Astro A50 X Wireless Headphones Review

The Astro A50 X are similar in design to the Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 and feature the manufacturer's signature square ear cups. They have a minimal, monochromatic aesthetic, regardless of which colorway you opt for, and there's little branding besides the model name emblazoned on the left earcup. There's also a boom mic that you can flip upwards to mute. The overall design is quite bulky, and combined with the non-detachable boom mic, it's hard to envision these headphones being worn casually in public. They come in two color variants: 'Black' and 'White.'

These headphones have a comfortable fit. The earcup padding is soft and feels good on the skin, ensuring a comfortable fit across long gaming sessions. The earpads are also secured magnetically, which makes swapping out worn-down earpads a breeze. They're decently heavy, and while this weight feels well-distributed across the headband, it's still likely to cause discomfort on the top of your head over time. If you wear glasses, you'll be pleased to know that they won't get in the way of creating a good seal or interfere with getting a comfortable fit. We did notice that the ear cup size is a little smaller than the previous generation, but this may be due to the material covering the ear cup becoming looser over time on the 2019 model.

The Astro A50 X have a good control scheme. It's once again quite similar to the Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019, with the addition of controls for music playback and call management. You can flip the mic upwards to mute audio input. The most notable difference with this latest iteration is the inclusion of the PLAYSYNC button that replaces the EQ switch button on the previous generation. This allows you to switch between Xbox, PlayStation, and PC inputs with the press of a button. There's a power button located on the top of the left ear cup, and all other controls are located on the front side of the same ear cup.

Right ear cup towards the front:

• Volume wheel
• Spin: Increases/decreases volume.
• PLAYSYNC Button
• Single press: Cycles through PlayStation, Xbox, and PC inputs.
• Bluetooth button
• Press and hold for three seconds: Activates Bluetooth pairing mode.
• Single press (after pairing): Plays/pauses audio, answers/ends call.
• Double press (after pairing): Skips to next track.
• Triple press (after pairing): Skips back to previous track.
• Power button
• Single press: Turns power on/off.

They also have two additional controls on the outside face of the right ear cup that let you balance the mix between in-game audio and call audio. However, If you connect to a PlayStation console via USB, you won't have access to this feature, as it only works via the 2.1 HDMI Input to the base station. There's also audio feedback to indicate when you've hit Game Max, Mid, or Voice Max level, as well as when you switch inputs or pair a Bluetooth device.

The base now has a display indicator that lets you know which input you've selected, but this is the only way to ascertain which device you're connected to. There's good audible and tactile feedback, and all the buttons are clicky and responsive.

These headphones aren't very portable, but they're also not designed for use outside of your gaming setup. They have a bulky frame that's cumbersome to fit in a bag, and they don't come with a carrying pouch or case, so you can more easily transport them. Although you can swivel the earcups to decrease their surface area, they're still not ideal for bringing outside the house. You'll also need to haul the base station around with you if you want to use them on the go, which makes them an even less portable option.

The Astro A50 X feel well-constructed and capable of holding up through extended use. The ear cups are made from dense, durable plastic. The frame and headband are also plastic, but overall, this headset feels like it can withstand some general wear and tear from gaming at home. The headband and ear cup padding are made of a similar material: a soft cloth that feels good on the skin and isn't prone to tearing or chafing.

The headphones have okay stability. While they clamp quite tightly on the head, they're still prone to falling off if you move your head too quickly. If you're a particularly passionate, animated gamer, you might find yourself re-adjusting the fit occasionally. If you just like to game at home casually, you won't encounter many stability issues.

• Astro A50 X
• Base station
• USB-A to USB-C charging cable
• Optical cable
• Warrant and quick start guide
• Type C to Y splitter cable (USB-A and USB-C) (only used to power and connect the Base Station to a PC)

The Astro A50 X have a relatively flat default sound profile that's well-suited to a variety of uses. It's more balanced overall than the Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019, though it has a slightly more veiled treble response. There's plenty of low-end rumble on tap to bring excitement to action-packed sequences and a balanced high-bass that can help bring out environmental audio, like approaching footsteps. The mid-range is also exceptionally well-balanced and reproduces vocals and speech with plenty of detail. The treble range is slightly more inconsistent, with a veiled low treble that dulls the upper harmonics of vocals. Fortunately, you can always adjust the sound profile to your liking via the graphic EQ and presets in the companion app. This graph shows how the presets affect the sound profile.

The Astro A50 X have excellent frequency response consistency. Audio delivery will be consistent every time you sit down to game, even if you have thick hair or glasses.

These headphones have outstanding compliance with our bass target. The response is even across the entire range, with a very subtle reduction in the low bass that will only be noticeable when listening to the rumbliest explosion effects.

