Both interior panels on the headband decoupled and constantly put pressure against my head. Since this happened on both sides, I believed it was a product of poor design rather than my specific headset being faulty. However, my second unit did not present the same issue. Even then, it still has a mediocre microphone and the low-battery notifications are annoying.
Asus ROG Strix Go 2.4 Electro Punk headset design
The Asus ROG Strix Go 2.4 Electro Punk boasts a sleek, mostly black frame with neon pink accents in the perfect spots. When you extend its headband, a brushed metal pink plate begins to come into view, with the letters “ROG” and the start of “Republic of Gamers” in Chinese (玩家), made of silver dots. However, the headband proved to be a monumental issue for me. There are plastic pieces below the leather part on each side that managed to detach from the upper coupling. This happened whenever I put the headphones on my head. It’s a bit better on the right side, as I can keep my thumb pressed tightly against the plastic piece to prevent it from popping off, but the left one always comes out regardless of how hard I try to keep it in. This faulty unit does not reflect the product as a whole, but the fact that it happened on both sides in the same way is a bit suspicious. It’s possible that the headset is the result of cheap plastic or poor design, however, I spent a week with a new unit, and this issue has not occurred. If it does, I’ll update this review accordingly. The headset’s earcups are black and the interior boasts a pink fabric with the Republic of Gamers logo stitched on. The logo also appears on the outside of the left earcup, while the external right cup has the letters “ROG.” This also repeats at the top of the earcups, but the logos are pink and have switched sides. As far as controls and ports go, there is a black volume slider that can be clicked to mute the microphone, a pink switch that allows the headset to go from wired to wireless, a USB-C charging port, an audio-in jack and a multi-function button. The headset comes with a 3.5mm connector, a USB-C-to-USB 2.0 Type A adapter, a detachable microphone, a USB-C cable and a black travel case with a soft interior and hard exterior.
Asus ROG Strix Go 2.4 Electro Punk headset comfort
The ROG Strix Go 2.4 Electro Punk is a bit uncomfortable even when it’s not breaking on me. The faux leather earcups and headband press tightly against my head during my first few gaming sessions. However, I got used to it to the point where it wasn’t too noticeable. Regardless, the Strix Go simply isn’t as comfortable as something like the Razer Blackshark V2 Pro. Although it’s a bit tight, the Strix is lightweight (10.2 ounces) and did not weigh me down. It’s even lighter than the far more comfy BlackShark, which is 11.3 ounces. Unfortunately, this was only before the Asus ROG Strix Go 2.4 Electro Punk broke. Whenever I put my first unit on, I felt a constant pressure against the top of my head from the decoupled plastic pieces below the headband. It got to the point where I had a headache after more than a few hours of use. Even when I pushed these plastic pieces back in their slots, they typically just decouple again shortly after. This issue has made the headphones practically unusable. Thankfully, with my new unit, the plastic pieces are firmly in their slots and they don’t press against my head. Even then, the headset feels a bit small and the ear cushions don’t give my ears enough room to breathe. Both the headband and ear cups are made out of a faux leather, causing it to feel less malleable than it should. As my head is a bit large, I need more space and a softer material to increase comfiness.
Asus ROG Strix Go 2.4 Electro Punk headset gaming performance
The Asus ROG Strix Go 2.4 Electro Punk headset uses a 40-millimeter neodymium magnet driver that provides an immersive aural experience while gaming. Subtle instruments within music tracks were easy to hear and the headphones can get incredibly loud if you choose to make them that way. As I played Doom Eternal, I immediately felt the power of Mick Gordon’s hard-hitting soundtrack. Dashing through the air, I pulled out my sniper rifle and blew the heads off various demonic beasts. The subsequent popping noises were presented with a wet, satisfying bass. Jumping between each shotgun blast and glory kill, I could feel the highs of this harsh, unpredictable, and beautiful hard-rock nightmare come to the forefront of the audio without losing the details found in the build-up of terrifying noises and screeches I jumped into a match of Dropshot in Rocket League and was blown away by the headphones crisp audio as I cruised around the arena. When I saw the ball coming straight at me, the Strix Go immersive performance let me feel the roar of my engine. And the whistling wind from my ice-cold boost sounded so real, I could almost feel the cool wind whipping around my face. When I smacked the ball onto the enemies side of the field,I heard the explosive shattering of glass, coming in at a proper level of bass. And when the announcer screamed about the lovely goals being made, I heard them quite clearly at the forefront. As soon as I entered the creepy asylum in Phasmophobia, I heard a low, constant humming flow through the Asus ROG Strix Go 2.4 Electro Punk. It quickly put me on edge, and when I’d get closer to unravelling the mysteries behind the apparition haunting this asylum, I’d frequently be spooked by the whispers in my ear. While the ghost moaned and groaned, no sounds besides from the ones being presented to me through this sound system were even noticeable. Despite lacking noise cancelling, the Strix Go does a great job at keeping me in the game.
