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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Profile: Target Compliance
    5. Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
    6. Treble Profile: Target Compliance
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation - Full Range
    2. Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
    3. Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
    4. ANC Wind Handling
    5. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Wired Connection
    2. Bluetooth Connection
    3. Wireless Connection (Dongle)
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PlayStation Compatibility
    6. Xbox Compatibility
    7. Base/Dock
    8. PC / PS4 Compatibility
  10. Comments

Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017 vs Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Astro A50 Gen 3
Astro A50 Gen 4

Tested using Methodology v1.4

Updated Jan 26, 2024 05:59 PM

SEE PRICE
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Tested using Methodology v1.8

Updated Jan 08, 2025 08:21 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017 Picture
Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 Picture

Variants

  • A50 (PS4)
  • A50 (Xbox One)
  • A50 Gen 4 2019 (PC/PS4)
  • A50 Gen 4 2019 (PC/Xbox One)

Our Verdict

Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017

Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019

The Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 are slightly better gaming headphones than the Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017. They are quite similar, but the main difference is the small base station on the 2019 model and the fact that the battery now takes less time to charge while offering a bit more continuous playback. Additionally, the microphone on the 2019 model performs better overall.

0 

Check Price

PC/PS4
A50 Gen 4 2019
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
PC/Xbox One
A50 Gen 4 2019
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Read more

Main Differences for
Mixed Usage

Threshold 

0.10

Mixed Usage 

6.2
No major differences between these headphones for mixed usage. See full list of tests below.

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017 Design Picture 2
Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Over-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Semi-Open

Wireless  

Yes
Yes

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show text

Comfort 
 

8.0
8.0

Comfort Picture  

Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017 Comfort Picture
Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.8 lbs
0.8 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

1.1 lbs
1.3 lbs
Show text

Controls 
 

6.2
6.2

Controls Picture  

Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017 Controls Picture
Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Good
Good

Feedback  

Good
Good

Call/Music Control  

No
No

Volume Control  

Yes
Yes

Microphone Control  

Mute/Unmute
Mute/Unmute

Channel Mixing 
 

Yes
Yes

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
No

Talk-Through 
 

No
No

Additional Controls  

Presets + Surround Sound
Presets + Surround Sound
Show text

Breathability 
 

6.7
6.4

Breathability After Picture  

Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017 Breathability After Picture
Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

5.2 °C
5.9 °C
Show text

Portability 
 

5.4
5.4

Portability Picture  

Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017 Portability Picture
Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 Portability Picture

 

7.1"
10.2" (25.9 cm)

 

7.4"
7.9" (20.0 cm)

 

4"
2.6" (6.7 cm)

Volume  

210 in³
211.79 in³ (3,470.60 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

Yes
Yes
Show text

Case 
 

0.0
0.0

Case Picture  

Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017 Case Picture
Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 Case Picture

Type  

No case
No case

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

Volume  

N/A
N/A
Show text

Build Quality 
 

8.0
8.0

Build Quality Picture  

Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017 Build Quality Picture
Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 Build Quality Picture
Show text

Stability 
 

6.5
6.5

Stability Picture  

Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017 Stability Picture
Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 Stability Picture
Show text

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017 Angled Picture
Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017 Side Picture
Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017 Front Picture
Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017 Rear Picture
Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017 Top Picture
Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017 In The Box Picture
Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 In The Box Picture
Show text
Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Normalization Frequency 
 

950 Hz

Bass Amount 
 

-1.48 dB
-2.1 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-0.83 dB
-0.3 dB
Show text

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

7.9
8.6

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.42 dB
0.29 dB
Show text

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.4
7.8

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

2.13 dB
4.3 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

40.58 Hz
38.05 Hz

Low Bass 
 

-3.97 dB
-5.86 dB

Mid Bass 
 

-0.47 dB
-0.18 dB

High Bass 
 

1.66 dB
1.77 dB
Show text

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.4
8.4

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

2.13 dB
1.61 dB

Low Mid 
 

0.04 dB
0.3 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-1.94 dB
-1.5 dB

High Mid 
 

0.59 dB
1.48 dB
Show text

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

7.6
7.2

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

3.25 dB
3.12 dB

Low Treble 
 

-2.93 dB
-1.42 dB

Mid Treble 
 

2.04 dB
1.22 dB

High Treble 
 

-6.09 dB
-5.63 dB
Show text

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.2
7.0

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.91 dB
1.71 dB

Dips 
 

1.23 dB
2.19 dB
Show text

Imaging 
 

8.7
8.0

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response  

See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.18
0.28

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

9.19
5.92

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.22
1.56

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

1.51
1.95
Show text

Passive Soundstage 
 

7.1
6.8

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

1.81 dB
2.23 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

3.8 dB
2.51 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

5.67 dB
7.77 dB

Openness 
 

9.2
9.1

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

7.2
6.8
Show text

Virtual Soundstage 
 

2.0
2.0

Virtual Soundstage  

Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017 Virtual Soundstage
Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

