Astro A50, worth the money?

J

Juusuhako

New member
My brother is in the looks for a new headset for his gaming sessions, and fell over Astro A50. He doesnt have much clue about hardware, but probably just fell in love the factors a) its expensive, b) is listed as a "gaming headset".

Personally I have not tried an Astro headset but from what I know they should be good headsets, but I dont see what makes A50 worth £250. What exactly would be the difference be of a £250... lets say Sennhesier headset, and A50? What makes a headset, a "gamer headset" other than the mic? And are "gamer headsets" really better when it comes to "sound positioning"?
 
Not in any way.

I'm assuming we're talking about PC gaming here? Get a proper soundcard and headphones - then get a little lapel mic, or monitor mountable one.
 
Well A50s are around £250+, so you could get a Xonar Essence STX and a set of really good studio headphones for that which would perform massively better.

Look up Beyerdynamic DT770s if you can afford them.
 
jamesriley94 said:
Well A50s are around £250+, so you could get a Xonar Essence STX and a set of really good studio headphones for that which would perform massively better.

Look up Beyerdynamic DT770s if you can afford them.
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i'm surprised you didn't recommend to go buy 2nd hand items lol:)

Anyway though James here is one of the more knowledgeable people on the forums for audio. I'd take his advice with more weight than others. At least from other threads i've seen him in:p
 
NeverBackDown said:
i'm surprised you didn't recommend to go buy 2nd hand items lol:)

Anyway though James here is one of the more knowledgeable people on the forums for audio. I'd take his advice with more weight than others. At least from other threads i've seen him in:p
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Hahaha, not everything I buy is second hand!
And second hand headphones is just dutty.

Cheers though ;)
 
Need to remember James is the forums audiophile and telling everyone to buy stereo gear really isnt the way forward just because thats what you like James.

99% of users want a simple easy to use headset and mic without any hassle of fuss.

If its for gaming then the Corsair Vengeance 1500 is a good place to start for the money.
 
+2 for the proper sound card and studio headphones, after using a pair of headphones for some time now, it will be one hell of a struggle getting me back to using headsets.
 
I have a set of shure 840s and they are fantastic. A little looser than my vengeance 2000 which broke so they slip off when vibrating in a rage. But they really are fantastic. The 2000s in my head had more accurate positioning as they were a surround set but the quality difference between the two is unreal
 
For £250 I would go with a decent soundcard, some Headphones such as Sennheiser HD558, AKG K240/242/272, Audio Technica ATH-M50 and a ModMic.
 
I've been using Astro for a few years now. First with the A30's then A40's MLG edition with wireless mix-amp - they're excellent cross-platform headsets and very well made. The A40's were £200 with the wireless mix-amp (the mix-amp was £105).

He won't need the mix-amp for PC gaming. Some good suggestions here also.
 
Thanks for all the replies.

If you were to suggest anything without a soundcard, what would that be? Will the headsets you all listed work well with regular onboard sound?

Thing is I believe he runs Sli, and I am not 100% sure if there is even room for a soundcard. I will have to find out tomorrow, but assuming there isnt, would something else be better, or are the current suggestions fine?
 
I'd go for an external usb soundcard if he has no room in the case. Something like a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 or M-Audio equivalent.
 
Learned today that he has no room for an internal sound card.

Like I mentioned earlier, my brother has little clue about hardware, it would be best if everything was plug-and-play (aside from drivers...) The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 looks nice, but also quite advanced. Would he have to set up a custom equalizer? Does it come with software or is it in fact just plug-and-play? If its too technical and requires custom adjusting, I doubt he'd want it.

It seems to have numerous buttons I probably wouldnt have a clue on what does.
 
Juusuhako said:
Learned today that he has no room for an internal sound card.

Like I mentioned earlier, my brother has little clue about hardware, it would be best if everything was plug-and-play (aside from drivers...) The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 looks nice, but also quite advanced. Would he have to set up a custom equalizer? Does it come with software or is it in fact just plug-and-play? If its too technical and requires custom adjusting, I doubt he'd want it.

It seems to have numerous buttons I probably wouldnt have a clue on what does.
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Then whats the point in getting into PCs? Granite he's just the average user like millions of others but it's really not all that hard...

Anyway far as i know the Corsair 1500/2000 headsets come with software that's very easy to use and you could set up for him and never have to worry about later.
 
NeverBackDown said:
Then whats the point in getting into PCs? Granite he's just the average user like millions of others but it's really not all that hard...

Anyway far as i know the Corsair 1500/2000 headsets come with software that's very easy to use and you could set up for him and never have to worry about later.
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When did I say he was into PCs? He likes gaming, and as long as his computer, monitor etc. works he isnt bothered with the technical stuff, which is why he probably would've invested in an Astro A50 without searching for alternatives first.

Because of the £250 pricetag I wanted to know if there was any better alternative - but it has to be plug-and-play or one-time-setup, which is why I asked about the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 as it looks rather advanced.
 
Most advanced doesn't always mean plug and go. Advanced usually inherits an extensive list of options and from what i can tell is the last thing your brother will want.
 
Juusuhako said:
When did I say he was into PCs? He likes gaming, and as long as his computer, monitor etc. works he isnt bothered with the technical stuff, which is why he probably would've invested in an Astro A50 without searching for alternatives first.

Because of the £250 pricetag I wanted to know if there was any better alternative - but it has to be plug-and-play or one-time-setup, which is why I asked about the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 as it looks rather advanced.
Click to expand...

For someone that wants plug and play - the Focusrite really isn't for him. That's getting into professional grade audio equipment there - and the Focusrite is build for recording primarily.

Can you take a picture of the inside of his PC? I'm interested to know the PCIE slot arrangement.

Cheers
 
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