During CES 2026 this year, ASUS collaborated with HiFiMan, a renowned name in the high-end audio world, to jointly develop an open-back planar magnetic gaming headset called ROG Kithara. This product is not just for sound positioning, but also to satisfy audiophiles who are "accustomed to high-end audio" and can't go back to ordinary gaming headsets.
With a 100mm planar diaphragm driver and an open-back design, the listening experience is more spacious.
The biggest highlight of the ROG Kithara is that it abandons the dynamic driver commonly found in gaming headsets and adopts HiFiMan's signature "planar magnetic" design.
These headphones feature a 100mm ultra-large planar diaphragm driver jointly tuned by both parties. They utilize HiFiMan's renowned "Nanometer Thickness Diaphragm" and "Stealth Magnets" design, resulting in extremely low distortion and a very wide frequency response. This allows for the accurate reproduction of subtle sound effects in games (such as distant footsteps and the metallic clanging of reloading magazines), while also meeting the demands of high-resolution music listening.
In addition, the ROG Kithara features an open-back design, which, while uncommon in gaming headsets, delivers a wider soundstage and a more natural sense of space, addressing the "in-head effect" common in closed-back headsets and making it more breathable and comfortable for extended wear.
Standard 4.4mm balanced connector, positioned for Hi-Fi level.
The ROG Kithara is very generous with its connectivity options. In addition to the standard 3.5mm connector, it also comes with a 4.4mm balanced cable (usually only seen on expensive DAPs or headphone amplifiers) and a 6.3mm adapter, meaning that users can connect it to a professional headphone amplifier to fully unleash the power of the driver.
Of course, considering the needs of game voice communication, it is also equipped with a high signal-to-noise ratio boom microphone and adopts an independent signal path design to reduce crosstalk interference.
Priced at approximately US$300, Taiwan launch information to be determined.
The ROG Kithara has already been announced overseas with a price of approximately US$300 (about NT$9600). Although the price is high for a gaming headset, it is actually quite competitive by the standards of "HiFiMan planar magnetic headphone".
The exact release date and price in New Taiwan Dollars for Taiwan are still pending official announcement from ASUS.
