Astro A50
Some General info:
The Astro A50s were announced on E3 recently this year by Astro Gaming and so far they have been received with really positive feedback. If you're comparing this to an A40 or A30 and or just looking for a wireless headset as a viable option for gaming, you may be pretty impressed with this. Here are some of the features of the A50:
-Completely wireless with a 5.8 GHz frequency to minimize interference with things like wireless internet, Xbox 360 wireless controllers etc
-Dolby digital 7.1 surround sound
-Multi-system compatibility, able for use on PC, Xbox or PS3
-Weight: 363 grams (0..81lbs)
-Over ear cupping
-6.0mm uni-direction nice canceling mic nondetachable and mutes when lifted up
-Battery life 12 hours
-Built in to the headset is Astro's revolutionary Mixamp system with voice and game balance plus volume
-Modes that can be selected on the Astro A50 to balance out the sound, currently there are only 3 modes, Gaming mode, Media mode (music, movies etc) and normal mode (much like just how default A40s sound like)
-Comes with Mixamp 5.8 receiver module compatible only with Astro A50 headsets, Astro A50 headset, 2 USB wires (one for charging and one for playing or connection to PC via USB), stand for your headset (refer to picture above)
Breakdown
Sound: Starting with the most important aspect. Sound, the A50s certainly deliver the quality you paid for. While experiencing Battlefield 3 with it i was blown away by how amazing it sounds, especially if the gaming mode is on. Gun sounds sound crisper and explosions have that after shock low deep base effect that just makes the whole game sound fantastic. Footsteps are easily heard and all that on 7.1 surround sound. Simply amazing. As compared with the Astro A40 the difference is quite minute, however it can be felt and its awesome.
Weight: While slightly heavier than the A40s, the extra padding on the A50s make the headset still extremely comfortable. No problems there
Customizability: Unlike the Astro A40s, the speaker tags are non-existent in this headset, leaving you with pretty much just the default design from Astro. That is rather unfortunate.
Battery life: Definitely an area of concern for wireless headset users. While Astro Gaming may claim that it lasts 12 hours, from my usage it only lasts about 10 hours on a single charge. While not meeting the supposed time to last, 10 hours is still a long time. Especially with a headset quality like this.
Build quality: Identical to the A40s design build quality is again exceptional with metal parts encasing the wire that loops over to connect the top of the headset to the left and right ear muff. Amazing build quality really. Love it.
Noise cancellation: Some external sound can still be heard to be quite annoying however it does muffle out most of the noise to be good enough for general use. I wouldn't try to go to a firing range with these.
Microphone: Standard uni-directional noise cancellation makes it great for general talking via Xbox live, PSN or PC. Wouldn't use it for commentaries thou (mostly because i have a condenser mic already). Mic auto mutes when lift up to the vertical position. Great for gaming use as you don't need to fumble around for a mute button when you need to.
Price: At 300 USD it is rather expensive. Along with most other Astro gaming equipment. I wouldn't pay 300 dollars for this but I would. To put it simply its a mixed opinion on whether I would pay that amount of money. Maybe if it was like 280 I will buy it, but 300 is rather costly, however the system is actually quite worth the amount. The opinion therefore falls upon you.
Conclusion: Overall fantastic headset and definitely something you should check out if you're consider high quality, high end wireless gaming headsets. Score? 9/10. Well done Astro Gaming. Another fantastic headset yet again.
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