The Astro A10 are straightforward wired-only gaming headphones. These well-built over-ears have a bass-heavy sound profile that adds extra boom and punch to action-packed video games but may push lead instruments towards the back of the mix. Unlike more premium gaming headphones, they aren't compatible with companion software or customization features. However, their boom microphone makes it easy to communicate with your teammates even if you're gaming in a lively environment.
The Astro Gaming A10 are sub-par for mixed usage. These bulky headphones have a gaming-oriented design, and you can't remove their boom microphone for a more casual look. They can't really block out background noises typically found during your commute or in a busy office, and they aren't stable enough to wear during workouts. While their bass-heavy sound profile adds an extra boom to action-packed video games, it may be a bit overwhelming for fans of neutral sound. On the upside, their microphone's amazing recording quality is suitable for phone calls.
The Astro Gaming A10 are decent for neutral sound. These headphones have an uneven sound profile, with an extra emphasis in the bass range that adds boom and punch to your audio. Vocals and lead instruments can sound honky, and they may be pushed towards the back of the mix. Unfortunately, there aren't any sound customization options.
The Astro Gaming A10 are poor for commute and travel. These bulky headphones aren't very portable, and they can't block out background noises very well. You can't detach their boom microphone for a more casual look, either. However, they're decently comfortable, and their passive design ensures that you don't have to worry about battery life during long days on-the-go.
The Astro Gaming A10 are middling for sports and fitness. These bulky over-ears are stable enough to stay on your ears during casual gaming sessions, but they aren't designed to wear to the gym. They may fall off your head during more intense workouts, and due to their wired design, they may snag on something. On the upside, they're decently comfortable.
The Astro Gaming A10 are disappointing for office use. These decently comfortable headphones have a wired connection, so you don't have to worry about them running out of battery. However, they don't isolate against background noises like chatter from nearby coworkers, which can be distracting. Also, they leak a bit of sound, which may be annoying for those working near you.
The Astro Gaming A10 are wired-only headphones, so they aren't suitable for wireless gaming.
The Astro Gaming A10 are satisfactory for wired gaming. You can plug these headphones into your PC or PS4 or Xbox One controller for full audio and microphone compatibility. Their boom mic makes it easy to communicate with your teammates, and they're decently comfortable for long gaming sessions. However, they don't offer companion software or any gaming-oriented customization features.
The Astro Gaming A10 are decent for phone calls. Their boom microphone has an excellent recording quality, so your voice is transmitted clearly even if you're calling from a noisy environment. However, these headphones have terrible noise isolation, so you can hear background noises that may be distracting during your calls.
The Astro A10 have the same design as the Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017, but with a few brightly-colored accents on the ear cups. Thanks to their boom microphone, they have a distinct gaming-oriented design. However, you can't remove the microphone, so they don't transition well to outdoor use. The microfiber-covered ear pads also give them a slightly more high-end vibe than the HyperX Cloud Stinger or the Logitech G430 Gaming Headset.
The Astro A10 are decently comfortable. They have spacious ear cups that fit well around most listeners' ears. Also, they're well-padded and covered in a microfiber coating that feels nice on the skin. However, they're tighter on the head than the Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017, which can get a bit fatiguing during long gaming sessions. For slightly more comfortable gaming headphones, take a look at the Turtle Beach Recon 70.
Update 08/05/2019: These headphones have a flip-to-mute microphone, which we didn't account for in 'Microphone Control'. The review and text have been updated.
The Astro Gaming A10 have disappointing controls. The limited button layout only gives you control over the volume, and you can flip the microphone up to mute it. However, the volume slider doesn't have any discrete points for those who prefer a consistent volume setting.
The Astro A10 have a good build quality. They're mostly made out of plastic, which feels solid and durable. They don't have the premium build of the Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017, but their headband is more flexible and feels a lot more durable. 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 Astro Gaming A10 have a bass-heavy but somewhat uneven sound profile. The extra boom in the bass range can help bring action-packed scenes in your favorite video games to life. However, vocals and leads can sound honky but lacking overall presence, dulling vocal-centric content like cutscenes.
The Astro Gaming A10 have very good frequency response consistency. While they're relatively consistent in delivering bass, there are more inconsistencies in the treble range, making it harder to get the same listening experience each time you use them. You may need to readjust them each time you wear them to get the same listening experience.