Asus ROG Strix Go 2.4 Electro Punk headset music performance
The Asus ROG Strix Go 2.4 Electro Punk headset sufficiently balanced pretty much every track I’d throw at it. The cans provided great performance when it came to sections full of bass without negating the quieter, more nuanced moments where the slightest details are highlighted for an optimal experience. While listening to “Cleric Beast” from the Bloodborne Original Soundtrack, the orchestra sounded downright operatic, including a percussion section that delivers a clear and satisfying rumble. As the track began to escalate and evolve into its iconic symphony, the sharp yet beautiful strings came across with surprising depth. When the operatic humming combines with the foreground melody, both are equalized sufficiently and no detail is lost. As I began “Metallic Taste” by Body War, the tranquil nature of the opening put me in a restful state. I turned up the volume as the vocalist began to sing and the headset maintained the overall quality despite the boost.. The bass was powerful, without overwhelming the rest of the track. Which was good as it meant that I heard the swell of layered instruments and every guitar pluck, drum hit and shout comes across at an excellent volume and crispness. As I played Thom Yorke’s “Dawn Chorus,” I felt the electronic synths appear from the upper part of the soundstage and evolve into something more all-encompassing, immersing me into its unique sound. It felt as if the synths vibrated throughout my body, and when Yorke’s reassuring voice came into play, it was almost like I’d risen up onto a cloud. I’ve listened to Dawn Chorus a dozen times previously, but was only able to notice the occasional static in the background that gives the track a retro-esque effect thanks to the Electro Punk’s incredible audio.
Asus ROG Strix Go 2.4 Electro Punk headset microphone
Unfortunately, the Electro Punk Headset’s removable unidirectional microphone is the product’s greatest downfall. Not only does it make you sound like you’re super far away (even when the microphone is close to your mouth), but there is absolutely no crispness to the audio quality. My voice was full of static and whenever I spoke loudly, the playback became an indiscernible mess of noise. While the noise cancelling did a decent job at minimizing the clickety-clacking coming from my mechanical keyboard, it was still quite clearly present. I can only assume that the microphone’s advertised “AI-powered noise-cancelling” is a part of the reason why the quality is so drastically poor, as it keeps trying to cancel out my own voice. However, you can turn this off through Armoury Crate, but it didn’t help much. Overall, the microphone sounds comically bad, to the point where my friends assumed I was intentionally using a terrible mic for comedic purposes. It’s not all terrible, however, as the microphone has one redeeming quality: it can be removed.
Asus ROG Strix Go 2.4 Electro Punk headset features
The Asus ROG Strix Go 2.4 Electro Punk can easily connect to PC, Mac, Android devices, PS5, PS4 and Nintendo Switch using its wireless connector. If you want to use it on an Xbox One, you’re going to have a bit of trouble. I was able to do so by connecting a headphone jack to my monitor and changing the audio output on Xbox One to play through it. Pairing to the Xbox Series X is a bit easier, as you can connect the headphone jack straight into the console. The Asus ROG Strix Go 2.4 Electro Punk headset can be used with Armoury Crate, which allows you to edit its settings in-depth. It comes with a handful of sound optimization presets, including Communication, Flat, FPS, Gaming, Movie, Music, Racing and RPG. Sliders for Bass Boost, Compressor and Voice Clarity are also available. You can also turn on Virtual Surround Sound, which makes the headset far more immersive. Additionally, Reverb can be turned on and comes with presets called Studio, Theater, Live, Cave, Church and Stadium.
Asus ROG Strix Go 2.4 Electro Punk headset battery life
Asus advertises the ROG Strix Go 2.4 Electro Punk as having 25 hours of battery life. This doesn’t match up with our testing of this product, as playing music for 16 hours drained the battery completely. These headphones also get bothersome when running out of battery power. It will interrupt whatever you’re listening to every 30 seconds with an obnoxious beep followed by the words “low battery.” Yes, I understand my headset is low on battery, please let me live out its final moments in peace. I would much rather have this happen every three minutes rather than every 30 seconds. The headset will frequently beep at random points while I’m playing a game or listening to music. Sometimes this won’t happen for a while, and other times it happens in quick succession, going off dozens of times, which can easily break immersion.
Bottom Line
I would love the Asus ROG Strix Go 2.4 Electro Punk if it weren’t for a few unfortunate missteps. Not only has its cheaply made panels broken on me, but this happenstance has made them impossible to use comfortably. And even when it’s not broken, the headband pressed tightly against my head. Additionally, it’s coupled with an awful microphone and annoying low-battery notifications. However, I’m genuinely impressed by the consistently stunning and immersive audio quality. Armoury Crate also allows you to further tweak these settings to make an already great sound system even better. I’m conflicted with the Asus ROG Strix Go 2.4 Electro Punk, as it might be worth its steep $199 price tag if you can get past the discomfort.
