2.4.2020

Build Quality 5/5All components are very strong and solidly constructed, I doubt if any of them will break. I gave the plastic a good squeeze and it didn't budge at all. They feel like something which was built in the USA rather than Japan if that makes sense, more materials have been used then are strictly necessary and everything is big.Environment 3/5The packaging provided is too big and bulky for the product. They have created a large display cabinet for them, which is very impressive but you won't be storing them in the box so what's the point? All the cardboard and plastic looks recyclable though which I like, there's just too much of it.Design 5/5I like the design overall.The great thing about USB headphones is that you don't have to keep unplugging them when you want to use your speakers. Having the controls in front of you is also a lot easier than trying to adjust controls you can't see. The magnetic cups for the ear pads are also very easy to use. The sliders for the headphones have lines on them so you can adjust them to a particular setting, and as you do the cable length will change inside them. The microphone and ear pads can also be removed and changed if needed. All these features are well thought out. The design is a bit too showy for my taste as it looks like it belongs in a sci-fi film.Mix Amp 4/5The "mix amp" is used for adjusting volume and also the balance between game sounds and voice communication. It also has 4 preset equalizer settings and a dolby source button. The dolby source button lets you switch between standard and passthrough for voice. At first this feature didn't seem to be working and when the dolby mode was active any sounds would sound very echoey but it seems ok now. It's a bit big overall for what it does, but the buttons on it are really nice.Connections - PCPC connection requires a USB micro cable (any cable works). You also need the special 3.5mm phono cable which comes in the box. One end of it is also larger than the other and it has an inline mute switch. No other cable will work but this one and if it breaks you will have to buy a special A40 cable as a replacement.Connections - PS4The connections are the same for PS4 except you will need to use the digital optical out.Headphones 3/5They are very comfortable and soft but they quickly become too hot to use. I can't leave them on for longer than 30 minutes. Not that they cause a lot of sweat, just a lot of heat. I think it's the materials chosen which seem to cause a buildup of microscopic friction. The ear cups are only just big enough and do seem to cause an abrasive effect on my ears as well. Adjusting them is simple but is easiest when you're not wearing them.The headphones can be tilted forwards until they both face forwards, and the ear pads also move independently for maximum ergonomics. But they do not fold up like more portable headphones and perhaps that is the point with them.Sound Quality 5/5The quality of the headphones for music is exceptional, it's easily some of the best I've ever heard. I like the choice to use wired which is definitely better for sound quality. The clarity is amazing and I hear new sounds in music I've not noticed before. The bass is not too strong but that is more to my taste.PS4 Usage ?/?I couldn't test with my PS4 as it doesn't have an optical digital output. Make sure you check this before purchasing.ConclusionsThe headphones are very high quality and well designed, but the heat and discomfort they produced on my ears made them unbearable to use. I have quite sensitive skin so if you aren't like me then you might not have this problem. It's difficult for me to give a star rating as a result.

