ROG Fusion II 500 Review of wired gaming headsets

ROG Fusion II 500 gaming headset is the most recent ROG offering. It offers virtual 7.1 surround sound using the ESS 9280 Quad hi fi DAC and 50mm drivers. .

Review of wired gaming headsets

Quality and design

The ROG Fusion II 500 headset has a minimalist design. It consists mainly of matte gray plastic with a small amount of polished plastic around its headband. The ROG Fusion II 500 looks great to me. It is clean and simple with subtle branding. The curved design language linking the headband and ear cups is also highlighted. The RGB lighting strip that runs along the earcups adds a little flair.

The ROG Fusion II 500 feels solid in terms of build quality. The quality of the plastic used is excellent and it has a matte finish that gives it a pleasant texture. The ROG Fusion II 500 can be folded flat for compact storage. The headband feels solidly built, with the adjustment bar and hinges. The headband is very flexible.

The article below will show you how headphones look in real life.

All controls are found in the headset of the ROG Fusion II500. The left earcup has a microphone mute and volume switch. There are also ports that can use USB or 3.5mm. On the right headset, you will find a chat mixer and a PC/Console button. Although the switches may feel difficult to toggle, rockers can move well and take defined steps.

ROG Fusion II 500 wired gaming headset. You have the option of connecting via USB or using the 3.5mm input. ROG includes an adapter that converts USB-C to USB A on both ends of the USB cable. No matter which connection option you choose to use, both wires can be managed easily because they are braided.

Armory Crate software

To further customize the ROG Fusion II 500 you can download the ASUS Armory Crate Software, which allows you to adjust the RGB lighting and fine tune the sound.

Comfortable and appropriate

ROG offers two types of ear pillows: (1) protein-coated leather or (2) hybrid cushions mainly made of fabric mesh.

The mesh fabric ear pillows are my favorite because they keep my ears cool when I'm playing long games. The sealing properties of the protein leather ear cups are slightly better. For a quick overview of both types, you can see the video below.

ROG Fusion II 500 is a light weight at 310g. However, it is very comfortable to wear. I felt no pressure in my ears or pressure from the clamping pressure. The earcups also have a lot of space.

It's also cushioned so that it doesn’t feel heavy on my head. ROG could make the cushion thicker in future iterations to distribute weight more evenly for extra comfort.

Sound quality

ROG Fusion II emits a warm sound with lows being dominant frequencies. The bass provides reverberation, depth and fills the soundstage. The bass doesn't overpower the mids but it does stretch and produce warmer vocals. The mids are important and will be heard more when the bass isn't playing. Although the highs are present and balanced, they aren't as clear and unambiguous than the ATH-G1 to compare.

ROG Fusion II's wide soundstage is one of its greatest strengths. Because it can spread itself, bulky bass can be forgiven in the middles. This wide soundstage provides a feeling of immersion when gaming in open-world games. Virtual 7.1 surround sound can be enabled to remove some of the bass and increase the highs in order to better show details. Armory Crate allows you to adjust your EQ to alter the sound signature.

Valorant has very important audio cues. ROG Fusion II is able to pinpoint where footsteps and gunfire are coming in games like this. It's much easier to identify the distance between certain audio signals because of the large soundstage.

Microphone quality

The photos don't include any boom microphones connected to the ROG Fusion 2. ROG Fusion II does not come with a mic boom. The microphone is instead built into the headset. Although the microphone quality isn’t as good as headphones with dedicated microphones as expected, I’m still impressed by the ROG Fusion II’s microphone capabilities. My voice is clearer and more distant, but it retains its depth and clarity.

ROG's AI Noise Canceling technology, which they have added to the headset, is responsible for this. It's enabled by default at the 'low" setting. You should probably turn on'mid' if your environment is noisy with chatter and TVs. Sometimes, if you use 'high' your voice can sound raspy and the AI will cancel your voice within a few milliseconds.

Inference

ASUS ROG Fusion II 500 gaming headsets are a complete set that offers high quality sound and build quality. You can use it with any device thanks to its many connectivity options. Although the microphone is not as good as a gooseneck microphone, it still works well. ROG offers comfort customization with the option of earpads. This is a major highlight.