Astro A50 tested: still the most expensive, still the best
The Astro A50 makes improvements in all areas. It's not a really big leap, nor is it necessary. Only the price still hurts.
Astro refreshes the top models of its gaming headsets. The wireless A50 and the wired A40. I'm focussing on the former. It is now the fourth iteration. As always, the headphones are available in an Xbox One and a PS4 version. Both models are compatible with the PC. The PS4 model was available to me for testing.
Processing and wearing comfort
Astro has changed very little in terms of design. The same modular design is still used. If you want, you can replace the fabric ear and head pads with leather. The ear pads are magnetically attached and can be easily removed. Apart from the metal connectors between the ear cups and headband, everything is made of plastic. This means they are relatively stretchy and should survive the odd fall.
While the predecessors still had green (Xbox model) or blue (PS4 model) accents, the 2019 model is completely black. The only difference between the two console variants is the Astro logo, which is either grey and white or gold. Personally, that's too boring for me. Purists won't get their money's worth either, as the chunky design is definitely not discreet. The wired A40 is a little more stylish, at least it brings some colour into play with silver and blue.
But when you have it on, you can't see the design anyway. It's the wearing comfort that counts, and the A50 is once again an excellent trap. I own the two predecessors of the Astro A50 and also appreciate the pleasantly soft fabric pads on the ears. Version four has a slightly stronger contact pressure, but is even more comfortable overall. The Astro A40, on the other hand, sits far too loosely for me and I have a rather large head. I don't know whether this is because I usually hang it on the edge of the table and the headband has stretched out as a result. The fact is: a little shake of the head is enough and they fall off my head.
Both models have an open design, which allows you to see a lot of your surroundings. I like that because I'm not completely closed off and can still hear a bit of what's going on around me. Conversely, everyone around you can also hear when you're listening to louder music.
Operation and dock
Astro has made operation a little more intuitive. You have a slider on the A50 to switch the headphones on and off. There are also two buttons for the equaliser and surround sound. Everything is acknowledged with audio signals. You can easily distinguish between the three equaliser profiles Astro, Studio and Pro thanks to one, two or three signal tones. And you can also see it on the display of the supplied docking station in the form of numbers. A volume control is also on board again. To fine-tune the balance between game sound and voice chat, press the right ear cup at the front or back. This adjusts the sound ratio. With the A40, you have to do this via the MixAmp jack. This is cumbersome, but the device looks stylish.
The dock of the A50 has also been improved. The headphones now slide more easily into the charging cradle. With the predecessor, you have to place them correctly or they won't charge.
A nice feature is that the headphones recognise when you take them off or put them on thanks to integrated motion sensors. They then switch on or off automatically. This helps save battery power. At just under 15 hours, it lasts longer than its predecessor, but for some users even that is not enough. So far, I've only reached the limit at LAN parties. Thanks to the microUSB connection, you can also use them with a cable.
About microUSB: The dock itself is also operated with the outdated standard. At least it remains very easy to connect. Optical in and out, USB-A, AUX input/microphone output. That's what I call exemplary.
In contrast to its predecessors, the A50 works wirelessly via 2.4 Ghz and no longer via 5 Ghz. This significantly increases the range.
Sound and microphone quality
For me, the two previous versions are among the best-sounding gaming headsets on the market. Unfortunately, I had to return the Beyerdynamics that I used for my hifi vs gaming headset test. That's why I can no longer make a comparison with this reference model. But the new Astro A50s don't make a big leap in performance anyway.
I tried out several games for the sound test. All of them with Dolby Surround activated, because the games clearly sound better and not just because of the surround sound. Among others, I tested "The Division 2", "Red Dead Redemption 2", "The Outer Worlds" and "Call of Duty Modern Warfare". The latter in particular pays special attention to the sound design. With the A50, the weapons in Activision's shooting orgy sound loud and brutal and explosions produce a convincing pressure wave. In "Red Dead Redemption 2", on the other hand, you can hear subtle nuances when a stream babbles or your horse rides over different surfaces. And when one of the brilliant songs from the soundtrack comes on for the first time, the A50 sounds truly epic.
I also played the 7.1 video demo of "Soma" again, which is particularly useful for surround tests. The eerie underwater world with its constant splashing, hissing and hissing sounds pleasantly creepy. The ambient noises or when a monster stomps past you are relatively easy to assign to a direction.
The sound is slightly clearer than its predecessor. But they are no longer quite as loud. This is perhaps better for the longevity of my ears, but especially when I want to rock out to Rage Against The Machine (without Dolby Surround, of course), I would prefer it to be a little louder. Otherwise, the A50s deliver powerful bass, despite the open design.
The Astro A40 is practically identical in construction to the A50 and I couldn't discern any significant differences in the sound. Both headphones sound excellent for gaming headsets.
I was also impressed by the microphone. The voice quality of the A50 is excellent. The voice sounds even clearer, warmer and more emphasised than with version 3. The A40 is a little more tinny, but still absolutely sufficient for voice chats. The microphone on the A50 can still be switched off by positioning it vertically and switched on by pulling it downwards. Unfortunately, this feature is missing on the Astro A40. There you lock the microphone with a switch on the cable.
Conclusion: Buy new, yes. Upgrade, no
The Astro A50s are a worthy upgrade. The dock is finally designed so that the headphones slide in without much fiddling, the operation on the headphones is a little easier and the sound is a little crisper. The microphone quality has also been significantly improved. The rest remains at the same high level. However, if you already own the predecessor, I think the upgrade is too expensive.
For me, the new A50s are by far the most comfortable headphones and also the best sounding. However, they require that you like the open design, where you can still hear your surroundings. Unfortunately, the price is quite high and because there are competing products that also sound good for a fraction of the price, you have to ask yourself whether the comfort functions are worth the extra cost. The A40, which sounds just as good but is inferior in terms of features and usability, is slightly cheaper. If the price doesn't matter, then you'll be happy with the A50. <p
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Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.
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