7.12.2015

First and formost, the micrpophone / chat features of this product are designed for Xbox One and PC to use only- it will not work with PS3 / PS4 / Wii U. However, if you areonly interested in the audio coming from the headset, it will work with others.I had heard wonderful things about this headset, and they do not disappoint. The mixamp is just as critical as the headset itself. It allows you to plugin the optical cablefrom either your TV or your Xbox into the mixamp, delivering the original bitstream audio from the source (make sure you set the Optical -> Bitstream out setting on your Xbox.This provides wonderful 7.1 dolby digital surround sound (which works a treat).There is a USB cable which plugs directly into your Xbox. This USB cable is what is used to send your microphone to the Xbox. When you plug it in, you will see the pop up notification that a headset was assigned (assuming your MixAmp is turned on). Additionally, there are 3 more ports which are less commonly used on the MixAmp, they are the stream port, and the 2x Digital Daisy Chain ports.The stream port allows you to output everything you can hear through your headset via 3.5mm audio jack (including, or excluding the aux input, as configured in the software on your PC). Additionally, the audio from your game is output in Dolby Headphone. This is perfect if you want to stream whatever game you are playing onto the internet. Lastly, the digital daisy chain feature is for linking 2 or more MixAmps together. It eradicates the delay introduced by using Xbox Live, or whatever online service you are using, when chatting to friends who are playing locally with you. For example, my wife and I game next to eachother, but only have one set of these headphones. Whenever she talks via Xbox live, there is a delay between when she speaks, and when I hear her- which is pretty annoying. Digital Daisy chain and muting her in Xbox Chat fixes that delay, and provides a much better experience.Moving away from ports, there are two dials on this mixamp; The large master volume dial, and the Game / Chat dial. Moving the dial towards game will turn chat volume down, and moving it towards chat will turn down game audio, which is great for when you are concentrating.The microphone is flexible and can be attached to either side of the headset by swapping the plates on the earcups. The earcups themselves are very comfy and fit perfectly fine, even with my big head :)You can also plug a 3.5mm source into the mix amp. I have chosen to plug the lineout of my laptop into the aux in of the mix amp, so I can listen to music from iTunes whileplaying. But you could plug your phone into it, or hifi.My only gripe with this product is that you really need to buy the separate 'Mod Kit'- which provides you with noise cancelling earcup plates (which really do work surprisingly well), a better microphone, which appears to have a pop filter built in, and leather earcups / headband. I believe this kit should have been standard with the product.All in all, a great purchase, If you have the cash, and play alot, I would highly recommend these headphones.

2.8.2019

I was very excited to get these, as I spend 90 percent of my life wearing headphones and have sampled many sets over the years - but never such expensive ones as these. I was hoping they would show me what really top-of-the-range headphones can do, and they didn't disappoint.Well, truth be told, at first I was very disappointed, but that's because I'm a moron. I plugged the short jack into the headphones and then spent about 10 minutes trying to force the long jack into my laptop, getting increasingly frustrated that it didn't fit. It took an embarrassingly long time for me to consider the possibility that it might work better with the cable plugged-in the right way round. Doh!Once that little blip was over,and I'd thanked the gods of rock and roll for the fact that I hadn't phoned Astro to complain about their faulty jack plugs, I started the tests:First I tested the mic by recording myself performing a Shakespeare soliloquy at various input volumes to assess the crispness of the mic, and how much ambient sound it picks up. It actually sounded slightly better than my studio mic, but would not be appropriate for studio use as it also picks up lots of mouth noise (pops, clicks etc) and also nose-breathing sounds. However, it doesn't pick up any more unwanted background noise than my studio mic, which is surprising. Overall, the mic's quality is very good, certainly more than required for its primary purpose in gaming.Then I tested the headphones, and by golly they are good. Really, really good. Quite excellent, in fact. I listened to a variety of different music genres at varying volume levels, and could find no fault in any of the headphone's sound reproduction. They sound just amazing. It's hard to pin down exactly what is so different - and so much better - than any of the other headphones I use, because it's a combination of so many overlapping details. But I simply found their sound exquisite. And the games I like to play need it, as they all have very intense symphonic orchestral scores. This headset is definitely the best for the job.And I should also point out that it is - by a very large margin - the most comfortable headset I've ever worn. It is pretty heavy, being solidly constructed from top-quality materials, but as soon as it's on your ears it seems to disappear. You could easily forget you were wearing it. The design is simple, sophisticated, elegant, and intelligent, with swappable components and a pleasing aesthetic. I honestly can't praise it enough.I had hoped that a more expensive headset than my normal £30-50 variety would be noticeably better, but I hadn't expected there to be such a clear difference. (And I mostly use Sony headphones which are pretty darn good). Overall, this headset has blown me away. I'm a little ashamed that I recently gave 5 stars to a cheaper and inferior headset, which left me nowhere to go with these ones. So, to be absolutely clear, I'm awarding 10 stars to this headset, even though Amazon only has a maximum of 5.Brilliant product!

