After a decade of using over-ear headphones, this will be a first for me: OWS earbuds for gaming and general use. ROG Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds are marketed as “Headphones with low-latency wireless connection, ANC, up to 27 hours battery life”. They also support multiple connections for gaming: PC, Mac, Switch, iPad, iOS, Android, and various Bluetooth devices, so let’s jump in and put them through their paces.

Opening the box, you receive a very solid case for charging and storage. The ROG Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds carry an IPX5 rating, making them resistant to water and sweat. They also come with a handy, detachable, reflective strap for the rear that goes across the back of your head, ensuring they stay in place when you exercise. The RGB on the case and the curved design are visually appealing and fit nicely into the palm of your hand.

The case also includes the USB “charge through” dongle for plug-and-play compatibility and supports wireless charging or USB-C charging from the rear; a cable is supplied in the box as well. The earbuds themself feel very solid in design, yet the silicon is soft and comfortable around the ear. I am not going to lie, not being an earbud connoisseur, I actually had to look up the ROG website to see how they fit in the ear after a few tries, not my proudest moment, but I am male, and we don’t read the instructions that are included. Also, note I wear glasses, and they didn’t interfere with them in any way comfort-wise.

The RGBs on the outside of the earbuds give that gaming feel, and when linked to the ASUS Aura RGB lighting system, you have over 16 million colour combinations and four presets to save them. The buds are nice and light, weighing just 11 grams, which helps reduce fatigue on the ear and provides more comfort.

Having figured out the fitment, I decided to put on some music, as I was sceptical about how the sound would be. How wrong I was. The 14.2mm drivers pump out the sound sensationally. It was a really weird feeling, but in a good way! I could hear the surrounding noise, yet the music sounded like it was of an over-the-ear quality. I don’t know how many times I have been yelled at by my wife because I couldn’t hear her talking to me with my over-ear headphones, so these ROG Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds could just be the golden ticket to saving me a few arguments around the house.

Being over-ear, they reduce fatigue during long gaming sessions, as you don’t have the pressure build-up you get from in-ear buds in your ear canal, or the sweat from over-ear headphones, making for a more comfortable experience. Low latency proves its worth in gaming. While playing first-person shooters, I could clearly hear every step as the sound bounced around in the OWS earbuds.​

Connecting to my phone, iPad, Switch, and Laptop was all seamless thanks to ROG SpeedNova technology, which scans for available frequencies and connects to the optimised 2.4GHz frequency using Bluetooth 6. They also have the Hybrid Multipoint, which allows simultaneous pairing of two devices. This was handy later in the day when I received a work phone call while gaming on my PC; the switch-over was seamless, thankfully.

Intuitive control is a very nice feature for hands-free operations as well. Depending on which earbud you touch, a series of “taps” performs different functions. For example, tap once on either the left or the right bud, and it will Play/Pause, Answer/End Call. But four taps on the left turn the volume down, four taps on the right turn the volume up, a neat feature, and there is a full list in the box of the various patterns used.

I love the fast charge ability as well, which is a necessity these days. A 15-minute charge gives you a massive 3 hours of listening, on top of the 64 hours of total time you get from the case in 16-hour blocks. The dongle supplied includes a pass-through charger, allowing you to continue gaming while charging devices such as the Switch. The Quad-Mic with AI Noise cancellation works a treat. While testing the microphone in the gym, with the music pumping inside, my wife could hear me on the other end perfectly clear as I told her I was testing a new product.

Later that night, I jumped on Discord for some gaming, and the same feedback from different friends: microphone quality was clear, no issues hearing me, and good clarity. Starting work at 0330am in my home office, the household is asleep. Even when receiving phone calls and whispering, the microphone still picks up my voice perfectly with their -38Db functionality. You have the ability to adjust the noise cancellation via the Gear Link web portal.

On the portal, you can switch to immersive mode for better noise cancellation or phantom bass for deeper bass and a richer low-end, or easily adjust the equaliser if you are that way inclined. I couldn’t get the web portal to work on my iPhone, and there is no app yet, but everything worked perfectly on my desktop PC and laptop.

Much to my daughter’s delight, the ROG Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds have now taken over as the main gaming headphones on my PC, so she gets to use my expensive over-ear headphones. I never thought OWS ear buds could sound this good and yet be so comfortable. The soft silicone for comfort, deep sound and bass, and the hybrid multi-point function really make these a no-brainer for my everyday use buds.

There is no pressure on the ear canal, so there’s no sticking buds down your ear and no itchiness. I can wear these all day long while working, as they effortlessly switch between my PC and iPhone intuitively. If you are in the market for over-ear buds or have always been curious, you won’t be disappointed with the ROG Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds. Don’t listen to the urban myths around OWS; these are top-class.

ROG hasn’t just gently stepped into the premium OWS earbud market; they have smashed their way in with this outstanding product, backed by ASUS’s heritage and quality. You simply cannot go wrong with this purchase.

Technical Specs:

• Usage Scenario
  • Gaming
• Interface
  • Wireless
• Connector
  • 2.4Ghz
  • BT
• Support Platform
  • PC
  • MAC
  • PlayStation® 4
  • PlayStation® 5
  • Nintendo Switch
  • iOS
• Android
• Bluetooth device
• Driver Material
  • Diamond-Like Carbon Coated Diaphragm Drivers
• Driver Size
  • 14mm
• Headphones Impedance
  • 16ohms
• Headphones Frequency Response
  • 20Hz – 20kHz
• Microphone Pick-up Pattern
  • Omnidirectional
• Microphone Sensitivity
  • -38dB
• Microphone Frequency Response
  • 100Hz – 8kHz
• AI Noise Cancelling Microphone
  • Yes
• Channel
  • Stereo
• Lighting
  • RGB
• Weight
  • 11g/116g
• Color
  • Black
• Cable
  • 0.6m USB-C to USB-A charging cable
• Accessories
  • ROG Cetra Open Wireless Open-Ear Headphones
  • Wireless 2.4 GHz USB-C® dongle
  • Neck Strap
  • USB-C to USB-A charging cable
  • Quick start guide
  • Warranty booklet
  • ROG Cetra Open Wireless Open-Ear Headphones
  • Wireless 2.4 GHz USB-C® dongle
  • Neck Strap
  • USB-C to USB-A charging cable
  • Quick start guide
  • Warranty booklet

Written by: Mike Bridge