Just to be clear, when I'm talking about sound, yes that is the same great quality across all platforms. The only downgrade in sound is if you run USB only. PS: I know the new consoles don’t have optical, my point on the optical, was simplicity.
@@alexmolina6114 I’m the same, when gaming I personally don’t care about overall sound quality as long as it sounds good and clean. I’m more interested to try these out to see how good the imaging is and also the how loud they get, because the previous A50 while imaging was really good, even at max volume it just wasn’t loud enough for me
YES! I have been waiting for your review! I pre-ordered mine waiting in anticipation for this review to drop. You are the ONLY person who has covered sound quality, mic test, AND whether or not the Wicked Cushions would fit! Thank you for continuing to bring top notch content. You are hands down my favorite gaming peripheral reviewer!
well this is first review of this headset on youtube so that obvious he was the only one one who covered this. The mic quality test did one guy who was doing unboxing of this headset on live
Holy dang i did not expect such a great Microphone on the A50X after the distaster that the G Pro X2 Lightspeed Microphone was, good job to that ! Still waaaaay to expensive, gonna wait for a sale to pick it up
I really loved my A50 when i had them for a couple of years. I currently have a VZR Model One and Audeze Maxwell but I'm definitely interested in trying these at some point in the future
Even though everyone’s hearing is different, I’m confident this new A50 will sound good and also have really good imaging, but that price wow. The previous A50 cost way more than it should have when compared to some of the competition. It had good sound, really good imaging, nice base station and that’s it. It also lacked Bluetooth and only had 15 hours battery life and even some of the cheapest headsets at the time that cost the quarter of the price had 20 plus hours battery life Now with this new A50 they increased the battery life to 24 hours, which is still way less than a lot of other headsets and they advertise it as one headset for all platforms and nobody will even use that feature. I have 2 PS5’s, Xbox Series X and PC and still I wouldn’t use that feature, because each device is in a different room and most people have their main gaming platform they game on 90% of the time. They also added simultaneous Bluetooth which they’re only at least 8 years behind the competition and now they cost even more at a ridiculous £350 Again, everyone’s hearing is different, but if this new A50 was something miles better than anything else at £350, @TheTechne would’ve said it in this video
Just wanted to say your tip for the WC replacement Ear pads are a massive game changer! I’d never heard of WC before your video and decided to give them a go based on your advice. Worth the money and makes the A50x feel and sound even better.
The first person I watched do a proper headset review..had to order myself a set. Waiting on delivery but the last gen a50s have been my daily drivers since 2019. Bought other headsets in between but keep going bk. Cant wait to test these out. Great review as always 👍
Finalllyy been waiting for them to release a new version ! Just out my order in ! Didn’t even know they released these. Glad i bumped into this random video at 6 am lol
Was waiting for your review over anyone else's to see how these really perform. Never been a huge Astro fan myself had a pair of A40s many years ago but don't think I could go back from my Audeze now. I like the idea of cycling between devices but I have my PC setup in the spare room and PS5 downstairs on the TV so wouldn't really benefit me. Looking forward to the upcoming comparisons though, and it does seem like they really upgraded the mic quality. Great video Techne 👍
thank you for your thorough imvestigation and explanations, this review helped me decide i bought the gen4 a50 about a month ago and they were bombastic good had the gen 3 like 5 years before that and i will return the gen 4, already pre ordered the a50x i have my ps5 and xbox series x on the same table on one monitor and only a lousy hyper x headset for my ps5, so this is really nice to get down to one universal headset the price is really affordable i don't know why everybody is nagging about that
Absolutely brilliant headset, only thing I’ve had issue with is sometimes the mic doesn’t come on when I fold the arm down - very intermittent issue doesn’t happen a lot, switch the headset off & back on, it work problem solved, thanks for the review! It was the one that helped me decide to purchase the headset.
c’mon man, $380, y’all killin’ us out here! gonna stick with my gen 3 a50’s… optical to tv gets me sound on xbox, ps, switch, and a cheap bluetooth dongle into the aux port on the base station gives me simultaneous bluetooth as well, so really i already have these, thanks techne, u da man!
My biggest problem with A50’s (3 pairs later over the years) is the top headband plastic part. It has broken every time and there really isn’t a way to fix it except duct tape or new ones
I have no idea what you dorks are even talking about with "headbands" maybe stop being rough and take better care of your headphones? I have been using Astro A40's since 2011. Never ONCE have I had that issue. Ever. And I have 5 different versions
@MrChronick17 I had mine for two months before it happened, never dropped them, never been rough with them. Always lightly put them on and put them back on the base. The plastic headband piece came loose, and the plastic part that locks in would constantly come loose. Our other headset of the same model hasn't had that issue at all. The same headset with the headband issue has also had a constant software issue with the base and will randomly not charge when out on the base. These headsets have had a lot of issues as I've seen it all over UA-cam/discord/facebook.
I had the original A50’s. 3 different pairs . Had battery issues / charging issues with all of them. I went on to the Steelseries arctis pro wireless, and I’ve had them for almost 6 years now. No issues, ever.
Nova pro wireless I’ve had since launch and they are thee best I have ever had the only issues was the cushions and then I just went to wicked got them switched out and they have been perfect!
I had the exact opposite experience. A50s during the lifespan of the ps4 and never had issues. Got the nova pro wireless with the ps5 and have had trouble on and off since. Sometimes they’ll just turn off for a few seconds and then power back on. Other times everything will sounds super staticky and robotic and nothing I do will fix that unless I just turn them off for a few days.
