Astro A10 Review: A Great, Cheap Gaming Headset

Our Verdict

The Astro A10 is an impressive upkeep gaming headset that offers solid audio and a slick pattern for but $60.

For

Slick, durable design
Impressive audio performance
Clear microphone
Affordable

Tom's Guide Verdict

The Astro A10 is an impressive budget gaming headset that offers solid audio and a slick design for just $60.

Pros

+
Slick, durable design
+
Impressive audio operation
+
Articulate microphone
+
Affordable

When I recall Astro, I think fancy wireless gaming headsets that price hundreds of dollars. That's why I was so eager to examination out the $60 Astro A10, the visitor'southward first foray into the entry-level headset arena, which is dominated by the likes of Turtle Beach and HyperX.

As it turns out, Astro tin compete with the lilliputian guys only every bit well as it does with the big boys; in fact it'south one of the all-time Xbox Series X headsets around. The A10 performs impressively well for its price, offer a slick design, solid audio and a reliable microphone. Notwithstanding, it tin can get a fleck snug, and faces some serious competition from cozier headsets that are even more affordable.

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Astro A10 price and availability

The Astro A10 price can vary somewhat, just the cheapest price at the time of writing is $35 from Walmart.

That's for the blackness/green model, simply you can likewise become black/blue, black/ruddy, black/green, white/blue and white/dark-green versions.

Astro A10 review: Design

It might non take the metal components and fancy features of its more than expensive siblings, but the Astro A10 is impressively slick and sturdy for a plastic $60 headset. It's substantially a baby brother version of the premium Astro A50, sporting large, indigestible ear cups and a bendable mic that yous can flip upward to mute.

The A10 comes in variations of bluish, light-green and carmine that are aimed at Xbox 1, PS4 and PC players, respectively, though all versions piece of work fine with whatever platform. The headset's vi.5-foot cable has a handy in-line volume slider and is fully detachable, making it platonic for travel.

Astro A10 review: Comfort

The A10 is adequately cozy, though it's also the first Astro headset I've had to take breaks from wearing. While I'm a fan of the headset's lightweight, 12-ounce frame and thick memory cream ear cushions, its relatively small-scale ear cups didn't requite my big ears nearly enough breathing room.

This tightness didn't deter me from using the A10 for hours at a time, merely my ears needed a few seconds to decompress afterward long sessions. Dissimilar the HyperX Cloud Stinger and Logitech G231 Prodigy, the A10'due south ear cups don't hinge 90 degrees to automatically conform to your dome. You tin suit the A10'southward ear cups about 2 inches up or downwards for a better fit, only even after tweaking the tiptop, the headset simply felt besides snug for me.

Astro A10 review: Audio operation

The A10 offers very impressive audio functioning for an entry-level headset, delivering punchy highs and a solid low end for just near every genre.

Astro's headset made it piece of cake for me to pinpoint enemy footsteps during a tense Overwatch showdown and gave plenty of kick to the game's snappy guns. Forza Horizon 3'due south screeching tires and revving engines sounded well-baked, and I could make out the subtle changes in tire noises when I went from driving on roads to coasting on the beach.

The A10 also did a fine job preserving Injustice 2's splendid sound design. Every movement and philharmonic landed with affect, from the satisfying thud of punches and kicks to the crepitation of Ruby Hood'south pistols.

As is the case with nearly cheap gaming headsets, the A10 is less than ideal for listening to music. I plant that guitars and other treble tones but sounded too dingy, whether I was headbanging to the Doom soundtrack or blasting the sunny indie rock of Tigers Jaw.

Astro A10 review: Microphone and extras

The Astro A10's microphone performed reliably in my tests, allowing my Xbox Live friends to hear me conspicuously over the sounds of us murdering each other in Friday the 13th: The Game.

The A10 is light on fancy extras, though I did appreciate the book slider on the headset'due south removable half-dozen.v-pes cablevision. The PC version of the A10 includes a splitter cable that you can utilize to plug into your figurer's microphone and headphone jacks.

Xbox I owners can go a $100 bundle that adds in the MixAmp M60, which attaches to your controller and lets you activate various EQ modes while adjusting the remainder between game and chat audio on the fly.

Astro A10 review: Verdict

Taken on its ain, the Astro A10 is a fantastic gaming headset value. For $threescore, you get great sound, a durable design, a solid microphone and a generally cozy set up of cans.

However, Astro's wallet-friendly headset tin get a little besides tight, and it has some serious competition in the sub-$sixty price range. The $50 HyperX Deject Stingercosts $10 less and offers better condolement, cheers to its lighter weight and swiveling ear cup design that adjusts to various head sizes. Information technology's likewise worth because the $70 Logitech G231 Prodigy, which has a sportier, more breathable design.

Still, if you prefer Astro's design, want more colour options and tin can live with some snug cans, there'southward a lot to dearest nigh the A10.

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Mike Andronico is Senior Writer at CNNUnderscored and was formerly Managing Editor at Tom'south Guide. When not at work, you tin usually grab him playing Street Fighter, devouring Twitch streams and trying to convince people that Eagle is the best Avenger.