While wireless earbuds are increasingly popular because of their small size and affordable nature, the water gets murkier when it comes to gaming. Not only do they need to sound good and preferably be affordable, but they also need decent battery life and be comfortable for longer gaming sessions. For those reasons, I’ve only found a few wireless gaming earbuds that I’ve actually enjoyed using. I’ll mainly be talking about the recent ASUS ROG Cetra SpeedNova true wireless earbuds for this review, but I’ll also sprinkle in my experiences with other earbuds I’ve tried over years and what makes them stand out or, more often than not, what makes me put them back in the box. Be sure to hit the video below for all of the details.
Overview
There are two different versions of the ASUS ROG Cetra earbuds – The first is a $100 Bluetooth-only pair of true wireless earbuds, but ASUS also has a $200 version that comes with a 2.4GHz dongle. We’ve got our hands on the latter, the ROG Cetra True Wireless SpeedNova earbuds.
ROG Cetra SpeedNova: Design
Like all true wireless earbuds, the Cetra SpeedNova comes with a charging case. I can’t say I’m a fan of it, though. Because the sides of the lid go so far down the sides, you have to hold it in a certain way to open it.
It does have a USB-C port in the back for charging, but it also can charge wirelessly.
Upon opening the case, it’s clear that these are gaming headphones because the case and the headphones themselves have RGB (that can be turned off).
The earbuds themselves have a classic airpod-like design with a stem that holds the microphone and makes grabbing the earbuds easy.
Available in black or white, the have a simple ROG logo along the stem and the glowing logo that also hides a touch-capacitive button.
I was also spoiled with the Inzone Buds because there is a place to hold the 2.4GHz receiver in the charging case. Unfortunately, that is absent on the ROG Cetra SpeedNova earbuds.
ROG Cetra SpeedNova: Video
Comfort
Unlike many other true wireless earbuds that I’ve tried, the ASUS ROG Cetra SpeedNova earbuds are comfortable enough for long gaming sessions. That alone puts them ahead of some of the competition like the HyperX Could Mix Buds
But I still find the Sony Inzone Buds to be more comfortable. The Sony earbuds can fit further into my ear without making fatiguing contact on the exterior. I notice the ROG Cetra Earbuds more than the Sony, which makes them not quite as comfortable.
Sound Quality
Out of the box, the Cetra Speednova Buds sound a little on the dark side. The highs are muted, and the lows are slightly inflated. But there is plenty of room to customize the sound from the Armoury Crate app on PC.
Beyond just a 10-band EQ, there are controls for virtual surround sound, reverb, bass boost, voice clarity, and a compressor.
I found myself listening to music using a modified version of the Jazz EQ. It emphasizes the mids and highs more than the stock EQ, which makes it sound brighter overall.
VS. the competition
Despite tweaking EQ, I never found myself as impressed with the sound of the Cetra SpeedNova earbuds as I was with the Sony Inzone Buds. With the Sonys, I was instantly impressed with the imaging—being able to pick out different instruments or in-game sounds and their positions in cluttered audio tracks. And while I don’t think the Cetra Earbuds are bad, they’re not on the same level as the Sony Buds despite being the same price.
ROG Cetra SpeedNova: ANC
The ASUS ROG Cetra SpeedNova earbuds also feature ANC which is a welcomed feature for me during summer months. I typically don’t use it year-round for gaming but when I have a fan or AC unit running in the summer, ANC is a great way to remove some of that extra background noise and focus on in-game audio.
Like most ANC, it still lets higher frequencies through but does a great job of knocking out lower frequencies like you would find from the humming of a fan or air conditioner.
Bluetooth
The way that ASUS describes Bluetooth and 2.4GHz connections, I got the impression that they would be simultaneous. But in my testing, I could not get the audio to play from the USB-C dongle
ROG Cetra SpeedNova: Battery life
- BT Mode: up to 46 hrs
- 6.5+19.5 hrs (ANC on, RGB on)
- 11.5+34.5 hrs (ANC off, RGB off)
- 10+30 hrs (ANC off, RGB on)
- 7.5+22.5 hrs (ANC on, RGB off)
- 2.4 GHz Mode: up to 36 hrs
- 5+15 hrs (ANC on, RGB on)
- 9+27 hrs (ANC off, RGB off)
- 6.8+20.4 hrs (ANC off, RGB on)
- 5.8+17.4 hrs (ANC on, RGB off)
5 hours with ANC on and RGB on or 5.8 hours with ANC on and RGB off might be a deal breaker for some gamers – that really is where gaming earbuds show some of their weaknesses. And this is another area where the Inzone Buds look more appealing with an 11 hour run time one
9to5Toys’ Take
For the most part, I think that the ASUS ROG Cetra True Wireless earbuds are one of the better offerings in the gaming wireless earbud category. First and foremost, they’re comfortable enough for longer gaming sessions.
It’s hard for me to recommend them, though, because they are at the same $200 price point as the Sony Inzone Buds, which offer a better gaming experience for me. I prefer the Sony’s for comfort, audio quality, and battery life.
Because comfort and sound are subjective, I think the best way to find a pair of true wireless earbuds that you like is to make sure you have a way to test or return them. It’s completely possible that what I find uncomfortable is a perfect fit for you and your ear. For me, that’s the Sony Inzone Buds, but it may be different for you, and you don’t want to be stuck with an uncomfortable pair of earbuds.
Buy ROG Cetra SpeedNova earbuds
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