It’s not bad by any means, but don’t expect a particularly mind-blowing experience.
The Astro A50 is a headset that absolutely knows who it’s for and ultimately delivers.
Price and specsBuild quality and comfortAudio and featuresCompetitionShould you buy it?
In the box you get the headset, base station, USB-C power supply (5 V), and one USB-C to USB-A cable.
I’m an avowed Astro A50 fan, having used every iteration of the headset since its inception.
I was excited to finally try out the Astro A50 (Gen 5) for this review.
The headset was launched in September 2024.
In the box you get the headset, base station, USB-C power supply (5 V), and one USB-C to USB-A cable.
I use theAstro A50 (Gen 4) model from 2019as my primary headset.
You also have dual sound source mixing powered by Bluetooth as well for good measure.
The answer is very,very well, actually.
The design profile is very familiar, albeit now with some red accents.
I dare say there’s nobody better placed to review the Astro A50 (Gen 5) than me.
However, there are some nuances worth pointing out.
We also now have Bluetooth support with dual-source mixing for true multi-modal freedom.
Not a big fan of the fabric, but Astro sells a leatherette modkit on their website.
Design critique is subjective, though.
What I would say is less subjective is how comfortable it is.
I’m grateful to report that the Astro A50 (Gen 5) delivers there too.
(Image credit: Windows Central | Jez Corden)
One aspect of the Astro A50 that I’ve generally not been a fan of is the fabric earcups.
Astro apparently agrees, given that it sells a$50 leatherette A50 mod kiton its website.
I picked this up twice because it genuinely makes a big difference to the feel of the headset.
(Image credit: Windows Central | Jez Corden)
And to be fair, there is a ton on offer here.
Astro has improved the base station’s ergonomics here, making it much easier to drop and go.
Speaking of Bluetooth, the headset’s new headline feature is the ability to be compatible with practically everything.
(Image credit: Windows Central | Jez Corden)
If you have spare cables, that is.
Well, hey, this might just be that drawer’s time to shine.
That’s not to say the Astro A50 (Gen 5) has poor audio, though.
The Logitech G Astro A50 (Gen 5) now lets you switch between PC, PlayStation, and Xbox devices on the fly.
The Astro A50 (Gen 5) does absolutely deliver, though, overall.
It just doesn’t get top marks.
The Logitech G offers a balanced wave profile, as well as profiles designed for media and gaming.
The Astro A50 (Gen 5) base station remains the best in the business, giving you unparalleled convenience — if you have spare cables, that is.
But I can’t emphasize how much I’m nitpicking here, honestly.
Not here, though.
Therein, I didn’t experience a single pixel of performance degradation.
The Astro A50 (Gen 5) has a ton of competitors, but few can offer the same level of convenience.
Another surprisingly great aspect of this headset is the microphone experience.
More top marks there for the Astro A50 (Gen 5).
It’s also $50 more expensive, to boot.
The king of convenience returns.
It also has the worst mic of the three, however.
Astro A50 (Gen 5, 2024): Should you buy?
Simply put, there are no other headsets that really “do it all” without compromises.
But that’s for another time.
You want a high-quality microphone experience for comms and even content creation.
You want a solid sound experience for tactical multiplayer games.
You don’t really need connections now or in the future for multiple gaming platforms.
