Products
Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2019
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X
Tested using Methodology v1.8
Updated Jan 20, 2025 03:47 PM
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Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Jul 29, 2025 07:20 PM
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TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureOpen-Back
WirelessNo
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureOpen-Back
Bass Amount
Underemphasized (-4 dB)
WirelessNo
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-3 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Flat
Our Verdict
Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2019
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X
The Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2019 are better wired gaming headphones than the Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X. While both headphones are comfortable, the Astro have better controls, are better built, and are compatible with Astro Command Center software, which allows you to customize their sound using a graphic EQ and presets. That said, some users have reported issues when using the companion software. They also have a virtual soundstage feature, but the simpler plug-and-play operation of the Sennheiser may be more appealing to some.
Variants
- A40 TR + MixAmp 2019 (PS4, MixAmp)
- A40 TR + MixAmp 2019 (Xbox One, MixAmp)
- + Sennheiser PC38X (Black)
- + EPOS PC38X (Black)
- + Sennheiser PC38X (Black/Yellow)
- + EPOS PC38X (Black/Yellow)
Check Price
PS4, MixAmp
A40 TR + MixAmp 2019
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Black
+ Sennheiser PC38X
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Xbox One, MixAmp
A40 TR + MixAmp 2019
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Black
+ EPOS PC38X
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Amazon.com
Black/Yellow
+ Sennheiser PC38X
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Black/Yellow
+ EPOS PC38X
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Main Differences for
Neutral Sound
Neutral Sound
Threshold
Neutral Sound
7.6
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
750 Hz
400 Hz
Bass Amount
-1.7 dB
Bass Amount
Underemphasized (-4 dB)
Treble Amount
-4.3 dB
Treble Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-3 dB)
Sound Signature
Flat
Frequency Response Consistency
7.1
7.6
Consistency L
Consistency R
Std. Deviation
0.6 dB
0.98 dB
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
8.7
7.4
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
3.2 dB
5.5 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
29.76 Hz
Low Bass
-4.44 dB
-7.59 dB
Mid Bass
-0.84 dB
-2.91 dB
High Bass
1.45 dB
-0.47 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.4
9.6
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.57 dB
0.74 dB
Low Mid
1.09 dB
-0.64 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.59 dB
-0.9 dB
High Mid
-2.07 dB
0.34 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
4.1
7.6
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
5.87 dB
3.63 dB
Low Treble
-6.69 dB
-1.13 dB
Mid Treble
-1.17 dB
-4.92 dB
High Treble
-10.52 dB
-8.32 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.4
8.6
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.5 dB
0.82 dB
Dips
1.83 dB
1.28 dB
Stereo Mismatch
5.8
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.93
1.68 dB
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
1.86
1.87 dB
Weighted Phase Mismatch
7.8
1.7°
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
8.3
5.4
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
2.79 dB
2.84 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
4.37 dB
2.22 dB
PRTF Distance
16.94 dB
8.7 dB
Openness
9.1
Acoustic Space Excitation
7.6
Harmonic Distortion
9.0
Harmonics Levels
THD Ratio
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.333
0.08%
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.196
0.23%
Virtual Soundstage
2.0
0.0
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
No
Speaker Modeling
On/Off
No
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
No
Virtual Surround
Dolby 7.1
No App
Test Settings
Firmware
36797
No Firmware
Power
USB
Passive
Connection
USB
Wired
Codec
PCM, 16-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Natural Bass
No EQ
ANC
No ANC
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
Boom
Boom
Imaging
8.4
Group Delay
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.17
Weighted Phase Mismatch
7.8
1.7°
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.93
1.68 dB
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.86
1.87 dB
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
7.3
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.333
0.08%
WHD @ 100
0.196
0.23%
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-ear
Over-ear
Enclosure
Open-Back
Open-Back
Wireless
No
No
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
8.0
8.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.82 lbs
0.55 lbs
Clamping Force
0.9 lbs
1.4 lbs
Controls
6.2
5.6
