Just a review on the Astro A30 headset and the Mixamp 5.8 wireless system.
Personally, I do have an Astro A30, as you all should know if you keep up with the videos. Just a low down on the benefits and disadvantages.
Benefits
-Lightweight comfortable. Design helps in prolonged hours of usage and even on the move. It only weighs about 200 grams even with the detachable microphone. The soft latex sponge at the ear muffs and the top headrest give extreme comfort and I once even forgot that they were on my head.
-Build quality is great. Solid plastic with a glossy surface at parts of the headset shows that this isn't your average headset. Interchangeable magnetic speaker tags at the sides are custom made and can be modified for maximum customisation. The tags are also lightweight and do not disrupt any the quality of the sounds being produced.
-Designed for portability. As compared to the A40s. These A30s have a smaller size for the left and right ear muffs and are meant to cover ear rather than surrounding it. They sit comfortably on top of your ear and this prevents it from slipping. Compact and its ability to swirl a full 90 degree facing up to be placed on your neck while not using it makes it stylish and convenient on the move. A quick disconnect cable containing both microphone and earphone jacks allow switching of different cables much easier and faster. The headset also comes with many different wires such as a computer double mic and headphone jack and a wire designed for your phone with a quick answer button with a 3.5mm jack at the end. The headset component also contains 2 microphones that you can choose to talk from. One is the detachable microphone, the other a built in concealed microphone located near the on and off microphone tab. Great for talking on the move.
-Sound quality wise is also great. Designed for both standard hearing and 5.1 surround sound. The base of the headset is also another plus for it. Although not intensive on music ,as it is after all a gaming headset where you're supposed to hear where the enemy is not how nice is the sound of his footsteps, it is still rather awesome for it. For example in gaming, a grenade exploding in the distance can be heard with a rather real life feeling and a shockwave sound that hits you in the chest can be felt through that. It really is pretty impressive.
-Price wise it is quite worth it. 150 SGD for this plus the included component cables and the fact that Astro is renowned for their premium headsets. A deal would be to get the set which contains both the headset and the wireless system which I will elaborate and review later.
-Packaging is impressive. The design and quality of the packaging is very nice and the headsets are in the hard travel case that comes with the packaging. Good for long distance travelling if you're not using the headsets.
Downsides
Surely with all this there must be some issues? Yes. There is a few issues.
-Unlike studio headsets, the Astro A30 has a problem of blocking out external noise that well. I can still hear people talking even with a rather loud volume.
-When you turn the headsets and place it on your neck, it tends to jerk upwards if you do not put it back into its original state of pushing the extendible ear muffs back which is annoying at times.
-The ear cushions are not interchangeable and that is quite a problem when you want to clean it or it starts to wear and tear.
-The size of the headsets is also quite an issue for me as I have to extend to the maximum to fit my head. Apparently, most of my friends can wear this perfectly and at the lowest extension, so this may be limited to just a few people like me.
Overall, it is a headset worth considering to get. I would rather recommend you to get an Astro A40 or Trittons if you're the stay home gamer types. I tend to go out of the house quite a bit and sometimes game at people house.
The mixamp 5.8 is a component of Astro headsets which is sold separately. These allow your Astros or any other headset to become wireless and it also comes with a 5.1 surround sound feather. The left device with the square like shape is the receiver module for the mixamp. It basicly transmits the game sound to your sender module ,which is on the right and looks a bit oval, while transmitting your voice into the game via wireless connections. The coolest part of the mixamp is that Astro has taken careful consideration on the wireless frequency in which these operate at. Normal Wi-fi connections, for example your router to your computer or Xbox 360, has a frequency of around 5. Astro has changed the frequency of the mixamp to 5.8 which means it does not interrupt or distort any of your wireless connections, reducing risk of lag. The sender module houses a main volume control, a gauge for the level and percentage of game volume to voice volume ratio, a power switch, a 5.1 surround sound button, at the bottom, a USB charge port, a Xbox 360 controller cable wire and a 3.5mm port for your headset to plug in. The receive module has the power port, 2 USB ports, optical in and out port plus a AUX in port for your music if you want to. The sender module also comes with a attachable side stock which you can then hang on the side of your pants, making you able to walk around without the need of holding to the sender module. The range of these are also pretty far. Without any obstacles, it goes about 3-6 meters easily. Packaging wise for the mixamps are also incredibly impressive with all wires such as for your Astros to 3.5mm to sender module, a double female 3.5mm microphone and headset port to 3.5mm to sender module, a USB charge cable and an optical cable for your receiver module from Xbox 360 optical out. It costs about another 180SGD. Plus the whole set, Astro is selling it at 300 SGD.
The downsides however, are that the sender module eats battery like crazy. 3 fully charge triple A batteries can last only 4 days maximum of prolonged usage. The way to fix this is to get the rechargeable battery pack that you can order inclusive of the package or to get rechargeable batteries. Another problem is that when battery is low for the sender module, it will start beeping annoyingly every few minutes. Also, unlike the other wired Astro module for wired gaming, at my current knowledge you cannot link the mixamps together for team talk and that will be quite a disadvantage at team tournament events.
Overall, if you really need a wireless system. Get these. They are expensive though and I agreed that it is a bit overpriced. The best would be for you to buy the A30 or A40 wireless system set and get the most out of your value for money.
That about concludes this review for the Astro A30 and the wireless mixamp 5.8 system.
