The ROG Delta S gaming headset remixes a classic for even better audio everywhere

Dec 17, 2020 Written by:Jeff Kampman

If you’re obsessed with the fidelity of your music, achieving consistently pristine reproduction of your source material is mandatory for the best listening experience, but it’s far from a simple task. Keeping a tangle of external dongles and DACs around to get hi-fi sound from all of your devices might work, but it’s hardly elegant. And when it’s time to game, the headphones you use to listen to your favorite tunes might not have the aural characteristics necessary to maintain an edge on the battlefield. To simplify your audio loadout, we’ve updated a classic to produce the ROG Delta S—a USB Type-C headset that’s ready to deliver the purest, most precise sound for gaming and music alike. 

Scenario photo of ROG Delta S headset on a black background, with microphone attached and RGB activated on the earcup.

Traditional headsets receive an analog signal that’s vulnerable to interference, but the ROG Delta S establishes a reliable digital audio link with its source device for that initial transmission stage. It performs the final decoding and conversion steps itself, far from sources of electronic noise that can degrade the listening experience. To convert digital signals into high-fidelity analog audio, the Delta S uses the same quad-DAC architecture as the original. We devote four separate audiophile-grade ESS 9281 Pro converters to distinct segments of the audio frequency range, producing a crystal-clear 130 dB signal to noise ratio for the final output. 50mm ASUS Essence drivers in a closed-back earcup design reproduce that output signal with the utmost clarity and precision for both music appreciation and the best sense of positional audio in games.

Thanks in part to this exacting architecture, the Delta S is one of the world’s first headsets to be certified as a Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) Renderer device. In tandem with MQA Core Decoder audio sources, such as the Tidal app, the ROG Delta S can complete a full MQA “unfold” and reproduce those source recordings with incredible fidelity. The broad availability of the Tidal app across platforms ensures that you can always have access to MQA audio’s complete capture of the studio recording, whether you’re listening at your desk or on a USB Type-C-equipped phone like the ROG Phone 3. 

ROG Delta S view from the side.

Because all of that hi-fi hardware is built into the Delta S itself, you never have to wonder whether you’re going to enjoy a sublime audio experience whenever you have a moment to game or jam out. Just plug it into any compatible device with a USB port and go. Whether you’re gaming or listening on an Android device, a PC, or even consoles like the Nintendo Switch or Sony PlayStation, the USB-C port (and included Type-A converter) ensures broad compatibility.  

Consistently pristine output is just the start for an enjoyable audio experience these days. If your headset microphone transmits background noise from your peripherals or environment along with your voice, there’s a good chance you’ll annoy your teammates. At worst, they might not be able to hear important commands or heads-up messages clearly during a critical moment in a match. Outside of games, background noise on voice and video calls is an undesirable distraction in its own right.

The ROG Delta S keeps your mic output clean no matter what device it’s plugged into. Our exclusive AI Noise Canceling Microphone uses a neural network model that’s trained on over 50 million types of noise signatures to filter out all that aural clutter right on the headset itself, transmitting nothing but your voice whenever you speak. Whether you’re gaming, conferencing, or just chatting, the AI Noise Canceling Microphone keeps you intelligible no matter how much is going in the background. For those times when you need to go silent, a dedicated volume and mute control on the left earcup lets you cut the mic at a moment’s notice. A handy LED mute indicator on the microphone boom lets you know when you’re on air or off at a glance.

ROG Delta S headset, Scope RX keyboard, and Keris wireless mouse on a desk, with an ROG monitor in the background.

As we updated the Delta S, we also made sure to keep the best parts of the existing Delta lineage. The distinctive D-shaped earcups of the Delta line make an encore on this unit. We chose their shape to distribute pressure more evenly on the sides of your head, and they’re canted 12 degrees back from vertical to both sit more comfortably and to more naturally orient the drivers inside relative to the ear canal. Both the premium protein leather earcups and outer driver covers feature a subtle diagonal slash design to indicate that you’ve chosen the latest and greatest of the Delta line. 

If your sense of style is more extroverted, the Delta S is built to satisfy. Aura RGB LED lighting surrounds each earcup and shines through ROG logos on both sides. You can configure your favorite lighting colors and effects via the Armoury Crate software utility. Aura Sync support allows you to coordinate the show with the rest of your setup, too. A new Soundwave mode modulates the brightness of the lighting in response to the mic signal, creating extra excitement on the esports stage or on your game stream’s facecam. A dedicated lighting mode switch on the left earcup allows you to engage the standard Aura mode or the Soundwave effect on demand. 

For more information regarding pricing and availability of the ROG Delta S headset in your region, please contact your local ASUS representative.