![]() I much prefer Astro's balanced setting, though, as I found the others made games sound a little less natural. The headset comes with a switch to adjust audio EQ modes to emphasize different frequencies if you so choose, and each provides a decent experience. On the flip-side, the boom mic of the Astro A50 performed admirably over the internal ear cup mics of the Turtle Beach headset, which have required multiple firmware updates to become passable for most gaming uses. The larger 50mm drivers in the 800X may have some hand in that, but despite the various technical measures you can compare it's still a personal and subjective judgement. That said, when I compared the audio performance to the $300 Turtle Beach Elite 800X, the closest direct competitors to the Astro A50, I found that the Turtle Beach delivered better overall sound quality. You can adjust the EQ settings using Astro's Command Center app on PC to get a better sound, but surely it should come calibrated to the best settings out of the box, particularly for those buying for console use only. At this price point, though, I think the headset could perform a little better. Highs and mids are well served too, particularly in Final Fantasy XV where the clang of sword on armor is as shrill and crisp as you might hope. The bass notes are rich and accentuated, giving explosions and gunfire an immersive punch. The Astro A50 headset delivers competently in the audio department too, on the back of 40mm drivers and Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound. The signal isn't as powerful as other headsets out there - it'll cut out if you start putting walls between you and the transmitter - but that's both to be expected and not a huge concern since you wouldn't be able to see the screen of your game anyway. I tested it up to five meters without any loss in signal quality, nor did I notice any latency or interference, which just helped to further enhance the overall experience. Take it off and set it on the table and the headset switches off automatically. Additionally, the A50 contains internal motion sensors that will automatically shuts it off if it's not picking up even the subtle head movements of an entranced gamer. Astro says that the batteries last up to an impressive 16 hours (for those of you who detest sleep). The headset charges fully in around an hour and lasted me ten hours of continuous use. There's also a 3.5mm port on the dock for mixing in audio from other sources, but there's no socket on the headset itself - it's wireless or nothing. You can connect it to an Xbox One or a PS4 with USB and an optical cable, or to PC using just USB. The lights on the dock indicate charging status, Dolby Surround state, and connection status. The Astro A50 2016 edition comes with a new charging dock with magnetic connectors, allowing it to sit comfortably and passively charge when not in use. I'm a big fan of wireless tech - I'm terrible at cable management, so the fewer wires there are to deal with, the better. You're not going to wear these outside as there's no 3.5mm support on the headset itself, so they needn't look subtle.Įither way, the A50 could be the most beautiful and comfortable headset in the world to you, but the sound experience is more important. I'm also not a huge fan of the visual design, which seems to follow the Alienware-style tacky-gamer-gloss-futurism design ethos, but again, that's completely subjective. ![]() ![]() There's little to complain about when it comes to the build quality of the Astro A50 headset, with most of my gripes boiling down to a personal preference for leather-style cushioning.
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