Whereas you used to have to do some finagling in order to ensure that the headset is both secure and charging, this new Astro A50 snaps right into the dock effortlessly. Plopping the Astro A50 onto the Base Station has been dramatically improved since the release of the previous generation’s model. At a glance, you can see the headset’s battery level, console vs PC mode status, Dolby Audio on/off status, and current EQ setting.

The front of the Base Station houses LED indicators, allowing the gamer to monitor the status of the Astro A50. On the back, you have a switch for toggling the unit between PC and console modes, an outbound charging USB port, ports for inbound and outbound optical cabling, a 3.5mm auxiliary jack, and a microUSB port for powering the Base Station. The Base Station acts as both a wireless transmitter for the Astro A50 ’s as well as a charging docking station. The Base Station for the 4 th Gen Astro A50 has also been reengineered, coming in at almost half the size of its predecessor without sacrificing functionality. Just something to keep in mind, should you play near others. However, game sounds and voice chat seem to leak out easily with these specific ear cups. The cloth ear cups do a decent job at isolating inbound sound once you have sound actively playing through them. The cloth cushioning on both the ear cups and headband feel great against the skin, thanks to its breathability. They giv e you room to make adjustments without resistance while maintaining ear cup placement exactly as you set it. The headset’s ear cup adjustment mechanisms are quite solid. It is also surprisingly light for a headset of its size. However, after about two hours of “breaking in” the headset with basic use, the headset seemed to loosen up to a proper feel. In the comfort department, the Astro A50 ’s fit well while being just a pinch rigid, at first. Right out of the box, you get the Astro A50 wireless headset, Base Station, an optical cable, and a microUSB cable.

Specs from product splash page … Build, Comfort, FunctionalityĬoming in at $299, the Astro A50 Headset + Base Station was always a no-nonsense product that strived to live up to its cost with a strong feature set and quality audio. So, let’s jump right in… Astro A50 Headset + Base Station Specs Ear Coupling: Needless to say, we were eager to try out the refreshed model when it was announced at E3 2019 to take a look at what tweaks and changes the A50 received. The Astro A50 Headset + Base Station has since gotten a refresh, bringing forth a new 4 th -gen iteration of the acclaimed headset. The headset was feature-rich, complete with customization options that you can save directly to the headset, which included physical customization options like swappable head and ear cup cushions. Close to three years ago, we had the pleasure of reviewing the 3 rd generation of the Astro A50 Gaming Headset + Base Station for Xbox /PC (and PS4 /PC).

Astro a50 sound settings