The Asus ROG Cetra Open earbuds are a niche product for gamers and athletes who value situational awareness over noise isolation, and after weeks of testing, they deliver on sound quality and comfort—but their aggressive gaming aesthetic makes them genuinely difficult to wear in public.
Key Takeaways
- Open-ear design sits on the ear without tips, letting you hear surroundings while gaming or working.
- 14.2mm drivers with Phantom Bass enhancement deliver impressive sound for open earbuds, though sibilant highs are tuned for gaming cues.
- Dual connectivity via Bluetooth 6.0 and low-latency 2.4GHz ROG SpeedNova (6x faster) for PS4/PS5 and PC gaming.
- Battery lasts 9 hours on Bluetooth, 6.5 hours on 2.4GHz dongle; Asus claims 16 hours with all features disabled.
- IPX5 water resistance, quad mics with AI noise cancellation, and RGB lighting make them versatile for sports and gaming.
Sound Quality That Punches Above Its Weight
Open-ear earbuds traditionally sound weak. The Asus ROG Cetra Open earbuds break that pattern with 14.2mm diamond-like carbon coated drivers that produce surprisingly full sound across music, gaming, and calls. The key to their impact is Phantom Bass, an enhancement mode that boosts low-end presence in the open design—and it should stay on. Disable it and the sound collapses into flatness. With Phantom Bass active, bass hits with definition and weight, though pushing the volume hard causes distortion and the high-end becomes sibilant.
That sibilant tuning is intentional. Asus voiced these earbuds for gaming, emphasizing audio cues like footsteps and weapon fire over musical fidelity. For shooters and competitive titles, this works. For pop, hip-hop, or podcasts, the aggressive highs wear thin quickly. The Armoury Crate app includes EQ tuning and an Immersion Mode that lowers ambient noise—AC hum, crowd murmur, traffic—without removing all environmental sound, which is useful in noisy offices or gyms.
Comfort and Fit Depend on Your Ears
The Asus ROG Cetra Open earbuds sit on top of the ear without ear tips, which eliminates the insertion hassle and allows all-day awareness of surroundings. They weigh very little and feel secure for most users. However, fit is subjective. Some ears experience pressure points or soreness with extended wear; others feel the earbuds sit loose. A detachable reflective neck strap comes included and is strongly recommended for running, team sports, or any intense activity where you cannot afford to lose an earbud.
Physical buttons on each earbud are responsive even in rain or sweat, and the IPX5 water resistance rating protects the earbuds themselves during workouts and splashes (the charging dongle is not water-resistant). For gaming at a desk or working from home, fit is rarely an issue. For extended gym sessions or outdoor sports, the neck strap becomes essential.
Gaming Connectivity and Microphone Performance
The Asus ROG Cetra Open earbuds ship with dual connectivity: Bluetooth 6.0 for general use and a low-latency 2.4GHz USB dongle called ROG SpeedNova that is six times faster than Bluetooth and fully compatible with PS4 and PS5. Multipoint Bluetooth support is better than most earbuds, and the SpeedNova dongle is a genuine advantage for console gamers who want minimal lag. Android support for the dongle is coming via a future update.
The quad mic setup with AI noise cancellation outperforms most earbuds and entry-level gaming headsets. Calls are clear, voice detection is reliable, and the app offers a Noise Gate (dial to maximum for best clarity) and Perfect Voice mode, which auto-adjusts your voice for clarity. For Teams calls, Discord gaming sessions, or streaming, these mics are genuinely strong.
Battery Life: Claims vs. Reality
Asus claims up to 16 hours of battery life, but that figure requires disabling Immersion Mode, RGB lighting, Phantom Bass, and the microphone—essentially turning the earbuds into a bare-bones device. In real-world testing with features active, battery drops significantly. Lab testing shows 9 hours on Bluetooth playback (immersion and RGB off) and 6 hours 29 minutes on the 2.4GHz dongle with Immersion Mode and RGB on. For a full workday or gaming session, you will need to charge mid-afternoon if you use the dongle with all features enabled.
Design: Impressive Ugliness
Here is where the Asus ROG Cetra Open earbuds stumble hardest. The aggressive gaming aesthetic—RGB lighting, angular design, reflective accents—looks at home in a gaming setup but absurd in a coffee shop or gym. The 4 preset RGB effects and 16.8 million color options are customizable via the Armoury Crate app, but turning off the lights does not make the industrial shape disappear. For PC gamers and esports enthusiasts, the look is intentional. For anyone else, wearing these in public requires confidence or indifference to stares.
Price and Value Proposition
At $229.99 USD (€219 in the Eurozone, £184.99 in the UK), the Asus ROG Cetra Open earbuds are expensive for an open-ear design that lacks noise isolation and sub-bass. The appeal is narrow: PC gamers who want low-latency wireless gaming plus music versatility, or athletes who need situational awareness during outdoor training. For general consumers seeking all-day earbuds, in-ear models with ANC offer better isolation at similar or lower prices. For gaming alone, a wired gaming headset costs less and delivers superior microphone and sound isolation.
Who Should Buy These?
The Asus ROG Cetra Open earbuds are a strong fit for PC gamers with a gaming desk setup who also want true wireless convenience for music and calls. They also suit runners and team sport athletes who need to hear traffic or teammates while wearing earbuds. Console gamers with PS4 or PS5 benefit from the low-latency SpeedNova dongle. For everyone else—office workers, casual listeners, commuters—the design is too niche and the price too high.
How long do the Asus ROG Cetra Open earbuds last on a single charge?
Battery life depends on connectivity and features. On Bluetooth with Immersion Mode and RGB off, expect 9 hours. Using the 2.4GHz SpeedNova dongle with Immersion Mode and RGB on, you get roughly 6.5 hours. Asus claims up to 16 hours if you disable all extras, but that is not realistic for daily use.
Can you use the Asus ROG Cetra Open earbuds for sports?
Yes. The IPX5 water resistance rating protects against rain, sweat, and splashes. The included detachable neck strap is strongly recommended for running or team sports to prevent losing an earbud during intense movement. Without the strap, fit can feel loose depending on your ear shape.
Are the Asus ROG Cetra Open earbuds good for music?
They sound good for open earbuds, especially with Phantom Bass enabled, but the sibilant high-end tuning is designed for gaming cues rather than musical balance. For pure music listening, in-ear earbuds with a neutral tuning will feel more refined. These work best as a gaming-first device that also handles music acceptably.
The Asus ROG Cetra Open earbuds are a genuinely good product for a small audience: gamers and athletes willing to accept aggressive design and high price in exchange for low-latency wireless gaming, comfort, and situational awareness. For everyone else, the niche appeal and polarizing looks make them a hard sell.
Where to Buy
This article was written with AI assistance and editorially reviewed.
Source: TechRadar
