I'm no stranger to weird or niche products. Weird: the other day, I dunked a $100 keyboard underwater and dropped soda on it because the brand claimed it was waterproof. Niche: I spent two weeks shooting exclusively in black-and-white on a monochrome camera. Yeah, I've seen my fair share of the good, the bad, the ugly, and the strange.
But none have been as niche in appeal as the Asus ROG Cetra Open Wireless, a pair of open earbuds designed specifically for gaming. Now, if you're familiar with open earbuds, you'll know that they're designed for people who want to remain aware of their surroundings while listening to music — so they're aimed at those who work out or run. Why do gamers who 99% of the time play indoors require open earbuds, then?
Unless you're playing Pokémon Go (if that's still a thing), I can't see many use cases for open earbuds designed for gaming. Sure, they're comfortable and don't exert pressure on your ear canals, but are poor bass and treble worth the trade-off? Having ditched my usual over-ear headphones for Cetra Open Wireless for a week, I'm conflicted and mostly unconvinced. Here's why.
Comfortable for hours
One of the biggest selling points of open earbuds is that they're extremely comfortable and they don't fall off your ears. This is also true in the case of the Asus ROG Cetra Open Wireless. Each earbud weighs 0.38oz and features an ear hook each that wraps over the top of your ear. Instead of sitting inside your ears like in-ear buds do, the speakers that house the drivers rest just outside your ear opening. You don't feel pressure in your ear canal this way, which helps prevent build-up of bacteria and sweat, and also ensures you're comfortable for hours.
I would certainly know, as I wore the Cetra Open Wireless for eight hours straight and didn't feel any discomfort at all. Another advantage of using open ears is that you can still hear everything happening around you. I never once missed the doorbell ringing and I could also have a conversation with my partner without having to remove the Cetra Open Wireless.
But while open ears are great for when you're outdoors, I'm not entirely sure they're a must-have for gamers who spend most of their time indoors. If you game and work out (not at the same time, of course), then it makes sense — you don't need to have two separate pairs. But if you want earbuds for gaming only, why wouldn't you just buy an over-ear headset, which is better in every regard when it comes to sound quality?
Underwhelming bass, overwhelming treble
The Asus ROG Cetra Open Wireless sound fantastic for all genres of games on paper. They're fitted with 14mm carbon-coated diaphragm drivers that cover a frequency response range of 20Hz to 20KHz — so the entirety of the human hearing spectrum. Their user-friendly companion app lets you make extensive adjustments to the equalizer too.
So what's wrong with them, in real-world use? Well, the bass is underwhelming and the treble is overwhelming, for starters, and those are two of the most important aspects of a soundstage that shouldn't be compromised on if you want a truly immersive gaming experience. What I mean by this is that loud explosions in combat sequences in, say, Control and Cyberpunk 2077, lack the oomph that makes it feel like you're engulfed in them.
The treble being overzealous, on the other hand, means that high pitched sounds cut through the soundscape. In my testing, the shrill sounds of bullets ricocheting against steel beams and walls cut through the rest of the soundstage, making it feel a little unpleasant. This, combined with the lackluster low frequencies, meant that the soundscape felt a bit too thin to me. My immersion couldn't be broken because I never felt immersed in the first place.
For the complete sound quality breakdown, read my full Asus ROG Cetra Open Wireless review.
Worth the premium?
So, with poor bass, subpar treble, and a niche appeal, are the Asus ROG Cetra Open Wireless worth the money? I'm not entirely convinced. They retail for a whopping $229 at Amazon, and when you can get some of the best headsets for the same money or even less, why would you buy them? If you want open earbuds specifically, then sure, as they're your only realistic option.
But if you aren't fussed about open earbuds — I personally hadn't even considered them for gaming until I tested the Cetra Open Wireless — there are so many options out there. Both the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Headset and the Asus ROG Delta II cost the same as the Cetra Open Wireless and are better in nearly every regard that counts. Then you've got the in-ear SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds that are $30 cheaper and, again, deliver simply phenomenal sound quality.
After having ditched my Razer BlackShark V3 Pro for the Cetra Open Wireless, I am convinced of one thing if nothing else: I'll be sticking with my Razer over-ears.
