Astro A30 Wireless: Specifications
Compatibility: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Mobile Phone
drivers: 40 mm
Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz
wireless: yes
Weight: 12.1 ounces
Astro A30 Wireless is – as the name suggests – an upgraded version of Astro A20 Wireless gaming headset. Just like the A20 Wireless, the Astro A30 Wireless offers excellent sound quality and a comfortable fit. And like the A20 Wireless, the A30 Wireless suffers from a complex control system, a tricky pairing process, and an overall sense that a $230 device should be a little easier to operate.
However, there is no denying that the A30 Wireless basically accomplishes what it sets out to do. The device delivers great sound for games, movies, TV, music, and productivity, and it looks very stylish in the process. The Bluetooth connection makes the headset easy to damage, even if the microphone function is better. You can even use it wirelessly with both PlayStation and Xbox consoles, provided you are willing to purchase an additional adapter.
While I would have liked the A30 Wireless to be a little easier to control and not rely on a mercury smartphone app for subtle adjustments, it’s a good – albeit expensive – choice for both PC and console gamers who want their gaming headset to do a bit of all something. Read our full Astro A30 Wireless review to see if it’s right for you, or if it’s another review from Best gaming headphones It will fit better.
Astro A30 Wireless review: Design
To give credit when it’s due, the Astro A30 Wireless is one of the best gaming headphones I’ve reviewed in a long time. Unlike most of its competitors, which tend to be bulky, utilitarian, and colorless, the A30 Wireless is sleek, lightweight, and packed with subtle and elegant touches. The A30 Wireless’s look and feature set speak to a gaming headset as comfortable outside the home as it is in front of your computer or console. A lot of gaming headsets aspire to be all-purpose accessories, but the Astro A30 Wireless really does succeed.
First, you can get the headset in black or white. Either way, it has a plastic body with an extendable plastic head collar. I’m usually a little concerned with plastic headbands, as they are easier to break than steel, but the A30 Wireless feels very durable. The headset itself is also on the thin side, with a slightly padded headband and ear cups that look almost rectangular. At 12.1 ounces, it doesn’t weigh much more or less than its competitors, but it does feel more compact, which is a great trick. It also has very nice iridescent markings on the outside of the ear flaps, which are very shiny, and hard to photograph. It’s enough to make you wish other gaming headsets would offer similar aesthetic benefits.
However, things get a little confused on the back of the ear pieces. On the right earbud, you’ll find the power button, a Bluetooth pairing button, a four-way controller, and a USB-C charging port. On the left, there is a microphone mute switch and two 3.5mm ports, one for the microphone and one for the audio cable.
There is nothing grotesquely wrong with the left ear piece. But the power and bluetooth buttons on the right look identical, so it will take some practice to choose the right control. On top of that, pairing notifications are incredibly loud and obnoxious, and you can’t adjust their volume; You can only decide if you want to turn it on or off completely. This makes it difficult to use the headset without taking it off to monitor the power and pairing modes.
The control is what I found most frustrating about the A30 Wireless. These bumps can control everything from audio to chat mix, but it’s easy to click the wrong way. Size increments are also very small. I would often hit nub over and over, not sure if my media volume was actually getting louder, until suddenly it reached an uncomfortable volume. It’s not automatically tied to the volume in Windows, Android, PlayStation, or Switch, which means you’ll always have to fiddle with two different settings to adjust.
Astro A30 Wireless review: Comfort
The Astro A30 Wireless feels good wearing it most of the time, although I wish it was a little easier to get a good fit. I’ve worn the headset for a few hours at a time during every gaming or work session, and I’ve never felt any discomfort, even with glasses. The two earpieces felt luxurious enough, and created an airtight seal without my ears getting sweaty.
On the other hand, the adjustable headband does not have any slits or numbers, so it is difficult to find a suitable size. This is especially true because the A30 Wireless comes with a carrying case, and you’ll have to make the headset as small as possible to fit inside. I’ve always been able to set the A30 Wireless to roughly the correct position, but I didn’t like that I had no real way of knowing.