The mid-range target compliance is superb. The response is fairly flat and neutral across the entire range, with a small bump in the high-mid that adds detail to dialogue and speech in cutscenes. Vocals and lead instruments sound clear and present. When playing games like Assassin's Creed: Mirage, it's easy to pick up on hints dropped within NPC dialogue that can help you advance through the game.

The Astro A50 X have good treble compliance, although there are some gentle inconsistencies across the entire range. The low treble is somewhat underemphasized, which can cause the upper harmonics of vocals to sound veiled and closed-off. The mid-treble is more balanced but still a little recessed, so sibilants like S and T sounds can sound just a touch dull.

The peaks and dips performance is great, indicating that these headphones generally control their own sound profile very well. The bass and lower mid-range are virtually flat, but a peak in the high-mid range adds detail and clarity to speech. The treble range is the most inconsistent, with a couple of peaks and dips making sibilants sound dull or piercing depending on their pitch.

The Astro A50 X's imaging performance is okay. Good imaging is generally indicative of a manufacturer's commitment to good quality control and ergonomics, which is generally true for Astro's headsets. However, imaging performance does tend to vary between units. Out unit's weighted group delay falls under the audibility threshold across the entire range. While there appears to be a sharp peak in the sub-bass region, this frequency band is below most people's range of hearing. Our unit's drivers are well-matched in phase response, but there's a mismatch in amplitude and frequency in the treble range. While this is noticeable while running a sweep, we don't expect it to impact your gaming experience unless you're a particularly astute listener.

The Astro A50 X have a mediocre passive soundstage performance. However, this is normal for close-back headphones, which struggle to create an immersive, out-of-head listening experience by virtue of their design. While they have an open quality, it still sounds unnatural and makes it seem like audio is playing from inside your head. It's very different to open-back headphones like the Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2019, which have a much more spacious soundstage.

The Astro A50 X come with Dolby Atmos, PS5 3D Audio, and Windows Spatial Audio compatibility, as well as head and speaker modeling features accessible through the companion software. Though all these features utilize audio object metadata to playback audio and localize these objects within a 360-degree space, their ability to create an immersive audio environment will vary from game to game, depending on implementation. For example, any difference between Dolby Atmos and PS5 3D audio will be difficult to hear, given they both virtualize surround sound for headphones rather than multi-output speaker systems.

These headphones have a decent weighted harmonic distortion performance, producing mostly clean and distortion-free audio across the entire frequency range. While there's some distortion present in the right driver at regular listening levels, it's only present at the extremes of the frequency range in bands that are already tough to hear.

We've noticed, however, that there are some volume inconsistencies when you connect these headphones to a Bluetooth device and a console. The audio level is quite a bit lower while listening on the Bluetooth channel, and if you raise the volume on the device that's paired, this can lead to a distorted sound at high volumes. It's possible to get around this by raising the volume on the headphones' volume wheel instead while keeping the volume on your Bluetooth device at a lower level.

These are the settings used to test the Astro A50 X. Our results are only valid when you use the headphones in this configuration.

The Astro A50 X have awful noise isolation. Despite being closed-back, they provide little passive attenuation against background noise, so bass and mid-range sounds, like engine rumble or ambient chatter, will make their way into your audio. They provide a small amount of reduction against higher-pitched sounds, like fridge hum, but it's still not enough to completely block them out. This won't pose a problem if you're gaming in a quiet environment, like your home, but they struggle to block out construction noise if there are renovations going on. Note that the bump in the bass region is slightly audible.

In common scenarios, like a shared space or if there's construction nearby, these headphones do a very bad job of isolating you from the noise. They dampen high-pitched sounds a little bit, but overall, if your window is open, any noise from the street will reach your ears. Also, note that the bump in the low-bass region is slightly audible, likely due to the headphones trapping low-frequency resonances.

The Astro A50 X have a disappointing leakage performance. Leakage is mainly concentrated in the mid and treble ranges, so escaping audio sounds thin and tinny. That said, other people will notice your in-game audio if you're gaming with the volume cranked in a quiet space with others, like a communal living room.

The Astro A50 X's mic recording quality is excellent. While there's some low-end roll-off, this can be advantageous for your understandability as it can remove many of the boomy qualities of your voice. Otherwise, the microphone has a relatively flat frequency response, rendering your voice well-balanced and natural-sounding. You can also choose between different mic EQ presets within the G HUB app. There's even a sidetone feature within the companion software that allows you to monitor your own voice in the headphones. That said, we noticed an audible hiss when we enabled this feature, and your own voice won't sound particularly natural.

