I am always fascinated with gaming headsets and all the fanciful features they offer, like the ability to offer multiple ways to connect to the gaming device. And since all gaming headsets must come with good quality mics, they easily adapt for office use. One of my major concerns is the audio quality as gaming audio are often designed with sound profiles to emphasize certain frequencies and stereo imaging, which may not align with audiophile tuning.
ROG is serious about audio headset quality and functionality, so they teamed up with HIFIMAN, a well-known planar headphones brand, to develop the Kithara. The result is the best of breed gaming headset, combining HIFIMAN experience in audiophile-grade sound with ROG expertise in gaming performance.
The packaging is pretty meticulous. After tearing the seal and removing the box cover from the top, you will see the sound signature certificate of the frequency response diagram of the headphone. Every unit is individually measured and so the graph is also slightly varied.
Removing the black card, you will see the quick guide describing the uses of the various accessories and the ear cushion replacement method.
Removing the white sheet will reveal a tray of the connector accessories – USB adapter and the three TRRS heads.
Below the tray lies the actual headset, the 1.5m braided audiophile cable, and the integrated gaming-mic cable. The full product manual is tucked at the lower part. But that’s not all. Remove the styrofoam padding and you will find the second pair of ear cushions in a black box.
And that is the full unbox.
There are ample accessories to make sure your headset can be connected to all types of devices – PC, Mac, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, smartphones, DAP and headphone amps:
- 4.4mm balanced
- 6.3mm unbalanced
- 3.5mm unbalanced
- 3.5mm audio + 3.5mm mic
- USB Type-C
One connector that the Kithara does not support is the single 3.5mm audio+mic headset combo that is commonly found in laptops. ROG explains that a 2-in-1 connector would cause crosstalk issues, and recommends using the USB adaptor instead. I would agree that the USB audio would be better as it uses the DAC built in the adapter instead of the analog audio driver in the laptop.
If you have a DAC that comes with separate audio and mic connectors, like the Creative Soundblaster X5 and the Fosi Audio K7, you can plug the cables separately and achieve separate controls.
The headphone weighs 420 grams but is comfortable to wear with a light clamping force that may feel the headphones is a tad loose on the head. The mic quality is quite good, offering a warm authoritative and clear sound. The backgound noise is not audible, so the mic needs to be rather close to your mouth to ensure it picks up your voice clearly.
The in-line control does not seem to be well-built. When adjusting the volume wheel, I can hear crackling noise when I reach the maximum, indicating poor quality contacts.
The headphones are tuned to be neutral sounding with slight elevation in upper midrange which brings out the vocal frequencies, just like what the frequency curve represents. As an open-back, the bass sounds naturally firm and present without excessive boom or impact. Treble is also not pushy, the drums hi-hat and cymbals are crisp but not forward. The headphones deliver the advantage of planar drivers, handling fast passages with precision and not sluggish. Sound staging is wide and in close proximity. Piano sounds warmer, occupies the stage more. Bass is full, and even during sudden bursts (like gaming gun shots), do not sound too boomy or messy.
When comparing the Kithara with the HIFIMAN HE400se, the HE400se is harder to drive, more laid back sound, more airy, more transient details, less bassy. Stereo imaging is more frontal than sides. When comparing to the Fosi Audio i5, the Fosi delivers more treble air, the midrange is less full, the bass is more compact and tangible, less dispersed. Among these headphones, I appreciate the more balanced tuning of the Kithara, as it brings out the midrange warmth of the instruments, the prominence of bass impacts, offering detailed treble without harsh. In terms of value, it certainly beats the Fosi, but I also love the treble sparkles of the i5 that elevates the clarity.
Verdict
If I have to keep just one headphones for everything I do – music, gaming, office meetings – then it would be the ROG Kithara. It offers no compromises for my use cases. I am a fan of open-back headphones and love the way audio breathes instead of being contained within the headphone housing chamber. There are so many accessories that are included in the Kithara to connect to any device. The earcups are easily replaceable, the headband is made of durable fabric that does not look like it will disintegrate.
But if you already own a good pair of headphones and want to extend its use for gaming and for work, then you would have to find compatible cables with boom mics and various connectors, which should set you back between $50-100. Actually, if you buy the Kithara, you could also connect the microphone cable to other headphones that support the same 3.5mm connectors.
The ROG Kithara is available in Singapore with a recommended retail prices of S$459.
