Swedish digital audio pioneer Dirac and ASUS, a global innovator of phones, computers and electronics, have raised the bar on mobile audio with the new ASUS ROG Phone 5, which features audiophile-level sound fidelity, a spatial soundscape and accurate stereo sound localization.
Through close collaboration, Dirac and ASUS have designed and delivered a completely unique sound experience for the ROG Phone 5, using technology first created for high-end automotive audio systems to make the ROG 5 the ideal mobile device not just for gaming, but also for movie and music listening.
“ASUS and Dirac engineers have managed to create a highly rated, truly advanced mobile audio platform, enabling sound quality never before experienced in a smartphone,” said Mats Oberg, Chief Sales Officer, Dirac. “Working with ASUS, Dirac has been able to enhance and optimize the ROG Phone 5’s premium stereo speaker system with patented Dirac technology traditionally associated with audiophile sound experiences. Gamers, music fans and movie enthusiasts will be blown away by the ROG Phone 5’s immersive sound experiences.”
The ASUS ROG Phone 5 is the first smartphone to include Dirac’s patented MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output) mixed-phase speaker co-optimization technology, an industry-first innovation that treats the smartphone’s dual speakers as a single, multi-speaker system in which the individual speakers work together to create the desired acoustical response.
Because smartphone speakers are necessarily small, their acoustics performance is limited. Dirac’s technology does for the ROG Phone 5 what it has done for leading automotive brands, such as Volvo, allowing speakers in the same system to work together to co-optimize the impulse response of the entire system.
Co-optimization of multiple speakers delivers proven higher overall performance than individual optimization of multiple speakers. The result is improved clarity, imaging and bass; richer details; and balanced tonality, resulting in the ROG Phone 5’s premium sound quality, which is essential for consumers whether they play games, listen to music or watch movies.
In addition, Dirac has enhanced its MIMO crosstalk cancellation technology for the ROG Phone 5. First introduced in the ROG Phone 3, Dirac’s crosstalk cancellation overcomes challenges inherent to placing two smartphone speakers in such close proximity, creating an expanded, spatial soundscape.
When two speakers are integrated near each other in a smartphone—rather than physically distanced for clean channel separation—it can create an unsatisfactory, mono-like sound experience, with crosstalk occurring because the left ear hears the right channel, and the right ear hears the left channel. Dirac’s MIMO crosstalk cancellation technology, which has been improved in the ROG Phone 5, ensures clean separation between left and right channels, creating a more natural spatial soundscape and accurate sound localization, which are critical for gaming and immersive cinema experiences.
“ASUS and Dirac continue to push the boundaries of smartphone audio,” stated Bryan Chang, General Manager, smartphone business unit at ASUS. “With Dirac’s leading audio technologies integrated into the ROG Phone 5, consumers will experience games, music, and movies like never before.”
DXOMARK gave the ROG Phone 5 a score of 78 on its audio test suite, making it the best-sounding gaming smartphone ever at the time of its review. It remains the top-rated, globally available smartphone for audio quality.
The ROG Phone 5 series, which includes the ROG Phone 5, ROG Phone 5 Pro and ROG Phone 5 Ultimate, features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G Mobile Platform, including advanced 5G communications and premium Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Gaming technology. It includes a 144Hz AMOLED HDR10+ display and an upgraded, Dirac-optimized GameFX audio system with symmetrical, seven-magnet dual speakers.
The ROG Phone 5’s AudioWizard app leverages Dirac technologies to easily adjust the phone to gaming, music or cinema modes, depending on the user’s desired sound experience.
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For more on the ROG Phone 5, click here.
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