I bought a pair of Astro A50 a long time ago when the playstation 3 came out, and it has been the best headset i have ever bought, still wear them to this day, best sounding and best as far as durability. The only downfall is the batteries in the headset do not last that long any longer sadly. But there are by far the most comfortable i have warn. The bass is by far the boomiest and the sound is the best as far as being emmerrsed in your games.
you never used a DAC with a studio headset like the ones from Beyerdynamic.. you wouldn’t say that again.. „Gaming“ Headset are still overpriced s*it … 400$ for this is ridiculous
I only really used gaming headsets back in my console days. Had the a40 with the mixamp on PC when I transitioned and got addicted to the mixamp with the voice/game balance with its 2 audio channels. Now I got a Beacn Mix Create for the same thing on steroids basically. Sucks that it costed so much in comparison, but this astro company is what got me addicted to multiple volume nobs for things like music, voice, and the game.
Love your work Techne! Any chance of getting a review on the new Sony Pulse Explore Planar Earbuds?? I’ve read/seen some good and a lot of bad reviews about them. Not sure who to trust…? You da man! 😎
I hope they sorted out the technical issues that A50 Gen 2 owners experience. Headphones disconnects from base station "requires hard reset", Headphones and Base Station does not communicate with each other when updating to new firmware - Rercent update Base Station updated and Headphones could not be updated because the updated base station does not read the old firmware of the headphones. How I resolved this is there are two Astro command center software version to obtain -One in Microsoft App store and other direct download in Astro Website so how I resolved this was I found out that the Microsoft App updates the headset automatically but not the base station and the Astro website version updates the base station. So if you ever experience this update the headphones firsts from the astro command center Microsoft app store and then base station from astro website Astro Command Center. (Hope I save you half a day work figuring this out LOL Astro) - I still love my Astro!
Great review. I respect the honesty about the cost rather than just promoting the product. When you do a comparison video, can you compare the mic against the razer blackshark v2 pro 2023 which is considered one of the best mics on a gaming headset? Thanks!
I know this was posted awhile back but in case it was not also mentioned the main reason for going strictly HDMI in and out is that the PS5 voice chat does not work correctly with the cross fade functionality between game and voice when using anything other than HDMI audio out. Something do do with how Sony's proprietary drivers for chat audio work hence the need of seperate Xbox and PS5 inputs on the A50X and why the previous iteration you had to choose either Xbox or PS5 variants. Sony pulling their same audio shenanigans again.
I picked these up a few weeks ago and they are going back. The audio is great, but the headset is quite painful after about an hour of use. I even got some wicked cushions to try and fix them but it didn't help at all. They put a lot of pressure on my ears and top of the head. They fit fine size wise but too much pressure. I ordered a pair of the audeze maxwells, hopefully they are more comfortable, they seem like they have nice sized cups.
i have the old version of these and the one thing thats never talked about is that you can do 2 audio inputs from a PC at the same time (usb and optical). I LOVEEE this bc I can set discord chat flat and game sounds for surround sound. Its amazing and I would love to know what other headsets do this as well, bc now that im use to it, I wouldnt wanna go back to a headset without it.
about damn time... When I bough the my A50s a couple years ago, I didnt think id need to manually switch from my PC to my Console every time I changed platform. Ive always liked Astros and I might have to look into these. Yes my console and PC are hooked up in the same area so thats a plus for me.
I just pre ordered the A50X because I LOVE the sound quality and comfort. So far no other headset even came CLOSE to the A50''s comfort and sound quality. The ONLY thing I miss with the A50 is Bass and I really really hope the A50X has more/better Bass The A50 has its flaws, like after 2 years the padding ontop is just gone and the becomes less comfortable overtime, the base station isnt great and the program "" Astro Command Centre" just sucks all together. You have to really fiddle around to get it connected to the base station for recharging and lets not begin about the absolute dogshit micro usb cable. Seeing the new changes for the A50X makes me really excited and I cant wait for them to be delivered around January! I see a lot of people that say headset from comparable prices are better but I still havnt found one that tops the A50, all of them are missing something wether its sound quality, lack of bass or comfort. I also see a lot of people that just want the mic to be good but idc about the mic at all because I have a better standalone mic. Then again the A50 has an amazing mic to begin with. Could be preference but I really havnt had a headset thats better or on par with the A50 either the same or higher cost. (around 300-400 euros)
Do the A50s sound quiet to you? Just switch from the A40s and while the A50s sound great, they sound way more quiet than my A50s not sure if i got a bad batch or that's just how they are but I've been looking for a second opinion on this
FYI I don’t think u can do 7.1 uncompressed on these new ones cause the base station doesn’t even have an opt port anymore, on the old gen 4 u could bet u needed a repeater in order for it to work
Super super sick was really debating on getting these but the beyerdynamic dt 900 pro x changed my life I think imma hold off I used astros for years absolutely loved them but I think I’m done with wireless after going wired the sound quality and imaging is insane
If you could be so kind and upload your custom EQ shown in the video to the community presets? Awesome video, this and the comparison video made me pull the trigger on the new A50x model over the maxwells.
The Rolex of Gaming Headphones. I've been using A40s for years and run Razer Krakens and The Blackshark V2 Pro 2023 on my PC.. Might need to get these.
I was adamant about getting the new A50x when it came out but I saw the normal A50’s on sale and I snagged them up immediately. I only use PC and have been very very pleased with the quality of sound and hardware from my A50’s. I have 0 use in using the pass through as I own no consoles and personally hearing this makes it sound like they are the same as the normal A50’s. Pleased I only bought the A50’s and I appreciate watching this video as it made my decision more justified. Thanks for doing the review :)
I’ve had the headset for 3 days. And only get a headache. No matter what you turn off and put down. It’s RUSHing all the damn time. It stays the same loud all the time. Unless you also adjust to hear your voice. Then the noise is 4 times as loud. Does anyone have a solution. How can this be fixed? Even if the dock has no power. The headset is noisy.
