The Tracks - Music Playback

Asus ROG Strix Fusion 700, RGB Gaming Headset Review - Musical/Song Testing

The Tracks

For the audio tests, I'm going to roll out my standard list, which is a repeat of what I threw against this product's younger (older..?) brother. We will start with the re-record of 'The Sound of Silence,' by American heavy metal band 'Disturbed.' As before, all audio tests were conducted using Spotify's Premium service, which meant tracks downloaded to my computer at a 320KB/s bitrate.

This first track is vocally dominated, backed with instruments that are only there to give Draiman (the lead vocalist) a platform to perform against. If you would like a specific point at which to sample the track at its crescendo, then I would go for 3:00 to 3:45, where the backing instrumentation kicks in a little more to match the vocals.

These cans may be expensive, but initial impressions for the song listening experience? Wow. I mean, somewhat simplistic, but that is all I can say. I write these segments as I go, meaning you are effectively reading my thoughts as I experience and use the product for the first time. Here, with this track, I was utterly bowled over. Even at 100% volume, there was not a single bit of distortion anywhere in the range. Nothing. That's impressive enough, but I remained so at just how nicely rounded the listening experience was on the Fusion 700s. I felt that no part of the track had preferential treatment over another, and there was a fantastic warmth to the audio that allowed me to listen to this track utterly maxed out without my ears becoming tired or fatigued. It's a heck of a start, so let us move on.

The next track is a veritable classic, 'Mr Brightside' by The Killers. I chose this because... well, I like it, but also because it's a decent role reversal of the previous number. The instrumentation plays equal fiddle to Brandon Flowers' vocals, and is perhaps one of the most recognizable tracks of the last 20 years.

I am very, very happy to report that your extra monies spend on the Fusion 700s haven't just gone into adding some extra connectivity. It was at this point I began to really realize that some extra work had clearly gone into the default listening experience, here. If it hasn't, then either my ears need some work, or I've changed since my review of the 500's? Either way, last time I said that the mid-range had suffered on the 500's in an attempt to get them so 'bassy' and therefore gamer orientated (hence why the 500's were so good in both games as well as bass heavy tracks). First up, there was no distortion. However, given that Mr. Brightside is less about sheer volume, that's not too much of a surprise. However, the mid-ranges and Flowers' vocals were much clearer & brighter on the 700's, which was a very welcome surprise, as I had genuinely gone into this review thinking the audio tuning would have gone unchanged. That, luckily, isn't the case at all.

The final track is purely instrumental and is likely going to be recognized by most as the music for Battlefield 1's single-player trailer, released back in late 2016. I'd imagine their Youtube video (linked below) got a fair increase in hit-rate after the trailer dropped.

Not only do I genuinely enjoy listening to this piece of music, but it has the potential to get quite unbelievably loud. Nothing - thus far - has tripped up the 700's in this department, with me having detected no distortion induced by excessive volume. Even with volume at 100%, there was nothing. This is impressive, as this track has unearthed this weakness in every single pair of headphones and earbuds I've ever owned. For £200+, though, I should hope so. However, herein comes the differentiating factor between the 500's, and the 700's. I called the listening experience on the 500's (specifically in relation to this song) 'pleasant.'

Consider that upgraded to 'damned excellent', on the 700's. As said before, the mid-ranges appear to have been tweaked, resulting in a significantly more rounded experience overall. Given that there are no vocals, here, there is almost nowhere to hide in terms of weaknesses in the audio envelope being exposed. The track was bright, suffered from no distortion, and I could easily make out individual instruments against each other without any parts of the composition becoming muddied (which really is a pet hate of mine).

 A word on EQ

Normally, companies tune their audio devices to a user experience that is considered 'best for all.' However, that doesn't take into account individual human condition, where some people can be more or less sensitive to certain parts of the audio range, as well as other factors. EQ's (or equalizing software) allows the user to tweak the audio output of whatever device they are listening to media on. This section is actually going to be very brief.

Ready? I didn't need to use an EQ. Simple. The default audio experience was damned excellent, and in terms of media (that isn't a video game), I have zero complaints. Yes, this is a 'gaming' headset, but it's also nice to know that your 200+ USD/EUR/GBP investment isn't just limited to the latest and greatest games.

Audio & Film

I decided to repeat (for the sake of consistency, of course) my tests for the 700's, using both the first film in Peter Jackson's LOTR trilogy, as well as the excellent Kill Bill Vol. 1 from Quentin Tarantino.

So, first up, 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.' The soundtrack, I have no doubt, will one day pass into cinematic history (if it hasn't already). Howard Shore truly deserved every penny he got paid. That besides, the film is full of weird and wonderful cries, screeches, and noises. Surprise surprise, I really enjoyed the film using the 700's. I haven't mentioned using the surround sound feature so far (except for games), and that is because there really is no need to. The same 'problem' as was present before made a return, here. Certain elements of the soundtrack and audio, in general, were brought to the fore where they, in reality, were more likely intended as mere background or backing. This is, to be fair, exactly what it is meant to do. As before, reducing the volume slightly did enough to reduce this heavier background noise to an again acceptable level, thereby leaving only the good work of Bongiovi's custom algorithm. If you wanted to watch the film like this, I could hardly blame you.

Leaving the surround off, however, provided a very immersive listening experience. The soundtrack was excellently realized, even with default EQ settings, and the rich dialogue (thanks J.R.R Tolkien, I feel as though I don't say that enough) comes through well without ever being lost in the chaos of whatever is happening. The ending to the Moria section (with Gandalf's fall) is a very pivotal and moving part of the movie, and I was suckered in more helplessly than usual. So, if you wish to kill around 3.5 hours on a flight to somewhere, then watching Lord of the Rings using the Fusion 700's is a good idea.

Kill Bill - Vol. 1

A major part of Tarantino's films has been the music, and Kill Bill doesn't let us down here. Iconic tracks such as 'The Lonely Shepherd' and 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood' are utterly captivating, and are almost reason enough to choose this film. It's why I went for it in the original Fusion 500 review, as well as just plain old liking the film.

The experience with Kill Bill was - this time - fantastic. The slightly lacking mid-section (at least to my ears) of the 500's has been solved, resulting in a much richer/fuller sounding film that was a joy to sit through. Where there was bass, there was bass, and the spoken sections were easily distinguished from whatever was in the background at the time. As previously hinted, the film's soundtrack, to be fair, sounded excellent. If you've never seen the film, I urge you to go and enjoy it. below is a sample, for your enjoyment. I'll reiterate that if you're buying the 700's specifically for their non-gamer pros, then you could do a hell of a lot worse. They're not marketed as an audiophile set of cans, but I really couldn't find cause for complaint. Last time, I had that I usually end up fiddling about in EQ to any set of headphones I buy. Not the case here...