Solid stereo sound for a respectable price.
Astro A10 review: Can-Cans
Quick verdict
It’s not a new headset, but Astro has kept its cheapest option above $100, which makes it harder to recommend outright. Still, the bare-bolts look and feel, as well as the lack of bass, are the main detractors of a gaming headset that otherwise boasts better-than-budget audio performance and mic-capture results.
Astro A10 (PC) Australian price
Data effective 27/07/2020. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
Wander over to our best gaming headsets round-up and you’ll notice a lot of premium products. That’s because we value the high-end perks of surround sound, greater all-day comfort, and wireless connectivity. You’ll notice a similar trend with our category winners for a best gaming keyboards and best gaming mice, too.
But for those who don’t want to spend all of their peripheral budget on a top-tier gaming headset, the Astro A10 is kinder on your wallet while still offering decent sound.
What’s in the Astro A10 box?
The Astro A10 comes with everything you need for cross-platform use. For the red (PC) model, you can expect to find the A10 headset, a volume cable, and a PC splitter cord in the box. That volume cable is all you need for multiplatform use, which includes the official compatibility items above, as well as audio for anything with a 3.5mm jack, including mobile devices and the Nintendo Switch. With not a whole lot of complicated components, setup between Astro A10 and PC is as easy as plugging in the corresponding cables.
Astro A10 weight and comfort
Hold the headset frame and pull down on the left and right earcups to adjust to your noggin size and shape. The A10s aren’t particularly heavy, but they’re on the firmer side of comfort, so best results for long-term use are by allowing extra space to balance between the earcup cushions and top-band cushion. Despite the somewhat off-putting plasticky feel, the A10s are built to be bendy enough to go over VR headsets, too.
Astro A10 audio drivers
The Astro A10s may not be in full-fledged budget headset range, but those extra bucks invested come with some unexpected perks. For starters, the A10s have great sound quality care of the 40mm audio drivers. While it’d be better if they had beefier bass, the A10’s stereo sound is otherwise well balanced for switching between gaming, watching video content, and listening to music. The lack of bass makes them less appealing for competitive shooters, but then so too does the limited stereo soundscape for accurately identifying noises. Look to at least a mid-range headset if surround sound is important.
Astro A10 flip-down mic muting
Unless you have a single 3.5mm audio port on your likely older PC, the PC splitter cable connects to the volume cord. Then connect the green audio cable to your PC for audio and the red for microphone. The fixed flip-down microphone provides great-quality capture for this price point. Flip it down to use, then flip it up to mute. If the Astro A10 mic isn’t working, it’s likely because you’ve got the splitters plugged into the wrong ports, or you’re connected to a device that only supports audio playback.
Astro A10: One cord to connect them all
Despite the red review A10s being intended primarily for PC, they’re still incredibly straightforward to use on other devices. Connect the volume cable to the corresponding 3.5mm jack for sound and microphone (on supported devices). Expect the same audio performance for headphones and microphone on Xbox One and PS4, but these are an audio-playback-only affair for other devices with 3.5mm audio jacks, like the Nintendo Switch, smartphones, and tablets.
Is the Astro A10 worth $129.95RRP?
Astro has a reputation for high-cost, high-quality gaming headsets, so it’s no wonder that concessions have been made for Astro’s cheapest headset. This would be a no-brainer purchase with an RRP under $100, but despite edging closer to mid-range pricing, the Astro A10s offer rounded stereo sound. The cross-device compatibility is also a big plus.