Astro A20 Vs A50: What is The Difference?

astro a20 vs 50 (1)

This is the difference and comparison review of Astro A20 and A50. Both are works well comparing to their prices. Which one will be good for whom and to decide about the purchase lets take a look at the detailed review.

astro a20 (1)astro a50 (1)
Astro A20Astro A50
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PROSPROS
Incredibly comfortable and lightweight.
Mostly strong game audio.
Convenient on-ear controls.
Looks good.
Good, balanced sound quality.
Immersive surround sound.
Comfortable.
CONSCONS
Some background hissing.
Underwhelming microphone.
Tight fit can squeeze head with prolonged use.
Connection issues in base station.
Expensive.

SPECIFICATIONS:

MODELASTRO A20ASTRO A50
BrandAstro GamingAstro Gaming
Series  
ModelA20 
HEADPHONESASTRO A20ASTRO A50
Headphones Form FactorFull sizeFull Size
Headphone Technology  
Sound Output ModestereoSurround Sound
Frequency Response20 – 20,000 Hz20 Hz
Sensitivity100 dB118 db @1 KHz
Impedance32 Ohm48 ohm
Diaphragm1.6 in 
MICROPHONEASTRO A20ASTRO A50
Microphone Technology  
Response Bandwidth  
REMOTE CONTROLASTRO A20ASTRO A50
Audio Controlspower on/off, volume 
ControlsVolume, power on/off 
DIMENSIONS & WEIGHTASTRO A20ASTRO A50
Width  
Depth  
Height  
Weight11.29 oz12.8 oz
BATTERYASTRO A20ASTRO A50
Battery Life15 hour(s)12 hour(s)
FEATURESASTRO A20ASTRO A50
FeaturesExperience audio exactly as developers intended with ASTRO audio, delivering amplified stereo sound and 40mm driver audio fidelity tuned specifically for a competitive edge.

Durable construction forged in Premium, damage-resistant materials gives you a wireless headset created to withstand wins, losses, and everything in between.

With up to 15+ hours of battery life, you can game Free knowing your Gear can keep up with you on marathon gaming sessions.

Flexible, lightweight materials with cloth ear cushions and headband means you never have to worry about headset fatigue shutting your game down before you’re ready.

The ASTRO command center software allows you to tune every input and output parameter.

ASTRO Gaming is ready to invade the living room with the A50 Wireless System. Experience Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound with clarity and performance powered by KleerNet’s strongest 5.8Ghz solution available. Hear the difference that professionally tuned audiophile-grade sound makes. Whatever your audio needs are, the A50 Headset comes with 3 different EQ modes for movies, hardcore gaming, and competitive shooters. When finished, simply charge your headset from your transmitter and the included display stand. Take over your gaming and home entertainment with the A50 Wireless System.

DOLBY DIGITAL 7.1: Immerse yourself in stunning surround sound with our proprietary MixAmp technology. You’ll be able to use every gunshot and footstep to pinpoint, and get the drop on, your opponents.

SUPERIOR FIT & FINISH: Featuring premium materials and construction, ASTROs are highly adjustable and surprisingly lightweight. Clamp them on your dome for days or turn them flat around your neck.

TUNED WITH ASTRO AUDIO: We work with pro gamers and top audio designers to deliver the highest level of clarity at every frequency. Your games, music, and movies will sound amazing.

5.8 GHZ WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY: Operating at a higher frequency than most wireless devices, ASTRO wireless MixAmps provides clarity and range with less interference. Available on A50 wireless headsets.

PRO QUALITY AUDIO: Tuned for Gaming, ASTRO Audio was developed with pro gamers and game designers to deliver clarity and detail at every frequency and volume level.

Expert Reviews of Astro A20:

By TechRadar
By and large, the Astro A20s impress. They sound great, fit very comfortably, and I had no issues with the wireless signal or set up. This headset may not hit the highest highs of sound quality as the Astro A50s do, but at half the price, they’re a very…

By PC Mag
Astro’s least expensive wireless model, the A20, is a well-designed and comfortable gaming headset that delivers solid sound…

By Tom’s Guide
Taken on its own, the Astro A20 is a solid middle ground between the company’s high-end and entry-level headsets. It feels fantastic, sounds great most of the time, and has some handy on-ear controls and sound presets. However, the disappointing…

By eTecnix
This is one of the better headsets for around £100, and while it is a little more expensive than some of its rivals, it’s not by a huge margin. It’s lightweight, well made and delivers belting audio performance with extensive EQ options to get things…

By xboxdynasty
Kabelloses KlangvergnügenMit dem A40 (279 Euro) hat Hersteller Astro bereits bewiesen, dass man in der obersten Preisklasse für sein Geld ein richtig klasse Gaming Headset mit unglaublichen Sound bekommen kann, bei dem sich die Investition auszahlt….

Expert Reviews of Astro A50:

By TrustedReviews
A remarkable gaming headset – but you certainly pay for it.

