That means any kind of volume and preset control is limited to the Mixamp Pro TR. It’s a wired headset that doesn’t have any onboard controls, save for an inline mute button found along the auxiliary cable. I do enjoy the Astro A40 TR’s minimalist design.
It would make more sense if a mod kit was included in this bundle, especially since the A40 TR touts itself as a premium gaming headset. The option to go from open to closed-backed is particularly cool, but it can cost you an additional $40 – $60 on top of the already pricey $250 you’ll spend for the headset and Mixamp. Everything from the cloth cushioning on the ears and headband to the speaker tags and boom mic can be replaced. They can be swapped out with closed-backed noise isolating speaker tags using a mod kit, which you’ll again have to dish out additional money for.Ĭustomization is a highlight of the Astro A40 TR headset. The stock speaker tags, which are the removable plates on the back of the ear cups, are bland, but you can purchase flashy replacements on the Astro Gaming website. The ear cups didn’t press too firmly against the sides of my head, which is a plus, especially since I wear glasses. The headset is also incredibly comfortable, with soft cloth cushions and ear cups that cover the entire ear. It’s actually kind of adorable, in a Transformers cosplay kind of way. The headset itself is sleek and stylish, sporting two metal pipes on each side that allow you to adjust how high or low the ear cups sit, but also add some flair, resembling the exhausts you’d find on a truck. All of these cables, sans the auxiliary, will only be used if you’re using the headset with the Mixamp Pro.
Inside the box, you’ll find both the Astro A40 TR headset and Mixamp Pro TR, along with a swappable boom microphone and auxiliary, Micro-USB, TOSLink Optical, and Digital Daisy Chain cables. The base station measures 8.5 inches in length, 4.25 inches in width, and 1.15 inches in height and weighs 0.70 lbs. The A50 weighs slightly heavier at 0.83 lbs, but like the A40, the weight does not affect wearability and comfort. The A50’s base station charges through USB Micro-B. It has a standby battery life of 20 months, and its active battery life is 15 hours.
The A50 consumes power through a rechargeable, lithium-ion, single-cell battery. It is also important to note that the base station works only on the A50 model it is paired with and not with any previous models. You cannot purchase an A50 headset without the base, but you can buy an additional base if you want. The Astro A50 is a premium, fully wireless headset that comes with a base station. It weighs 0.80 lbs, which is not considered lightweight (around 0.50 lbs) among gaming headsets, but it does not compromise durability and comfort. The A40’s dimensions are 8 inches in length, 7.75 inches wide, and 3.75 inches in height. If you want to tweak the sound settings to suit your ear’s satisfaction, you should get a MixAmp with the A40 headset. It functions as a dual-channel external sound card for the perfect voice balance. The MixAmp is for serious live streamers.
The A40 can be bought as a stand-alone headset or paired with a MixAmp Pro TR. The microphone, headband, speaker tags, and ear cushions are all swappable when you purchase a Mod Kit that contains those accessories. The Astro A40 is a wired gaming audio headpiece with swappable components.