On/Off
On/Off

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

Dolby 7.1
Dolby 7.1
Show text

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.5
7.5

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.259
0.282

WHD @ 100 
 

0.165
0.174
Show text

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

Unknown
39964.43

Power 
 

On
On

Connection 
 

Wireless (Proprietary)
Wireless (Proprietary)

Codec 
 

PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz

Test Instrument  

Audio Precision APx517B

EQ 
 

Default
Studio

ANC 
 

No ANC
No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

Boom
Boom
Show text
Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

2.3
2.3

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Overall Attenuation 
 

-5.74 dB
-5.23 dB

Isolation Audio 
 

Bass 
 

-0.08 dB
1.54 dB

Mid 
 

-1.11 dB
-0.99 dB

Treble 
 

-15.91 dB
-18.11 dB
Show text

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

2.6

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

See details on graph tool

Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

-4.35 dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

-5.16 dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

-4.89 dB

Street Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Noise Isolation - Voice Handling 
 

Female Voice 1 
 

Male Voice 1 
 

Female Voice 2 
 

Male Voice 2 
 

ANC Wind Handling 
 

ANC Wind Handling Graph  

Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 ANC Wind Handling Graph

ANC Wind Noise 
 

N/A

Leakage 
 

3.8
4.2

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

54.74 dB
53.37 dB
Show text
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

No
No

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

Yes
Yes

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes
Show text

Recording Quality 
 

7.2
8.6

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

348.96 Hz
20 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

1.38 dB
1.36 dB

HFE 
 

3,466.89 Hz
6,267.15 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

0.334
0.105

Gain 
 

23.46 dB
16.63 dB
Show text

Noise Handling 
 

9.0
8.3

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

46.83 dB
39.29 dB

Noise Gate 
 

On/Off Toggle

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

8.5

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

8.0

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show text
Active Features

Battery 
 

7.4
8.0

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

13 hrs
17.5 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

0.0
0.0

Total Battery Life 
 

13 hrs
17.5 hrs

Charge Time 
 

5.8 hrs
4.4 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Auto-Off Timer
Auto-Off Timer

Audio While Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

Passive Playback 
 

No
No

Charging Port  

micro-USB
micro-USB
Show text

App Support 
 

7.5
6.0

App Picture  

Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017 App Picture
Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 App Picture

App Name  

Astro Command Center
Astro Command Center

iOS  

No
No

Android  

No
No

macOS  

Yes
Yes

Windows  

Yes
Yes

Equalizer 
 

Graphic + Presets
Graphic + Presets

ANC Control 
 

No
No

Mic Control  

Adjustable Level
Adjustable Level

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

No
No

Button Mapping  

No
No

Surround Support 
 

No
No
Show text
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

0.0
0.0

Cable Picture  

Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017 Cable Picture
Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

No
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

No
No

Length 
 

N/A
N/A

Connector 
 

No Wired Option
No Wired Option

Latency - Analog 
 

N/A

Latency - USB 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency Connection  

No Wired Audio
Show text

Bluetooth Connection 
 

0.0
0.0

Bluetooth Version 
 

No Bluetooth
No Bluetooth

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

NFC Pairing 
 

No

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

No

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - SBC 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency Codec  

No Bluetooth Audio

AAC Support 
 

No

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A

iOS Latency 
 

N/A

Android Latency 
 

N/A
Show text

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

6.7
8.8

Line Of Sight Range 
 

58 ft
57.00 ft (17.37 m)

Latency - Dongle 
 

99 ms
11 ms

Recorded Latency 
 

Show text

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

No

Wired USB 
 

No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
Show text

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

No
No

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

PS5 Analog 
 

No

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
Show text

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

No
No

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio Only

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

No

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
Show text

Base/Dock 
 

9.6
9.0

Type 
 

Wireless Dock
Wireless Dock

USB Input 
 

Yes
Yes

Line In 
 

Yes
Yes

Line Out 
 

Yes
No

Optical Input 
 

Yes
Yes

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

Power Supply 
 

USB
USB
Show text

PC / PS4 Compatibility 
 

PC/PS4 Analog 
 

No
No

PC/PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PC/PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
Show text

Check Price

PC/PS4
A50 Gen 4 2019
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
PC/Xbox One
A50 Gen 4 2019
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Astro A50 Gen 3 Wireless 2017

Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019

Comments

  1. Comparison

Astro A50 Gen 3 vs Astro A50 Gen 4: Main Discussion

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