Astro’s A30 Wireless Headset Is Extremely Versatile But Not Compelling

With the introduction of the Astro A30 wi-fi gaming headset, Astro and Logitech G at the moment are working nearer than ever because the latter model took over the previous in 2017. The Astro A30 might have signature Astro styling, however it’s powered by Logitech G’s Lightspeed wi-fi know-how. Handy as that tech could also be for a cable-free connection, what units this headset other than the gang is that it could actually help not one, not two, however three simultaneous connections to audio sources—one 2.4GHz wi-fi reference to the Lightspeed wi-fi dongle, one Bluetooth, and one 3.5mm wired. Of course, you must pay $229 for the privilege, placing these cans proper into the higher echelons of gaming headsets on the subject of value.

Despite the excessive value, the Astro A30 headset is plasticky. The solely steel in sight on the design is a set of 4 screws in every ear cup that helps swappable faceplates snap on magnetically. I’ve bought to present Astro some fashion factors right here, although. The faceplates are a semi-transparent plastic overlaying one other plastic layer that’s painted like sizzling chrome, with all its gold and purple shining by way of at totally different angles when gentle hits it. RGB lights by no means seemed so sultry, and this design doesn’t use any of the wi-fi headsets’ valuable battery life.

Some of the Astro aesthetics have been simplified right here. The cans nonetheless function the identical boxy, tall, rectangular ear cups held in place by a equally rectangular set of yolks. But the place previous premium Astro headsets had lengthy steel tubes extending from the yolks to permit for swivel and measurement changes, the Astro A30 simply has a brief tube to hook up with the headscarf, which handles the size-adjustment sliders (Astro even put ‘L’ and ‘R’ in Braille on the slider slots).The change doesn’t go away any scarcity of match customization—there’s room for heads massive and small.

Comfort is pretty on level, with plush ear cushions that steadiness the headset’s modest clamping drive—sufficient to carry it in place for a bit of sunshine headbanging. The headband comes up quick on cushioning, feeling like extra of an empty rubber tube, however that rubber is taut sufficient to make for a tender contact on the crown of my head. For headphones that is perhaps worn in lengthy stretches, the 27-hour battery life additionally proves as much as the duty.

The left ear cup has a mic mute swap and ports for the removable increase mic and three.5mm analog cable. The proper ear cup has an influence button and Bluetooth button, a USB-C charging port, and a small joystick fashion management.

Three variations however simply two colours

As is widespread for gaming merchandise, the Astro A30 is break up into three totally different variations. One for Mac/PC, one for PlayStation, and one for Xbox. However, all three variations have the identical two colour choices: white with purple accents or navy with pink accents.

Ultimately, all three fashions of the headset are suitable with nearly any machine you need to join them to due to their three totally different connectivity strategies. What modifications between every model is what platform the wi-fi dongle will help. All fashions help PC, utilizing their Lightspeed dongle. Though the dongles don’t seem like interoperable throughout consoles, Astro will promote further dongles to allow connections to totally different platforms utilizing the identical headset— flexibility that’s nice to see from a premium product.

Astro hasn’t listed the costs for these extra dongles but, however it sells further transmitters for the Astro A20’s for $20, so they are going to conceivably be in that ballpark.

Premium cans cranking out completely OK audio

When you’re spending upwards of $200 on a pair of headphones, you would possibly count on some severe audio chops, however plenty of that funds appears to be going to different options within the case of this headset. The 40mm speaker drivers pump out completely serviceable audio that does about as a lot for gaming because it does for films and music. Highs and mids are nicely balanced with bass, offering cheap readability in any scenario.

No notes stick out when listening to the sonically wealthy Of Montreal album False Priest, and the entire world of sound coming by way of in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II’s beta issn’t fully washed over by the increase of each explosion and gunshot.

The sound stage is slightly tight, making it considerably arduous to select directionality within the chaos of an enormous workforce battle in Overwatch, so it’s no shock after I get punched proper within the again by a rogue Doomfist whose charging fist I might solely barely hear over the furor.

Matters enhance when sound is extra sparse, as within the barren landscapes of Death Stranding, the place the sport sounds and music have extra room to breathe.

The audio from these headphones doesn’t actually attempt to transcend the fundamentals, both. EQ customizations are the extent of customizability, with no energetic noise cancellation or included encompass sound options. The solely function the Astro A30 actually goes massive is quantity. It’s all too simple to make the Astro A30 headset pump out sound that’s painfully loud. Anything above 33% quantity began to harm.

Being capable of pump up the sound may very well be useful in some conditions, although. In a loud cafe or loud practice, it’ll be simple to overwhelm the surface sounds, even when it’s not wholesome to take action. Unfortunately, it could be mandatory, because the earcups don’t have very spectacular noise isolation regardless of their leatherette cushion materials.

