[section_title title=Closer Look]
Closer Look
Now we will take a look at the STRIX 2.0 in more detail and what comes in the box. Beginning, as always, with the product packaging which gives us more of an idea as to what the product is and what the key selling points are.
The box follows an orange-on-matt black finish with main detailing being displayed in said orange colour. With a clear section to display one side of the headphones, we can see the style following on, as previously mentioned, with the robotic avian creature peering through the box at us. A cool and subtle design that really does stand out compared to most other bland gaming headsets out on the market.
The side details a small information section to explain what the STRIX series is about and goes on to detail content of the box, plus the addition of a well-structured specification. A copy of this detail specification can be found earlier in this review.
Promoting most of the selling points on the front of the box, the back goes a little more into detail with the extra space available and also shows the complete headset centered on giving you an insight as to what the completed headset will look like when out of the box. Support details can be found towards the lower section of this side and as the ASUS logo in a shiny print.
Now, we can look at what is in the box. Containing most typically the headset, instruction manuals, additional audio conversion cables and detachable microphone, the STRIX comes heavily packaged but only contains fairly minimal equipment. The main gear we will be looking at will be the headset, but a quick look at accessories is a must for said gaming headset.
All cables included within the box are of a weaved fiber construct to help protect the wires within from bending or any additional damage. The jacks, both male, and female, are very sturdy and won’t be breaking anytime soon.
The microphone on the headset is mainly main from a flexible rubber material which is truly a sight for sore eyes after dealing with many headsets that lack such a basic feature.
Also included is a small converter, constructed similarly to the single jack to PC based jacks, that provides the potential to use the STRIX 2.0 with mobile devices. Great for on the go people who like to use their headset for multiple platforms without needing to transition too much between devices.
Now we will take a look at the headset as a whole and discuss some of the main selling points that were mentioned on the box. To start, the general construct is a little more advanced than your typical single band headset and by that we mean it has two! One band is the skeleton band to accommodate for the general structure of the headset (featuring all the hidden cabling, drivers for each earphone and so on) and the lower of the two which sits on the user’s head, is of a softer material to prevent any uncomfortable feeling when being used on long gaming sessions.
The two headphone units, which contain a 60mm Neodymium-magnet per side, can be rotated 90 degrees for conventional storage and offer a very comfortable earphone with inner mesh to soften any harsher tones that are sent through to the users ears.
Below the left headphone you will find a conveniently places port for the boom microphone to fit into. The port is specifically made to fit this model microphone only and we are not aware of any alternatives being available on the market so make sure you keep it in a safe place! Installing it is very simple, just plug and play, the drivers do the rest for you by automatically detecting said device to then be operational.
The boom arm microphone is made from an unusual rubber material that is flexible but safely protects the cabling within. There is no clear indication as to where the hole for the microphone is but upon further inspection, the orange sections are actually acting as a “spit guard” and the head of the microphone is hidden away inside the arm. This is a very cleverly thought out ideas as to better the performance of the microphone and prevent any unnecessary hisses.
Only a few inches down the line is an inbuilt control box that offers a second microphone in case you do not wish to use the boom along with a mute button, volume up and down wheel and clip for attaching to yourself. We think that the positioning of this control box was not thought out by ASUS at all as it is seems to sit very high up compared to most headphones that position said box lower down to allow the user to clip onto a shirt or lip of their pants. But, having used this for a while it seems to be something quite handy as you don’t start fumbling yourself to find where the controls are!