By Tom’s Guide
The Astro A50 delivers excellent comfort and rich wireless surround sound for serious gamers. While many gamers prefer wired headsets that avoid issues like low battery life and interference, the Astro A50 ( $299 on Amazon ) proves that a…

By PCWorld
The Astro A50 packs phenomenal sound and wireless convenience, if you’re willing to throw down $300.

By Kitguru.net
Today we will be taking a closer look at the Astro Gaming A50 Wireless Headset. ASTRO is a well-known name in gaming circles, having their A40 headset deemed the official PC headset of Major League Gaming. Boasting such features as KleerNet 5.8GHz…

By HardwareHeaven
and Rating Shown above we have the headset on its stand and overall it is a nice addition to the bundle and a good place to store the MIXAMP TX so Astro are already off to a good start on the basics and continue that by including all the cables we…

Detail Review:

INTRODUCTION:

Astro A20

Astro is a popular brand amongst gaming peripherals and they’re known to make expensive but high-quality gaming headsets for PC, Xbox, and Playstation. The A20 is the upgraded version of the older A10 model which came into the market very strong when it was released. The Astro A10 is a budget model of the A20 just like the A20’s are a budget model of the A50s.

Astro A50

This is a premium headset for the gaming world. The sound quality and the mic quality is nice for gaming. He design and comfort and all is also pretty good.

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DESIGN:

Astro A20

They look like gamer headphones with bright green and blue accents but they don’t look bad. They’re not designed to be taken outside like some other headsets as they have no 3.5-millimeter jack and no detachable mic. They are durable and will probably last you longer than some other headphones you’ve had before.

They’re pretty bulky and can be considered to be heavier than most of the headsets out there. So, taking them with you for a trip can be pretty annoying unless you have a bag or a backpack. Since these headphones don’t come with their carrying case like some other models that shouldn’t be a huge problem though because I personally never take my gaming headphones out of the room.

Astro A50

This looks premium and the built is also very nice. The flexibility of the headset is not as nice as the A10and A20. The materials used in this headset is all fine and good. We can expect good build quality and durability. 

The design is also very nice. Obviously, it looks like a gaming headset and I don’t think it can be used outside. The design of the headset is made that way as it fits well.

COMFORT:

Astro A20

The headset has big and rectangular ear cups that connect to the headband on a struct that can be slided up and down to adjust the size based on your requirements.

They’re decently comfortable headphones but the ear cups do not swivel which makes them a bit tight on the head. The fit may loosen over time just like with shoes but it’ll take a little time to get used to them, don’t worry though because they’re well-padded and covered in a microfiber coating that feels good on the skin.

Astro A50

The A50 does have just about the same amount of range of motion as the A40 and the A40 TR. So, they are extremely comfortable. They’re lightweight, you can slide your ear cups up and down. They do swivel and they do have a little bit of pivot to them as well. So, you can get to like whatever your perfect desired comfort for your head sizes, you should be able to get to it with the Astro A50. Another huge reason why I use them is that they’re so adjustable.

They’re not a super-heavy headset and they are credibly lightweight and they’re very comfortable to be wearing for really long periods of time and long gaming sessions.

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FEATURES:

Astro A20

The left ear cup of this headset holds the microphone which is on a flexible rubber arm. It can be moved up and down and when you move it upward, it will automatically mute the microphone. On the right ear cup, you’ll find the volume wheel and the power and EQ buttons.

The Astro A20 comes with a transmitter that has an LED light on the top of it which lets you know the status of the headset. It would be great if they made it, so you could also see which mode the headset is in such as Xbox or PC mode. This isn’t a huge drawback though but it’s worth noting. On the back of the transmitter, you’ll find a micro-USB port for connecting it to the Xbox or the PC, a USB port for charging the headset. There’s a console PC mode switch.

The A20 is neither plush nor as solid as the metal A50 and doesn’t have as much low-end power but at half the price, it still offers an excellent sound which definitely makes up for most of its lacking features.

Astro A50

There are some differences that I have noticed with this headset compared to the other Astro headsets that I have used over the years. There are some differences that I have noticed with this headset compared to the other Astro headsets that I have used over the years.

If you want to download a little Astro software, you can do so just make sure you get it from the Windows Store because that’s where the latest version of the Astro command center is. If you download it from Astro’s website, it’s not gonna be the right one, it’s an older version just make sure that you get it from the Microsoft Windows Store.

In that command center, you’re able to customize like your EQ and you can have a few different EQ presets, I think you have up to four them on the A50 as well and then you can also control like your mic volume, your sidetone for your mic, just a bunch nice little stuff. So, if you don’t like to hear yourself while you’re talking, you can have the sidetone completely off or if you want to be aware of how loved your speaking relative to the area around you, you can have your sidetone maxed out.

Now, all of the adjustments are all on the ear cups themselves. So, you’ve got on/off switch, surround sound button, your preset button, your volume adjustment, and your mix amp for your voice and your game is all on your headset. So, you don’t have to reach for anything else except to reach up to your right ear cup, toggle whatever quick settings you want to do because it’s super easy. The quality of the audio is really really good as it is.

