ASUS ROG Strix Fusion 500 Headset Review

Up Close Part Two

You can get a good look at the build quality in this shot. Everything fits together perfectly, and the attention to detail is excellent with the chrome contrasted by the black, and the black emphasised by the RGB lighting. Behind the microphone is the port for the USB cable which has no latching but it’s difficult to work the cable loose because of the wide design on the end of it (as you saw on the previous page). We’re surprised that, unlike the Fusion 300, there isn’t an option for 3.5mm jacks. Obviously the DAC requires powering and that has had an effect upon the flexibility of the Fusion 500.

  

Behind the cable port is the toggle for the 7.1 audio. This is quite easy to catch when you’re taking them on and off, so if everything suddenly sounds a bit further away then that’ll be the reason.

  

Hinges are so often the weak point of headsets but we have no such fears with the Fusion 500. An all metal headband combines with high quality plastics and plenty of rotational ability to both be comfortable and also ensure that each element only flexes in the direction it’s strongest.

  
  

What really separates the Fusion 500 from any other headset we can recall is the use of touch controls. Touch the middle to play and pause, slide your finger forwards or backwards to skip tracks (this works on Youtube and all sorts of Windows based applications too) and slide vertically to control the volume. It’s responsive, easy and doesn’t interrupt the smooth lines on the headset with big buttons. Naturally having something you can’t see controlling it requires some muscle memory learning, so maybe you’d prefer a big obvious button. Given that the “press three times to skip backwards” feature almost never works we like the touch plate. It takes a bit of getting used to.