Astro A30 Wireless review: Performance
When it comes to in-game performance, Astro headphones generally excel, and the A30 Wireless is no exception. I’ve tested the A30 Wireless with a variety of PC and console titles, including Nioh And the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla on PS5, Age of Empires IV And the Immortal Diablo On PC, Live A Live on Switch and Final Fantasy Dimensions on Android. Whether I’m playing via USB or Bluetooth, the soundscape was rich and instant. While the A30 Wireless is three times heavier than the bass, this works well for most games. The headset did an excellent job of balancing sound action, sound effects, and music, whether I was dissecting hordes of demons or building a medieval city.
Likewise, the device sounded excellent for music and other multimedia. When watching an episode of Bob’s Burgers, the characters’ voices came loud and clear. I’ve also listened to clips from Flogging Molly, The Old Crow Medicine Show, The Rolling Stones, and GF Handel. Although the headset doesn’t really provide enough sound for avid audiophiles, the songs sounded more than good enough for everyday listening. This is convenient, given that the A30 Wireless is, in theory, easy to carry and wear outside the home.
Astro A30 Wireless review: Features
One of the excellent features of Astro A30 Wireless is that it can connect to any system in your home. The USB-A dongle makes it compatible with computers, PlayStation consoles, and docks. Bluetooth technology connects it to mobile switches, Android and iOS phones, and smart TVs. Covered by a 3.5mm audio cable for older devices.
The only complicating factor is that you can buy the A30 Wireless in either PlayStation or Xbox configurations, which are not cross-compatible due to Microsoft’s obscure wireless protocols. Having to buy an extra $20 dongle to pair the headset with PlayStation and Xbox consoles is obnoxious, but at least Astro offers the option; Most of its competitors simply don’t.
However, other than the basic connection, configuring the A30 Wireless can be a real pain. A30 Wireless runs on a proprietary smartphone app. This means that you have to connect the headset to your phone via Bluetooth every time you want to change the audio profile or microphone settings. And you will have to change these settings more often than you think, because sometimes the headset resets to its default values. This is especially annoying if you hate the side microphone tone, where the default value is at 40%, rather than off.
The microphone is another area where the A30 Wireless isn’t as smooth as it should be. The headset has two microphones: a removable arm microphone and an internal microphone that is supposed to activate automatically when the arm microphone is not present. However, in my testing, the internal microphone often failed to activate, and neither my phone nor my computer even realized it was there. Even when the microphone was working properly, it was too quiet and noisy to have a conversation effectively.
The boom microphone provides excellent sound quality, and the flexible design makes it easy to place close to your mouth. But the internal mic is more trouble than it’s worth, and it makes me wonder why Astro included it in the first place. The device would probably be cheaper without it, and it works just as well.
Finally, there’s the battery life, which Astro estimates at 27 hours. During our tests, the A30 Wireless seemed to run out at this rate, although we imagine the exact battery life will depend on whether you’re using USB or Bluetooth connections, as well as how much you need a microphone.
Astro A30 Wireless review: Verdict
The Astro A30 Wireless is one of those “good, not great” gaming headphones that should satisfy most potential buyers. The sound quality is up to the usual Astro standards, and you can comfortably wear them for hours at a time. The controls are too complicated for their own good and the software could do better, but that’s not the primary selling point of gaming headsets.
Furthermore, the A30 Wireless occupies a relatively small niche as a wireless gaming headset that works with both PS5 and Xbox Series X, but still offers Bluetooth technology. The HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless A little cheaper at $200, but it doesn’t have Bluetooth; The Corsair Virtuoso RGB Wireless XT It has a better design and sound quality, but it also costs $270. The A30 Wireless might not be ideal for work or play, but it’s more than good enough for both, and that’s a rarity.
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