ASTRO Gaming A50 Wireless + Base Station for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 & PC $404.90 @ Amazon
Not the cheapest but it's still a good price for High Quality wireless headset.
CamelCamelCamel.
No reason to buy it for PC since you can choose any virtual surround algorithm with Equalizer APO.
I'm unclear as to virtual surround function on PS5. But seems that it may do it with all headphones - so no reason to get it with PS5 unless you want whatever virtual surround algo this uses rather than PS5. I suspect PS5 is better.
Xbox I believe does virtual surround natively so no reason to get unless, again, you prefer this algo.
So really only PS4 users should get it.
Dolby Digital 7.1 works just fine with the PS5, better than their proprietary Tempest 3D sound in my opinion.
you can choose any virtual surround algorithm with Equalizer APO
Mind blown, did not know about this. Thanks!
Bought this over a year ago. Headset is solid but the headband is crooked. Contacted Astro support and they sent me another pair with a crooked headband. Build quality seems questionable with these.
Can't PS4 and ps5 work with Bose or Sony Bluetooth headphones? Those are much cheaper and sound quality is good
PS4 will not output virtual surround unless the user is using Sony PS Headphones.
So the reason to use this for PS4 owners is to encode the speaker surround output into virtual surround for headphone.
These have dropped as low as $350 same time last year. I wonder if that's likely to happen again. Otherwise hesitant to pull the trigger as they have been around $400 for awhile now.
Still running a set of gen 1 A50s. I love them, but it sounds like subsequent iterations have had various issues.
I have a mate who had a series of problems with them initially, but were eventually ironed out
those things have terrible mic quality
Astros have lost a lot of quality since being bought by Logitech in 2017. My mate and I bought gen 1 a50s back in 2012 (maybe 2013?) and they're still going. Have had a few game-acquaintances over the years also buy astro and haven't had such a great experience. Usually to do with build quality, though they seem quick to just sent you another part if you ask.
ASTRO, the most Plasticky thing you can ever buy.
I bought a Gen 3 version about 5 years ago. In the last 2 months the ear cousins came lose. Quick and cheap fix and still feels and looks like new. Best headset i have ever tested.
Tried to replace it with the Gen 4 but gave that back 2 days after i bought it. Ot isn't the same quality and it feels a lot tighter.
are they comfy?
Yes they are
Compare this against the Audeze Penrose, which goes for the same price, though be aware you'll be trading wireless range for a big jump in sound quality.
2022 is going to be a big shift in the way low-latency wireless audio is delivered, so do not invest large sums of money in something that doesn't deliver extremely high quality sound, and this isn't it.
2022 is going to be a big shift in the way low-latency wireless audio is delivered
Source?
I'm also keen to hear more about this
Google 'Bluetooth LC3 low latency', and go away. If you're remotely across tech, you would have heard of LC3 and Bluetooth 5.2 by now.
Thanks for the downvote though.
I didn't downvote you bud, but cheers for yours. I'm sure there are many other Ozbargainers such as myself not in the niche hi-fi audio space who weren't aware 😉
Your snarky reply got you the downvote lol
@thousandsuns: It's almost like this has been discussed numerous times, and that this is a website for bargain hunting that involves basic discerning of the marketplace of the product in the discussions.
When it becomes painfully obvious that people expect others to do basic product research for them, yeah, I'm going to tell them to get stuffed.
Are the Audeze Penrose headsets any good compared to the PC38X which sell for less? I haven't heard too much about them and worry that they're just attaching the Audeze name on to a generic made headset to sell them at a premium price. PS anyone who buys one of these (Astro etc) over priced bass and treble heavy gaming headsets is wasting their money in my humble opinion. There are plenty of comparable cheaper options, but if audio and mic quality is more important (and you don't mind not being wireless) go for the Sennheiser's.
The Audeze is higher quality, but also closed back and wireless, which means it offers tonal and spatial differences. It is a direct successor to the Mobius, which was also sold as the HyperX Cloud Orbit. Please. Use. Google.
I would not recommend the PC38X at all, and would instead suggest a good headphone and either a desk mic or a 3rd party boom arm if you're trying to get value for money when it comes to sound quality.
Other good wired options are:
Gaming Focus: 1More Triple Driver Over-Ear ($110-$160 Amazon)
Music Focus: AKG K371 ($150-$190 Amazon)
Gaming Focus: AKG K612 Pro ($180-$200 Amazon), Audio Technica ATH-R70X ($300-$350)
Music Focus: Sennheiser HD6XX ($250-$270 Drop), HIFIMAN HE400SE ($209 Amazon), Sennheiser HD 560S ($200-$220)
High end: HIFIMAN Edition XS ($700ish local, $600ish from AliE), Mr Anan's Nan-6 ($600-$650 Taobao)
Took a leap of faith and bought these a few months ago for my PS5 – the Dolby Digital 7.1 Virtual Surround works really well, much richer and better surround than Sony's Tempest 3D audio. Very breathable headphone cups and easy to mix chat volume with in game audio.
If your TV has an audio optical out, you can just plug that straight into your Astro base with the PS5 hdmi going into your tv - meaning you don't need to purchase another dongle to isolate optical audio.
The only real issue is that they don't charge when the PS5 is idle / in sleep mode unless a software update is being installed. Seems to be as a result of the PS5 drawing less power during sleep, despite changing the energy saving settings. Charging works fine with the PS4
Can vouch for Astro. I had the previous gen and have worked flawlessly for many years.
Got same. I just really really really really hate the charging dock.
It was a little bit finnicky at the start but I got used to it pretty quickly.
wow I got mine 2 years ago for $340 these things have gone up even more :(
No bearing to weather this is a deal or not. But I have 3 friends who have purchased this and they have all had issues with connectivity and voice (Xbox users). 2 have since returned after months of issues. No idea if these issues exist for PC or Playstation.