titleWhen it comes to gaming, you only use two senses: sight and sound. While a great monitor, or an Eyefinity/nVidia surround setup can cost you $500 or more, a top of the line headset won’t cost nearly that. Asus has sent over one of their Republic of Gamers branded headsets in the Orion Pro that falls directly in the category of high end gaming headset. In a sea of headsets ranging from awful to amazing, it’s time to see where the Orion Pro lands.

Product Name: Asus Orion Pro

Review Sample Provided By: Asus

Written By: Brennon

Pictures By: Brennon


Specifications

Driver Diameter

50 mm

Driver Material

Neodymium Magnet

Headphone Sensitivity

100 dB

Microphone Sensitivity

-30 dB

Maximum Input

50 mW

Frequency Response

Headphone: 20-20000 Hz

Impedance

32 Ohm +/- 3%

Cable Length

2.5 meter

Noise Cancelling Performance

Passive (noise isolation: Maximum > 30 dB

Weight

268 grams

Accessories

User Guide


Packaging

If I had to pick one word to describe the packaging for the Orion Pro on first glace it would be, Professional. The box is made out of a form of cardboard and feels as if it would hold up through many opening and closings. From the front we get a look at the Republic of Gamers and the Asus logos, as well as the product name in giant foil print. There is a short list of product specifications as well as a window to peek inside at the product.

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The window carries onto the right side giving a great look at one whole side of the headset, including all of the details that the earpiece has to offer. More logos can be found on either side of the packaging; in fact, the logos are printed on every surface of the box besides the bottom. On the back we can find a longer and more exhausting list of product specifications and uses.

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Once removed from the package, the contents within are very simple and few. Inside we find the headset snugly tucked into a black plastic case molded specifically for holding the Asus Orion Pro in place. In the rear we can find that the headset, though it fits snugly in the plastic container, is still held in place with some good old fashion twist ties. These seem to help more with holding the headset in place while putting it back into the box rather than holding it in place during transport. I found this out the hard way numerous times when trying to put the headphones back into the box to take it someplace.

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There are a few other things found inside of the packaging as well. The first two aren’t all that important, being only a warranty guide and a user’s manual. There isn’t very information in either booklet and their size is only due to the number of languages the information appears in. The product doesn’t have any drivers, so the only real information that you get from the user’s manual is the same information you can get off of the box, just with a little bit more in depth explanation.

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There is also a small rubber thing inside the box. At first glance and even upon brief closer inspection it is difficult to determine what the device is meant for. This device in fact, was the only reason that I found the user manual helpful at all. It was explained inside the manual that this is actually a cable organizer. You can use it to wrap up any extra length of cable that is going unused to keep it out of the way without being a hassle.

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The last thing that is found in the package is actually what makes this headset special. The last piece is the ROG Spitfire USB audio processor. This is the first time I have seen something like this with a headset and it is awesome. It gives you the option to plug your regular headset jacks into the device and then plug the device into a USB port. The Spitfire then has three buttons that can be turned off and on, one for FPS games, one for surround sound, and a final for Amplification. These options can be turned on one at a time or combined for better sound quality both in and out of game. The option to ignore the USB adapter is what really makes this headset cool. If you don’t fancy the Spitfire or the way it enhances audio, you can simply unplug it and forget about it entirely, returning your microphone and audio jacks to their rightful home.

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Comfort and Audio Quality

Comfort - The first thing I want to touch on is comfort. The reason I want to cover this first is because I believe it is more important. The world’s best sounding headphones ever aren’t worth anything if they aren’t comfortable on your head. The earmuffs are large and cushioned with what seems to be leather. One issue I often have with headsets, especially the earpieces is that they squeeze my head.  I have a big cranium and sometimes the earpieces press against the side of my head, which isn’t that big of a deal initially, but after a while it can cause a headache. I didn’t experience any of that, in fact on the comfort front, this is possibly the most comfortable headset I have ever worn. Its only competition is the Razer Carcharias which I owned for a long time and grew very fond of.

Asus Orion_Pro_32On the top of the headset is another cushioned pad coated with leather. This pad allows for the top band of the headset to rest on the top of your head comfortably. The combination of the earmuffs and the headband lets the Asus Orion Pro rest easily on your head and is hardly noticeable from a comfort standpoint.

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The volume and mic control switch is simple and easy to reach and has a convenient clip so that you can attach it to your clothing to make it even easier to reach. It is a very simple addition, but something often overlooked in headsets. The clip allows for your volume and mic control to always be right at your fingertips instead of having to fumble around search for it.

On either side there is also the option to extend the length of the headset. You can choose to extend one side or the other alone or to extend both evenly. These extensions are made out of metal and feel nice and sturdy. However, if enough force were applied, you could bend the metal extensions and possibly ruin the headset permanently so it is still important to exercise caution. On that same note, the headset as a whole feels sturdy and well made. The part I do worry about is the hinge where the ear cup is attached. A little bit of excessive force and it could snap right off.

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Audio Quality – The first bit I want to touch on as far as audio quality is the Spitfire USB audio processor. The optional processor when in place has a few options. The first is the FPS option. The website says that this mode is meant to help bring out certain sound characteristics that are very important and common in first person shooters. This includes gunfire, footsteps, and call-outs. I only used this setting while playing FPS games because when I wasn’t in game it gave off a very light buzzing sound that wasn’t needed.