Sating your connectivity urge for food

Logitech and Astro have taken a web page out of SteelSeries’ guide with a function dubbed “Dual Audio Mixing,” which permits the simultaneous playback of two wi-fi audio sources (one Bluetooth and one from the two.4GHz wi-fi dongle). Believe it or not, the headset will even permit a 3rd, wired audio supply to play alongside these two wi-fi sources. To what finish? I’m actually unsure. I suppose you possibly can have recreation audio in a single supply, a telephone name in one other, and music in your third supply, however that looks as if one thing might obtain simply as nicely with solely two.

The capability to mix audio from a number of sources is one I’ve come to like after years of testing it on SteelSeries’ gadgets, and Astro will get it principally proper. On PC (and presumably Xbox), the headset will present up as two separate output sources, permitting me to inform video games to play by way of “Astro A30” and inform a chat app like Discord to play by way of “Astro A30 Voice”. When correctly arrange, I can regulate the steadiness between the 2 audio sources with sideways flicks of the joystick management on the correct earcup.

If my teammates are being too loud for me to listen to enemy footsteps, I can rapidly dial them down. If the sound of explosions is drowning out my teammates’ callouts, I can dial it the opposite approach. The joystick isn’t as fast to make changes because the ChatMix dials on SteelSeries’ headsets, however it works. Unfortunately, I haven’t discovered a method to make the identical audio combine changes for sound coming from my PC and sound coming from a Bluetooth connection to my telephone. The Bluetooth audio appears to be ever-present within the combine.

As useful because the options are, I’ve discovered it’s vital to really make certain they’re arrange correctly even should you don’t intend to make use of them (though, simply don’t get these headphones should you don’t need the options). Before I’d arrange the 2 audio channels on my laptop, I seen that typically connecting the headset to Bluetooth would seemingly alter that audio channel on the pc to Voice, which for no matter purpose got here by way of at a a lot increased quantity degree. This was not solely painful each time it occurred, however it got here with a extreme downgrade in audio high quality that just about had me pondering these headphones had been worse than they’re. There seems to (sensibly) be loads much less bandwidth offered to that voice channel, so it has all of the dynamic vary of $10 boombox from 1990.

One little further hidden function of the headset is that it doesn’t flip off with a easy timer. Instead, it makes use of a timer together with an accelerometer inside. If the headset isn’t shifting for a set period of time, then it’ll flip off. This prevents the headset from turning off if there simply hasn’t been any audio enjoying for some time. It’s an additional little little bit of smarts, although I had gotten used to headphones turning off whereas I’m carrying them serving as a reminder to activate some music.

A cell app to handle all of it

A headset just like the Astro A30 that’s made to run on console and PC naturally has a method to handle it that solely runs on telephones—completely logical. Also smart, the app is “Logitech G”, not “Astro” something. Getting over that confusion, Logitech presents a reasonably easy if lacking-in-detail app for controlling the headset.

The app permits for customized equalizers, adjustable steadiness between recreation and voice audio sources (solely on PC and Xbox), and mic controls for noise gate and sidetone. All three of those settings will be saved into particular profiles, permitting for fast switching within the app.

The app can also be the place you may replace the headset’s firmware or regulate the delay earlier than the headset routinely shuts off.

Double the mics, half the standard

The headset runs a pair of mics, offering the choice of a unidirectional increase mic or a built-in omnidirectional mic such as you’d discover on a typical Bluetooth headset. This successfully supplies a high quality mic possibility when at house whereas nonetheless conserving a mic useful when on-the-go.

Both mics are a bit on the quiet facet, with every recording at nearly hard-to-hear ranges in comparison with recordings I made on SteelSeries’ newest Arctis Nova headsets enjoying again on the identical system quantity. Clarity on the increase mic is nice, however its lack of any filter makes for some loud pop noises and additional respiratory sound if it’s positioned near the mouth in an try to treatment its low quantity.

The inside mics are unexceptional verging on unhealthy, significantly when used over Bluetooth. They sound about like most webcam mics. The noise gate can assist lower down on background noise getting picked up, however it additionally cuts down the voice readability and may make it sound like I’m sputtering with out truly saying any full phrases.

The sidetone controls work for both microphone, making it simple to keep away from screaming into the mic, and the headset routinely switches between mics if the increase mic is connected or eliminated. The mute swap on the headset will be arduous to seek out in a rush given how small it’s, however the headset makes a reasonably clear indicator sound when switching it on or off.

Should I get an Astro A30?

Even although from a design, function, and value standpoint, the Astro A30 must be an Astro A50 killer, offering nearly all the things the latter headset does and extra, this headset doesn’t set itself other than the exterior competitors. While it’s good to see the flexibility right here, I’d sooner advocate shopping for a $100 gaming headset and $100 on a regular basis headphones that carry extra to the desk of their respective domains.

Meanwhile, for much less cash, the $200 (and almost two-year-old) Arctis 9 Wireless can match the Astro A30 for options and audio high quality, however implements all of it higher, to not point out its USB dongle has two further 3.5mm AUX ports, one to just accept inputs and one to ship audio out to a pair of audio system as a backup at any time when the headphones energy down. And for these extra targeted on gaming who don’t want the flexibility, the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless places on a powerful displaying with absurdly lengthy battery life.