Join for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation plus sign you up to our newsletter.
By submitting your information, you confirm you are aged 16 or over,
have read our
Privacy Policy
and agree to the
Terms & Conditions. Geographical rules apply.
Stay On the Cutting Edge: Get the Tom's Hardware Newsletter
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Join the club
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.
An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Asus' new ROG Carnyx gaming microphone is aimed at the high end
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.
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
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.
Stay On the Cutting Edge: Get the Tom's Hardware Newsletter
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Christopher Harper has been a successful freelance tech writer specializing in PC hardware and gaming since 2015, and ghostwrote for various B2B clients in High School before that. Outside of work, Christopher is best known to friends and rivals as an active competitive player in various eSports (particularly fighting games and arena shooters) and a purveyor of music ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Killer Mike to the Sonic Adventure 2 soundtrack.