To charge the headset, you’re supposed to turn the headset off and then leave it docked on at the station and that’s usually what I do. So, my headset every time I use it is typically fully charged. It has about 15 hours of battery life. So, I would put these probably somewhere within the realm of about 16 to 18 hours of realistic use. If you put the headset on, even though you put on the base station, it will reduce the charge. So, make sure you left the headset off when you charge the headset on the base station. The charging of 5-10 minutes gives you a battery life of 3-4 hours.

With this headset, you can also install the Astro mod kits because these ear cups are removable, you can just pop them off. They’re magnetic and that’s pretty much it, you can also pop off this top piece as well.

We’ve got a really good battery life, really good convenience features, all of your adjustments are not on a mix amp or tied your computer or to your console.

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MICROPHONE:

Astro A20

The microphone is a controversial thing on this headset. I personally like it and I think it does the job as it should but we notice that it can pick up some background noises which can be annoying. However, I think that no one really cares about that too much while playing video games.

If you plan to use the microphone for professional stuff like recording audio then I wouldn’t recommend this headset but for gaming, this microphone is definitely good enough and I don’t think you’ll ever face any problems with it.

Astro A50

The microphone quality is pretty decent. It sounds above average to most other gaming headsets and for $300, it really should. I think, it sounds pretty good. It’s an attached mic, you can’t swap it out like you can on the A40 but it does have some really unique functionality.

By using USB, it’s gonna sound a lot better. It’s not gonna be any sort of competition between this and the Astro A40 but I just used this to bring out the point that if you’re looking for a really solid mic for gaming, for comms, and all that stuff maybe consider getting a separate mic. You can get this done with a really quick and simple USB mic and boom arm for less than $200, probably even less if you look hard enough.

One cool thing about the A50, when you pull the microphone down it activates picks up your voice, you push it back up automatically mute your mic, you feel like a click to its audible and that your mic is muted. So, if you need to meet your mic real quick, all you got to do is flip it up automatically mutes your mic.

SOUND:

Astro A20

The Astro A20 has been given the gaming headset name but they perform exceptionally well when it comes to handling music. They have a bass-heavy audio profile and it has the EQ button which lets you switch between a pro profile that emphasizes lows and high mids for gaming. A studio profile that boosts the lows and highs for generally the best musical response.

The best thing is that if you know about music, you can make your own audio profile on the software with an equalizer. When it comes to gaming, the audio is pretty good. I’ve tested them with a few PC and Xbox games and I can say that they are pretty similar to the SteelSeries Arctis 7 but they have a slight difference in bass and that’s in a good way.

The only thing I didn’t really like about the Astro A20 is that their noise isolation is terrible. This won’t be a problem for you if you plan to play games in your room alone but if you go to WLAN events and play games on crowded places, you have trouble with them because of their low volume, you won’t be able to properly hear what’s happening in the game. You can avoid that by raising the volume on your headset but that would also make them leak audio which can be distracting to the people around you. If you plan to buy a headset for playing in crowded places, you should look for something else.

Astro A50

Typically, I do play on the Astro preset in the software. Sometimes, I might adjust it to like a little bit more of bass response preset but very seldom. Honestly, this won’t have a lot of bass and that goes for any Astro. These more so even with their new v2 drivers. Astro as a whole doesn’t have a ton of bass that’s something that they drastically improved with the A40, with the v2 headset and the brand new Mixamp.

In this one, the bass is decent but it’s not as good as the A40. More than likely because the A40 has that wire there, they’re getting a little bit more power, and obviously, these are wireless. So, your trade-offs are pretty obvious. But, in terms of clarity, Positioning, spatial audio, and awareness like these are definitely the Astro quality that I was coming to expect.

Things are other than gaming, positional audio, spatial audio, and awareness other than that using these for listening to music, they’re okay. I would definitely say, they’re kind of subpar and this is gonna go for the entire Astro range. Watching content, movies, TV shows, not really doing it like these don’t really give you that emotional feel that’s something with a little bit more bass, and maybe just a little bit more mid-range would give you. These do cover that higher end of the spectrum a lot more and you can definitely tell that when you put these on, these are a business-as-usual gaming headset and they do that one thing extremely well. You can definitely tell that when you put these on and you’re listening to the surroundings around you.

You’re gonna pick up things that you normally wouldn’t hear out of like Turtle Beach or some other brands that are a little bit heavier in that lower end and specifically for that reason, I think that’s why a lot of professional players and people in the gaming industry have been using Astro for so long when it comes to gaming.

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WHICH TO BUY?

Both are good headsets for their prices. A50 is double the price of A20 and we can say that A20 is a budget version of A50. So, A50 is the best one than the A20 if you’re just into gaming. If you don’t have that much budget, A20 is also a good one for gaming but you can’t use it outside or group gaming because the noise cancellation is not that much good.

Ultimately, if you’re looking for something that’s gonna be the best wireless gaming headset, this is most definitely it. This is gonna be that best wireless gaming headset. I wouldn’t say that this is gonna be a good all-around headset like it’s just not. If you’re looking for something that’s gonna be good for listening to music, good for watching videos, for listening to stuff with a lot of heavy bass, you’re gonna be really disappointed if you buy this one. If you want the headset only for gaming and then this will be good.