STACK NZ 80 December

24 / 54

visit TECH FEATURE
24 DECEMBER 2016
TECH
Astro is a company known for its professional, eSports-grade peripherals,
which goes a long way to explaining why its newA50s are a cut above.
Words: Alesha Kolbe
Astro’s A50 wireless headset, featuring
support for PC, Mac, and PS4, is some
of the best kit available on the market
today, allowing you to ditch the cables with
confidence. One of your safest bets in achieving
top-of-the-line acoustics at the same level as
professional gamers, the Astro Gaming series is
designed by gamers, for gamers.
Aesthetically, the A50 shares DNA with
the A40s. These are an excellent build quality,
durable and finished in a fetching glossy black.
The sound quality is remarkable – from the
minute you place these on your head, you know
you’re in a different league.
The A50s offer maximum comfort, even when
worn for long periods of time; the felt-covered
earcups fit snugly without compressing your
skull like other closed-back set-ups. And the
swivel mic on the side even mutes when you
flip it up, which is a nice touch.
The Dolby 7.1 surround sound strikes an
excellent audio balance; both gunshots in
the distance and tyres on grass are highly
discernible. The bass-high contrast in Skyrim
Special Edition is unparalleled in the wireless
headset market. Neither end of the spectrum
feels overpowering, either; the balance
between highs and lows is beautiful, and
even the chat volume is not lost amongst
game audio – you can still hear your mates
telling you how bad you are, no matter what
situation you find yourself in. The same applies
to watching movies or listening to music – deep
notes and higher pitches aren't sacrificed, which
is more than you can say for other wireless
headsets.
As far is set-up is concerned, syncing
your A50s is a piece of cake, whether you’re
jumping in for Infinite Warfare on PS4 or a
few rounds of Heroes of the Storm on PC. PC
is pretty much plug-and-play; same goes for
console, with the added step of selecting the
right output in the settings menu. Then you’re
on your way.
If you want the nitty-gritty of the tech
specs, the wireless transfer between base
and headset is a low-latency 5GHZ, giving
you super robust connectivity that's free
from interference. And it’s even got a 15-
hour battery life, so it’ll give you a decent
Overwatch marathon if you’re in the mood.
The headset itself looks good even when it
isn’t in use – Astro have crafted a beautiful Base
Station for it to sit on. The station provides the
base for the Bluetooth connection, as well as
charging your rig when you aren’t using it. Cool,
huh?
Another nice touch is the battery life display
on the front of the station; now there’s no need
to stress about your headset going flat mid-
match. And of course, being an Astro product,
it’s completely mod kit ready, so you can swap
the ear cushions and headband to suit your
personal preferences.
The Astro A50 maintains the consistently
high standard of wireless headgear you expect
from such a prolific brand. Experience this
peerless quality for yourself.