I bought these headphones after watching this review and this is my personal thoughts The sound quality is absolutely awesome only if you adjust your EQ right and with the EQ I feel I need a set up for every game I play no matter what game because say I have one set up for battlefield and I go play something else it'll sound awful. So that's my one complaint is it's annoying (to me) I have a hard time finding a perfect balance for multiple games. Mic quality is great I'm told on the receiving end I only use this on xbox nothing else so I can't say how the switching works. I do get a tad bit of static once in a while on start up of the head set but after that it's fine. Overall I am very satisfied with these and hope they last me as long as my old pair of RIG headphones did. My only other complaint is its hard to find a good balance between game and chat. This might just be me being picky too Hope this little review helps!
I appreciate this review. I had the last gen a50s for three or so years and they just died on me randomly. I've been on Corsair Virtuoso since but I've really missed my a50s as the virtuosos have a lot of issues with wireless interference as well as letting a lot of cross sound in. I'm pretty much sold on the a50x despite the high price tag now
Everyone complaining about the price, this feels targeted toward us who own a PS5, a Series X and a livingroom gaming PC who want just one headset for all 3. We want the convenience.
I have A50s that are on the way out and weirdly, they intefere with my Xbox Elite Controller!! They prevent it from connecting to the Xbox Series X anymore... Unless you turn them off first, then turn the controller on, then the headset - very odd! But it made me want to look at getting some SteelSeries Nova Pros instead. I ordered those on Amazon this morning after seeing they were reduced (on Amazon UK at least!) but then I did a bit of research, came across your comparison video, and then came to this review, and I cancelled my Arctis order hours later and put an order in for Astro A50 X instead. Yes, they are expensive, but I loved my A50s. I am hoping the bluetooth technology means that they use a different frequency from my old A50s and so won't affect my controller...!
can you make a vid of the best headsets built like a tank? I'd love to see what you feel are the most durable headsets while also have having great sound quality and features
I’m personally gonna pick these up for that convenient Switcher. Apparently you can also listen to PC audio and from one HDMI source. No more weird audio setups to play console games with friends chatting on Discord.
Great video man, i was waiting forever for them to upgrade and got the nova pros instead, no regrets, especially now when i see the astro A50X price! LOL
Great stinkingCOZY Video. I didn't realize wireless A50's don't use a mixamp!! I have wired Astro A40's TR 2019 I'm thinking of upgrading my headset. Any recommendations on what I should get? 60 years old and I'm a Cod Fanboy. Thanks for the kickass vids and for having a kickass community!!
I've owned almost a dozen different Astro A50 headsets across all my consoles/work/home during the past 10 years because I've constantly needed to send them in for warranty service. Here's to hoping that the new Astro A50X are more reliable.
I wouldn't get your hopes up. Looks to be the same ole cheap plastic, high-priced headphones they've always had, but because they're a known "gamer" brand, they get away with it. This time they're just putting lipstick on a pig with the graphene drivers and an "updated" bay station that looks like something that shoulda came with the PS3 LOL
@@ActionHankI mean the white version is the best looking I have ever seen. And the features (not talking about the shitty hdmi connection that might bottleneck 240hz 4K gaming) is perfect
Idk how. I’m still rocking Gen 2 A50’s from like 2013. They still work. The battery life is butt now but they’re still better than 90% of headsets I’ve tried on. Don’t buy anything but the A50’s. The price is worth it.
I can't stand fully closed headsets. I like the natural soundstage of open headsets. Actually, the A50s are more closed than the A40s. Seems it will be the same case for the A50x. Great review as always!
Personally do ur prefer this headset? Turtle beach stealth pro or Steelseries Artis nova pro wireless after the review? And great vid 👍 keep it up with great contents !
Wondering this too. I'm coming from the last gen Astro a50s and I just got the acrctis nova pro wireless and I love it, it sounds (after lots of tweaking) better and has way more features. Only thing I miss is the pads on the a50 they were more comfortable
I’m very excited for this set up because I have all three of my systems at my desk and it’s very convenient for me. Now I just need to save up for em 😂
Compared to how many features the A30s have, I am not sure these new A50s are worth that price. The only downside to the A30s is they don't come with the felt pads like the A20's, A40's, and old A10s and A50s.
@Captain-Chats well the new A10s don't have it any more either and you can buy mod kits to change the A40s and A50s to a faux leather. I think the A30s are also designed to not look as "gamey" so the leather looks helps make them look like normal headphones
The HDMI instead of optical is because most connect the optical into their PS4. And the PS5 doesn't have it. It uses HDMI for the sound in and USB for the mic. For example, the A50s with the optical won't work on PS5 without the additional box from Astro that acts like a passthrough so they just combined it here and took out the optical. It's more for the current gen consoles than PS4 for example.
@@TheTechneSony does not allow any 3rd party access to their game/chat api controls so the only way for a 3rd party headset to be able to support hardware game/chat is to manually mix the two streams via optical and usb or HDMI and usb.
@@johnjames7332ive had the old a50s w the optical cord and ive been wanting a good headset but i want them to be able to control chat and game volume but i cant find one
By the way, I think they stopped the optical port because there is a delay when you route it to your tv. Even if you have your tv on passthrough. It's a very common problem that people have brought up to them on Reddit. Sony should've never gotten rid of the optical port.
I really love how you did the review on this headset, unlike most reviewers who were mainly biased based on price point and mainly praised how good the Novas are, which I dont like the novas because my gf has the Pro Nova and I hate the complexicity on how u gotta manually change audio on the box and pc etc. I got the a50s, and I love them since before Covid, time to get these new upgraded ones now/ My question is, I got a hdmi switcher 2.1 with 6 hdmi ports, Could I use that on the Astro A50x PAss through on the PS5 or Xbox connection and still keep all my stuff connected through the HDMI switcher, since I got all platforms, PC, Switch, Xbox SX, PS5. Do you know if thats possible.
