Our Verdict
The Astro A50 are definitely aimed towards gaming but can be used for occasional music listening thanks to their good audio reproduction. However, their overall bulky design and poor noise isolation aren't suited for the office or your daily commute.
- Comfortable and sturdy design.
- Accurate audio reproduction with EQ and presets.
- Decent microphone that filters out noise.
- Bulky design not meant for outdoors.
- Poor noise isolation and leaky at high volumes.
- Aggressive auto-off timer.
The Astro A50 are very good for neutral listening. They have a comfortable design, a well-balanced sound profile, although some may feel like they're a bit bass-light. They also have a decently spacious soundstage and a good stereo image reproduction which is suitable for both critical listening and gaming. You also have access to an EQ to make them sound the way you prefer.
Sub-par for commuting. The Astro A50 gaming headset doesn't block a lot of noise and leaks a lot at higher volumes. These headphones also have to be in range of the transmitter dock, so they won't be suitable for commuting or traveling unless you're on a plane or train and using a laptop. Even then, the dock isn't really practical to use under those circumstances.
Mediocre for sports. The Astro A50 Wireless have a bulky design that's not stable enough for running or working out. they also need their dock to function so unless you're planning on working out inside near your gaming setup, these aren't recommended.
Sub-par for office use. The Astro A50 have a comfortable design you can wear for hours and a great app with a lot of customization options. However, they leak quite a bit at higher volumes and won't block the ambient chatter of a noisy office environment.
The Astro A50 Wireless 2017 are very good wireless gaming headphones. They sound well-balanced, have a good microphone that can separate your voice from ambient noise, and they're very comfortable to wear for numerous hours. Their wireless design offers a bit more freedom than wired headphones, and they have a fairly low wireless latency.
The Astro A50 need to be connected wirelessly to their base to work and therefore can't be used for wired gaming.
The Astro A50 is a decent option for phone calls if you can get the setup right. It's not Bluetooth compatible, so you'll have to connect the base to a computer to take calls. The boom microphone has decent recording quality and people shouldn't have any issues understanding you on the other end of the line.
Changelog
- Updated Jan 04, 2021: Updated Wired results to better reflect no wired connection.
- Updated Feb 14, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
Check Price
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Astro A50 Gen 3 2017 are good gaming headphones, but the newest version, the Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019, are one of the best gaming headsets that we've reviewed, provided you get the dock for the right console. The A50 has a lot more features than lower-end Astro headphones. They have multiple input options, they sound well-balanced, and they're very comfortable. They're also well-built with a premium, somewhat breathable design but they're not as versatile as some of the other headsets that can be used outdoors too. You can't use them with your phone since they don't support Bluetooth, their base is console-locked and they don't have a regular audio jack. They're also considerably more expensive than most of the other gaming headsets we've tested so far. See our recommendations for the best Xbox One headsets and the best gaming headsets for PC.
The Astro A50 Gen 3 are better gaming headphones than the HyperX Cloud 2/Cloud II. The Astro's wireless design gives you more freedom, performs more consistently across different users, has more detail in the treble range, and has a nice app that allows customization options. However, they can't be used without their base, which is quite restrictive. The HyperX also have minimal latency, and you won't have to manage a battery life thanks to their wired connection. The HyperX mic also has a better recording quality and is fully detachable, making it a bit more outside-friendly than the Astro.
The Astro A50 Gen 3 are better for wireless gaming compared to the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Wireless. The Astro are more comfortable, deliver audio more consistently, and have notably better microphone noise handling capability. Meanwhile, the Turtle Beach are sightly more portable, block out more ambient noise, have a more stable fit, and last longer on a single charge. They're also Bluetooth-compatible, so they can be used to stream music off of your phone as you game.
The Astro A50 Gen 4 are slightly better gaming headphones than the Astro A50 Gen 3. They are quite similar, but the main difference is the small base station on the 2019 model and the fact that the battery now takes less time to charge while offering a bit more continuous playback. Additionally, the microphone on the 2019 model performs better overall.
The Astro A50 Gen 3 are better wireless gaming headphones than the Turtle Beach Stealth 600, though both are good. The Astro are more comfortable, have a better control scheme, and feel significantly more durable and well-built. While their out-of-the-box sound profile isn't quite as well-balanced as the Turtle Beach, Astro's Command Center software gives access to a graphic EQ and presets. The Astro's microphone also does a much better job separating your voice from background noises in loud situations, though, in a quiet environment, the mic on the Turtle Beach sounds fuller and more natural. The Turtle Beach also have much lower latency with their USB receiver, so you shouldn't experience any lag or delay while gaming. Their battery also lasts longer and charges much quicker.
Our How We Test Headphones article takes you behind the scenes in our lab. You'll learn how we choose and purchase products and dive into the details of our review philosophy, from testing and scoring to writing and editing.
You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
Test Results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
