Specification and Unboxing

Specification & Unboxing

Unboxing the Fusion 500 is - truly - a premium experience. Even the box itself is pleasing to open (stay with me, I know that sounds... odd), sliding in half down the diagonal. Somewhat inevitably, any unboxing experience that is halfway toward 'exceptional' will naturally draw the 'Apple' comment from someone. No, this unboxing is not like an Apple product, at all.

They are entirely different, but this one is both premium and appreciated nonetheless. However, aside from the headset itself (cups turned 90 degrees inward to lie flat), the first thing I noticed were a replacement set of ear cups, and - quite frankly, hallelujah - they are of the mesh variety. Anybody who read my Cougar Phontum review will know that not only do I have a large head, but a hot one as well.

The unit itself is, therefore, packaged very carefully, yet simply. The headset will be the first thing you see, and it is a very pretty thing indeed. Risk of damage (thanks largely to the near military grade thick cardboard box) is kept to a bare minimum, and the headset/cups rest in a semi cushioned tray.

Underneath this tray you will find the necessary accessories in a small black box. They include a quick start guide, braided USB-A 2.0 to Micro-USB cable (2m in length), and that's it. Overall, it is simple, no-nonsense, yet premium, as an unboxing should be.

The headset itself comes in at 360g exactly, which is where you'd expect it to be. Whilst a touch lighter than Corsair's Void Pro unit, the Fusion 500 does lack the wireless capability of the Voids, so this would account - certainly - for at least some added weight. As said before, the 500 comes 'ready to go' out of the box, with no software needed to get the headset up and running. Unbox, plug in, fiddle with lighting if desired, game. Simple, and very appreciated.

Some might be wondering about EQ control. Well, to put it bluntly, there isn't any (or, at least, nothing from Asus themselves). You are essentially left with the default audio experience as manufactured by Asus out of the factory. To many, this might be disappointing. Audio tends to be the most subjective matter we tackle here at Guru3D, so the lack of an ability to control the experience to your liking 'out of the box' might be one that is sorely missed, or not remotely missed at all. We shall see. One thing is, however, for certain. The lack of EQ control makes this headset very 'light' on necessary add-ons, which might - in turn - be a blessing to those who hate additional software suites. The dedicated 'Audio' section later will cover my use of EQ software.

For those wondering, I decided on the 'Equalizer APO' suite for my EQ of choice. It is available here, if you wish to give it a look. It's a necessary download (or any other EQ software you choose), if customising your Fusion 500 experience from the one given out of the factory.

A quick word on the 7.1 implementation. Whilst Asus have been keen to advertise that the included algorithm is entirely custom, the surround sound in this headset is still - ultimately - an artificial one. Virtualisation is used to achieve a similar effect as possible to true surround audio, though in past experiences of this feature it often sounds inferior to simply leaving the units with it in stereo mode. Remember, you still have two ears, no matter what software trickery is being used! Maybe, however, the Fusion 500's 7.1 implementation will be trickery we enjoy using.

Next, we fully unbox the unit and give you a little showcase. Basically making this headset do a twirl and show off a bit.