Astro A10 HEADPHONES REVIEW

The Astro A10 have the same design as the A50 but feel a bit cheaper and more plasticky. They're a bit more discrete than the A50, only having bright colors inside the ear cups a few highlights on the boom mic but they still look like gaming headphones you wouldn't use outdoors especially since you can't remove the microphone. On the upside, the headband looks and feels sturdier than the more expensive model and the microfiber covered ear pads give it a slightly more high-end vibe than the HyperX Cloud Stinger or the Logitech G430. They're bulkier than the Logitech G Pro and the Turtle Beach Recon 50X.

The A10 are comfortable headphones with decently spacious ear cups that fit well around most listeners' ears. They're tighter on the head than the Astro A50 which may get a bit fatiguing during long gaming sessions, and they're also somewhat bulky and heavy. But on the upside, they're well padded and covered in a microfiber coating that feels nice on the skin. They won't be the ideal headphones for all listeners due to their tight fit, but they should be comfortable enough for most. For slightly more comfortable gaming headphones, take a look at the Turtle Beach Recon 70.

Update: 08/05/2019 The A10 have a flip-to-mute microphone, which we didn't account for in 'Microphone Control'. The review and text have been updated.

The Astro A10 have have a limited button layout that only gives you control over the volume. You can't turn off or reduce the microphone level, there's no multipurpose button or additional features, and the volume slider doesn't have any discrete points for those who prefer a consistent volume setting. On the upside, the volume slider, being the only control option you have, is pretty easy-to-use and you can easily mute your microphone by flipping it up.

These headphones are decently breathable thanks to their slightly porous pads. However, since they fully encapsulate the ear, they will make your ears a bit warm during long gaming sessions.

The Astro A10, like most gaming headphones, are not very portable. They're big, bulky and do not fold into a more compact format. They're a hassle to carry around if you don't have a bag or a backpack and do not come with a case or pouch which is slightly disappointing.

These headphones do not come with a case.

The Astro A 10 are decently well-built despite being made entirely out of plastic. They do not have the premium design of the A50s but the headband is more flexible and feels a lot more durable. The ear cups are also dense enough to withstand a couple of drops and mild impacts without getting damaged. The cable is thick, rubberized and detachable so you can always replace it if ever it gets worn down by regular wear and tear.

The A10, like most gaming headphones, are not made for sports and therefore do not have a very stable design. They are quite tight on the head which makes them a bit more stable than most, but they will quickly fall if used while exercising or doing more strenuous activities. On the upside, the cable is detachable so if ever it gets hooked by something it will not pull the headphones off your head.

The A10s come with a 1/8" TRRS audio cable with an in-line remote for volume control.

The Astro A10 have a very good bass. Their low-end (LFE) is extended down to 18Hz, which is great. This means the A10 won't have any problems producing low rumbles and thumps. Mid-bass shows a wide 5dB bump that extends into high-bass. This adds a bit of excess punch and body to the bass and kick instruments. Overall, the bass is deep and punchy but slightly overpowering.

The mid-range of the Astro A10 is about average. Low-mid is quite flat and within 0.2dB of our target response. The 10dB dip around 650Hz, could push vocals and lead instruments slightly to the back of the mix, but because the dip is quite narrow, this effect will be subtle. The 5dB bump in high-mid however, will have a noticeable effect by adding to the intensity and projection of lead instruments. Overall, the mid-range sounds a bit uneven and honky.

The Astro A10 have a good treble. The response is mostly flat and well-balanced. The only remark is the notch around 5KHz, which has a subtle negative effect on the detail and articulation of vocals and other lead instruments. Overall, the treble of the Astro is quite well-balanced, and the notch at 5KHz won't be an issue for most.

The Astro A10 performed well in our frequency response consistency test. The maximum deviation across our human subjects in the bass range is less than 3dB, which is great. In the treble range, below 10KHz, the maximum deviation is about 6dB, which is good. This means that these headphones will have good consistency in delivering bass and treble across different users and re-seats.

The imaging of the Astro A10 is very good. Their weighted group delay is 0.31, which is good. The graph shows that the group delay never goes above our audibility threshold. This ensures a tight bass and transparent treble. Additionally, the L/R drivers of our test unit were exceptionally matched helping with accurate localization and placement of object (such as voices, footsteps, and instruments) in the stereo image.

The soundstage of the Astro A10 is sub-par. The ear cups of the A10 are relatively deep, which could explain the decent shape of the PRTF. However, its level (PRTF Size) is quite low, and the 10KHz notch (PRTF Distance) is almost non-existent. The resulting soundstage will be perceived to be relatively open and larger than that of on-ears and in-ears, however, it won't have an out-of-head quality like the HD 800 S does.

The harmonic distortion performance of the Astro is about average. The overall amount of harmonic distortion is quite low and within very good limits, however, the spikes in THD at 200Hz and especially at 5KHz, could make the sound of those frequencies a bit harsh and brittle.

The isolation of the Astro A10 is sub-par. In the bass range, which is important for blocking out the rumble of airplane and bus engines, they provide no isolation. In the mid-range, where the bulk of voice frequencies are located, these headphones achieve a poor isolation of only 2dB. In the treble range, where sharp sounds such as S and Ts sit, they reduce outside noise by a decent 22dB.

The leakage of the Astro A10 is mediocre. The significant portion of their leakage is spread between 500Hz and 6KHz, which is a relatively broad range. The average level of leakage, however, is not very loud. Overall, the leakage sounds fuller than that of in-ears/earbuds and could become audible to people around you at loud volumes and in moderately quiet environments.

The recording quality of the boom mic is excellent. The LFE (low-frequency extension) of 20Hz, indicates that speech recorded/transmitted will sound quite rich and full. The HFE (high-frequency extension) of 6KHz, indicates speech that sounds quite bright and detailed, but lacking in brilliance and airiness.

The microphone of the Astro A10 is great at noise handling. In our test, the microphone achieved a speech-to-noise ratio of 38dB, making these headsets suitable for even very loud environments.

These headphones are passive and have no battery life.

The Astro A10 are not compatible with Astro Command Center.

These headphones are wired and do not have a Bluetooth connection. If you want a gaming headset that supports Bluetooth check out the Turtle Beach Elite 800.

The A10 have a wired connection that provides volume control and microphone compatibility support for consoles as long as you plug them into the Xbox or PS4 controllers.

The Astro A10 do not have a dock. If you need a headset with a dock that also has a wired connection for gaming or watching movies, then consider the SteelSeries Arctis 7.

These headphones do not have a wireless range since they only connect via a regular audio cable with an in-line remote.

The wired connection of these headphones has negligible latency which is suitable for gaming and home-theater.