Well, here's a product I didn't have on my CES bingo card. Asus has partnered with boutique headphone manufacturer Hifiman to bring planar magnetic drivers to its new gaming headset, the Asus ROG Kithara.

For those not in the know, planar magnetic drivers use a magnet-suspended diaphragm to deliver exceptionally crisp and accurate audio, which makes them highly-prized among audiophiles. Our best audiophile headphones pick, the Audeze Maxwell, uses a similar pair—but it looks like there's some new competition in town.

(Image credit: Future)

The set has a 16 Ohm impedance rating, so I'll be interested to see if the Kithara can still deliver when powered by an ordinary headphone socket without extra amplification. The set has a distinct gaming flavour to it, and I can't imagine too many gamers will want to purchase extra gear to get a reasonable result out of their new cans.

The audiophile air, it is rarefied. Anyway, the Kithara isn't cheap, being a planar magnetic set, with what I'm told will likely be a $300-$350 MSRP. That puts it squarely in the sights of the newly-announced Audeze Maxwell 2. The Audeze is wireless, too, so the Asus set is going to have to work pretty dang hard to justify that price tag.

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Tough competition, no doubt. Still, with tuned Hifiman drivers at its core, the Kithira makes for a compelling headset at first listen. I'll be very, very curious to hear it properly for myself quieter conditions, as the Asus booth was filled with noisy tech journos. Keep it down, would you? I'm listening intently over here.