Have you ever worn a headset that almost destroyed your hearing? This humble headset is loud and provides excellent audio for games and music, but it's a bit glitchy.

The ROG Delta S is the first headset from Asus to offer both 2.4GHz and Bluetooth connectivity, offering broad compatibility and the ability to switch between the two devices without having to re-pair. 10 to 15 meters away from the PC, the interference and completely disconnects when about 20 meters away.

Even if you can get around the connection issue, Delta has another annoying hurdle ahead: hearing loss. 20% or more and the Delta S Wireless will cut your ears off.

This is not necessarily a negative - some people like loud music - but it is something to keep in mind if you decide to buy. Forgetting to do so can be disastrous.

In wireless mode, the Delta S is rated for 25 hours of battery life. Not bad. Out of the box, on an 85% charge, I was able to use it for 31.5 hours before it actually ran out; from 100%, I'd probably get close to 40 hours of use out of it. The volume was set very low, which is quite a bit more than advertised. The Delta S Wireless also charged at a satisfactory rate, so it would not be out of service for long when it finally ran out of charge.

This is also thanks to the fact that the Delta S does not have RGB illumination. Not to call the headset stealthy, but it is quite discreet.

What is clearly stealthy, however, is the microphone setup. The microphone is completely hidden inside the earcups, making it completely invisible and accentuating the minimalist aesthetic; I never felt like a hopelessly lost fighter pilot who decided to start Stardew Valley, which is bad news for vocal performance. Vocal output is muffled, like being kidnapped and recording audio from inside a large duffel bag, and while the Delta S's microphone boasts AI-powered beamforming with noise-canceling capabilities, the results suggest that we shouldn't worry about a Skynet takeover of the ROG family is probably still too early to tell.

The Delta S Wireless is also ruggedly built, with a sturdy plastic frame that feels like it could make a quick visit to the surface of your desk after a particularly bad angry outburst and still come back with a smile. The sturdiness makes the Delta S Wireless quite bulky and makes it look like an extra who failed an audition for Call of Duty.

There is an appropriate level of adjustment to extend the fit to even the most bulky heads, and the earcups rotate approximately 100 degrees to flatten out. The earcup padding is not the softest I've ever felt, but it's hardly uncomfortable; I had no problem wearing the Delta S Wireless day and night, and it didn't feel oppressive during long sessions. There was little sense of the headset being wrapped in velvety luxury while whispering sweet nothings in my ear (unless, of course, I was listening to Barry White), but it was certainly comfortable.

For its most important use, in-game, the Delta S performs admirably. Cyberpunk 2077's gunfire rings out with a satisfying intensity that almost makes you forget the game's myriad flaws; Stardew Valley's upbeat instrumentation and Metro Exodus' grim atmosphere are things that a SteelSeries Siberia 350 SteelSeries Siberia 350 for hundreds of hours.

On the software side, the Delta S uses the Asus Armoury Crate app to adjust settings. While not our favorite app, it has a large number of different sound optimization presets, each with numerous dials and sliders. Each sound profile can be linked to various programs, but unfortunately, these profiles are not automatically activated when the app is running.

Still, we have never felt the need to create custom sound profiles for WinDirStat, but Delta S comes with the option. With such customization, the Delta S Wireless is very flexible and performs well for gaming, music, and streaming. The downside is that Armoury Crate failed to detect my Epic Games, leaving my library of 400 mostly unplayed free games untested, unfortunately.

If you intend to connect in Bluetooth mode, be aware that the Delta S is frustratingly laggy during gaming, with audio output about half a second after an event occurs on the screen; I contacted Asus and found that the 2.4GHz connection is for gaming only, while the Bluetooth connection is for battery use, Bluetooth was recommended to be used for phone use and to conserve battery power. Same case with many Bluetooth headsets, but not great for even the most casual gamer.

It is hard to find anything really exciting about the Delta S Wireless, but it is a powerful headset. Battery life is long, but the similarly priced HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless (open in new tab) lasts longer. The wide range of customization is appreciated, but that means using the Armoury Crate app, which has a lot of details to work out. Audio is loud, punchy, and enjoyable, but lacks the Dolby Atmos support found in the less expensive Corsair HS80 (opens in new tab).

There is, of course, more than incidental hearing loss, but it is by no means in "must-buy" territory; the suggested price of $200 (£160) is a bit steep, but if you can get this can for cheap, it's a fine buy.