That top head pad scares me.. I have Astro A10s (I know totally different price range) and they have the same top head pad and it kills the top of my head. That’s why I’m watching endless reviews of headsets because I can’t deal with the dull ache on the top of my head anymore lol. I wanna love Astro but can’t get past that one thing
The whole optical port being replaced is because some new gen consoles do not have optical ports so people had to buy adapters that took away the 120fps mode on games, switching to HDMI makes it a smaller pain in the ass tbh
Nice review 😃 my Question is do you have a static Sound By the new 50x.? When the Volume is higher or More in Game Sound. On the Xbox and pc it was easy Game Chat More to Chat then it was normal but on the PlayStation it was Bad Sound without the Adapter and with Adapter you have the Full static and wierd sounds but good Sound.Hopfully it is no More static sounds on the new astro a50x.
hi, great video. Here is the summary of the question: I would like to order the Astro A50 X in white version for use on PS5 only. I would like to use this model without the HDMI relay because I want to avoid any form of latency. Is it possible to operate by usb without HDMI? If so, what are the changes to cable and HDMI usage? Is it only the mixed cat?
The only thing this is strong at is that you can use it with every platform relatively easy. But I believe if you’re looking for the best sound and best microphone in one. Audeze Maxwell are the way to go. Can you help the public comparing these? Thanks!
For multi platform users (xbox mostly) this is a no brainer, for just pc users I'd probably be satisfied with a cloud 3 wireless or a razer blackshark v2 pro 2023 and save the money
Im thinking of upgrading from the g935 to the a50x, but the only benefit I got from this is the simplicity of cycling through different platforms with ease. The chunk of the cost is the bay station, so am I actually gonna get something better than what I already have or is the product mid with an overpriced charging dock.
Thanks for the vid Techne, your vid helped me picked the maxwells it was the best decision ever. Is maxwells still your number one wireless gaming headset?
No I have all the gaming headphones and Maxwell are the ones I do not use anymore there too too heavy for every day gaming and the app sucks and they don't sound all that great I've just ordered these astro a50x hopefully they will be on top of gaming headphones for a long time stay safe and happy gaming to all
love yr videos. 2 Questions. first best headset between SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless , SteelSeries New Arctis Nova 7X and Astro A50X (pc and ps5 no xbox) . second Question taking into consideration the connection type , how to connect both a wireless headset and a soundbar to a gaming pc at the same time and how to switch between them (i mean i power the headset and use them to game then switch them off and use the soundbar for all else ) how to connect both and swtich between them without having to connect/disconnect wires every time ???
My complaint in something they didnt address is the screw issue on A40 and A50 models. The big screw in the middle above the ear cup comes loose on its own and it is a pain to get tightened back up.
I waited about 18 months for astro to update a40/a50 and gave up waiting and decided to buy audeze maxwell only for these to drop 2 weeks later lol, however the maxwells are unlike anything I’ve ever heard before!
Just to be clear, when I'm talking about sound, yes that is the same great quality across all platforms. The only downgrade in sound is if you run USB only.
PS: I know the new consoles don’t have optical, my point on the optical, was simplicity.
Another nice review my man, thank you
Does the custom EQ save to the headset or do you have to connect to the app every time you want to game?
So it forces me to use pass though for good sound quality. Your right I will wait for a dumb down version
@@famezy9103 thanks a bunch man! and it saves
@@TheTechne great, thank you
@@alexmolina6114 I’m the same, when gaming I personally don’t care about overall sound quality as long as it sounds good and clean. I’m more interested to try these out to see how good the imaging is and also the how loud they get, because the previous A50 while imaging was really good, even at max volume it just wasn’t loud enough for me
YES! I have been waiting for your review! I pre-ordered mine waiting in anticipation for this review to drop. You are the ONLY person who has covered sound quality, mic test, AND whether or not the Wicked Cushions would fit! Thank you for continuing to bring top notch content. You are hands down my favorite gaming peripheral reviewer!
Man thank you so much for the kind words and support ❤
well this is first review of this headset on youtube so that obvious he was the only one one who covered this. The mic quality test did one guy who was doing unboxing of this headset on live
the guy who made mic test on live is called 9to5toys
but i agree that Techne reviews are amazing, he have really simillar taste and preference to me
They look terrible.
I am so happy that you finally decided to post a review about these!
The biggest positive is that they kept the felt pads. Those pads are so comfortable and don't really get that hot while gaming.
Agree 100%
Was waiting for your review for this A50X since its launch! Then suddenly BOOM, video uploaded 7min ago on my UA-cam suggestion. Thank you.
thank you for watching
Holy dang i did not expect such a great Microphone on the A50X after the distaster that the G Pro X2 Lightspeed Microphone was, good job to that ! Still waaaaay to expensive, gonna wait for a sale to pick it up
I really loved my A50 when i had them for a couple of years.
I currently have a VZR Model One and Audeze Maxwell but I'm definitely interested in trying these at some point in the future
Which is your favorite?
Even though everyone’s hearing is different, I’m confident this new A50 will sound good and also have really good imaging, but that price wow. The previous A50 cost way more than it should have when compared to some of the competition. It had good sound, really good imaging, nice base station and that’s it. It also lacked Bluetooth and only had 15 hours battery life and even some of the cheapest headsets at the time that cost the quarter of the price had 20 plus hours battery life
Now with this new A50 they increased the battery life to 24 hours, which is still way less than a lot of other headsets and they advertise it as one headset for all platforms and nobody will even use that feature. I have 2 PS5’s, Xbox Series X and PC and still I wouldn’t use that feature, because each device is in a different room and most people have their main gaming platform they game on 90% of the time. They also added simultaneous Bluetooth which they’re only at least 8 years behind the competition and now they cost even more at a ridiculous £350
Again, everyone’s hearing is different, but if this new A50 was something miles better than anything else at £350, @TheTechne would’ve said it in this video
its alot ligther then other headsets and its quality was alot better.
