Asus ROG Cetra Open Wireless Earbuds Review: Open Gaming Buds?

As someone who almost always uses their earbuds in transparency mode, I’ve recently been considering a pair of open wireless earbuds. This quickly growing product category positions a tiny driver right outside the opening of your ear, letting your brain blend the world around you and your podcast, rather than a tiny chip handling it. As a result, they’re great for hearing nearby traffic on a run, or catching up with your neighbor while walking the dog, all without stopping the music.

But I’m a gamer, damnit, so of course I need open gaming buds, which these are, as evidenced by the RGB lighting on the side. They include a USB-C dongle that you can plug into a variety of devices, including PC, PS4 and PS5, Nintendo Switch, as well as iOS and Android phones and tablets, for a lower latency connection that’s particularly good for gaming. While I like the fit, and they certainly sound great while gaming, I’m not as enthused by how they sound when I’m just playing some Steely Dan.

The Sound

There’s a crispy, crunchy quality to the Cetra Open Wireless that works particularly well for the sort of game where you’d want dedicated headphones. They feel a lot closer to dedicated over-ear gaming headsets in games like Call of Duty: Mobile and Destiny: Rising than I expected, albeit with less distinct spatial audio. While you could certainly rock these while playing Minecraft (and you know that I did), I didn’t feel like it made the experience any more immersive or engaging, but it did make me feel like I was at home gaming while I was sitting in the park. You can tell they’re really meant for locking in, with audio profiles in the included app to match.