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[rating:4.5/5]
When someone talks about getting the best gaming headset for a console, they are almost always talking about one of the “big three”: Turtle Beach, Tritton, or Astro (I’m not including Vibras as they’re only for the 360). It’s no secret that Astro Gaming makes one of the best headsets out there – after all, it’s not every company that gets to be the official headset for all MLG live tournaments. So they’re good enough for the “professional” gamers, but what about the average gamer playing at his or her house over Live on the PSN – could they be better suited for the environment of a live tourney? And if shooters are your game of choice, we have a list of the best headsets for Call of Duty you can check out. Take a look at our Steelseries Siberia 350 headset review to compare options. Or if you have, or are going to get the newest console generation PS5, you can read our guide on the top PS5 headsets.
Related: Also, check out our Steelseries Arctic Pro review.
We love to review Astro Gaming headsets, and the first thing that really caught my eye with the Astro A30s was the packaging. If you’re a hardcore Astro fan, take a look at the Astro A50 Xbox review to compare models. It’s not often that a company puts their products inside of a box with magnetic seals (in fact, I’ve never seen another one). It might be superfluous, but it’s definitely a talking point (my kids wouldn’t let me throw away the boxes so they could use them). The second thing that took me by surprise was just how minimalistic they were. The ear cups weren’t huge, a la Tritons, and even the bridge was fairly thin. Not only that, but the MixAmp (the thing that makes it all work) was pretty small as well. The transmitting unit fit next to my consoles seamlessly, which was great considering I only had three inches left in my entertainment system, and the receiving unit was small enough to fit in my pocket while playing and not be an annoyance. If you’re still not sold by the Astro, check out our Skullcandy PLYR2 wireless gaming headset review.
Hooking up the Astro Gaming A30 was just a matter of plugging in the transmitting unit, running an optical cable from the console to it, and then adding the dongle that makes voice chat work. It’s so simple that switching it between my PS3 and 360 became part of my gaming routine, and not a chore (like some other headsets I could mention). Or, for headphones designed more for the newer generation PS4 console, you can read our Astro A40 review. If you want to be updated on the newest gaming gear, you might also want to read our Razer Tiamat Elite 7.1 surround sound gaming headset review. The cables are also more than long enough for most audio/video configurations. You can use standard batteries with the receiver or buy the rechargeable battery pack, which I highly recommend. You can charge it off of any USB connector, and it plays a tone whenever it’s almost out of juice. Speaking of USB, you can check out our list of the top-rated USB gaming headsets if you are more of a PC gamer.
As for sound quality, I like it so much that the A30 gaming headset has become my first choice when deciding what to use when gearing for some hardcore gaming. The MixAmp provides Dolby Digital sound processing to give this gaming headset virtual surround sound. The sounds are crisp and clear, the bass is deep and rich, and the voices come through clean. There is also a nice bass boost on the receiver, but I’ve never needed to use it other than to test it (it works, but the bass was already loud enough for me). However, if you have sound problems, we have a guide you can follow on how to improve headphones quality for a gaming headset with an amp. You can use two mics – one is the detachable boom mic, and the other is an in-line mic right by the mute toggle. They both work quite well, although the connector on my boom mic has gotten a bit of a workout, and now it makes a good amount of static in my ear whenever it moves. But, if you’re using the best gaming headphones without a mic, you can skip mic calibration.
Related: If you like these headsets, you might be interested in our Able Planet PS400 Stereo Headphones review.
One of the biggest problems with the boom mic (besides the durability issue) is that it picks up EVERYTHING. I know they say it doesn’t pick up much background noise (for the most part, that’s true), but it picks up everything I do. Things like breathing are transmitted to everyone else in the game (much to people’s amusement). I’ve adjusted all the sensitivity settings on the boom microphone well below where they’re recommended to be, but unless I breathe out of the side of my mouth, it’s getting transmitted. I do live in a very noisy household, though (two parrots, five dogs, and three children), and it rarely picks up on any of them – the in-line mic doesn’t pick up on my breathing, but it does on everything else. Six one way, half a dozen the other, I suppose.
It is quite pricey, with the Astro A30 Audio System (Headset, cables, and MixAmp) coming in at $199.95, with the rechargeable battery pack adding an additional $19.95 (but if you’re buying the headset, you probably have enough for the battery pack too). When compared to other headsets in the same price range, the Astro Gaming A30 blows them all away – it even blows away several I’ve tried that were more expensive.
Overall, I give the Astro Gaming A30s a solid 4.5/5 because of how well they sound, and their ease of use.
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You can purchase the Astro A30 Audio System from their website for $199.95
Also Read: Best PS4 Headset