I use that feature. I have my PC, PS5, and Switch in 1 room. This headset in invaluable to me.
The mic quality is insane, I honestly think it sounded noticeably better than the standalone mic you recorded the video with - bonkers!
Thank you stating that the ear cups are the same! I have been looking for this information since they announced them.
Is this a good thing?
@@sole_less Sure! Made them readily available right at launch. I was actually able to use my A50 Gen 4 earcups, which I loved!
Just wanted to say your tip for the WC replacement Ear pads are a massive game changer! I’d never heard of WC before your video and decided to give them a go based on your advice. Worth the money and makes the A50x feel and sound even better.
Your are the one reviewer I wanted to for these. As I’ve watched the older A50s one this video is helpful. Thank You
since these have been announced ive been waiting for this day couldnt wait for your review
The first person I watched do a proper headset review..had to order myself a set. Waiting on delivery but the last gen a50s have been my daily drivers since 2019. Bought other headsets in between but keep going bk. Cant wait to test these out. Great review as always 👍
I agree on the dumb downed version. Why not make a A50 that uses a dongle like the A30?
Finalllyy been waiting for them to release a new version ! Just out my order in ! Didn’t even know they released these. Glad i bumped into this random video at 6 am lol
Was waiting for your review over anyone else's to see how these really perform. Never been a huge Astro fan myself had a pair of A40s many years ago but don't think I could go back from my Audeze now.
I like the idea of cycling between devices but I have my PC setup in the spare room and PS5 downstairs on the TV so wouldn't really benefit me.
Looking forward to the upcoming comparisons though, and it does seem like they really upgraded the mic quality.
Great video Techne 👍
Simp harder 😂😂
thank you for your thorough imvestigation and explanations, this review helped me decide
i bought the gen4 a50 about a month ago and they were bombastic good
had the gen 3 like 5 years before that and i will return the gen 4, already pre ordered the a50x
i have my ps5 and xbox series x on the same table on one monitor and only a lousy hyper x headset for my ps5, so this is really nice to get down to one universal headset
the price is really affordable i don't know why everybody is nagging about that
Absolutely brilliant headset, only thing I’ve had issue with is sometimes the mic doesn’t come on when I fold the arm down - very intermittent issue doesn’t happen a lot, switch the headset off & back on, it work problem solved, thanks for the review! It was the one that helped me decide to purchase the headset.
c’mon man, $380, y’all killin’ us out here! gonna stick with my gen 3 a50’s… optical to tv gets me sound on xbox, ps, switch, and a cheap bluetooth dongle into the aux port on the base station gives me simultaneous bluetooth as well, so really i already have these, thanks techne, u da man!
You honestly don’t need to buy a newer a50 if you have working fine, those things are very good unless something breaks.
Right.... everybody wants more money and they didn't even build the Bluetooth on the headset itself.... SMH to much money
This was a much needed update for sure. I might pick these up when I’m bored with my amazing Arctis Pro Nova Wireless cans.
I've been looking for a review since they announced it, amazing
My biggest problem with A50’s (3 pairs later over the years) is the top headband plastic part. It has broken every time and there really isn’t a way to fix it except duct tape or new ones
This. They didn’t change the headband design so I’m out on these.
I super glued the piece on my headband after it kept falling off. Over a month later it hasn't come loose yet.
I put zip ties around my A50’s. Works great but ridiculous I had to do it.
I have no idea what you dorks are even talking about with "headbands" maybe stop being rough and take better care of your headphones?
I have been using Astro A40's since 2011. Never ONCE have I had that issue. Ever. And I have 5 different versions
@MrChronick17 I had mine for two months before it happened, never dropped them, never been rough with them. Always lightly put them on and put them back on the base. The plastic headband piece came loose, and the plastic part that locks in would constantly come loose. Our other headset of the same model hasn't had that issue at all.
The same headset with the headband issue has also had a constant software issue with the base and will randomly not charge when out on the base. These headsets have had a lot of issues as I've seen it all over UA-cam/discord/facebook.
I had the original A50’s. 3 different pairs . Had battery issues / charging issues with all of them. I went on to the Steelseries arctis pro wireless, and I’ve had them for almost 6 years now. No issues, ever.
Nova pro wireless I’ve had since launch and they are thee best I have ever had the only issues was the cushions and then I just went to wicked got them switched out and they have been perfect!
I had the exact opposite experience. A50s during the lifespan of the ps4 and never had issues. Got the nova pro wireless with the ps5 and have had trouble on and off since. Sometimes they’ll just turn off for a few seconds and then power back on. Other times everything will sounds super staticky and robotic and nothing I do will fix that unless I just turn them off for a few days.
A40’s great. A50’s top head pad pops out. Happened 2nd day I had them. Not mishandled.
Totally agree with your conclusion. They should release a cheaper version with the gen4 base with optical-in at $200.
Ty for the review. Love that heat signature view for the pads 👏👍👌
Can’t wait till next month. Been waiting for these
I bought a pair of Astro A50 a long time ago when the playstation 3 came out, and it has been the best headset i have ever bought, still wear them to this day, best sounding and best as far as durability. The only downfall is the batteries in the headset do not last that long any longer sadly. But there are by far the most comfortable i have warn. The bass is by far the boomiest and the sound is the best as far as being emmerrsed in your games.
you never used a DAC with a studio headset like the ones from Beyerdynamic.. you wouldn’t say that again.. „Gaming“ Headset are still overpriced s*it … 400$ for this is ridiculous
I only really used gaming headsets back in my console days. Had the a40 with the mixamp on PC when I transitioned and got addicted to the mixamp with the voice/game balance with its 2 audio channels. Now I got a Beacn Mix Create for the same thing on steroids basically. Sucks that it costed so much in comparison, but this astro company is what got me addicted to multiple volume nobs for things like music, voice, and the game.
