive you can figure it out without the instructions.

With the Control Mode Selector dial on the front, you have command of what you want to control; microphone volume, main volume, individual channel volume, lighting or spectrum profile. Once you have the mode selected, you can then alter the volume, spectrum mode or lighting mode. By pressing the volume dial, you can mute the microphone, mute the headset, turn off the lighting, or turn off the spectrum profile depending on the mode selected.

There are four direct-access buttons on top of the audio station to turn on or off; 7.1 surround sound, the headphone amplifier, the microphone, or the speakers, each with its own LED indicator.  There’s no time to mess around during a game, so the controls and indicators are designed in a way so that either you can work it out by feel alone or at most you can use your peripheral vision.

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A key feature to give you the competitive edge is the four Spectrum profiles, where each profile focuses on enhancing certain frequencies in the game:

• FPS – Gunfire Enhancer (So you can be clear on how many bullets you have left, or identify what weapon your vulnerable foe is using).
• FPS – Footstep Enhancer (Helps you surprise the surprise attacker).
• Action/RPG (Lets you know what magic is being cast and what on earth that orc is mumbling about).
• Racing (Allows you to distinguish which gear you are in from the sound of the engine and when to change).

Another way of looking at it is to think of it as a pre-tuned graphic equalizer, or sound modes like pop, club, hall, stadium on your amplifier, except these are unique in the way that they are tuned especially for games!

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Despite being this abundant in features, sound quality is still central to its design. For example, the frequency response is fine-tuned to deliver extreme bass and clear treble, with construction to keep the total harmonic distortion (THD) exceptionally low. giving a clean, crisp sound that's full of detail.  These look great and sound even better.

When you are at a LAN party where 30 people are 'communicating' loudly, inevitably it's hard to get your point across. Environmental Noise Cancellation (ENC) has been a feature of ROG Vulcan ANC, Orion and other Strix headsets, and also on the Strix 7.1 too. The microphone blocks out 90% of the unwanted environmental noise and works great when in-game communication is a vital part of the game.  The switch at the bottom of the audio station will enables it, and the ENC mic is located at the top of the audio station, so it is best to place the station close to where the noise is: around the keyboard or PC fans for example.

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As a plug-and-play device, using the supplied USB cable you can connect the audio station to the PC, and it'll auto-install itself, ready to go.

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If you compare these with stereo headsets, it's simply no comparison!  Everyone wants to be immersed in real surround sound when it's available.  But if you are on the fence between the Strix 7.1 and a full 7.1 speaker system, then the space saving alone is a key advantage, let alone the fact it costs less than a full, surround speaker setup! Even if you are lucky enough to have a full 7.1 kit already, this is a great companion, because with the press of a button you can switch between them. Remember, you can't take a 7.1 home theater out the house with you, and nobody's going to be banging on your door to turn down that thunderous bass!