Astro Gaming A50 Wireless + Base Station
Astro ups its game with this fantastically mature and powerful headset.
If you’re after a topof-the-range wireless gaming headset, pick up this gadget — you will not be disappointed. You get Dolby Headphone 7.1 surround sound with built-in MixAmp tech, a 5GHz low-latency wireless connection over 9m, 15 hours of battery life on a single charge, a pro-grade microphone with flip-up mute and a headset with three distinct EQ profiles that can be added to or tweaked with Astro’s bundled software.
In other words, you get a lot of bells and whistles. The A50s come in a black-andblue colour scheme for PS4 compatibility or grey and green for Xbox One compatibility (both sets also work with PC and Mac). In the box, you get digital audio and USB-to-micro-USB cables, which are required to transfer audio data and power from your console or computer to the Base Station, which is a cool, black slab indented at the top with a recess for depositing the ‘phones in when they’re not in use.
Within this recess lies a brace of small-scale power prongs which, when the headphones are slotted in, make contact with small receptive power plates on the bottom of one of the headset’s ear cups, thereby charging them for wireless operation.
Sticking with the Base Station, on its front lies a number of indicator lights, highlighting things such as power and charge level, while at its rear lies in and out digital optical ports, a micro-USB port and an AUX out. As such, not only can you connect the Station to your console or computer, but you can also bring in sources from elsewhere.
The headset is an over-ear design of industrial, futurist beauty. Chrome, perforated, hollow tubes extend from the chunky, rubberisedfinish earcups up to a robust, cushioned headrest.
On the earcups lie buttons, switches and dials, which handle things like power, profiles and volume, as well as the headset’s raise-tomute microphone, which is positioned on the left cup.
Audio quality is, as you would expect from a gaming headset, inclined slightly toward the low-end, with distortion-free bass, while the immersive surround sound is absolutely superb. The volume range is also excellent.
Connectivity range, providing you don’t put thick stone walls between you and the Base Station, is also pleasingly large.
Battery life, too, despite us not sitting there with a stopwatch, also seems on the money at around the 15-hour mark. Charge the A50s to full power and you can forget about having to charge them for quite a while, which in our case sometimes stretched out to over a week.
Overall, we had a great experience with the Astro A50 Wireless. Everything about this gaming audio system just screams premium — except the fabric ear-cushions and headband cushion (which can be upgraded to synthetic leather). These factors and the price stop it from landing a perfect-5 score, but we have no problem recommending them if you’re on the market for a premium gaming headset.