Get the Maxwell's, 90mm drivers, I love mine and you will love yours too. Be sure and get the wicked cushions for them, it makes them stinkin' cozy!
Love your work Techne! Any chance of getting a review on the new Sony Pulse Explore Planar Earbuds?? I’ve read/seen some good and a lot of bad reviews about them. Not sure who to trust…? You da man! 😎
Would love to hear your thoughts on these vs nova pro wireless
m17 sounds like fiio, it does need better amp to maximize smth like a12t
default would sound too fiio-ish, alright but kind of not complete smth like that
I hope they sorted out the technical issues that A50 Gen 2 owners experience. Headphones disconnects from base station "requires hard reset", Headphones and Base Station does not communicate with each other when updating to new firmware - Rercent update Base Station updated and Headphones could not be updated because the updated base station does not read the old firmware of the headphones. How I resolved this is there are two Astro command center software version to obtain -One in Microsoft App store and other direct download in Astro Website so how I resolved this was I found out that the Microsoft App updates the headset automatically but not the base station and the Astro website version updates the base station. So if you ever experience this update the headphones firsts from the astro command center Microsoft app store and then base station from astro website Astro Command Center. (Hope I save you half a day work figuring this out LOL Astro) - I still love my Astro!
Great review. I respect the honesty about the cost rather than just promoting the product.
When you do a comparison video, can you compare the mic against the razer blackshark v2 pro 2023 which is considered one of the best mics on a gaming headset?
Thanks!
will do, actually already done ;) video will be up this week
Good video brotha, was waiting for this one. Now I gotta wait for them comparisons. Lol
Thanks man, and I’ll have the comparison vid this week 👍
Hey man I haven’t watched you lr videos in a while, (had a baby, not that I don’t love ya). Your videos are as always top tier! Take care ✌️
I know this was posted awhile back but in case it was not also mentioned the main reason for going strictly HDMI in and out is that the PS5 voice chat does not work correctly with the cross fade functionality between game and voice when using anything other than HDMI audio out. Something do do with how Sony's proprietary drivers for chat audio work hence the need of seperate Xbox and PS5 inputs on the A50X and why the previous iteration you had to choose either Xbox or PS5 variants. Sony pulling their same audio shenanigans again.
I picked these up a few weeks ago and they are going back. The audio is great, but the headset is quite painful after about an hour of use. I even got some wicked cushions to try and fix them but it didn't help at all. They put a lot of pressure on my ears and top of the head. They fit fine size wise but too much pressure. I ordered a pair of the audeze maxwells, hopefully they are more comfortable, they seem like they have nice sized cups.
i have the old version of these and the one thing thats never talked about is that you can do 2 audio inputs from a PC at the same time (usb and optical). I LOVEEE this bc I can set discord chat flat and game sounds for surround sound. Its amazing and I would love to know what other headsets do this as well, bc now that im use to it, I wouldnt wanna go back to a headset without it.
Wait really
Yup! It’s such an amazing feature that is not talked or featured enough by techtubers and idk why. It’s a game changer.
If you use the surround mode then you arent hearing right
Ordered the wicked ear pads after watching this video, thanks for the suggestion 👍👍
about damn time... When I bough the my A50s a couple years ago, I didnt think id need to manually switch from my PC to my Console every time I changed platform. Ive always liked Astros and I might have to look into these. Yes my console and PC are hooked up in the same area so thats a plus for me.
I just pre ordered the A50X because I LOVE the sound quality and comfort. So far no other headset even came CLOSE to the A50''s comfort and sound quality. The ONLY thing I miss with the A50 is Bass and I really really hope the A50X has more/better Bass
The A50 has its flaws, like after 2 years the padding ontop is just gone and the becomes less comfortable overtime, the base station isnt great and the program "" Astro Command Centre" just sucks all together. You have to really fiddle around to get it connected to the base station for recharging and lets not begin about the absolute dogshit micro usb cable.
Seeing the new changes for the A50X makes me really excited and I cant wait for them to be delivered around January!
I see a lot of people that say headset from comparable prices are better but I still havnt found one that tops the A50, all of them are missing something wether its sound quality, lack of bass or comfort. I also see a lot of people that just want the mic to be good but idc about the mic at all because I have a better standalone mic. Then again the A50 has an amazing mic to begin with.
Could be preference but I really havnt had a headset thats better or on par with the A50 either the same or higher cost. (around 300-400 euros)
Do the A50s sound quiet to you? Just switch from the A40s and while the A50s sound great, they sound way more quiet than my A50s not sure if i got a bad batch or that's just how they are but I've been looking for a second opinion on this
FYI I don’t think u can do 7.1 uncompressed on these new ones cause the base station doesn’t even have an opt port anymore, on the old gen 4 u could bet u needed a repeater in order for it to work
Super super sick was really debating on getting these but the beyerdynamic dt 900 pro x changed my life I think imma hold off I used astros for years absolutely loved them but I think I’m done with wireless after going wired the sound quality and imaging is insane
Hey techne I love your videos. The positivity and honest costumer reviews
Had the Virtuosi XT's but the mic quality sounded like I was talking from the inside of a washing machine. Overall, definitely prefer these.
this the kind headset i been looking for one for all platforms and wireless
If you could be so kind and upload your custom EQ shown in the video to the community presets? Awesome video, this and the comparison video made me pull the trigger on the new A50x model over the maxwells.
The Rolex of Gaming Headphones. I've been using A40s for years and run Razer Krakens and The Blackshark V2 Pro 2023 on my PC.. Might need to get these.
I was adamant about getting the new A50x when it came out but I saw the normal A50’s on sale and I snagged them up immediately. I only use PC and have been very very pleased with the quality of sound and hardware from my A50’s. I have 0 use in using the pass through as I own no consoles and personally hearing this makes it sound like they are the same as the normal A50’s. Pleased I only bought the A50’s and I appreciate watching this video as it made my decision more justified. Thanks for doing the review :)
I’ve had the headset for 3 days. And only get a headache. No matter what you turn off and put down. It’s RUSHing all the damn time. It stays the same loud all the time.
