Astro Shoots Solidly For The Stars
Foremost among any gamer’s arsenal- next to the necessary high-DPI mice and backlit keyboards- is a good headset. Sound makes all the difference in some games, not just for competition but mood. A great game has as much atmosphere as any film, and just as movies are better on a good sound system, games feel more immediate and more real.
When we last saw Astro Gaming, they were offering a full-featured headset that we really liked but found perhaps a bit pricey and hefty. Since then, they’ve also introduced a new, smaller, more adjustable unit: the Astro Gaming A30. We’ve been using the Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker edition, which are simply a customized version using faceplates on the earpieces, along with the excellent MixAmp. Audio quality is still great, with accurate spatial sounds and plenty of bass.
As before, you can buy the pieces separately, and if you already have a MixAmp, you are all set. We really appreciated the weight difference between the A30s and A40s, and they were much trimmer to pack. Part of this change was due to a fair bit of padding being trimmed, which means that they are a bit less comfortable on the ears- but the lighter weight makes up for the difference in longer gaming sessions. Folks with larger ears might appreciate the slightly bigger ear cups on the A40, but for us, smaller was a little better. Another change is that, unlike the A40s which had a nifty switchable boom mic that could go on either side, on the A30s the microphone is fixed. There is a nice, new addition though which makes up for it- a wired inline mic for taking calls on-the-go. iPhone controls are included, via three high-quality swappable cables, which made it a snap to use on the road. Of course, it does mean more cables to lose or misplace though.
The MixAmp hasn’t changed much, which is a mostly fine thing- we could’ve used a similar size/weight drop, but suspect that there is only so much you can do when trying to handle 5.1 Dolby Surround. We hear that one small addition is USB direct connection for the PS3 and PC, though we stuck with our preferred connection: optical. You can use the headset straight with a PC or mobile devices (like a PSP, for instance), but to connect to your Xbox 360 or PS3, you’ll need the MixAmp, as well as to enable the Dolby decoding. Other removable faceplates for the A30 are included, as well as a nice carrying case- but the faceplates are different sizes between the A30 and A40. You can even create your own with their customization tools!
We like it when a good tool gets better, and when one nice headset can serve so many purposes. We still enjoy our earbuds for their portability, but for Skype and console and PC gaming, for serious study sessions when you need personal sound, consider Astro. It’s still pricey- $100 for the headphones is a bargain, but you really need the MixAmp to make the package complete and that will set you back an extra $130. That’s quite a drop from our previous review, making it a compelling purchase for gamers (and the people who love them). Available in white, black, and silver.