20.12.2019

I purchased the black/blue headset mostly for Xbox One without the MixAmp (the box prominently states for PS4 though, not sure why it is ‘made for PS4’).I think the sound is great for Xbox gaming, music and movie watching. I have an issue with comfort unfortunately. The headsets hurt both of my ears and head around the ears, mainly the left side one – I can feel my ear on yeh speaker driver. It seems like the headset is very comfortable at first and it takes maybe 30 minutes or so to begin to get painful. The top of my head also aches a little with the thin padding and I have no hair at all so that does not help. It also starts to give me a headache, I think.I had considered buying the mod kit but I don’t want to pay another £45+ ish for them when I will only really want to use the ear pads and the top cushion. Anyway, the leather pads do not seem that much thicker than the stock ones. I prefer open backed design and apparently the mic is not as good as the stock one so I expect I would not use the microphone of speaker tags.Speaking of the microphone. I think it sounds good and it’s useful that it rotates all the way around. I am not bothered it cannot be muted because I attached the headset to the Xbox stereo adaptor which makes it easier to adjust volume and mute the mic (It’s a very good ‘thing’ and if you don’t have the adaptor you should get one).The cable is rubbery, long and removable but at the top and where the main jack is, is quite long before the cable material starts and it can interfere with clothes I am wearing if they have a high collar. I If turn my head to the left the cable kind of gets in the way because it’s so stiff. I hope that explanation is clear. It’s not too bad though and I could live with that minor issue.The headset is simple and quick to adjust and finding the right position is easy and the ear cups move a little bit while on your head.The volume of the headset while listening to music is slightly less loud than HyperX headsets I have tried and I can increase the volume to maximum on my Android phone, but I’d not want to listen to music that loudly. In-game sounds are loud enough and I would not want to play games at max volume as that would be too high. I tried Windows Sonic and Dolby Atmos on the Xbox and IMO Windows Sonic sounds betterI expect this headset will be returned to Amazon in the new year because of the comfort issue I have, if the pads were thicker or if there were third-party pads that would fit, I expect I would give them a go and hopefully that would mean I could continue using the headset.I am disappointed because the headset is pretty good otherwise. Definitely one of the best I’ve tried and I’ve tried a lot!Interesting fact, there are currently 58 ratings on Amazon and 16 of them are VINE.

26.3.2020

This headset and mixamp is designed for PC and PS4 gamers, and more so for the streamer in mind. The Mixamp and software makes it easy to get the volume and clarity right of chat, game noise, background noise and your microphone - for both what you can hear yourself, and what you would want streaming out. I'm also a big believer in respecting the sound design of games - like films, there's a whole craft and thought process in it as an experience, and you need great speakers or headphones to fully validate it.So I personally find the presets on this weird. They don't make much sense; the night setting sounds the same and the stream setting allows too much background noise in.

14.8.2019

For years now my son has been asking me to set up YouTube channel for him so I've decided I will start acquiring accessories slowly as we've decided that his 10th birthday will be good start.It took me a while to work these out to be honest, the instruction provided does not include any troubleshooting FAQs, which is a shame for somebody like me (beginner).First I had problem connecting them to PS4. Instruction says just plug into PS4 remote and you're good to go. Well you're not, what you also have to do is go to yourPS4 settings>Devices>Audio Devices>Output Device> headsetThen go to Output to Headphones>All AudioYou can also adjust the volume in this menu (it's a shame that you can't do that

4.2.2017

Let me kick things off by saying, wow! I love this headset!I use them with my PS4 (yes, with the mixamp they're fully compatible, surround sound, microphone, chat features etc. however, they're NOT compatible with the PS4 slim due to the lack of an optical port)The headset itself is very sturdy, good quality plastic throughout with some metal (aluminium?) parts too, it has a nice weight to it and definitely doesn't feel cheap. It has numerous customisable features available with the modkits, the microphone is detachable and the ear cups and part of the headband are held on with magnets so can easily be swapped/replaced.The only slight issue is, despite not having an astronomically large head,

5.3.2019

So I did a lot of shopping around seeing as I wanted to invest in a good, long-lasting and comfy headset that would fit my rather large head. I was willing to part with extra cash to fit the above criteria and these kept cropping up on the recommendations so I thought I’d go for it.I’m not really an ‘audiophile’ but I do spend a significant amount of time wearing these and I must say the quality and comfort are very good.Pros:1. OOB experience was great. The packaging and presentation were very good and it came with all the required wires.2. Managed to get them up and running nice and quickly. The software is fine and lets you tinker with the equaliser settings and set your custom defaults easily.3.

