The included ASTRO Command Center software allows Pros and Livestreamers to tune every input and output parameter of the A50 precisely configure it for their specific setup. For even more flexibility, the optional A50 Mod Kit allows users to add synthetic leather headband and ear cushions for improved noise-cancellation and comfort. Speaking of settings, the A50 headset keeps it relatively simple when it comes to adjustments, though the Astro Command Center app for PC allows for more detailed EQ adjustments.

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• Pros

  Excellent sound quality. Very comfortable. Convenient charging cradle.

• Cons

  Expensive. Bundle/cradle only works with either PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. No wired option for mobile devices.

• Bottom Line

  The Astro Gaming A50 Wireless Headset + Base Station sounds, looks, and feels fantastic, but carries a high price tag to match its premium features and build.

Astro Gaming's new A50 wireless gaming headset follows its predecessors as one of the most impressive, and pricey, headsets on the market. It rings in at a hefty $300, but justifies its price with excellent audio quality and a full feature set, including an attractive charging cradle. It's light, comfortable, sounds fantastic for both games and music, and it can work with your Sony PlayStation 4 or Microsoft Xbox One and your PC. For its mix of quality and features, it earns our Editors' Choice for high-end wireless gaming headsets.

• $199.95
• $69.99
• $249.99
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• $169.99
• $129.95
• $179.99
• $149.99
• $29.99

Design

The new A50 headset takes most of its design cues from the Astro A40. The large, rounded rectangular earcups are mounted on larger black plastic shells that let them pivot up and down, and the shells themselves are mounted on shiny, pipe-like aluminum supports (blue for the PC/PS4 version pictured here, green for the PC/Xbox One version) like the ones on the A40. They connect to a wide plastic headband consisting of two plastic supports and a trapezoidal padded section in the middle.

While the new design looks a bit more overbuilt than the previous A50, that isn't really the case. The flexible plastic-and-aluminum frame is very light, and the felt-covered earpads and padded headband combine for a comfortable, unobtrusive fit. You can make the over-ear headset feel a bit more plush and seal off a bit more ambient sound (the felt can let through outside noise fairly easily) with the optional $40 A50 Mod Kit, which includes replacement earpads and headband padding made of memory foam and covered with faux leather. If you want a more plush headset than either set of earcups can provide, you need to look to the wired Turtle Beach Elite Pro Tournament; it's the cushiest one we've tested.

The right earcup holds all of the A50's controls. A power switch, Dolby button, three-way EQ slider, and volume dial sit along the back edge, while the back panel of the earcup can be clicked left or right to adjust game/voice balance. A micro USB port sits on the bottom edge of the earcup, along with a single contact connector for charging. The left earcup holds a flip-down mic with a bendable rubber arm (built into the earcup and not removable) and two more contact charge points. The microphone is easy to adjust, and picks up speech very clearly.

Cradle and Connections

You can charge the headset through the micro USB port, but it's much easier to just drop it in the included charging cradle/receiver. It's an 8.4-by-4.3-inch (WD) black plastic tray with two indentations the headset can rest vertically in, aligning the charging contacts with the base through magnets. The front of the cradle holds a set of indicator lights showing how much battery the headset has while it's charging or connected wirelessly, plus separate lights for power and Dolby sound.

In addition to charging the headset, the cradle keeps the A50 connected to your PC or game system. The back holds a micro USB port for connecting the base to your gaming device for both power and sound, plus an optical audio input and output and a 3.5mm aux input. The right side holds a USB port for charging the headset with a cable (generally not needed) and a mode switch for setting it to work with a PC or the game system it's intended to function with. The console connectivity is dependent on the charging cradle, so if you want to use the A50 with your PS4 and Xbox One, you need to either buy two A50 sets or purchase an additional cradle for $129.99 when it becomes available later this year.

Because it's completely wireless through the cradle, the A50 has no wired connection options besides running a USB cable to the cradle to keep it charged while you use it. This means you can't use it with your mobile device or handheld game system like you can with most wired gaming headsets. However wireless offers limited to no direct connection option so it's more of a minor disappointment than a significant loss.

The A50 features three EQ settings accessible through the sliding switch on the back of the right earcup. Media Mode boosts bass, Core Mode balances the sound, and Pro Mode boosts high frequencies. You can make your own custom EQ settings if the A50 is connected to a computer, with the free Astro Command Center software. We tested the headset using the presets, adjusting them based on the content being played (Pro Mode is best for games, Core Mode is best for music, and Media Mode can perk up movies).

Audio Performance

Game audio is excellent, with powerful bass and strong highs to give different sound effects, ambient noise, and voice chat enough distinction that no one sound overtakes the others. I could hear my teammates in Titanfall 2 clearly regardless of how frantic the action got, and the gunfire and explosions coming from the mechs were deep and intimidating without completely overwhelming everything else I had to hear.

Overwatch showed the same results, with the action clearly discernible across the audio spectrum, even in the middle of brawls involving multiple players and weapons. It's a well-balanced, clean sound with plenty of power you can crank up if you want head-rattling explosions.

See How We Test Headphones

The A50 handles bass extremely well. It offers appreciable force and deep low end when playing our bass test track, The Knife's 'Silent Shout,' and doesn't distort even at maximum and borderline unsafe volume.

Yes' 'Roundabout' sounds impressive as well, with the acoustic guitar plucking getting plenty of high-frequency texture. The electric slap bass has presence, but doesn't overwhelm the mix. The vocals and quieter strumming can be clearly heard against the bassline and drums. The less bass-filled synth-pop sound of Boom Boom Satellites' 'Shut Up and Explode' gets a similarly strong balance. The guitar riffs and driving drumline both have their place in the mix, standing out on their own while keeping Michiyuki Kawashima's signature vocals center-stage.

