With the introduction of the Astro A30 wireless play headset , Astro and Logitech G are now working closer than ever since the latter mark took over the former in 2017 . The Astro A30 may have signature Astro styling , but it ’s power by Logitech G ’s Lightspeed wireless applied science . ready to hand as that tech may be for a cable - complimentary connection , what sets this headset aside from the bunch is that it can support not one , not two , but three simultaneous connections to audio sources — one 2.4GHz wireless connexion with the Lightspeed wireless dongle , one Bluetooth , and one 3.5 mm wire . Of course , you have to pay $ 229 for the privilege , put these cans right into the upper echelon of gaming headset when it hail to price .
Astro A30 Wireless Gaming Headset
The late wireless headset from Logitech and Astro , with multiple connectivity standards .
Photo: Mark Knapp / Gizmodo
What is it ?
A premium wireless gambling headset with multiple connexion standards
Price
Photo: Mark Knapp / Gizmodo
$ 239
Likes
Flexibility connectivity , well-to-do blueprint , ready to hand features
Photo: Mark Knapp / Gizmodo
disapproval
Just OK audio , expensive
Despite the high Leontyne Price , the Astro A30 headset is plasticky . The only metal in sight on the innovation is a set of four turnkey in each ear cup that helps swappable faceplates snap on magnetically . I ’ve got to give Astro some style full stop here , though . The faceplate are a semi - transparent credit card cover another plastic bed that ’s painted like live chrome , with all its gold and purple glint through at different slant when light hit it . RGB Light never see so sultry , and this aim does n’t use any of the wireless headsets ’ precious battery life .
Photo: Mark Knapp / Gizmodo
Some of the Astro aesthetics have been simplify here . The posterior still have the same boxy , tall , rectangular pinna cupful held in position by a likewise rectangular set of yolks . But where past premium Astro headsets had long metal tubes extending from the yolks to allow for swivel and size of it adjustments , the Astro A30 just has a short vacuum tube to colligate to the headband , which handles the size - adjustment sliders ( Astro even put ‘ L ’ and ‘ R ’ in Braille on the slider slots).The change does n’t entrust any famine of fit customization — there ’s way for brain big and little .
Comfort is fairly on point , with plush ear cushions that balance the headset ’s modest clamping force — enough to hold it in place for a piece of light headbanging . The headband amount up short on cushioning , feel like more of an empty natural rubber tube , but that rubber is taut enough to make for a diffuse spot on the crown of my head . For phone that might be assume in recollective stint , the 27 - hour stamp battery life sentence also prove up to the undertaking .
The left pinna cup has a mic mute transposition and ports for the detachable thunder mic and 3.5 mm analog cable . The correct ear cupful has a power button and Bluetooth button , a USB - hundred charging port , and a minor joystick flair control .
Photo: Mark Knapp / Gizmodo
Three versions but just two colors
As is common for gambling mathematical product , the Astro A30 is cleave into three different versions . One for Mac / PC , one for PlayStation , and one for Xbox . However , all three versions have the same two color choice : white with purple emphasis or US Navy with red accents .
finally , all three simulation of the headset are compatible with just about any equipment you want to connect them to because of their three different connectivity method acting . What change between each version is what platform the wireless dongle will affirm . All models stick out PC , using their Lightspeed dongle . Though the dongles do n’t appear to be interoperable across consoles , Astro will betray additional dongle to enable connections to unlike platform using the same headset — flexibleness that ’s bully to see from a premium Cartesian product .
Astro has n’t listed the prices for these additional dongles yet , but it sells extra sender for the Astro A20 ’s for $ 20 , so they will conceivably be in that ballpark .
Photo of the Astro A30 control joystickPhoto: Mark Knapp / Gizmodo
Premium cans cranking out totally OK audio
When you ’re expend upwards of $ 200 on a pair of earphone , you might expect some serious audio chops , but a circle of that budget seems to be going to other features in the case of this headset . The 40 millimetre loudspeaker system drivers pump out perfectly serviceable audio that does about as much for play as it does for movies and music . Highs and mids are well balanced with bass , cater reasonable clarity in any office .
No notes stick out when listen to the sonically rich Of Montreal album False Priest , and the whole world of sound coming through in Call of Duty : Modern Warfare II ’s beta issn’t completely wash over by the boom of every explosion and gunshot .
The sound microscope stage is rather squiffy , have it somewhat tough to pick out directionality in the chaos of a big team engagement in Overwatch , so it ’s no surprise when I get punched right in the back by a rogue Doomfist whose charge fist I could only slimly get wind over the furor .
Photo: Mark Knapp / Gizmodo
matter ameliorate when strait is more sparse , as in the barren landscape of Death Stranding , where the game sounds and euphony have more room to breathe .
The audio from these headphones does n’t really render to go beyond the staple , either . EQ customizations are the extent of customizability , with no active noise cancellation or included surround auditory sensation features . The only boast the Astro A30 really goes big is volume . It ’s all too easy to make the Astro A30 headset pump out sound that ’s distressingly loud . Anything above 33 % loudness started to hurt .
Being able to pump up the sound could be helpful in some situations , though . In a noisy cafe or loud gearing , it ’ll be easy to overwhelm the international sounds , even if it ’s not level-headed to do so . regrettably , it may be necessary , as the earcups do n’t have very telling noise closing off despite their leatherette cushion stuff .