Unless you also adjust to hear your voice. Then the noise is 4 times as loud.
Does anyone have a solution. How can this be fixed? Even if the dock has no power. The headset is noisy.
Love this lightning and the red background
Thanks
Best review by far! Thanks!
I got mine yesterday for my series x and I love them!! Drove me nuts it didn’t come with a 2.1 cable for the price they charge…
I bought these headphones after watching this review and this is my personal thoughts
The sound quality is absolutely awesome only if you adjust your EQ right and with the EQ I feel I need a set up for every game I play no matter what game because say I have one set up for battlefield and I go play something else it'll sound awful. So that's my one complaint is it's annoying (to me) I have a hard time finding a perfect balance for multiple games.
Mic quality is great I'm told on the receiving end
I only use this on xbox nothing else so I can't say how the switching works.
I do get a tad bit of static once in a while on start up of the head set but after that it's fine.
Overall I am very satisfied with these and hope they last me as long as my old pair of RIG headphones did.
My only other complaint is its hard to find a good balance between game and chat. This might just be me being picky too
Hope this little review helps!
I appreciate this review. I had the last gen a50s for three or so years and they just died on me randomly. I've been on Corsair Virtuoso since but I've really missed my a50s as the virtuosos have a lot of issues with wireless interference as well as letting a lot of cross sound in. I'm pretty much sold on the a50x despite the high price tag now
Thank you for this. I hope you do a tutorial for people that want more base or even one for watching movies
Everyone complaining about the price, this feels targeted toward us who own a PS5, a Series X and a livingroom gaming PC who want just one headset for all 3. We want the convenience.
I have A50s that are on the way out and weirdly, they intefere with my Xbox Elite Controller!! They prevent it from connecting to the Xbox Series X anymore... Unless you turn them off first, then turn the controller on, then the headset - very odd! But it made me want to look at getting some SteelSeries Nova Pros instead. I ordered those on Amazon this morning after seeing they were reduced (on Amazon UK at least!) but then I did a bit of research, came across your comparison video, and then came to this review, and I cancelled my Arctis order hours later and put an order in for Astro A50 X instead. Yes, they are expensive, but I loved my A50s. I am hoping the bluetooth technology means that they use a different frequency from my old A50s and so won't affect my controller...!
can you make a vid of the best headsets built like a tank? I'd love to see what you feel are the most durable headsets while also have having great sound quality and features
I’m personally gonna pick these up for that convenient Switcher. Apparently you can also listen to PC audio and from one HDMI source. No more weird audio setups to play console games with friends chatting on Discord.
Great video man, i was waiting forever for them to upgrade and got the nova pros instead, no regrets, especially now when i see the astro A50X price! LOL
The mic quality sounds amazing for a gaming headset! Massive improvement
Can you touch on what features you have when connected to your mobile phone? Can you answer calls? can you listen to music from your iPhone?
Great stinkingCOZY Video. I didn't realize wireless A50's don't use a mixamp!!
I have wired Astro A40's TR 2019
I'm thinking of upgrading my headset. Any recommendations on what I should get?
60 years old and I'm a Cod Fanboy.
Thanks for the kickass vids and for having a kickass community!!
I've owned almost a dozen different Astro A50 headsets across all my consoles/work/home during the past 10 years because I've constantly needed to send them in for warranty service. Here's to hoping that the new Astro A50X are more reliable.
I wouldn't get your hopes up. Looks to be the same ole cheap plastic, high-priced headphones they've always had, but because they're a known "gamer" brand, they get away with it. This time they're just putting lipstick on a pig with the graphene drivers and an "updated" bay station that looks like something that shoulda came with the PS3 LOL
@@ActionHankI mean the white version is the best looking I have ever seen. And the features (not talking about the shitty hdmi connection that might bottleneck 240hz 4K gaming) is perfect
Idk how. I’m still rocking Gen 2 A50’s from like 2013. They still work. The battery life is butt now but they’re still better than 90% of headsets I’ve tried on. Don’t buy anything but the A50’s. The price is worth it.
@@5dirty53 consider yourself lucky. I have had nonstop quality control issues with the Astro A50s gen3 through gen4.
Funny that Turtle Beach had Bluetooth and app control in 2006‼️
A50X is looking pretty good ‼️💯
I can't stand fully closed headsets. I like the natural soundstage of open headsets. Actually, the A50s are more closed than the A40s. Seems it will be the same case for the A50x. Great review as always!
glad the mic sounds amazing! I know people say for the price it should be but you would be surprised! :)
My soul died a little when you said to bump up the lows and highs and turn down the mids. The mids are the most important part of any sound profile D:
Thanks for the review, wanted to see a legit deep dive on these
Can't wait for the comparison vids before I buy them or not
phenomenal review!
Personally do ur prefer this headset? Turtle beach stealth pro or Steelseries Artis nova pro wireless after the review? And great vid 👍 keep it up with great contents !
Wondering this too. I'm coming from the last gen Astro a50s and I just got the acrctis nova pro wireless and I love it, it sounds (after lots of tweaking) better and has way more features. Only thing I miss is the pads on the a50 they were more comfortable
I’m very excited for this set up because I have all three of my systems at my desk and it’s very convenient for me. Now I just need to save up for em 😂
Compared to how many features the A30s have, I am not sure these new A50s are worth that price. The only downside to the A30s is they don't come with the felt pads like the A20's, A40's, and old A10s and A50s.
Strange if the rest of the range had the felt earcups why not the A30s
@Captain-Chats well the new A10s don't have it any more either and you can buy mod kits to change the A40s and A50s to a faux leather.
