Asus ROG Gjallar soundbar review: Style over substance

Asus's first gaming soundbar, the ROG Gjallar, delivers decent audio but suffers from a blocky, uninspired design. It also includes an unnecessary audio control hub with built-in beamforming microphones that adds little value. Overall, the soundbar's performance is adequate, but its aesthetic and extra features fail to impress.

The ROG Gjallar represents Asus's initial foray into the gaming soundbar segment, yet the product's reception suggests the company leaned heavily on its established gaming aesthetic rather than pushing acoustic boundaries. Reviewers characterized the audio as passable but not memorable, while the chunky, angular enclosure lacks the visual refinement found in competing gaming audio gear. The bundled control hub, fitted with beamforming microphones, appears to solve no pressing problem, introducing extra complexity without meaningful benefit.

This middling debut places Asus behind rivals who have already refined their gaming audio offerings. The peripheral market rewards products that balance performance with purposeful design, and a soundbar that underwhelms on both fronts may struggle to justify its place on a desk already crowded with dedicated headsets and speaker systems.