Conclusions

Astro Gaming's A50 is the best wireless gaming headset you can buy. It's comfortable, sounds excellent, and its charging cradle is incredibly convenient. It's expensive, but well worth the price if it's in your budget, making it our Editors' Choice. If $300 is a bit too much for you, the Logitech G933 Artemis Spectrum is another great wireless option that can work with nearly anything for two-thirds the price, but the design isn't quite as plush and the audio isn't quite as strong. If you want to get into esports, you should look at a wired headset with an external mixer instead, like the Turtle Beach Elite Pro Tournament Headset with Tactical Audio Commander, or the Astro A40 TR + MixAmp TR bundle. And if you're just getting into gaming with voice chat, you can always ease into it with an inexpensive wired headset like the Logitech G231 Prodigy.

Astro Gaming A50 Wireless Headset + Base Station

Bottom Line: The Astro Gaming A50 Wireless Headset + Base Station sounds, looks, and feels fantastic, but carries a high price tag to match its premium features and build.

• $149.99
• $60.00
• $249.99
• $299.99

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Astro is among the most trusted gaming audio brands on the market, and their 2016 revision of their popular A50 line of headsets certainly has people talking (and listening).

The headset suffered a bit of a delay earlier in the year, but they're available now for $300, complete with a wireless charging dock. Is it worth the money? Let's take a look.

Specs and features

Built for comfort

The Astro A50 headset is, without a doubt, among the most comfortable headsets I've used, which is paramount for long sessions. I can attribute some of its comforting nature to its light weight rather than the cushioning. The ear cups should fit comfortably over most ears and are fabric-wrapped. They aren't particularly great at blocking outside sound, and I find the wooly material used can be a little warm as you wear it — they're essentially like earmuffs in that regard. The fabric material will also be probably harder to keep clean over time, as you won't simply be able to wipe it clean like you can a smoother leather or pleather ear cub.

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Still, for people like me who do prefer leather and better noise isolation, you can pick up a Mod Kit for the 2016 A50 headset that provides both. I was unable to test them out for myself, but they look as though they could be a good option if you're not a fan of the fabric Astro have used in this product.

Astro uses the same fabric for the headband, which provides relief across the top of your skull in long sessions. At this price point, I would have liked a wider cushioning panel perhaps for additional support, but what's on offer is more than adequate.

The headset fits incredibly well and is easily adjustable using sliders that connect and rotate around the speakers by the headband. At first, I thought the plastics Astro had used felt a little cheap, but after using them for a while, I realized that it's the plastic's pliant nature that makes them fit so well without additional sliders. I'm able to bend the headband plastic quite far without it snapping, which gives the A50 a hard-wearing impression.

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. 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. 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.

Either way, the A50 could be the most beautiful and comfortable headset in the world to you, but the sound experience is more important.

Wireless Audio

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. 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. The lights on the dock indicate charging status, Dolby Surround state, and connection status. You can connect it to an Xbox One or a PS4 with USB and an optical cable, or to PC using just USB. 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.

The headset charges fully in around an hour and lasted me ten hours of continuous use. Astro says that the batteries last up to an impressive 16 hours (for those of you who detest sleep). 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. Take it off and set it on the table and the headset switches off automatically.

The wireless signal is also impressive. 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. 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.

The Astro A50 headset delivers competently in the audio department too, on the back of 40mm drivers and Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound. The bass notes are rich and accentuated, giving explosions and gunfire an immersive punch. 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. At this price point, though, I think the headset could perform a little better. 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.

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. 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. 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 headset comes with a switch to adjust audio EQ modes to emphasize different frequencies if you so choose, and each provides a decent experience. I much prefer Astro's balanced setting, though, as I found the others made games sound a little less natural. It will boil down to personal preference, but the stock settings on offer are a far cry from Turtle Beach's vast amount of presets.

Speaking of settings, the A50 headset keeps it relatively simple when it comes to adjustments, though the Astro Command Center app for PC allows for more detailed EQ adjustments.

You can also change the mix between Xbox Live party chat and game audio and use a wheel to control the global volume — all packed discretely onto the headset itself. You can also toggle Dolby 7.1 virtual surround sound on and off with a button beneath the headset's power switch. The different buttons are notched, making them easy to find without taking the headset off to look, and the mic mute is built into the angle of the mic boom itself. Turning the mic arm into an upwards position causes it to fall silent, which is ingenious design.

The boom-style mic performs well on Xbox Live and Skype, but it's not particularly clear for recording voice overs for YouTube videos or streaming, so don't expect this headset to be your be-all-end-all sound solution if you're a creative type.

Overall, though, Astro made it very hard to find room for complaint in the A50's audio performance.

Final Thoughts

The Astro A50 headset is a top-tier wireless headset that boasts incredible comfort, crisp audio, and robust quality. If you're in the market to create a tidy playspace and untether yourself from the perils of cables, you won't be disappointed with this product.

Pros:

• Solid audio
• Easy to set up
• Excellent signal strength
• Comfortable and hard-wearing

Cons:

• Microphone quality could be better
• Limited versatility, considering the price point

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The Astro A50 headset might not pack the audio prowess of similarly priced wired headsets on the market, and the mic quality coupled with the lack of 3.5mm support on the headset itself limits its versatility as a multi-purpose sound solution. But as a pure gaming wireless headset, it's a tremendous product that won't disappoint.

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