The mic's noise handling is okay. It's a step down from the Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019. While it does a passable job at separating your voice from moderately noisy environments, it struggles to keep your voice understandable in noisier environments. While this won't pose a problem if you're used to gaming at home in a quiet environment, loud sounds, like construction outside your house, might interfere with your ability to communicate with your teammates. The mic also has three noise gate settings you can choose from in the companion app that alter the volume threshold that the mic cuts out. You can choose between 'Home,' 'Night,' and 'Subway' to suit your needs. You can hear recordings using all the noise gate settings below:

'Night' Mode

• Voice
• Pink Noise
• Subway

'Home' Mode

• Voice
• Pink Noise
• Subway

'Tournament' Mode

• Voice
• Pink Noise
• Subway

The Astro A50 X's battery life performance is excellent. You can charge them directly from the dock or by connecting them with a USB cable. The manufacturer advertises 24 hours of continuous battery life, but we measured slightly more than this. However, battery life can vary quite a bit depending on your usage. You can enable a handy auto-off timer through the companion software and even use these headphones while charging. Notably, these headphones charge decently quickly, reaching a full charge in a little over two hours. That said, we noticed that the battery level indicator on the companion software would often incorrectly indicate a 100% charge while the base station indicated that the headphones were still charging.

The Astro A50 X are compatible with the Logitech G HUB app. Although Logitech acquired Astro in 2017, the Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 still used the Astro Command Center app. Users had previously encountered issues with the Command Center, where they were struggling to install firmware updates, but we've yet to hear of any similar issues with the G HUB software. There's also a version of the app that's accessible via your mobile phone that's compatible with iOS and Android devices. However, you can only use it if you switch the headset to either Xbox or PlayStation mode, and you can't access certain settings, like spatial audio, in the mobile app. You can see a video overview of the phone app here.

With Logitech G HUB software, you can alter the sound profile with a parametric EQ and presets, adjust the mic settings (including noise gate settings) and toggle between different mic presets, as well as toggle the auto-off timer. You can also set up stream output audio mixing, specify sidetone amount, save custom presets, and then share them with others. Sadly, there's no way to remap the buttons on the control interface, though.

You can't use the Astro A50 X wired as you can only use them wirelessly. They come with a USB-A to USB-C charging cable and a USB-C to Y Split (USB-A and USB-C) cable to connect the base station to the PC.

Their Bluetooth connectivity is decent. Using Bluetooth 5.0, you can connect these cans to a Bluetooth device (like a phone or tablet) and remain connected to a console or PC via the dongle. You can even blend audio like a Discord chat from your Bluetooth device into your overall audio mix. While latency is high with the default SBC codec, this connection isn't intended for wireless gaming use. It's worth noting that you cannot use these headphones' Bluetooth connection without their dock.

The Astro A50 X have outstanding wireless connectivity through their dock, which has a wealth of connectivity options so you can connect your PC, PlayStation, and Xbox simultaneously. Latency is very low across all platforms, so your audio and visuals will stay in sync while gaming. We also measured around 1 ms of latency while connected to consoles via the HDMI 2.1 passthrough, so you'll have no issues with latency while gaming when using this input.

These headphones connect wirelessly to your PC via the included USB Y-splitter cable for full audio and mic support, and you can even access the 'Game/Chat' mix controls. You can also connect via Bluetooth, although the latency is too high to make this a viable option for gaming.

These headphones have full audio and mic compatibility with PlayStation consoles, and you can connect to the hub via USB or HDMI passthrough. Connecting via the HDMI 2.1 input gives you the advantage of using the 'Game/Chat' mix controls with up to 24-bit audio. This option also lets you access the Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) on your monitor or TV. That said, if you're a streamer or want to connect your console to external speakers, you'll need to connect via USB with up to 16-bit audio. However, the 'Game/Chat' mix controls are disabled when connected via USB.

These headphones have full audio and mic compatibility with Xbox family consoles, and you can connect to the hub via USB or HDMI passthrough. Streamers and those who want to connect a set of speakers will need to connect via USB. However, unlike with PlayStation connectivity, you can access the 'Game/Chat' mix controls while connected via USB. You can connect via HDMI for up to 24-bit audio and ALLM support. These HDMI ports also support up to 4k/120hz passthrough with VRR, which will help you get the most out of your graphics. However, you'll need a compatible monitor or TV to take advantage of this.

The Astro A50 X have a wealth of connectivity options via the base station. You can connect your PC via USB and connect PlayStation and Xbox family consoles via both USB and HDMI 2.1 passthrough. However, a few drawbacks affect the scoring for this section, namely the lack of line and optical inputs. It's worth noting that these input types are somewhat outdated regarding compatibility with modern gaming systems, which tend to favor USB and HDMI connectivity. If you need an optical port to complete your setup, it's worth looking at the Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 instead. The dock itself is powered via a USB-C power supply.