Electronics & Gadgets Blog
Astro Gaming A50 Wireless, A Comprehensive Guide for Immersive Gaming
by Samuel Kalenga on Aug 29, 2024
The impact of sound in gaming can be life-changing, because sound is essential to the good gaming experience and asthetic experience. Think of all blockbuster movies you’ve seen – what’s that scream, who’s flying the planes, is a door opening or closing, who is shooting at who? – all those nuanced audio cues can literally decide between fun or boredom, between being drawn in to a life-changing immersive adventure, or just pushing buttons. That’s why good audio in gaming matters.
Astro Gaming A50 Wireless is the most sought-after headset in the gaming gear niched market segment: great sound, smooth comfortable feel over the ears, strength in materials, versatility with more and more gaming modes and of course the overall uber-geek aestetic have given it an uncontested place in the category. This guide will cover the basics, generations, improvements, platforms, accessories, usage which all add to the complex depth of this gaming headset, and helps you make informed decisions.
Navigating the Generations: A History of Innovation
While each generation of the Astro Gaming A50 Wireless has been improved over the previous, we’ve grouped them into three primary generations, each which builds on the success of a previous version, adds new features, and incorporates updates. Becoming familiar with the current status of the device will help you make a selection that is best suited to your own priorities.- **Astro A50 Gen 3 (2016)**: This was the generation that introduced a dedicated wireless base station, as well as support for the surround sound format Dolby Atmos that the A50s are still known for today. The headphones also saw improved comfort and battery life over their predecessor.
- **Astro A50 Gen 4 (2019):** The Gen 4 upgrade introduced a new base station (replacing the old clone tower with one of much nicer aesthetic choices coupled with improved functionality), better sounding audio drivers (still using Dolby Digital Surround Sound) and sound quality, and an improved fit thanks to new earcups. The Gen 4 also included a new, dedicated ‘mixamp’ that allowed for greater audio fine-tuning than ever to fit an individual’s needs.
- **Astro A50 Gen 5 (2023):** Still the latest in a long line of iterations that continue to refine and improve, A50s can look slightly different each year, but this release is focused on refinement and increasing battery life so you can play for longer before running out of juice and to shrink the size of the base station so it’s less obtrusive – both aesthetically and functionally.
Finding the Perfect Fit: Compatibility Across Platforms
Compatibility across different gaming platforms is hands-down one of the biggest highlights of the A50, and this is no small thing: it means that you can use those incredibly lifelike and immersion-enhancing audio capabilities no matter what your hardware tastes, because the A50 pairs with pretty much anything – Xbox, Playstation, PC:- **PlayStation 5:** Audio and communication equally integrate smoothly with the PlayStation 5. It’s your top choice for wireless, high-quality sound and extreme comfort while playing PlayStation 5.
- **Xbox Series X/S**: It’s created for the Xbox Series X/S for easy insertion and implementation, thanks to which games and communication are clear. For Gen 4 and Gen 5 models, in addition to PC headphones, the A50 Wireless can be directly connected to Xbox consoles, without the need for any instruments between the headset and the main console, and the audio delay can be greatly reduced.
- **PC:** Connect the Astro A50 Wireless to your PC via the supplied USB transmitter, or pair it with the optional new Astro MixAmp Pro TR to take control and customization to the next level. Equipped for highly intelligent audio and crystal clear chat, the A50 leverages the full power of PC platforms to be THE headset for gaming on the PC.
- **PlayStation 4**: the Astro A50 Wireless does work with the PlayStation 4, but it requires a separate USB adapter for its wireless functionality under the PlayPS4 name. The wireless functionality of the A50 for PS4 users can be considered reliable, especially since this adapter is the only extra item needed to have a seamless gaming experience on the PlayStation 4.
- Xbox One: A50 WX are fully compatible with Xbox One and offer game and chat audio mix via a dial. They are also one of the few headsets around that connect via wireless on the Xbox One and offer great audio.
Unlocking Enhanced Potential: The Astro A50 Mod Kit
If you are a gamer who is into customising your A50 to make it better, or stepping up your game, the A50 Mod Kit will help expand what your Astro Gaming headset can do. This kit comes with a full range of Mod Kits so you can enhance your headset in a way that you like best for your play style.- Ear Cup Covers – Replace your default earcup covers with others that include colourful designs and additional padding to personalise your headset visually and physically while further enhancing comfort and noise isolation so you can game longer. This material is a sample test reproduced automatically.