Sating your connectivity appetite
Logitech and Astro have taken a page out of SteelSeries ’ book with a feature dubbed “ Dual Audio Mixing , ” which allows the cooccurring playback of two wireless audio sources ( one Bluetooth and one from the 2.4GHz radio dongle ) . conceive it or not , the headset will even allow a third , wired audio origin to play alongside those two wireless reference . To what end ? I ’m aboveboard not certain . I theorise you could have plot sound in one source , a earphone call in another , and medicine in your third informant , but that seems like something could accomplish just as well with only two .
The power to fuse audio from multiple reservoir is one I ’ve amount to sexual love after year of test it on SteelSeries ’ gadget , and Astro gets it mostly correct . On microcomputer ( and presumably Xbox ) , the headset will show up as two separate output sources , leave me to tell game to play through “ Astro A30 ” and tell a chat app like Discord to play through “ Astro A30 Voice ” . When properly set up , I can set the counterweight between the two audio sources with sideways flicks of the joystick command on the right earcup .
If my teammates are being too loud for me to try foe footfall , I can quickly dial them down . If the strait of burst is drowning out my teammates ’ callouts , I can dial it the other way . The joystick is n’t as quick to make adjustment as the ChatMix dials on SteelSeries ’ headsets , but it works . Unfortunately , I have n’t chance a way to make the same audio mix adjustments for sound coming from my PC and sound coming from a Bluetooth connectedness to my phone . The Bluetooth audio seems to be ever - present in the mix .
As ready to hand as the feature are , I ’ve found it ’s important to really ensure they ’re jell up properly even if you do n’t intend to use them ( although , just do n’t get these headphones if you do n’t want the feature article ) . Before I ’d correct up the two audio channels on my computer , I notice that sometimes connecting the headset to Bluetooth would apparently alter that audio canal on the figurer to Voice , which for whatever reason came through at a much higher bulk level . This was not only abominable every clock time it happened , but it add up with a terrible downgrade in audio calibre that almost had me conceive these phone were unsound than they are . There appears to ( sensibly ) be a lot less bandwidth provided to that spokesperson channel , so it has all the dynamic range of $ 10 boombox from 1990 .
One trivial extra out of sight feature of the headset is that it does n’t wrench off with a simple timer . Instead , it use a timekeeper in compounding with an accelerometer inwardly . If the headset is n’t moving for a set amount of time , then it ’ll turn off . This prevents the headset from turning off if there just has n’t been any audio acting for a while . It ’s an extra little bit of smartness , though I had gotten used to headphone work off while I ’m fatigue them serving as a admonisher to plow on some euphony .
A mobile app to manage it all
A headset like the Astro A30 that ’s made to run on cabinet and PC naturally has a way to manage it that only runs on earpiece — totally logical . Also reasonable , the app is “ Logitech G ” , not “ Astro ” anything . start out over that confusion , Logitech presents a fairly straightforward if lacking - in - detail app for controlling the headset .
The app allows for usage equalizer , adjustable balance between game and spokesperson audio sources ( only on PC and Xbox ) , and mic controls for noise gate and sidetone . All three of these setting can be save into special profiles , earmark for quick switching in the app .
The app is also where you may update the headset ’s firmware or adjust the hold before the headset automatically shuts off .
Double the mics, half the quality
The headset runs a pair of mics , provide the option of a unidirectional godsend mic or a built - in omnidirectional mic like you ’d find on a typical Bluetooth headset . This efficaciously provides a quality mic option when at menage while still keeping a mic William Christopher Handy when on - the - go .
Both mics are a bit on the restrained side , with each transcription at almost heavily - to - get wind spirit level compared to recordings I made on SteelSeries ’ tardy Arctis Nova headset playing back at the same system volume . limpidity on the boom mic is good , but its lack of any filter makes for some loud pop noises and extra ventilation sound if it ’s positioned close to the sassing in an endeavor to remedy its low volume .
The internal mics are unexceptional verging on risky , in particular when used over Bluetooth . They sound about like most webcam mics . The randomness gate can help cut down on background noise getting pick up , but it also cuts down the voice clarity and can make it sound like I ’m sputter without actually suppose any full words .
The sidetone controls work for either microphone , making it easy to avoid call into the mic , and the headset automatically switches between mics if the boom mic is attached or off . The mute switch on the headset can be intemperate to find out in a hurry give how small it is , but the headset have a clean clear indicator audio when switch it on or off .
Should I get an Astro A30?
Even though from a blueprint , feature , and terms standpoint , the Astro A30 should be an Astro A50 cause of death , provide almost everything the latter headset does and more , this headset does n’t lay itself apart from the external contest . While it ’s nice to see the versatility here , I ’d sooner advocate purchase a $ 100 gambling headset and $ 100 everyday headphone that bring more to the board in their respective domains .
Meanwhile , for less money , the $ 200 ( and nearly two - year - old)Arctis 9 Wirelesscan match the Astro A30 for feature article and audio quality , but implements it all well , not to note its USB dongle has two extra 3.5 mm AUX porthole , one to accept stimulation and one to transmit audio out to a pair of Speaker as a accompaniment whenever the headphone power down . And for those more focussed on gaming who do n’t need the versatility , theHyperX Cloud Alpha Wirelessputs on a strong display with absurdly retentive barrage biography .
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