I think the A30s are also designed to not look as "gamey" so the leather looks helps make them look like normal headphones
The HDMI instead of optical is because most connect the optical into their PS4. And the PS5 doesn't have it. It uses HDMI for the sound in and USB for the mic. For example, the A50s with the optical won't work on PS5 without the additional box from Astro that acts like a passthrough so they just combined it here and took out the optical. It's more for the current gen consoles than PS4 for example.
Correct, my point is simplicity. Single connection
@@TheTechneSony does not allow any 3rd party access to their game/chat api controls so the only way for a 3rd party headset to be able to support hardware game/chat is to manually mix the two streams via optical and usb or HDMI and usb.
@@johnjames7332so does this head allow you to use game chat mix with the buttons or no?
@@johnjames7332ive had the old a50s w the optical cord and ive been wanting a good headset but i want them to be able to control chat and game volume but i cant find one
@@chriscruz8170yes for PS5
By the way, I think they stopped the optical port because there is a delay when you route it to your tv. Even if you have your tv on passthrough. It's a very common problem that people have brought up to them on Reddit. Sony should've never gotten rid of the optical port.
Latency issues.
I really love how you did the review on this headset, unlike most reviewers who were mainly biased based on price point and mainly praised how good the Novas are, which I dont like the novas because my gf has the Pro Nova and I hate the complexicity on how u gotta manually change audio on the box and pc etc. I got the a50s, and I love them since before Covid, time to get these new upgraded ones now/
My question is, I got a hdmi switcher 2.1 with 6 hdmi ports, Could I use that on the Astro A50x PAss through on the PS5 or Xbox connection and still keep all my stuff connected through the HDMI switcher, since I got all platforms, PC, Switch, Xbox SX, PS5. Do you know if thats possible.
19:10 they already have astros simplified without passthrough and working for singular device, its just the A50 base edition for 250-300
Looking good boss seeing you go from barely tats no beard to the new look i love it lol fits you well bro keep up the great content
That top head pad scares me.. I have Astro A10s (I know totally different price range) and they have the same top head pad and it kills the top of my head. That’s why I’m watching endless reviews of headsets because I can’t deal with the dull ache on the top of my head anymore lol. I wanna love Astro but can’t get past that one thing
@TheTechne you fail to mention that the battery lasts on average 15 hours. Considering the cost...
So if I have my xbox and pc connected l, can I hear my xbox audio AND my pc audio at the same time without switching anything?
I also really need this feature, like we have it now on the gen4.
If not, the A50x will be completely useless for me 😢
No, best bet is to buy another gen 4 before they are gone.
There’s a reason the gen 4s are best sellers on the Astro store page currently
would be considering this one if I didn't have my Maxwells. Nice review Techne!
Thanks a bunch man ❤
I’m glad we finally got an updated version, I might replace my Arctis Nova Pro with them
The mic sounds amazing
The whole optical port being replaced is because some new gen consoles do not have optical ports so people had to buy adapters that took away the 120fps mode on games, switching to HDMI makes it a smaller pain in the ass tbh
Nice review 😃 my Question is do you have a static Sound By the new 50x.?
When the Volume is higher or More in Game Sound. On the Xbox and pc it was easy Game Chat More to Chat then it was normal but on the PlayStation it was Bad Sound without the Adapter and with Adapter you have the Full static and wierd sounds but good Sound.Hopfully it is no More static sounds on the new astro a50x.
hi, great video. Here is the summary of the question: I would like to order the Astro A50 X in white version for use on PS5 only. I would like to use this model without the HDMI relay because I want to avoid any form of latency. Is it possible to operate by usb without HDMI? If so, what are the changes to cable and HDMI usage? Is it only the mixed cat?
The only thing this is strong at is that you can use it with every platform relatively easy. But I believe if you’re looking for the best sound and best microphone in one. Audeze Maxwell are the way to go. Can you help the public comparing these? Thanks!
You just did.
10:15 you could get multiple base stations to move the headset between console and PC in separate rooms.
For multi platform users (xbox mostly) this is a no brainer, for just pc users I'd probably be satisfied with a cloud 3 wireless or a razer blackshark v2 pro 2023 and save the money
yeah, has to be multi platforms for justify that price tag
what is "the gamer sound"?
also great vid mate thanks
Im thinking of upgrading from the g935 to the a50x, but the only benefit I got from this is the simplicity of cycling through different platforms with ease. The chunk of the cost is the bay station, so am I actually gonna get something better than what I already have or is the product mid with an overpriced charging dock.
Damn these have come a long way. Still have my gen 1 battlefield 4 a50s that sound amazing even now. Only gripe is the battery can be iffy sometimes
Thanks for the vid Techne, your vid helped me picked the maxwells it was the best decision ever. Is maxwells still your number one wireless gaming headset?
No I have all the gaming headphones and Maxwell are the ones I do not use anymore there too too heavy for every day gaming and the app sucks and they don't sound all that great I've just ordered these astro a50x hopefully they will be on top of gaming headphones for a long time stay safe and happy gaming to all
love yr videos. 2 Questions. first best headset between SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless , SteelSeries New Arctis Nova 7X and Astro A50X (pc and ps5 no xbox) . second Question taking into consideration the connection type , how to connect both a wireless headset and a soundbar to a gaming pc at the same time and how to switch between them (i mean i power the headset and use them to game then switch them off and use the soundbar for all else ) how to connect both and swtich between them without having to connect/disconnect wires every time ???
My complaint in something they didnt address is the screw issue on A40 and A50 models. The big screw in the middle above the ear cup comes loose on its own and it is a pain to get tightened back up.
I waited about 18 months for astro to update a40/a50 and gave up waiting and decided to buy audeze maxwell only for these to drop 2 weeks later lol, however the maxwells are unlike anything I’ve ever heard before!