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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 vs Sony PULSE 3D Wireless
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Astro A50 Gen 4
Sony PULSE 3D Wireless
Tested using Methodology v1.8
Updated Jan 08, 2025 08:21 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTested using Methodology v1.6
Updated Apr 12, 2024 02:29 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureSemi-Open
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
Variants
- A50 Gen 4 2019 (PC/PS4)
- A50 Gen 4 2019 (PC/Xbox One)
- PULSE 3D (Gray Camouflage)
- PULSE 3D (Midnight Black)
- PULSE 3D (White)
Our Verdict
Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019
Sony PULSE 3D Wireless
The Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019 are better for wireless gaming than the Sony PULSE 3D Wireless. The Astro are far more comfortable, better-built, and have a better microphone. However, the Sony can also be used on a wired connection. They also leak less audio and charge faster, though they do have slightly shorter battery life. That said, while they can access a graphic EQ and presets, this feature is only available on updated PS5 consoles.
Check Price
PC/PS4
A50 Gen 4 2019
Searching
Finding storeGray Camouflage
PULSE 3D
Searching
Finding storePC/Xbox One
A50 Gen 4 2019
Searching
Finding storeMidnight Black
PULSE 3D
Searching
Finding storeWhite
PULSE 3D
Searching
Finding storeNotice: Two or more of the products selected have been tested with different test methodologies, so some of the results below aren't directly comparable. Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our headphones test methodology.
Main Differences for
Threshold
Neutral Sound
7.6
7.3
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
7.2
5.7
Passive Soundstage
6.8
5.6
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.4
8.8
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-ear
Over-ear
Enclosure
Semi-Open
Closed-Back
Wireless
Yes
Yes
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
8.0
6.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.8 lbs
0.65 lbs
Clamping Force
1.3 lbs
0.9 lbs
Controls
6.2
6.4
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Good
Decent
Feedback
Good
Decent
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
On/Off
Additional Controls
Presets + Surround Sound
No
Breathability
6.4
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
5.9 °C
Portability
5.4
5.3
Portability Picture
L
10.2" (25.9 cm)
8.2" (20.8 cm)
W
7.9" (20.0 cm)
7.3" (18.5 cm)
H
2.6" (6.7 cm)
3.6" (9.1 cm)
Volume
211.79 in³ (3,470.60 cm³)
216.00 in³ (3,539.59 cm³)
Transmitter Required
Yes
No
Case
0.0
0.0
Case Picture
Type
No case
No case
L
N/A
N/A
W
N/A
N/A
H
N/A
N/A
Volume
N/A
N/A
Build Quality
8.0
7.0
Build Quality Picture
Stability
6.5
6.5
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
950 Hz
Bass Amount
-2.1 dB
-4 dB
Treble Amount
-0.3 dB
-4.04 dB
Frequency Response Consistency
8.6
7.1
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.29 dB
0.58 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
7.8
7.4
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
4.3 dB
3.72 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
38.05 Hz
51.13 Hz
Low Bass
-5.86 dB
-7.24 dB
Mid Bass
-0.18 dB
-0.31 dB
High Bass
1.77 dB
2.08 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.4
8.8
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.61 dB
1.55 dB
Low Mid
0.3 dB
0.04 dB
Mid-Mid
-1.5 dB
0.03 dB
High Mid
1.48 dB
2.46 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
7.2
5.7
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
3.12 dB
6.2 dB
Low Treble
-1.42 dB
-2.65 dB
Mid Treble
1.22 dB
-6.44 dB
High Treble
-5.63 dB
-10.05 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.0
7.0
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.71 dB
1.9 dB
Dips
2.19 dB
1.61 dB
Imaging
8.0
8.3
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.28
0.28
Weighted Phase Mismatch
5.92
4.2
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.56
1.07
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.95
2.26
Passive Soundstage
6.8
5.6
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
2.23 dB
3.34 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
2.51 dB
2.79 dB
PRTF Distance
7.77 dB
8.05 dB
Openness
9.1
9.3
Acoustic Space Excitation
6.8
3.1
Virtual Soundstage
2.0
2.0
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
Yes
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
7.5
7.4
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.282
0.297
WHD @ 100
0.174
0.182
Test Settings
Firmware
39964.43
Unknown
Power
On
On
Connection
Wireless (Proprietary)
Wireless (Proprietary)
Codec
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Studio
No EQ
ANC
No ANC
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
Boom
Integrated
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
2.3
2.0
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
No
No
Overall Attenuation
-5.23 dB
-6.56 dB
Isolation Audio
Bass
1.54 dB
0.2 dB
Mid
-0.99 dB
0.76 dB
Treble
-18.11 dB
-20.22 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
2.6
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
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
ANC Wind Noise
N/A
Leakage
4.2
7.3
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
53.37 dB
37.91 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
No
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
Yes
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
8.6
6.8
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
20 Hz
179.59 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
1.36 dB
3.66 dB
HFE
6,267.15 Hz
3,272.31 Hz
Weighted THD
0.105
0.191
Gain
16.63 dB
-5.07 dB
Noise Handling
8.3
5.7
SpNR
39.29 dB
11.29 dB
Noise Gate
On/Off Toggle
Always On
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
8.5
5.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
8.0
6.0
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
8.0
7.3
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
17.5 hrs
13.4 hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
0.0
Total Battery Life
17.5 hrs
13.4 hrs
Charge Time
4.4 hrs
3.3 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Auto-Off Timer
No
Audio While Charging
Yes
Yes
Passive Playback
No
Yes
Charging Port
micro-USB
USB-C
App Support
6.0
7.0
App Picture
App Name
Astro Command Center
PS5 Inferface
iOS
No
No
Android
No
No
macOS
Yes
No
Windows
Yes
No
Equalizer
Graphic + Presets
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
No
No
Mic Control
Adjustable Level
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
No
Button Mapping
No
No
Surround Support
No
No
Connectivity
Wired Connection
0.0
9.9
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
No
Yes
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
No
Yes
Length
N/A
4.10 ft (1.25 m)
Connector
No Wired Option
1/8" TRRS
Latency - Analog
N/A
0.2 ms
Latency - USB
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
Recorded Latency Connection
No Wired Audio
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
0.0
0.0
Bluetooth Version
No Bluetooth
No Bluetooth
Multi-Device Pairing
No
No
Quick Pair (Android)
No
No
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
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
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
N/A
Latency - LDAC
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency Codec
No Bluetooth Audio
No Bluetooth Audio
AAC Support
No
No
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
8.8
8.9
Line Of Sight Range
57.00 ft (17.37 m)
195.00 ft (59.44 m)
Latency - Dongle
11 ms
24 ms
Recorded Latency
PC Compatibility
Analog
No
Audio + Microphone
Wired USB
No
No
Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
No
Audio + Microphone
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
PS5 Analog
No
Audio + Microphone
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
No
Audio + Microphone
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
Audio Only
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
No
Audio + Microphone
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
9.0
3.4
Type
Wireless Dock
Wireless USB Dongle
USB Input
Yes
Yes
Line In
Yes
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
Yes
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
Yes
No
Power Supply
USB
USB
Check Price
PC/PS4
A50 Gen 4 2019
Searching
Finding storeGray Camouflage
PULSE 3D
Searching
Finding storePC/Xbox One
A50 Gen 4 2019
Searching
Finding storeMidnight Black
PULSE 3D
Searching
Finding storeWhite
PULSE 3D
Searching
Finding store
Astro A50 Gen 4 Wireless 2019
Sony PULSE 3D Wireless
Comments
Astro A50 Gen 4 vs Sony PULSE 3D Wireless: Main Discussion
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