8.8.2019

Unboxing/PackagingOverall the box and packaging arrived in mint condition. The box was a reasonable size for the headset, and was very slick in design. From the artwork on the inner box which contained the headset, to the secure plastic which surrounded the headset. The box was easy to open, and no time was wasted setting up the headset with the two cables that came with it - one for console, another for PC.General UseFrom the start, both headset and cables were easy to assemble and ready to use for gaming. I’m using this with my Xbox Console, and it worked straight away from plugging the cable from the headset to the bottom of the controller. Being a fairly frequent gamer,

22.3.2020

ASTRO Gaming A40 TR Wired Gaming Headset + MixAmp Pro Gen 4 for PS4 & PC - Black/Blue (with Dolby Sound)My husband has tested these as he's the gamer, not me!So this review is from him....Headset + MixAmp Pro TR Controller is a very nice gaming headset, even the packaging is has a certain 'wow' factor to it. Upon opening the box, it's clear that alot of thought was put into the design of this headset, both for style and functionality; it looks great and just feels well made. This headset is a bit heavier than my current Logitech set, but they're also quite a bit more comfortable. The extra padding on the earcups and headband go a long way toward that added comfort,

15.4.2020

ASTRO Gaming A40 TR Wired Gaming Headset + MixAmp Pro Gen 4 for PS4 & PC - Black/Blue (with Dolby Sound)In the box.The headphones, mixer console, leads, instructions and detachable boom mic.Set up.You can use these straight out of the box without the mixer as a wired pair of gaming headphones. With the mixer box wired between the headset and computer you get full customisation options.Build quality.They are superbly made and can take mod kits. They look the business and are built to last. They are very strong and fully adjustable for comfort.Comfort.They are really good to wear even for very long periods of gaming or music. The ear pads are soft and the band well padded.

26.7.2016

I struggled to come to a decision on what headset to buy, when looking for a new one for my PS4.There are too many mixed reviews on all brands. I think you need to bite the bullet with one that suits you best and give it a go.First impressions on this one are great. The headset looks amazing. The glossy finish on the mix amp looks amazing also. The wires feel good quality, which makes them less likely to tangle.The build quality of the headset its self seems good. Some people have stated otherwise, but mine looks and feels great (for now).Setting up is easy enough. If you struggle then there are all sorts of videos on YouTube.The sound quality is decent. I had also read many reviews stating it was tinny or just lacked quality.

16.4.2020

On it's own I'd rate the Astro A40 Headset as being good, but the addition of the Mixamp in this combined set takes it up a notch to excellent.PLUS POINTS* Excellent, punchy sound with Dolby, for immersive 3D gaming experience* Comfortable headset with generously padded cushions* Good adjustment range for different sized heads* Microphone performance is good* Mixamp gives easy, direct sound level control* Combined set saves £80 on individual purchase prices.MINUS POINTS* No Bluetooth, just cable fed* Headset is bulkyMy first impressions of the headset were of something slightly bling and a bit chunkier than absolutely necessary. This has a bit of an American look to it,

24.3.2020

I am not tech-savvy in the gaming area but I have two grandsons who are and have a large range of gaming equipment so I passed this over to them and asked them to write their opinions. This is what my 15-year-old grandson said about these headphones"The A40’s sound quality is crystal clear with a huge depth range and very high definition. All sounds can be heard clearly, and the pan of the headphones is perfect. The earphone cups fit nicely around your ears making the sound precise and making them comfortable to wear. The headset also fits nicely around glasses stopping headaches which are seen to be a problem in many other headsets.The microphone quality is incredibly clear and accurate for a headset mic with zero feedback or extra noise.

16.3.2020

In every regard, these are absolute beasts of a headset. Everything about them exudes quality, from the fit and finish to the packaging, to the heft in your hand.There are plenty of reviews here raving about the sound quality, but little about how it all goes together, so I'll talk about that.You get two items. The headset itself, and a mixer. The headset has a normal 1/8" audio plug, so you can use them as 'ordinary' headphones for music through your phone, or for use with and Xbox or a Switch. Of course, you don't get the full surround-sound experience if you do that, but the sound quality is still exceptionally good.The mixer though, is where the magic happens.

Astro Gaming A40 TR (Gen 3) - Reviews

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