Astro A10 Gaming Headset Gen 2 Wired Headset are the best budget ga

ming headphones you can buy [Review]

ASTRO Gaming develops high-end video gaming equipment and lifestyle goods for professional players, leagues, and gaming enthusiasts. Astro A10 Gaming Headset Gen 2 Wired Headset is a spin-off of ASTRO Studios, which is best known in the gaming world for creating the Xbox 360®, as well as AlienwareTM and HP® Gaming PCs. ASTRO Gaming manufactures a line of gamer-centric items to support the continually expanding gaming community. All ASTRO Gaming items can be found at astrogaming.com. Connect with ASTRO Gaming on Twitter (%40ASTROGaming), Instagram, and our+blog.

Logitech International's ASTRO Gaming is a brand. Logitech International, located in Lausanne, Switzerland, was founded in 1981 and is a Swiss public corporation traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and the Nasdaq Global Select Market (LOGI).

Gaming is more popular than ever, and accessories are much more affordable. Even more so with headphones. Astro A10 Gaming Headset Gen 2 Wired Headset, in particular, has created a name for itself by producing some of the best gaming headphones available on the market.

Design

The Astro A10 Gaming Headset Gen 2 Wired Headset design addresses a variety of various issues. The appearance is similar to that of a scaled-down version of the A50's, thus for individuals who appreciate the design of the A50's, these headphones have a similar look and style. Of course, you can't alter the side panels, headband centerpiece, or earcups on the Astro A10, but this isn't a deal breaker. This is about what the A10's are meant to look like. Simple gaming cans for everyday use. 

Sound and Performance

The sound of any set of gaming headphones is the litmus test. With the  Astro A10 being "budget" headphones, would Astro sacrifice sound quality in order to provide you with less expensive headphones? Nope. They didn't do it. The A10s sound fantastic.

I used the Astro A10 Gaming Headset Gen 2 Wired Headset to play a number of games, and the sound was powerful, loud, and bassy. CoD: Infinite Warfare, Destiny, and Injustice were the titles I played the most frequently since I thought they would provide the best sound mix. I never felt like I was using "cheap" headphones with the  Astro A10.

The audio kept me immersed in the experience, which is difficult for me because after a while, I'll take off my headphones and allow the sounds of the TV take over. I wore my headphones, like I did with my A50s. I got some nice mids, some interesting weapon and action sounds, and an overall enjoyable gaming experience.

The Astro A10 is ergonomically engineered for optimal comfort at all times. The well-padded ear cushions and headband are pleasant and do not interfere with the user's hair. The Astro A10 band is also exceptionally flexible, since it can be twisted without tearing or cracking. The Astro A10 is quite tough and can withstand a drop without being damaged.

The Astro A10 is a gaming headset made entirely of plastic. The band is flexible, and it stayed on my head comfortably. The headphones don't move much—only there's a little vertical hinge for minimal tilting adjustment—which might be a touch uncomfortable if it weren't for the soft velour earpads. Overall, Astro A10 this is a very comfy headset. 

The Modifications

Astro Gaming removed the steel elements from the Astro A10 Gaming Headset Gen 2 Wired Headset in order to reduce weight for comfort. It appears to be quite light at 246 grams, and with the cushioned headband and memory foam ear pads, it should be a go-to for marathon gaming sessions. The HyperX Cloud II, on the other hand, weighs 320 grams.

In terms of durability, earlier Astro A10 could take a hammering and still work, and in a preview session, the Gen 2 headsets appear to be able to survive harsh usage. The headband did not snap when I twisted it.

Gaming with the Astro A10

After you've suffered through the setup process, the Astro A10 provides an excellent gaming experience. As previously said, the headset is comfortable—even for gamers who wear glasses—and I never had any discomfort during multi-hour sessions. Most games should work fine with this stereo headset.
The Switch versions of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Pokemon Sword don't put a headset through its paces, but everything sounded OK. Surround sound would normally be an issue for a game like Fortnite, but Fortnite doesn't even support the feature on Switch in the first place.

The Astro A10 headset performed similarly well on other platforms. It functioned flawlessly while playing games like Dauntless on the Playstation 4 and connected without a hitch. PC gaming was also fully functional once I discovered a different splitter. Talking on Discord using this way was also fine, if a little quiet.

How does the Astro A10 sound?

The audio reproduction on the Astro A10 headset is a little erratic, although not necessarily in a bad way. While there are a few dips here and there, the headset produces quite realistic bass and high noises, as well as mids that are genuinely boosted.

In music, the enhanced mids indicate that sibilant and fricative vocal sounds will likely come through quite strongly, whereas high-frequency sounds, such as some string instruments and cymbals, may not sound as distinct.

The songs in Nerv by Brian Altano are punctuated by a constant mid-range whirr. Whereas it usually lies in the background, filling in the gaps between the instruments, the Astro A10 Gaming Headset Gen 2 Wired Headset completely takes over the song, drowning out most of the cymbals and horn notes.

This kind of acoustic balance isn't horrible for gaming. If you intend to suffer through voice chat on Switch, you should have no trouble hearing what your friends have to say (though admittedly the quality of their mic has a lot to do with that too). Unlike most gaming headphones, this does not place an emphasis on low-frequency sounds.