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Good
Good
Feedback
Good
Decent
Call/Music Control
No
No
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
Mute/Unmute
Mute/Unmute
Channel Mixing
Yes
No
Noise Cancelling Control
No
No
Talk-Through
No
No
Additional Controls
Presets + Surround Sound
No
Breathability
6.4
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
6.1 °C
Portability
5.3
5.5
Portability Picture
L
7.2" (18.3 cm)
7.4" (18.9 cm)
W
7.5" (19.1 cm)
6.7" (17.1 cm)
H
4.0" (10.2 cm)
3.6" (9.2 cm)
Volume
216.00 in³ (3,539.59 cm³)
181.42 in³ (2,973.00 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
0.0
5.5
Case Picture
Type
No case
Pouch
L
N/A
N/A
W
N/A
N/A
H
N/A
N/A
Volume
N/A
N/A
Build Quality
8.0
7.5
Build Quality Picture
Stability
6.0
6.5
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
2.4
1.5
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
No
No
Overall Attenuation
-5.41 dB
-3.45 dB
Bass
0.07 dB
0.21 dB
Mid
-1.18 dB
1.00 dB
Treble
-16.70 dB
-12.79 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
2.6
1.5
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-4.64 dB
-2.44 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-4.75 dB
-2.67 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-5.11 dB
-3.04 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
ANC Wind Handling
ANC Wind Handling Graph
ANC Wind Noise
N/A
N/A
Leakage
3.4
3.1
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
56.31 dB
57.66 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
No
No
In-Line
No
No
Boom
Yes
Yes
Detachable Boom
Yes
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
8.3
8.7
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
20 Hz
20 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
1.46 dB
1.6 dB
HFE
3,948.06 Hz
8,010.97 Hz
Weighted THD
0.238
0.176
Gain
28.71 dB
27.08 dB
Noise Handling
8.3
7.5
SpNR
SpNR
41.84 dB
35.95 dB
Noise Gate
On/Off Toggle
Always On
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
8.5
7.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
8.0
7.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
0.0
0.0
Battery Type
No Battery
No Battery
Continuous Battery Life
N/A
N/A
Additional Charges
N/A
N/A
Total Battery Life
N/A
N/A
Charge Time
N/A
N/A
Power-Saving Feature
No
No
Audio While Charging
No
No
Passive Playback
Passive Headphone
Passive Headphone
Charging Port
None
None
App Support
6.0
0.0
App Picture
App Name
Astro Command Center
No App
iOS
No
No
Android
No
No
macOS
Yes
No
Windows
Yes
No
Equalizer
Graphic + Presets
No
ANC Control
No
No
Mic Control
Adjustable Level
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
No
Button Mapping
No
No
Surround Support
No
No
Connectivity
Wired Connection
9.7
9.9
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
Yes
USB Audio
USB Type A
No
Detachable
Yes
Yes
Length
6.80 ft (2.07 m)
4.23 ft (1.29 m)
Connector
1/8" TRRS
1/16" TRRS
Latency - Analog
0.3 ms
0.3 ms
Latency - USB
10.6 ms
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
USB
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
0.0
0.0
Bluetooth Version
No Bluetooth
No Bluetooth
Multi-Device Pairing
No
No
Quick Pair (Android)
No
No
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
No
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Latency - SBC
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
N/A
Latency - LDAC
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency Codec
No Bluetooth Audio
No Bluetooth Audio
AAC Support
No
No
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
0.0
0.0
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Latency - Dongle
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
N/A
PC Compatibility
Analog
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
Wired USB
Audio + Microphone
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
PS4 Wired USB
Audio + Microphone
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
PS5 Wired USB
Audio + Microphone
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
Xbox One Wired USB
Audio + Microphone
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
Audio + Microphone
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
7.8
0.0
Type
Wired USB dock
No Base/Dock
USB Input
Yes
No
Line In
Yes
No
Line Out
Yes
No
Optical Input
Yes
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
No
No
Power Supply
USB
No Base/Dock
Check Price
PS4, MixAmp
A40 TR + MixAmp 2019
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
+ Sennheiser PC38X
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Xbox One, MixAmp
A40 TR + MixAmp 2019
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
+ EPOS PC38X
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black/Yellow
+ Sennheiser PC38X
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Black/Yellow
+ EPOS PC38X
SEARCH
Amazon.com
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Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2019
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Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2019 vs Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X: Main Discussion
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