Astro A50 Review: An Immersive Headset For Committed Gamers

Thinking of investing in the Astro A50? If you love your gaming, then a great headset is a must. It’s especially when you’re competing against the rest of the world. Astro Gaming has long been at the cutting edge of audio immersion technology. The A50 is certainly an excellent piece of kit that is popular among regular gamers. 

Here we take a closer look at the Astro A50. What makes it such a powerful headset and what benefits it can bring to your gaming experience. We’ll also look at whether there are any downsides to buying this particular product. 

Astro A50 Design

The Astro A50 has two separate components: a wireless headset and a USB base station. 

The headset is charged by simply dropping into it onto the magnetic base station. You never have to worry about being ready to go when gaming time comes around. 

There are slightly different variants for PC, Play Station and Xbox but the basic features remain the same. Inside the box, you get the headphones, base station, USB and optical cables. The kit is almost entirely black matt plastic except for the two aluminium beams that connect the headphones together. It’s a sturdy piece of kit that feels like it is built to last. 

When you first put on the headphones you’ll notice two things immediately: they are lightweight and they are pretty comfortable. The ear cups are covered in fabric but you can also upgrade to leather for a few extra pounds. Neither compromises the sound quality so this generally comes down to personal preference. Swapping between different cups is really easy. 

Boom Mic

The voice is controlled by a boom mic that can be either in the up or down position. Pull it down and the microphone is activated. Push it up and that turns the mic off. If you don’t like the feel of a boom mike close to your eye in the up position this may bother you a little but for most, it won’t be a problem. 

The right side of the headset contains all your buttons for remote operation away from the base. There’s an additional USB port for charging and buttons for EQ, volume and switching to Dolby virtual surround sound. There’s also an on switch and two buttons that connect game and voice. 

Charging

The base and USB charging station is compact and can be used for wireless charging. It has a number of displays including for EQ, whether you’re connected to your device and the status of your Dolby sound. 

Finally, the wireless connection works well even at larger distances. And, the battery life is good at 15 hours on a full charge. You also get a free two-year activation for Dolby Atmos spatial audio. 

Setup

It’s simple to set up the Astro A50 within a few minutes. All you have to do is plug the USB cable into your PC and follow the instructions to update the firmware. For PS4 and Xbox, you need to also attach the optical cable and enter your console’s settings. Instructions are included for all gaming devices and they are very easy to follow. 

Sound Quality

Out of the box, the sound quality through the headphones is top quality. But if you want to adjust it you have the option to fine-tune with the equaliser. The button gives three options that affect either treble or bass. If you want to have more control, all you need to do is pop into the Astro command centre and play around with the settings until you get the sound you want. 

The boom mic does a decent job of reproducing your voice. While the audio quality isn’t spectacular, it should suit most gamers when they’re chatting with friends and other players. 

Overall, this isn’t as loud as many other headsets on the market. And if you are searching for something that perfectly cancels noise so that none leaks out and disturbs people around you, you may be disappointed. 

Having said that, the sound quality is exceptional and the bass is well balanced. As you would expect from a premium headset. The Dolby surround for the Astro A50 makes gaming extremely immersive with an exceptionally cinematic sound experience. This makes it brilliant for gaming. However, if you want to just listen to music you may be a little disappointed as that surround sound is likely to get in the way. 

Overall Impression of the Astro A50

The A50 is the flagship headset for Astro and does come at a higher price than others on the market. If you’re just a casual gamer who goes online a few times a week, it may not be worth the investment. For regular gamers, it does provide a highly immersive experience that is difficult to beat on the market at the moment.

Positives:

• The sound quality is excellent. If you are a regular gamer it gives you the genuinely immersive experience you’re looking for. 
• It’s a comfortable, great looking headset. It’s easy to set up and feels like it is built to last. 
• You can either charge the headset via its own USB or use the wireless charger on the base. 
• It’s comfortable and you can easily swap the ear cups. 
• The battery life is exceptional at 15 hours on a full charge. 
• The wireless connection is pretty solid which is a big improvement on previous iterations that tended to cut out when moving around. 

Negatives:

• You need to put the headset onto the base to start charging it but this has to be done precisely. Not a big problem but can cause issues if you are in a hurry and don’t fix it right. 
• Noise cancellation isn’t as great as with other headsets and it’s not a powerful headset with a very high volume that is likely to blow your head off. The sound quality, however, is top-notch. 
• It’s an expensive buy if you are not a consistent gamer. If you’re looking for great sound quality, however, there’s little to fault the Astro A50 and its wireless system is a step up from other headsets on the market. 

Final Verdict of the Astro A50

This is a high-end, high-quality headset that impresses the moment you get it out of the box. With great sound quality and a really strong wireless performance, you’ll have everything you need for an exceptional gaming experience.