Asus AI noise cancelling mic adapter review: An affordable audio adapter that walks the talk

Sound is an especially important part of the entertainment experience. Like how good sound design elevates a piece of content, listening to that same content on a good set of hardware, enriches the experience for the end user.

Unfortunately, there is another thing that can hamper your audio experience, which is noise. Noise can come from a variety of sources and can hamper your enjoyment. Therefore noise-cancelling technology is a thing, putting you in a vacuum, free from interference from other unwanted sound.

The recent fad in noise cancellation technology has seen it rely increasingly on software optimisations and virtualizations to approximate the same results that you would get when using dedicated hardware. Software like Nvidia’s RTX voice promise clearer audio and a distraction-free experience for the end user while using voice chat. The lack of hardware options independent of a product that lists it as a feature has perhaps influenced Asus enough to release a dedicated noise cancelling mic adapter, intended to keep you in a vacuum.

The increase of eSports and the general increase in user interest for skill-based gaming is one of the reasons why something like this might be helpful. As more group-based games prioritise voice chat over text, it becomes important to be able to hear what your teammate is shouting at you during a match. You want to relay your voice clearly as well, so that the others on your team can understand what you are planning to do.

The use case for this technology extends beyond gaming as well. Voice chats and calls are increasingly common in our current COVID-19 state of the world, which makes this a perfect option for a lot of businesses and professionals looking to improve their chat experience to increase productivity while working from home.

The question is does Asus deliver on its promise?

Simple to use, complicated to explain

Simple and uncomplicated. Those two words can sum up this entire section but if you don’t want a TL;DR, it looks like a fancy USB pen drive with a short wire at the bottom that has a 3.5mm headphone jack. Oh, and it also comes with a converter in case you own devices that do not have a USB Type-C.

It also has a neat-looking debossed company logo that is shiny. Cool, I guess.

Besides the looks, the plastic on the device does feel a little fragile to me. It did not break on me or anything but when I held it in my hands, I was never comfortable leaving it plugged in anywhere if I was not around. It is also rather small, which means its super easy to lose if you are a little clumsy. It would have been cool to see a ‘Find my phone’ like feature but I guess that would defeat the whole purpose of its biggest strength. It is simple to use.

To set it up, just plug it in to your USB Type-C port, connect your headset to the 3.5mm jack and that is it, that is all you need to do. There is no fiddling around with software, no interface to worry about and the AI takes care of everything else. AI is one of the sticker features of this device, Asus says the device uses machine learning algorithms to help reduce or remove noise from your immediate environment.

The adapter has a 24-bit DAC built-in for output and uses an embedded chip that clears up the audio from your microphone using AI. It also works across devices and supports mobile phones, PC’s, Mac’s, and the Nintendo Switch.

How well does it do?

Quite well, actually. While it is difficult to relay an audio experience without making you hear it, there is a remarkable difference when you plug this device in. How remarkable? Here is where it gets subjective. If you are used to a normal headset without any frills or features, then this will blow your mind but if you use dedicated audio headsets with noise cancellation built-in, then the adapter delivers something equitable. Honestly, that is impressive considering it retails for Rs 2,800.

Another big advantage the AI sound adapter has is that it has zero footprint on the device its being used on. Unlike software virtualisation, the sound adapter has zero processor or graphics card usage, virtually making it have no impact on performance at all. This is a godsend during gaming obviously since higher framerates and all that jazz.

The big problem here is the one big advantage that competition like Nvidia’s RTX voice or Discord’s Krisp have. They are free. While you require a RTX card to use RTX voice, Krisp is available cross platform across mobile and desktop and gives you two hours free per week. They are also software which means no lugging around small extra stuff that you might accidentally loose.

Is the Asus AI Sound Adapter a good device? Yes, but should you buy it? That depends. If you game for long hours during a day or have a budding eSports team, then yes this makes sense to invest in. If you are stuck during long office calls or use video chat to keep in touch with someone, again this makes a good investment.

It's also great for people looking to upgrade their voice chat quality but without spending too much money.