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July 2010
Kombo.com
Astro makes professional gaming products and they are good at it. Their work can be seen in millions of living rooms because they worked on the controller for the Xbox 360. From that alone, it is clear they have a knack for design, but pleasing aesthetics are only a fraction of the story.
I am always on the quest for "the" pair of headphones. Earbuds are nice for convenience but I find them uncomfortable or fall out. The kinds that go over the head and around the ears usually get too bulky or weighty. As a glasses wearer, I need the ear cups to be large enough that my ears don't get squashed but small enough so I don't feel like the product is swallowing my head. I'm a picky guy that has a lot of engineering demands. This doesn't even include my requirements for how things sound. The Astro A30 Cross-Gaming Headset deftly covers all these bases to offer one of the best audio experiences for gaming. I've spent about two weeks with the product and I can't stop showing it off to people.
Presentation goes a long way with me. I'm pretty sure it is a trait common with many gamers; otherwise there wouldn't be entire internets full of graphics debates. This applies to the A30 in a number of ways. Opening the box is a fun experience. Once the lid is lifted on the treasure chest, the gold inside really sparkles. The headset is made of sturdy plastic. It isn't a hard plastic, because that would make it more susceptible of breakage, so it has some give to remain flexible. The ear cups are on a swivel so they can lay flat around a neck or store them in a backpack for travel. Also on the ear cups are customizable "tags" that magnetize on the left and right. Astro gives the option to not only buy predesigned tags, they allow for owners to customize their own. Little features like that go to show the A30 is a cut above other headphones.
The first thing I noticed is how light the headphones were. They snugly wrapped around my head, but I didn't feel like I was weighted down. The padding is soft and dense enough that I might as well wrapped my head in a cloud. It fit perfectly over my ears, which provided great noise reduction. I'm not an entire expert on the matter of sound, but I was more than pleased at how well these things sounded. The cool thing is that the A30 is so versatile, it will plug into nearly every device imaginable. I was surprised at how crisp and clear all the sounds came through, and this was even before I plugged in the MixAmp.
The MixAmp is a box that comes separately from the headphones. It essentially turns the A30s into a personal Dolby 5.1 home theater audio system that can act also as the Xbox Live headset. It takes the already incredible headphones to new heights. The downside to the MixAmp is the cable management. I already have a problem with my wires because of what is already hooked to my TV, but to add more wires that stick out in front of the TV is somewhat of a mess. That still didn't stop me from being totally thrilled with how the sound of games changed when these were attached to my head. It's a transforming experience for gamers who haven't been able to experience their games with surround audio.
The box is easy to use with all the inputs and outputs clearly labeled. There are two knobs that adjust volume and how the sound is distributed between the surround sound and voice chat for games. The ability to adjust it on the fly really helps dial in the right audio experience for any game. I found myself turning up the voice chat for multiplayer games since weak voices don't always come over clear versus booming explosions, music and ambient noise.
Pricing of the headphones plus MixAmp is pretty high at $229.95. However, the value for that price is clear as the sound coming from the headphone speakers. If there is a desire to invest in some professional gear to give a better gaming experience, the A30 is the ideal product to get. Gamers serious about getting a seriously awesome piece of audio equipment need to check out the A30.
I cannot say enough good things about these headphones. They are the best solution to so many problems I had and they sound fantastic.
Click here to read the full review!
I am always on the quest for "the" pair of headphones. Earbuds are nice for convenience but I find them uncomfortable or fall out. The kinds that go over the head and around the ears usually get too bulky or weighty. As a glasses wearer, I need the ear cups to be large enough that my ears don't get squashed but small enough so I don't feel like the product is swallowing my head. I'm a picky guy that has a lot of engineering demands. This doesn't even include my requirements for how things sound. The Astro A30 Cross-Gaming Headset deftly covers all these bases to offer one of the best audio experiences for gaming. I've spent about two weeks with the product and I can't stop showing it off to people.
Presentation goes a long way with me. I'm pretty sure it is a trait common with many gamers; otherwise there wouldn't be entire internets full of graphics debates. This applies to the A30 in a number of ways. Opening the box is a fun experience. Once the lid is lifted on the treasure chest, the gold inside really sparkles. The headset is made of sturdy plastic. It isn't a hard plastic, because that would make it more susceptible of breakage, so it has some give to remain flexible. The ear cups are on a swivel so they can lay flat around a neck or store them in a backpack for travel. Also on the ear cups are customizable "tags" that magnetize on the left and right. Astro gives the option to not only buy predesigned tags, they allow for owners to customize their own. Little features like that go to show the A30 is a cut above other headphones.
The first thing I noticed is how light the headphones were. They snugly wrapped around my head, but I didn't feel like I was weighted down. The padding is soft and dense enough that I might as well wrapped my head in a cloud. It fit perfectly over my ears, which provided great noise reduction. I'm not an entire expert on the matter of sound, but I was more than pleased at how well these things sounded. The cool thing is that the A30 is so versatile, it will plug into nearly every device imaginable. I was surprised at how crisp and clear all the sounds came through, and this was even before I plugged in the MixAmp.
The MixAmp is a box that comes separately from the headphones. It essentially turns the A30s into a personal Dolby 5.1 home theater audio system that can act also as the Xbox Live headset. It takes the already incredible headphones to new heights. The downside to the MixAmp is the cable management. I already have a problem with my wires because of what is already hooked to my TV, but to add more wires that stick out in front of the TV is somewhat of a mess. That still didn't stop me from being totally thrilled with how the sound of games changed when these were attached to my head. It's a transforming experience for gamers who haven't been able to experience their games with surround audio.
The box is easy to use with all the inputs and outputs clearly labeled. There are two knobs that adjust volume and how the sound is distributed between the surround sound and voice chat for games. The ability to adjust it on the fly really helps dial in the right audio experience for any game. I found myself turning up the voice chat for multiplayer games since weak voices don't always come over clear versus booming explosions, music and ambient noise.
Pricing of the headphones plus MixAmp is pretty high at $229.95. However, the value for that price is clear as the sound coming from the headphone speakers. If there is a desire to invest in some professional gear to give a better gaming experience, the A30 is the ideal product to get. Gamers serious about getting a seriously awesome piece of audio equipment need to check out the A30.
I cannot say enough good things about these headphones. They are the best solution to so many problems I had and they sound fantastic.
Click here to read the full review!