Experiencing Bass Distortion with ROG Delta II Wireless Headset

[Kichi]

Hello ROG Community!

I'm experiencing a persistent issue with my ROG Delta II wireless headset. During bass-heavy moments in games, I notice a "chirping" or "rattling" noise, especially when using the "Music" preset in Armoury Crate. This distortion diminishes when I disable bass enhancements, but then the audio lacks depth.

I've attempted several troubleshooting steps:

• Disabled sound enhancements and manually adjusted the equalizer in Armoury Crate.
• Confirmed that both Armoury Crate and the headset's firmware are up-to-date.
• Connected the headset to various devices, including a PC, ASUS Zephyrus G14 laptop, and a smartphone; the issue persists across all platforms.
• Performed a complete reinstallation of Armoury Crate and Windows to rule out software conflicts.
• Tested other headsets on the same devices without encountering any sound issues, suggesting the problem is specific to my headset.

Interestingly, when connecting the headset via Bluetooth to my phone, the audio quality is as expected, with no noticeable distortion.

I'm reaching out to see if others have faced similar challenges with the ROG Delta II and to gather any potential solutions or insights.

Thank you for your assistance.

Details:

• Armoury Crate: 5.9.13.0
• Asus Framework: 4.2.0.4
• Asus Core SDK: 2.01.34
• Asus Framework Service - HS plugin: 1.2.22
• Main Asus SDK plugin: 132.0.2957.127
• Aura Kit: 20240513
• HAL: 1.3.83.0
• HTML: 4.03.31
• SDK: 3.01.35
• Firmware: 00.03.09.00

[Aureliannn_ROG]

Hi @Kichi ,

Due to the recent holiday, we were out of the office and unable to respond to your inquiry promptly. 

We sincerely apologize for this delay. Regarding the issue you are experiencing, we would like to confirm the following points:

1. Did this issue occur after updating the firmware?
2. Could you provide an audio file of the issue for us to review?
3. When using different connection methods and cross-testing with different devices, does the issue still occur?
4. Please provide the Armoury Crate logs for our reference.

The log files contain detailed information about the software's operation, which can help our backend team identify the issue. 
Please ensure that the logs accurately capture the moment the issue occurs. (Please enable logging, perform the problematic operation once, and then package the logs.)
Here are the steps to collect Armoury Crate log files: Please refer to Q5: What is APP Diagnostics? https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1043747/#a14
After completing the above steps, please upload the collected log files to a cloud storage service and provide the link along with the approximate time and method of operation for our analysis. 
Also, please provide your product serial number.
We greatly appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

Thank you.

[Kichi]

Thanks for getting back to me! I understand the holiday delay, no worries. The issue has been there since the start, and updating the firmware didn’t help. Tested on Zephyrus G14 (2024) – same issue, no improvement. Only Bluetooth on my phone sounds fine, but on the laptop and PC, the problem persists. Also tested across different devices and connection methods – no change.

I’m currently collecting logs and will attach them once done. Serial number: S9YHQH314245. The problem has worsened: now the distortion happens even with bass boost set to 20, whereas before, it was only noticeable at higher levels. Manually setting volume in programs while keeping Windows at around 80% seems to help a bit. If bass boost is fully disabled, the effect isn’t audible simply because the bass is too weak.

Additionally, I tested with a specific video, and when the bass boost feature is completely turned off, the issue seems to disappear. I have already sent a video showing the issue via an ASUS support ticket.

[Kichi]

I have generated the log file as requested, but since I cannot attach it on the forum, I am providing it via link.The file will be available until February 19, 2025, after which the link will expire. During the logging process, I also tested multiple modes in Armoury Crate, including preset profiles and manual adjustments, to provide more data for analysis.

[Aureliannn_ROG]

Hi @Kichi ,

Thank you for your reply.

To ensure your issue is resolved most efficiently, if you have already reported the issue through an ASUS support ticket, we recommend that you continue to communicate and follow up through the same channel. This will keep your case information centralized and prevent confusion from multiple points of contact, allowing our support team to address your situation more quickly.

If you have any other questions or need further assistance, please do not hesitate to let us know. Thank you for your cooperation.

[Kichi]

I appreciate your response and understand that keeping support cases centralized helps speed up resolutions. I originally reported this issue through an ASUS support ticket, and on February 12, I was informed that my case had been forwarded to the development team, with an expected response in 3 to 5 days. It’s now February 28, and I haven’t received any updates yet.

I completely understand that these things take time, and I truly appreciate the effort the team is putting into this. I just wanted to check in and see if there are any updates or an estimated timeline. If there’s anything else I can provide to assist with the process, please let me know!

Thanks again for your help! Looking forward to hearing back.

[Kichi]

I wanted to provide an update regarding my support ticket. I recently received a response from ASUS support stating that the manufacturer’s specialists have successfully reproduced the issue and are now analyzing it further to find a solution. They have requested additional time, and I will be updated once they have more information.

While I understand that these things take time, I appreciate the effort being made to resolve this. I’ll keep this thread updated as soon as I hear back with any further details.

[PWN3D_]

Hey there,

I just saw there is a new firmware available on Armoury Crate :  00.04.02.00.
I didn't update yet but maybe it is worth a try. I didn't experience your issue but it's probably because my headset is stock and I didn't tweak the EQ yet.

[Kichi]

Thanks for the heads-up! I already updated to firmware 00.04.02.00, but the issue is still there. Even with bass boost at 20, it’s present, but gets much worse with the "Music" or "Gaming" presets. It sounds like the drivers are overloaded, almost as if there’s sand inside, causing crackling on deep bass.

[Kichi]

ASUS support requested a new video to better capture the bass distortion on ROG Delta II. I recorded and sent it, reset all settings, used the "Music" preset, disabled all enhancements, and demonstrated the issue in a game during bass-heavy moments. Despite this, there’s been no response since March 7.

Issue Summary:

• Even at bass boost 0, bass still crackles in both games and music.
• Increasing bass boost makes it much worse, especially on "Music" and "Gaming" presets.
• Disabling bass boost removes distortion, but completely kills the bass, making the headset sound flat and lifeless.

Tested Across Multiple Games & Platforms:

• Battlefield 2042, Delta Force, Space Marine 2, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Cyberpunk 2077, FragPunk, R.E.P.O. (and many others) – distortion is present everywhere.
• Multiple devices – PC, ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024), and smartphone.
• All USB ports, including direct Type-C – issue persists on all connections.

Troubleshooting Done:

• Different bitrates (16/24-bit, 48,000/96,000 Hz)
• Toggled Bongiovi Acoustics Render Effect on/off
• Fully reinstalled Windows and Armoury Crate again
• Even bought Dolby Atmos hoping it would help

ASUS initially confirmed they reproduced the issue, but later said they couldn’t hear the distortion clearly in my previous video and requested another recording. I sent the new video more than a week ago, but they still haven’t responded.

At this point, I have no idea what to do. I'm starting to regret that all my devices are ROG.