- Microphone Covers: Give your microphone some personality with covers that reflect your gaming style, while also helping to block wind noises and enhance microphone clarity so your teammates can hear you clearly.
- **Gamertag - Customise with your own tags** Even more additives. Replace the stock speaker tags with your own custom-designed speaker tags featuring your like, game characters, logos or whatever design you desire. Your personality is already there, now make it on your A50 gaming headset.
Essential Accessories: Keeping Your A50 in Top Shape
The Mod Kit is complemented by an assortment of accessories that help care for your A50 so it lasts and plays as it should: The accessories allow you to address specific areas of needs – or defects! – that can inevitably occur for headsets used at such a high standard. Some of these accessories also helped to extend the headset’s life beyond the point when, I suppose I’d bought my first smartphone.- **Base Station Replacement**: All generations of the A50 Wireless, including the new 2019 A50 Gen 4 Base Station, are available for base station replacement you damage your unit or it stops working while still under warranty. Simply send in your unit, and Astro Gaming ships out a paid-for base station replacement at no cost to you so you can get your headset back up to full wireless operability and feature functionality.
- **Battery Replacement**: The Astro A50 Wireless has a rechargeable battery. If your battery starts to lose its charge or gets damaged, Astro Gaming has replacement batteries available to keep your headset enjoying its long battery life and have you playing all day without constant interruption.
- **Astro MixAmp Pro TR:** A separate mixamp that includes more sophisticated audio controls/options for the Astro A50 Wireless headset, which is especially useful for connecting to a PC or Mac in order to provide additional ‘personalisation’ of the audio experience. The mixamp offers ways to customise the sound experience further and control/tune sound in more granular ways so it can actually be pretty useful for audio control if you want more involved options than just simple tweaks to on-board options. Thanks, PC gamers!
Weighing the Pros and Cons: A Balanced Perspective
With pros and cons in mind, the premium gaming experience of the Astro Gaming A50 Wireless makes it a version well worth considering.Pros:
- **Stunning Audio Quality:** The A50 is built for audiophiles, delivering the most detailed and immersive sound. Every aspect of gameplay stands out. Deep bass brings an extra layer to cinematic elements. Dialogue is crisper and room-filling sound levels of gunfire and explosions blast through your ear canals.
- Comfort and Ergonomics 60 mm padded and adjustable earcups provide maximum comfort, while the lightweight design makes the A50 durable enough to last throughout long game sessions. This attention to comfort ensures that you’re always able to play your games without distraction as if you didn’t even have headphones on.
- **Durable Construction:** With a heavy duty construction, the A50’s outer shell and internal hardware provide you with sound that won’t easily fail under the strain of intense gaming and frequent travel. Its durable construction ensures your headset can stand the test of time.
- **Specs Awesome Wireless Range and Connectivity:** The strong wireless signal and wide range of the A50 allow you to game freely without audio dropouts or interference for an uninterrupted experience. Being tethered is a thing of the past so you can experience the game to the fullest.
- **Customisation Options:** The A50 allows you to customise your audio settings, from the frequency range you can hear to the level of microphone sensitivity, so you can fine-tune the behaviour of your headset so you can hear exactly what you want to hear – and be heard exactly how you want to be heard, too.
Cons:
- High price point: A50 Wireless is a premium level headset and the price reflects its premium features and performance. It may not be the most affordable headset for every gamer, but its premium features and performance may well be worth it for gamers who are serious about getting the best bang for their buck.
- **Battery Life:** The battery life might be the biggest weakness of the A50, especially compared with some other headset competitors, though certainly prolonged gaming sessions will still require you to recharge the set more often than not – if you’re into the kind of four-hour gaming sessions that might be necessary for taking away the sting of a bitter loss to the opposition. The base station makes the whole thing simple.
- Bulk of the Base Station: The base station for the A50 is pretty big and can take up quite a bit of extra desk space; this could especially be troublesome for those lucky few that have small desk spaces (myself included). You might have to account for this when placing your wireless set up and overall, this could bother some depending on how much space they have to work with.
