The A10 has been the entry level in the Astro Gaming catalog for a while. This “Gen 2” is there to capitalize on the successes of the previous model (versatility, comfort) while bringing it a little freshness in terms of design and keeping a price below 60 euros.
Formerly independent and based in San Francisco, Astro Gaming entered the fold of Logitech in 2017. Despite this acquisition, the brand has retained its identity with products designed above all for gamers whether they practice on PC or consoles. . This is also all the difficulty for the Astro A10 Gen 2 which seems to have to be placed in front of a very good entry-level product available for a few months already, the Logitech G335.
Not the lightest, but very comfortable
Coming out of the box, we notice how much Astro Gaming has redesigned the lines of its entry-level headset. Given the price orientation, it is not surprising to find an all-plastic product whose structure is not as solid as higher-end models. On the other hand, Astro Gaming makes an interesting effort to stand out with no less than five colors to choose from (white, black, lilac, mint or gray).
The use of plastics also allows great flexibility, in particular at the level of the central hoop. In fact, we do not feel oppressed once the helmet is placed on the head and since the A10 Gen 2 is a very light helmet, the comfort is all the more interesting. On the other hand, there is obviously no question of atria on rotating hinges and if the latter are adjusted well in height, there is no notch to adjust things more precisely.
More annoying, despite this relatively flexible headband and these height adjustments, the Astro A10 Gen 2 is clearly not made for all body types. In reality, we would even tend to recommend it to the youngest as it seems designed for small heads. An impression that we also find at the level of the atria whose pads have a small diameter: adult ears are likely to have the pads which rest on the pavilions. Unpleasant.
For the rest, nothing but very classic on this helmet which has a microphone, on a flexible but not detachable boom. It is wired, but adopts a 3.5 mm jack connection for great versatility: it works on PC / Mac, consoles or smartphone / tablet. For console users, the 2 meter cable will seem a bit long. Note, however, the presence of a mini remote control on the cable to adjust the volume.
Interesting microphone, audio rendering a little weak
It is unfortunate that this remote control does not, for example, allow you to mute the microphone, but it is a defect that you get used to quite quickly, especially since the quality of capture of said microphone is more than correct. Our interlocutors had no problem with our voice which always remains clear and intelligible. Another good point, unidirectional, the microphone does not pick up excessively the noises of our immediate environment.
Alas, we cannot say the same for the quality of audio reproduction. Of course, you have to keep in mind that this is only an entry-level model, but we are still surprised by some of Astro Gaming’s choices. Indeed, the 40 mm transducers of the previous version have been swapped for 32 mm and we cannot say that we are really enthusiastic about a result which very clearly lacks precision and detail.
We have a little too often the impression of a rough rendering, especially during the busiest atmospheres. Another defect, the sound is clearly unbalanced with bass and treble clearly set back from the mids which are both more present and better defined. Keep in mind, however, that the objective of the AtroA10 Gen 2 is to sound “correctly” our video games. In this sense, it is not a headset for music lovers and the balance sheet remains honorable.
Technical sheet
- Price : about 60 euros
- Compatible : PC, Mac, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, smartphone, tablet…
- Weight : 246 grams
- Login : wired (3.5 mm jack), 2 meter cable
- Transducers : 32 mm with neodymium magnets
- Headphone shape : circumaural
- Spatialization of sound : stereophony
- Frequency response : 20Hz – 20,000Hz
- Microphone : yes, unidirectional flexible
- Guarantee : 2 years