Asus ROG just made its Cetra Open Wireless earbuds available in the US. The product was first shown in January, and the promise is good. You get audio without losing awareness of what’s happening around you. That makes them practical for gaming at a desk, listening on a commute, or using outdoors where you need to stay alert.
The open-ear design is the core feature here. Sound from your environment passes through naturally, so you can hear traffic, conversations, or anything else nearby without pulling the earbuds out. You’re not choosing between your audio and your surroundings.
For sound quality, ROG put 14.2mm drivers inside each earbud, which is a large driver size for earbuds at this form factor.
The diaphragm uses a diamond-like carbon coating, a material option that ROG says keeps distortion low while keeping the full frequency range balanced.
The goal is to achieve clean highs, detailed mids, and bass that doesn’t feel thin, which is a harder target to hit in open-ear designs than in fully sealed ones.
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Connectivity is where these earbuds distinguish themselves from basic Bluetooth options. The Cetra Open Wireless supports two wireless modes. They are standard Bluetooth and ROG’s 2.4GHz SpeedNova connection.
The difference matters more than it might seem. Bluetooth is convenient for everyday use, but SpeedNova is built specifically to keep audio and video in sync during gaming, where even small delays become noticeable. Asus includes a USB-C 2.4GHz dongle in the box so you can use that low-latency mode right away.
That dongle also supports passthrough charging, meaning your phone can charge through it while you stay connected. It’s a small feature, but useful if you’re at a desk with limited ports.
The earbuds also come with a few built-in audio modes you can switch between depending on what you’re doing.
Phantom Bass pushes the low-end response up, giving music and game audio more weight without needing a separate EQ.
The Immersion Mode, which works differently; it pulls back the surrounding sound that the open-ear design lets in, so you can focus on your game when you want to without fully committing to an isolated setup.
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You get the flexibility to dial in how much of your environment you actually want to hear at any given moment.
ASUS ROG Cetra Open Wireless Earbuds
Asus designed these earbuds with physical activity in mind, and the details back that up. The ear hooks are made from silicone and shaped to stay secure during movement without becoming uncomfortable over long sessions.
A reflective neck strap comes in the box for extra stability during workouts or outdoor use, and the reflective material adds a practical safety element if you’re running or cycling in low light. The strap is detachable, so you can leave it off when you don’t need it.
The controls are physical buttons rather than touch surfaces. That’s a deliberate choice. Touch controls can misfire when you’re sweating or moving around, and a physical button gives you clear, reliable feedback every time. You press it, it registers, no guessing.
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For water resistance, the earbuds carry an IPX5 rating. That covers sweat and rain without issue, which is the standard you want if you’re using them outdoors regularly.
Battery life lasts for 16 hours on a full charge in Bluetooth mode. If you run them down and need a quick top-up, 15 minutes of charging gets you back to about three hours of use. For most workouts or commutes, that’s enough to cover the session without planning around it.
The ROG Cetra Open Wireless earbuds are priced at $229.99 and available in the US right now. You can order them through Asus directly or pick them up from Amazon, Micro Center, and Newegg.
