STACK NZ Dec #80

TECH FEATURE

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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

A stro’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.

TECH

DECEMBER 2016

24

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