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The second setting is Surround. This puts the headset into a 7.1 virtual surround sound mode that sounds very realistic. This was most helpful again in game, but not just shooters. I used this setting in almost every game I played, as well as during most TV shows and movies that I watched. It simply made those things sound better. I didn’t really like it for music, but I suppose that comes down to personal preference.

The last setting is Amp. You guessed it, this setting amplifies the sound both in and out of game. This is the one setting that I had on almost the entire time I wore the headset. It makes sounds that seem flat more exciting and immerses you in the game, movie, or music that much more. The one exception to this setting was during some idle times. I often wear my headset when I am not doing anything at all, and the Amp setting gave off a slight humming sound. Most of the time when this happened I just turned took the headset off all together and waited until the next time I would need them, but occasionally I turned the setting off and carried about my business.

It’s worth it to note that even without the audio processor, the sound is good and clear, but the use of the Spitfire puts it over the top and really enhanced the sound in many songs, games, and movies.

Ludwing van Beethoven - Für Elise - This is a very light song and the amp and surround buttons really help it out. The Asus Orion Pro did a great job of playing the range of sound from the infrequent but present lows to the consistent highs. Unlike the Asus Vulcan, this headset doesn’t have ANC so I didn’t lose any of the “history” to the music, meaning the background static that comes from it being an old recording.

Eric Clapton – Rush (Soundtrack) – 10 – Tears In Heaven - Another soft song with great range and again the Orion Pro didn’t disappoint. The range of instruments in this song is impressive, and each was clearly heard and distinguishable from the rest, something that is lost with other headsets.. I particularly liked using the virtual surround sound with this song. The reason is because not only do we get to hear all of the background instruments clearly, but they all sound like they are coming from different directions that give the song a pleasant sound.

Nat King Cole & Natalie – Unforgetable – The great thing about this song is that there is a lot of empty space. What I mean by that is there are portions of the track that doesn’t have lyrics, just the instrumental playing. The headset did a great job in particular with the saxophone and piano. The mids and highs were clear and the ability to handle the range between the two singers was handled beautifully by the Orion pro.

Bone Thugs N’ Harmony – Tha Crossroads - I saw a video recently of a deaf guy that “feels” his music. Basically he puts as much bass as he can into a car and blasts the volume. The sheer joy on his face while he was able to feel the song was incredible. Using the Orion Pro, and in particular this song. I was able to feel the music. The 50mm drivers did an excellent job of pumping out the consistent bass, but the mids and highs that are the vocals throughout were not loss in the mess. Everything was well balanced and game through clearly.

Star Trek 2009 – Watching the opening sequence with the Orion Pro was an ear opening experience. Between the surround sound and Amp, the headset gave the movie the theatre like sound quality that I have yet to experience in a headset. In particular the virtual surround sound gave the illusion of movie theatre sound. Things that were happening to the left, right and behind me, actually sounded like they were coming from that direction. I was not disappointed by the sound quality that the headset provided for the movie, it was so great in fact that I ended up watching the entire film, one that I hadn’t seen before.

In Game – I used the headset a lot while playing games. My personal favorite was while playing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The FPS button did seem to improve the sound quality of certain aspects as the website promised. Specifically, the footsteps, gunfire, and planting of bombs were clear as day. There was one particular instance where I was camping at bombsite B waiting for the bomb to be planted when I heard it. I quickly jumped out and looked around, but there was no one to be found. Apparently I had heard the bomb being planted on the other side of the map at bombsite A. I don’t know if it was an error, the headset, or my magical hearing powers, but needless to say I was stunned.

Microphone – Anyone that knows me knows that I like to talk. Be it Ventrilo, Mumble, Teamspeak, Skype or in game, I am always flappin my gums. The first thing I notice about the mic that made me happy was that it is retractable. When you aren’t using it, you can tuck it back safely inside of the left ear. This is particularly useful for someone like myself who likes to lan because whenever I pack, I am always afraid of snapping the mic of my headset while it is in my bag in transport. The second thing I notice was that it is adjustable. The wire used is able to hold its shape so you can pretty much put it in any position you want within the limits of the cable length and physics of course. As far as sound quality, I used it in game, Teamspeak and over Skype and only received one complaint about muffled quality. This complaint was due to a PEBKAC error, and once the complaint was lodged I proceeded to pull the mic out from its storage place in the ear.

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Overall and Final Verdict

All in all I was very pleased with the Asus Orion Pro. It is the only headset that I have ever had that has come close to the comfort level of the Razer Carcharias, and it may even be more comfortable (this is yet to be decided). The sound quality with the Spitfire is simply amazing. Without it there is something to be desired, but when it is plugged in and some of the options are being used it is simply untouchable in my eyes. The microphone is certainly passable and I love the ability to store it and adjust it to whatever position is most comfortable. I only had a few complaints and most of them come at the hands of the hands of the Spitfire, which is another beast entirely. I would definitely suggest picking up a pair of Orion Pros if you are in the market for a new headset.

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Author Bio
Author: Fildy

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