The Astro A20 wi-fi gaming headset tackles an issue we’re all too ashamed to speak about. I am speaking about having too many rattling headsets.
Earlier than I began reviewing headsets for a residing, I used to be infamous for having 3-5 headsets in my rotation for each day work and gaming use. I would have a pair for understanding, a pair of noise-canceling headphones to drown out my coworkers in NYC, one with a very good mic for on-line gaming and a separate one I would use solely for listening to music, or the wi-fi one for gaming whereas standing at my desk. I feel it is secure to confess that I’ve an issue on the subject of headphones and determined I wanted one for each doable situation. I’ve been attempting daily to chop that 3-5 quantity all the way down to a modest 1-3. It is… been a course of.
Astro A20 specs
Driver-type: 40 mm Neodymium
Frequency response: 20–20KHz
Wi-fi frequency: 2.4 GHz
Microphone frequency response: 100–16,000 Hz
Design model: Over-ear
Microphone: hooked up uni-directional
Connectivity: USB 2.0 Excessive Velocity over USB-C
Weight: 318g
Battery Life: 15 hours
Value: $120
Like many PC players on the market, I personal each an Xbox One X and Ps Professional with plans of upgrading each to their next-generation counterparts later this yr. I’ve identified the headache of residing a a number of headset way of life. The Astro A20s look to simplify the lives of multi headset players all world wide by providing a single headset that works on all three platforms. Wild, proper?
If you happen to’ve owned a pair of wi-fi PC gaming headsets, and even shopped round for them, you may discover that headsets both come for PC/Xbox or PC/PS however by no means throughout all three platforms. That is largely as a result of the firmware for Xbox and Ps consoles is completely different.
What most of us find yourself doing is getting a second pair of headphones for no matter console will get neglected of that equation which might get fairly costly. Astro discovered a novel answer when designing the Astro A20: The Gen 2 USB Transmitter is particular for every console versus having the firmware within the headset itself. In layman’s phrases, all you have to do to make use of the headset in your PC and on every of your consoles is simply decide up this $20 dongle and pair it together with your headset.
Sadly, since it’s going to be about one other month or so till the brand new consoles are launched, I can not fairly check the claims of cross-compatibility simply but. What I can speak about is how nicely they work on crucial a part of the setup, the PC.
$120 is an interesting value for a wi-fi gaming headset that you need to use throughout all of your gaming machines, particularly when the accompanying USB dongles price solely $20 further. The A20s retain the standard Astro aesthetic with sq. ear cups. The white design with blue accents (inexperienced for Xbox) provides the headset a lighter, more-playful really feel to them. And talking of sunshine, the headset weighs slightly below 12 oz (317g), which is sensible contemplating the complete is a mixture of exhausting plastic and rubber.
The A20s are a really cozy due to the tender material ear cups and plastic body, which implies they will sit in your head with none discomfort for lengthy stretches of time and really feel fairly nice with glasses on, too.
The best ear cup homes the controls which include a quantity knob, EQ, and energy buttons. EQ cycles between three sound presets Professional, Studio, and Astro. Professional has a extra balanced sound. Astro cranks up the bass which I discovered finest for the bass-heavy music listening and for giving explosions that little further kick I favor. Studio is finest for watching motion pictures if craving extra correct sounds.
I have been enjoying far an excessive amount of Star Wars: Squadrons lately, the A20’s admirably recreated every laser fireplace pew from X-wings and the hum of a TIE Interceptor’s absolutely powered engine to my nerdly delight. The gaming audio did not disappoint both with this headset offering respectable bass for music.
The microphone, however, is not that nice. You possibly can hear from the recording above, that there is a slight hiss. Enjoying Star Wars: Squadrons, my teammates complained that I couldn’t be heard clearly and sounded distant greater than a handful of occasions.
The Astro A20s promise not less than 15 hours of battery life, which is about correct based on my utilization and on par with headsets in its value vary. The auto-shutdown is a pleasant function that may flip off the headset after 10 minutes of non-use to preserve battery. The A20s cost by way of USB-C which extra headsets ought to do (the much less micro-USB, the higher).
I used to be pleasantly stunned by Astro’s consumer-friendly answer to an issue we have had for years. A wi-fi gaming headset that works on PC, Xbox Collection X, and PS5 is form of an enormous deal. I sit up for checking again in with the A20s as soon as I get my palms on the brand new consoles. Even should you’re not choosing up these next-gen consoles anytime quickly, it is good that the one factor you’d probably want is only a $20 dongle.
Although I wasn’t loopy in regards to the mic, the Astro A20s nonetheless gives a snug and good sounding listening expertise for lower than $130.
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