REVIEW: Astro a50 - Premium Gaming Headset (Wireless)

Reviewed - Astro a50

The a50 has been out for a few months now and I figured this might be useful to anyone looking to buy for the first time, or update their gaming headset. Currently there are mostly reviews on YT from sponsors, and one really negative one from a user who couldn't figure out how to use it at all, which led him to saying, "Don't ing buy this at all!"

Which, is not that helpful for people that are looking for a balanced perspective.

Negative: do not buy.
Positive: (Probably sponsored by Astro)

Most of the reviews online are positive, although a lot of the users are sponsored by Astro, so here I will offer a review from someone who is not sponsored by them, me.

1. Sound: This is an expensive set up, costing about $300USD. What kind of sound do I get for that? Initially I was totally disappointed, but than I changed the EQ settings and realized I simply didn't like the setting it was on. What happened next was a orgasmic audio experience. Without getting into too much detail, I'll say the sound is better than THX Dolby sound at the biggest movie theatre you've been to.

The first COD match I played I died 5 times more than I killed simply cause I walked around wanting to hear the sound of the gun fire.

2. Firmware: This is where people were bitching over issues with the headset. I updated my firmware as soon as it came out of the box so I had no issues. The complaints were voice cutting out during chatter, and a couple other things not too pressing.

In any case, if you get the a50's, update your firmware right away. I've experienced no technical issues with them.

3. Voice: One issue the crusty a50 user had, was that there was a slight distortion hum when you mic turns on in the right ear. Yep, there is. Although I haven't tested many other headsets I'm not sure if this is a common problem among wireless rigs. What I can say, is that it is not annoying enough for me not to use the headset, or even really notice if I'm in a multiplayer game with voice.

I recommend Astro looking into a fix if they can however.

4. Ease of use: Pretty straight forward, and they have a great feature that can adjust voice volume/game volume ratio on the side of the headset. So if your team gets annoying or someone is blasting lady gaga out their headset, you can simply click a pad on the earphones and turn down voice volume during gameplay.

5. Charging: Okay here's an issue, charging is done with the ps3 on. The cord for charging is only 12 inches or so. So this is an issue. Apparently they have a larger cord available, or you could by one from regular gadget stores, but a long cord doesn't come in the box.

This isn't a big deal but I would recommend having one in case you accidentally forget to charge the rig. One thing they should look into for the next gen is to make a charging doc. Or make it easier to charge from the wall. Leaving the ps3 on is slightly annoying.

6. Feel: These things are not that heavy considering the battery and all that is located in the headset. They are sturdy and rigid where you need them to be. You can turn the ear pieces back and forth to find a comfortable angle against your head. The pads are soft and once you get in to your game you probably wont notice they're there anymore.

Conclusion:

I'm happy as hell with the a50's.

Wireless is beautiful, which allows you to walk around and do whatever in loading times, etc. The sound is amazing out of the set. I can't believe I've been playing without this kind of sound for so long. Someone who has tried out tons of different sets may be more picky than I am. This was the first top end set I've ever purchased and it blows everything else I've used clean out of the water.

I would recommend them to other users, but also remind people to update their firmware right away. I can see if I had issues initially my thoughts on them might not be as positive.