At CES 2024, Asus got back in the microphone game with the Asus ROG Carnyx. Asus is dubbing a "professional cardioid condenser gaming microphone" in its listing on, and the given specs (as well as our photos from the CES show floor below) certainly suit that description.
One standout feature of the Asus ROG Carnyx is its 24-bit, 192 kHz sampling rate. Our current best gaming microphone picks tend to trend much lower in sampling rate than this. The Rode NT-USB+ peaks at 48 kHz over 24 bits, for example, while the HyperX QuadCast S peaks at 48 kHz over 16 bits. The closest competition from our top picks is likely the Beyerdynamic FOX, but even that can only reach a 24-bit, 96 kHz sampling rate.
Besides the high sampling rate, the Asus ROG Carnyx boasts many premium features. These include a built-in pop filter, a metal shock mount to prevent audible mic rattle, and a "studio-grade" 25 mm condenser capsule. One of its best features versus some competition is a silent tap-to-mute button at the top of the mic— mics without touch-sensitive mute buttons tend to pick up noise when those buttons are used.
The ROG Carnyx also offers real-time monitoring via a headphone jack and a high-pass filter function for filtering noises below 80 Hz that most likely aren't speech. This function can also be disabled with the multi-function control knob, which also manages microphone volume and monitoring volume.
And of course, since this is an Asus ROG product, you can expect full compatibility with Asus Aura Sync RGB lighting, as well as the implementation of angular, refined design sensibilities in the mic stand.
This seems like a fairly feature-complete return to microphones for Asus ROG, and could mark them taking some top spots of their own once the unit actually releases. Pricing information is currently unknown, though, and that's an important factor in such a competitive market.