These headphones have great bass accuracy. Low-bass is slightly underemphasized, so you may not feel the deep thump and rumble in action-packed video games. However, the overemphasis in the mid and high-bass adds an extra boom and punch to the audio.
The Astro Gaming A10 have mediocre treble accuracy. The dip in the low treble means instruments in this range lack detail and presence. The slight bump in the mid-treble can also make sibilants like T and S sounds bright and piercing.
These headphones have middling peaks and dips performance. While the peak in the bass range produces a punchy bass, its continuation into the low-mid produces a cluttered sound. As it turns into a deep dip in the mid-mid, lead instruments and vocals may also be pushed to the back of the mix. The rise in high-mid, in comparison, makes notes in this range harsh and honky. Finally, the deepest dip in the low treble dulls lead instruments, while the peak in the mid-treble makes sibilants piercing.
These headphones have great imaging. Weighted group delay falls below the audibility threshold, resulting in tight bass and transparent treble reproduction. Our test unit's L/R drivers are also fairly well-matched in amplitude, frequency, and phase response, creating a stereo image with accurate placement and object localization (such as voices and sound effects). However, these results are only valid for our unit, and your experience may vary.
The Astro A10's passive soundstage, like most closed-back headphones, is sub-par. While the resulting soundstage is perceived as relatively open and larger than that of on-ears and in-ears, it doesn't sound as spacious as the open-backed Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017.
These headphones don't have any virtual soundstage features.
The Astro Gaming A10 have a great weighted harmonic distortion performance. Where the spike in the low treble at normal listening volumes can make your audio sound harsh and impure, this might not be noticeable to everyone. Its frequencies otherwise fall within good limits, which should result in clear and pure audio reproduction.
These are the settings we used to test these headphones. Our results are only valid for these test settings.
These headphones have terrible noise isolation. They hardly block out any background noises in the bass and mid-ranges, so you can hear the low thump and rumble of engines and voices from people nearby. On the upside, they have a fair performance in the treble range, so they may block out some higher-frequency noises like the hum of a nearby AC unit. If you're looking for a similar pair of gaming headphones that block out slightly more background audio, check out the JBL Quantum 100.
These headphones have a non-detachable boom microphone.
These headphones don't have a battery.
The Astro Gaming A10 aren't compatible with Astro Command Center.
These wired headphones can't be used with Bluetooth. If you want a gaming headset that supports Bluetooth, check out the Turtle Beach Elite 800 Wireless.
These headphones are wired-only.
You can plug these headphones into your PC or PS4 controller for full audio and microphone compatibility.
You can plug these headphones into your Xbox One controller for full audio and microphone compatibility.
These headphones don't have a dock. If you need a headset with a dock that also has a wired connection for gaming or watching movies, consider the SteelSeries Arctis 7 Wireless 2017.
The Astro A10 Headset is available in several different color variants, including 'Black/Red', 'Black/Green', 'Black/Blue', 'White/Green', 'White/Blue', and 'Call of Duty' as well as 'Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild' themed editions. We tested the 'Black/Green' variant, but we expect the other color variants to perform similarly.
If you come across another version of these headphones, let us know in the discussions so that we can update our review.
The Astro Gaming A10 are simple wired gaming headphones. They have an excellent microphone and a low latency connection but they won't be as versatile as some other wireless gaming headsets. They also have no customization options, which is a little disappointing. See our recommendations for the best wireless gaming headsets, the best headsets for Xbox One, and the best PS4 headsets.
The Astro A10 are slightly better gaming headphones than the Turtle Beach Recon 70. The Astro are quite noticeably better built and feel more durable. Their microphone performance is also better and records detailed and full-bodied speech. On the other hand, the Turtle Beach are more comfortable and have a more neutral sound profile.
The Astro A10 are better gaming headphones than the Turtle Beach Recon 200. The Astro are noticeably better built and have a more neutral sound profile. The Astro mic is also considerably clearer, and their ear cups don't get as hot as the Turtle Beach.
