Any gamer/audio Opponauts have experience with these?

"Haimatox" (haimatox)
10/17/2014 at 16:52 • Filed to: Gamelopnik

I'm looking at getting new headphones. Right now, I'm using a cheap Tritton headset I bought for around $50. They aren't bad for a headset costing that little, but I want to upgrade. These will mainly be used for gaming purposes, because I'm a nerd like that.

I've been eyeing this lately. The Astro A40's with the Mixamp Pro. It costs $250, but it's apparently the holy grail of gaming headsets under $300. It's so pretty... The sound quality is supposedly amazeballs as well. I have enough saved up for a set. Anybody own one of these? If so, let me know what you think. It will take a lot to talk me out of this, I think.

DISCUSSION (20)

JBurd67 > Haimatox
10/17/2014 at 17:00

No experience, but they are some of the best on the market. Especially for the price.

Haimatox > JBurd67
10/17/2014 at 17:00

Even at $250?

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Haimatox
10/17/2014 at 17:05

I have a Logitech G230 myself, but I've been hearing those Astros are the best ones.

Haimatox > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
10/17/2014 at 17:06

Hmm. I want. Bad...

JBurd67 > Haimatox
10/17/2014 at 17:06

Honestly, that's tough to say. There's some that go for $350+. I know Astro is one of the best brands and headsets out there. I have a PS4, and have the accompanying Gold headset (it works on PC as well). For $100, it's hard to say I'd prefer something else.

Check out Kotaku's page: Best Gaming Headsets - I didn't read through the whole thing when they published it, but I'm sure there's many reviews.

Spoiler: The A50's won <- I'm sure this has several insights as well.

Haimatox > JBurd67
10/17/2014 at 17:07

That said, the A50 is $300, and is a professional-grade piece of gaming equipment. Haha. Professional-grade gaming.

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > Haimatox
10/17/2014 at 17:15

I've never used Astro's. I have Turtle Beach's for my Xbox. But one thing I learned when recording music was that when it comes to sound, you really do get what you pay for. I ended up splurging something like $250 on a set of headphones I used for recording music and I can hear everything. I mean EVERYTHING. So if good quality sound is something you're looking for, spending more money upfront is always better than spending less money and having to continually replace them.

Stevo777 > Haimatox
10/17/2014 at 17:16

I have the A50 wireless set. By fay the best headset I've ever owned. I'd imagine the A40's would be nearly the same. The only issue for me is that the A50's are a bit heavy sometimes but thats because they're wireless and have a battery.

+ Very sturdy build (I abuse my headsets lol)

+sound quality is excelent, you can hear footsteps much more clear.

+universal ps3, xbox, PC, hell if you hook up the mixamp to your tv you can watch tv silently lol.

-price

-a bit bulky

Thats my abridged review, hope it helps!

Haimatox > Osiris - I can haz Euro spec?
10/17/2014 at 17:16

It does sound like it's worth the money.

Haimatox > Stevo777
10/17/2014 at 17:17

Thanks! I'm really considering it now.

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > Haimatox
10/17/2014 at 17:18

Then go for it. Enjoy the sweet sound of engine's/gunfire/people talking. Whatever type of games you're into!

Haimatox > Stevo777
10/17/2014 at 17:18

Thanks! I'm really considering it now.

Stevo777 > Haimatox
10/17/2014 at 17:21

I enjoy the wireless bit because I sometimes listen to music from my laptop and do chores around the house. Ive also used the AUX jack to plug in my phone. I wish it had a bluetooth feature!

JBurd67 > Haimatox
10/17/2014 at 17:24

I don't want to piss anyone off with this, but...

Dude, people take PC gaming so (sometimes too) seriously. I realize that for some people it's their job and career, but those PCs also cost $2k+. I wouldn't pay that much for a headset, and $250 would be pushing it, even if I was super into PC gaming. I'd shoot in the $100-$150 range and see what's out there, compare it to the A40's, and see how willing you are to take the possible quality hit for $100+.

Have you looked into any others?

Haimatox > JBurd67
10/17/2014 at 17:27

I did say that it'll mostly be for gaming, but I intend on using it for music, movies, and travel as well. They're just headphones, but they happen to have a gaming focus.

JBurd67 > Haimatox
10/17/2014 at 17:30

Exactly. And they include a mic.

On the other hand, you could get a pair of these for all other music purposes. They're pretty highly rated, and at that price, impossible to beat. I'm thinking about getting them, and I don't even need any...

Brian Silvestro > Haimatox
10/17/2014 at 17:54

Yes actually! Best headset I've ever owned. Trittons are pretty cheaply made, but will get the job done. But they're no where near as good as the Astros when it comes to quality and sound.

NaturallyAspirated > Haimatox
10/17/2014 at 20:27

What I'm using now is a $100 pair of AKG K240 studio heaphones ( http://amzn.com/B0016MNBAM ) with a $50 AntLion add-on boom mic ( http://www.modmic.com/ ). This combination sounds fantastic, it's much cheaper than anything labelled as "gaming," and it gives me the flexibility to use any pair of headphones I want in the future. I highly recommend it.

The AKGs are semi-open, which work well for me. If you wanted closed-backed phones, like the ones you pictured, you might look at the classic Sony MDRV6 ( http://amzn.com/B00001WRSJ ) or the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 ( http://amzn.com/B004ZG9TMA ).

If you'd rather have a gaming headset, I understand that. I just wanted to point out an additional option that not many people are aware of.

I have a number of friends who used to be "ranked" in CS and COD, and they all use Turtle Beach or SteelSeries headsets. I don't know anyone who uses Astros.

NaturallyAspirated > JBurd67
10/17/2014 at 20:30

I had a pair of those. They do sound really good for the price. I found the heavy fake leather earpads very hot and uncomfortable, and my pair ended up broken at one of the hinges after around a year of use. So not bad at all, especially considering the price, but I'm much happier with the AKGs I replaced them with.

Mattbob > NaturallyAspirated
10/20/2014 at 07:27

This! Buying a good set of headphones and a decent mic is the best option everytime. I bought a set of sure corded headphones, and this mic http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1…

Way better sound and mic than any gaming set I've ever seen. Dealing with cords is a downside, but its simple and very high quality.