I did not have a partnership with Asus’ gaming arm and planar magnetic pioneers HiFiMan on my CES 2026 bingo card, but the ROG Kithara open-back planar magnetic gaming headset has just been announced. And after spending a few days with the fancy gaming cans before heading to Las Vegas, I can confirm they sound amazing – especially when I broke out a few CDs rather than relying on streaming. And at least to my head, they are extremely comfortable, despite weighing in at 0.93 pounds. That said, they will undoubtedly remain a niche product, as they come with all the trappings of audiophile headphones, like easily lost removable cables and adapters, a large, travel-unfriendly design, and a $359 price that – while reasonable for what you get – is pricier than our current pick for best gaming headset for audiophiles, Audeze’s Maxwell.
