The ROG Kithara: Two titans combine forces for a potentially game-changing headphone

(Image credit: ASUS ROG)

Gaming headsets and audiophile headphones have long occupied separate worlds. Asus Republic of Gamers is attempting to bridge this gap with the ROG Kithara, developed in collaboration with HiFiMan, a USA/Chinese manufacturer renowned for premium audio equipment.

Available now for $299 in the US and £249 in the UK, the Kithara is ROG's first open-back planar magnetic gaming headset. It's an unusual collab: HiFiMan's products typically cost upwards of $500 and rarely include mics, whilst Asus ROG is known for gaming peripherals with aggressive styling, not audiophile quality.

Buy the ROG Kithara now for $299

But if you're a creative who likes both games and music, this might just be the answer to your prayers. I'm seriously considering putting it in my list of the best budget audiophile headphones, as I can see this set being someone's only headphone, for gaming and music listening.

Sound promises

Audio-wise, the Kithara uses planar magnetic drivers rather than the standard dynamic drivers found in most headphones. Think of it like the difference between a traditional speaker cone that pushes air from a single point, versus a flat panel that moves uniformly across its entire surface. This uniform movement means faster response to sudden sounds and less distortion, particularly at higher volumes.

The ROG Kithara gaming headset displayed upright on a sleek black headset stand, showcasing its padded suspension headband and mesh earpads under dramatic studio lighting. — (Image credit: ASUS ROG)

More practically, the 16-ohm impedance means you won't need a dedicated headphone amplifier; these will run perfectly well from a PC, console, or even a smartphone. However, if you do own a high-end audio interface, the included cable supports balanced 4.4mm connections alongside standard 3.5mm and 6.3mm options.

Physical design

Asus has designed the Kithara as open-back, meaning the earcups feature perforations that allow sound to pass through freely. This creates a more spacious, natural listening experience. Imagine the difference between listening to speakers in a room versus listening inside a sealed box.

There is a downside, though: open-back headphones provide zero noise isolation. Everyone around you will hear what you're listening to, and you'll hear everything happening around you.

Something that distinguishes the Kithara from pure audiophile headphones is the detachable boom mic. This captures frequencies from 20Hz to 20kHz, significantly outperforming typical gaming headset mics that cut off around 10kHz. Asus has implemented separate cable paths for audio and microphone signals, eliminating the interference that plagues most gaming headsets.

The Kithara follows studio reference tuning rather than consumer-friendly bass emphasis. For music listening, early reviewers describe natural timbre and excellent detail retrieval. This means the Kithara could be genuinely suitable for audio production work.

Is it right for you?

A side-profile view of the ROG Kithara gaming headset resting on a dark surface, highlighting its distinctive triangular earcups with a vertical grille design and a prominent boom microphone.

(Image credit: ASUS ROG)

If you're a creative who needs accurate monitoring for audio work but also wants a quality microphone for gaming sessions, the Kithara potentially eliminates the need to own multiple headsets. You could mix a podcast in the afternoon and play story-driven games in the evening without switching equipment. If you're primarily a competitive gamer focused on spatial precision in shooters, though, closed-back alternatives with more aggressive tuning will likely serve you better.

Either way, we're excited about this collaboration between Asus ROG and HiFiMan. Because at the end of the day, it represents something genuinely new: mainstream gaming hardware that doesn't compromise on audio quality. The ROG Kithara is available now through Amazon, Best Buy and Newegg.

Tom May is an award-winning journalist specialising in art, design, photography and technology. His latest book, The 50 Greatest Designers (Arcturus Publishing), was published this June. He's also author of Great TED Talks: Creativity (Pavilion Books). Tom was previously editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine.

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