The Astro A20 Wireless are better gaming headphones than the Astro A10. The A20 wireless design gives you more freedom and more range to play from your couch. You also get channel mixing and a mic mute switch, which are features the A10 are lacking. On the other hand, the A10 gives you a gaming experience without any delay, and their microphone is noticeably better than the wireless A20. However, the A20 have a better-balanced sound profile and a companion app that lets you EQ the sound to your liking. Unfortunately, you can’t use the headset wired, so you need to keep it charged, which you don’t have to do with the wired A10.
The HyperX Cloud Stinger is a better headset than the Astro A10. It's more comfortable and isolates noise better than the Astro. The HyperX sound better, but are prone to inconsistencies in the bass and treble delivery among wearers, whereas the Astro doesn’t have this problem. The Astro is slightly better designed though and feels better built. The microphone performance of these two headsets is very similar, but the recording quality of the Astro is a bit better. They’re both decent gaming headsets, but the Astro are usually more expensive than the HyperX. If you care more about build quality, get the Astro; if you prefer better sound, go for the HyperX.
The Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017 are noticeably better gaming headphones than the wired Astro A10. The A50 are more comfortable, better built, and have a more accurate out-of-the-box audio reproduction. On the other hand, the A10 have a better sounding microphone, and their wired design means you don't have to worry about battery life. However, the wireless latency of the A50 is fairly minimal, and they come with a dock that offers convenient inputs and dock charging. The A50 are also compatible with the Astro Command Center, while the A10 are not.
The Astro A10 are better sounding gaming headphones than the Razer Kraken Pro V2. The Astro's overall sound profile is more neutral and won’t be as boomy and cluttered as the Razer. They also perform more consistently across various users, which is good. On the other hand, the Razer have a PC Y-splitter included, and their style might appeal to more people considering you can retract their microphone inside the headphones.
The Astro A10 are a better-wired gaming headset than the Turtle Beach Stealth 300. The Astro have a better build quality with a more premium-looking design than the Turtle Beach. They also sound better and have a better boom mic for voice chat. The Turtle Beach, on the other hand, are a bit more comfortable than the Astro since they're not as tight on the head. Also, since the Turtle Beach are active, you can switch between four audio presets directly on the headphones. This makes them slightly more customizable than the Astro, although a full app would have been preferable.
The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 are wireless gaming headphones while the Astro A10 can only be used wired. The freedom of going wireless is convenient, but comes at the expense of having to keep an eye on battery life. As for the headphones themselves, the Stealth 600 are a bit more comfortable and have a slightly better-balanced sound profile, while the Astro are better-built and feel a lot more durable.
The Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017 are better gaming headphones than the Astro A10. The A40 come with a nice amp that allows for a lot of customization right at the tip of your fingers. They're more comfortable to wear for long gaming sessions and are also better built. The A40 are also compatible with the Astro Command Centre software, which allows sound customization with an EQ. On the other hand, surprisingly enough, the A10’s microphone sounds a bit better in our tests.
The Astro A10 are somewhat better wired gaming headphones than the Razer BlackShark V2 X. The Astro are better built, they have a significantly more consistent bass and treble delivery, and their passive soundstage is better. The Razer, on the other hand, have a downloadable virtual soundstage feature, and are more stable and comfortable on the head. However, both headphones have boom microphones with excellent performances.
The SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless are better headphones than the Astro A10. The SteelSeries are more comfortable to wear for long gaming sessions, have a better control scheme, and have a slightly better-balanced sound profile. The SteelSeries are also Bluetooth-compatible, which means you can stream music from your phone while playing on consoles. On the other hand, the Astro feel slightly better made and less plasticky than the SteelSeries, but that’s about it.
The Logitech G430 Gaming Headset and the Astro A10 are both decent wired gaming headphones. The Logitech reproduce audio a bit differently depending on who's wearing them, but they generally sound quite neutral. The Astro perform more consistently across different users, but their sound signature isn't as well-balanced. Their microphone quality is much better than the Logitech's, though, and they also feel a lot more sturdy and durable. However, the Logitech are more comfortable, and they're also customizable on PC thanks to their USB adapter.
The Astro A10 are better wired gaming headphones than the JBL Quantum 100. The Astro are much more premium feeling, have a better-balanced sound profile, and provide a more consistent, comfortable fit. However, the JBL are a little more portable thanks to their detachable microphone, while their simple onboard control scheme provides more feedback than the Astro’s in-line remote.