Republic of Gamers Announces Centurion True 7.1 Surround Gaming Headset

While you may be content with your gaming headset, sometimes you wish they were louder, sometimes you wonder about what it'll be like getting a separate DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) and amplifier. Oh and you definitely don't want to deny any longer the advantage you get in games from having surround sound, but wait, you need to fork out oh let's say... at least double your budget for a complete surround sound home theater setup as well - and even that isn't tuned for gaming (not to mention the issue of the mic). Luckily for you, here is ROG Centurion - the first true 7.1-channel surround-sound gaming headet from ROG. This will give you the gaming experience you never knew you should be looking for - no matter on what desktop or laptop you have (er... provided it can run games properly that is).

Every time you double the number of audio channels, you drop SNR (signal-to-noise ratio), so when you want to decode up to eight channels of surround sound (7.1) you better pair with the best DAC and amp you can for the job. ESS has been in the business for over 30 years, and at the heart of the Centurion audio station you'll find the ESS 9601 - the industry's best headphone amp for portable devices, and has been used in established audiophile brands such as Onkyo. Usually you have to do some homework to see if your headset or earphones are a good match particularly in terms of impedance, well don't worry about it, ROG did the homework for you.

ROG Centurion features 10 discrete neodymium-magnet drivers for a true 7.1-channel surround sound experience (center - 30mm drivers, front left & right - 40mm, side left & right - 20mm, rear left & right - 20mm, and subwoofer - 40mm), which enhances in-game audio positioning for that competitive edge. The size of the drivers are selected according to their purposes. When you think about it, around 80% of the time there is important speech or sound effects coming from in front of you which make the center channel more important than the rest for mid-frequencies so 30mm drivers are used, the front and subwoofer channels need to deliver a lot of bass so 40mm drivers are used, the side and rear channels are for indirect sound effects and bass is left up to the subwoofer so 20mm drivers are used. In general, you will notice the same goes with home theater speaker sizes.

In-ear headphones can be fiddly and supra-aural headsets can sting your ears after a while, the Centurion on the other hand comes with a set of circumaural cups which don't crush your head and are incredibly comfortable, allowing you to last in a gaming marathon without a splitting headache. Included are interchangeable protein-leather and memory-foam ear cups, allowing you to customize the fit and comfort according to your personal preference. And check this out, a dedicated ROG headset stand is also included to keep your meticulous setup as it should be.

Another improvement over the Strix 7.1, ROG Centurion upgraded from a detachable mic to a retractable one, the same great flexible design is retained. The USB audio station also has a built-in ENC (Environmental Noice Canceling) microphone that actively detects and counters more than 90 percent of environmental noise, sometimes it might actually benefit you more by lending it to your teammates so you don't have to put up with their frantic keyboard bashing amongst other annoying noises.

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To compliment and tweak great hardware, Sonic Studio gives you complete control over a wide range of detailed audio features, including controls for Sonic Radar Pro which maps precisely in-game sounds — such as footsteps and gunshots — and displays them on an on-screen overlay. In general, the easy plug-n-play audio station is everything you need, you cannot underestimate the usefulness of dedicated sound controls. The intuitive layout of knobs and buttons with LED indicators allow you to do everything you want without even looking at it, from changing preset gaming environments to individual channel level adjustments or even changing the headset lighting mode. In half an hour, you'll master the controls in order to do everything you want - blindfolded.   

It appears that we haven't covered how awesome it looks, oh well, you've probably only drooled at the pictures all the way up to this point anyway!

Here's the official feature video:

ROG Centurion is scheduled for release in October, prepare yourself! If you're reading on Flipboard, like or leave a comment!

 

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