Astro A10 Gen 2 wired gaming headset
Astro A10 Gen 2 one-minute review
Designed as a no-nonsense headset, Logitech’s new Astro A10 Gen 2 wired gaming headset is a solid addition to our growing list of the best budget gaming headsets.
Almost five years after the release of the original Astro A10, Logitech has completely revamped its design, bringing forth a refreshed entry-level gaming headset.
The Logitech G Astro A10 Gen 2 is a great headset and one that’s incredibly comfortable to wear for extended periods. Its non-detachable microphone may not be the best, and its lack of surround sound is disappointing, but it delivers a lot for an affordable price.
Astro A10 Gen 2 price and availability
The original Astro A10 was released five years ago and has remained a solid entry in Logitech's budget headset lineup. The Astro A10 Gen 2 is a welcome refresh and is already available to buy for a low price of $59.99 (£49.99).
Like other Logitech headsets, the Astro A10 Gen 2 comes in various pleasant colors, including Black, White, Mint, Gray, and Lilac.
If you're looking for a no-thrills headset, another option is the Corsair HS50. It's a little cheaper in the US at $49.99 (though, more expensive in the UK at £59.99). One downside of the Astro A10 is that it lacks 7.1 surround sound.
An alternative budget headset with that feature is the Corsair Void Pro, though you will need to pay quite a lot more for the privilege, it will set you back $99.99 (£109.99).
Astro A10 Gen 2 design
The Astro A10 Gen has a sturdy yet lightweight plastic build, weighing only 8.4 ounces (240 grams). It also includes a padded headband and memory foam earpads, both of which are incredibly comfortable and make the headset a pleasure to wear throughout longer gaming sessions.
Appearance-wise, you can’t call the Astro A10 Gen 2 minimalist. However, it distances itself from more tacky and generic headsets with a simple matte color scheme and RGB-clad logos.
Given its low price, Logitech has understandably cut down on design features that you’d expect from premium headsets. We would have certainly liked to see the device include a detachable microphone for gamers who prefer single-player campaigns. Still, it likely would have added a significant price increase.
The Astro A10 Gen 2 doesn’t have a mute button; instead, you can achieve the same effect using a clever feature that mutes your audio input whenever you flip the built-in microphone upwards away from your face. While we would have preferred a mute button, it's good the Astro A10 has a mute function since this is a feature that often finds itself omitted from budget headsets.
As you’d expect from an entry-level headset, the 3mm audio cable included with the device is unwoven and therefore more prone to twisting and tearing. The good news is that the audio cable is removable, so if worse comes to worst, you could always buy a cheap replacement without having to bin the entire headset.
Astro A10 Gen 2 audio and microphone quality
The Astro A10 Gen 2 delivers good sound quality. We found it very well-balanced based on our experience listening to music between rounds of Apex Legends. Its built-in microphone is hardly amazing, but it gets the job done.
Given its price, the Astro A10 Gen 2 also performed well in-game, thanks to its directional stereo sound. We tested this with Pokémon Legends: Arceus, where the headset helped us dodge some menacing attacks from Alpha Pokémon by allowing us to hear their angle of approach.
However, don’t expect any 7.1 surround sound capabilities from this headset. Instead, you can take a look at the slightly cheaper Razer Kraken X Lite (do note that the 7.1 surround sound is only available on PC).
The Astro A10 Gen 2’s biggest strength is undoubtedly its ability to support most gaming platforms, including PC and Mac. Thanks to its standard 3mm audio cable, you can plug it into virtually anything, from a PS5 and Xbox Series X/S to a Nintendo Switch OLED. The only caveat here is that if you want to use the headset’s microphone and headphones on PC, you’ll have to attach the complementary audio splitter and plug it into your PC via the analog microphone IN and analog audio out ports (you know, the pink and green ones).
Buy it if...
You want a cheap multiplatform device
As you can easily plug-and-play the Astro A10 with all major consoles, as well as PC and Mac, it's a versatile headset.
You like a low-key look
A lot of gaming gear features loud colors and lights, the Astro A10 has a much simpler, minimalist style.
Don’t buy it if…
You need 7.1 surround sound
If you play games that demand immersive sound, such as Rainbow Six Siege, this headset may let you down.
Verdict
Logitech's Astro A10 Gen 2 is a welcome refresh to the manufacturer's budget headset model. If you need a pair of headphones that just work across all your consoles and your PC or Mac as soon as they're out of the box then they're easy to recommend.
If you're looking for truly great audio from your games you are going to need to spend more. Getting a headset which supports 7.1 surround sound is a good start, but for the low price the Astro A10 Gen 2 delivers a surprisingly solid performance.
0 comments:
Post a Comment