Astro A40 Headphones:

[ArchDizzle]

Recently moved my main PS3 & 360 to my bedroom to play since my gaming time is now primarily at night and the surround system in the living room was too loud and waking the kids up. I have a brand new 42" Samsung and a smaller but good quality surround for the bedroom but no wife is complaining the sound from me playing games is keeping her from sleeping, I like to have the volume loud the music/dialogue/ambience is very important to me when playing games wether it be too hear somebody coming BC:2 or Music from XIII.


So I am thinking about snagging this:
http://www.astrogaming.com/products/...-Audio-System/

The full kit, but I have virtually no experience with headphones and rarely use them. These seem to be getting great reviews. Things I like about these.

Great Sound quality
Not heavy & very comfortable, easy to get adjusted to.
Mixamp convience (Will be running optics straight from PS3 & 360 to Mixamp)
Ease of use
They look good



So my question is does anyone have any first hand experience with these and if so how are they? Are there other headphones that are comparable that might be cheaper or better suited for what I am needing? These will only be used for vidya gaming, although the sound quaility is very important, mic is a non factor as I have two 360 headsets and the Sony PS3 headset.

Any help is appreciated.

[Doombear]

TBH if Mic isn't a priority then not sure why you want the full package. You could still get the Mix Amp and a nicer pair of headphones for all around the same price, maybe even a little less.

I have the original MixAmp (it doesn't support PS3 out of the box, need more cables i think) and use it with a pair of quality headphones and a mic setup I put together myself. The Mixamp is pretty amazing for what it is and when I got mine there were few alternatives. The JVC Headphone Amp being one of them at the time, but now there are a few others out there including Turtle Beach i think?

Anyway, I have no first hand experience on the cans, but have a few acquaintances that love them. The Mix Amp I would definitely recommend. I do all of my playing with headphones pretty much, and the simulated surround is nice. For games like CoD splitting voice from game sound is super nice as well.

Some games oddly sound worse through it, but those are few and far between (FF XIII being one of them ...)

My two cents.

EDIT: I was saying that the original MixAmp doesn't have PS3 support straight away. The current SECOND version of the MixAmp does.

[Suit and Tie]

The package as a whole is amazing, the Mixamp being the main reason to buy it. That being said, there are definitely cheaper/better headphones out there than the A40s. I have the whole set and I love it, but if you don't like the price tag I don't blame you.

The two main competitors seem to be the Turtle Beach HPXs and the Sennheiser PC-350s.

From talking to several people, the only complaint on the HPXs is that because of the sizing method (it conforms to your head) you feel a lot of pressure. The PC-350s on the other hand have been compared to flying on a plane because they are completely closed.

[Ramor]

I haven't had a chance to try the A40s although they're high on my list of headphones I want (mostly for the mixamp, as stated).

I have had experience with the PC-350s though and must say they are really really comfortable. The mic sounds really great too and doesn't pick up too much ambient noise, but mostly they're extremely comfortable and happen to have some decent sound quality to them.

[ArchDizzle]

Thanks for the input, price isn't an issue if they perform as well as the reviews are saying, wanted to get it from somone on here firsthand. Sounds like they are exactly what I am looking for.

@Graelinn To clarify XIII is one of the main reasons I want them, currently I can hear all of the music and sound effects just fine but at the volume I have to play at it's hard hearing the dialogue. Were you saying XIII sounds worse on the A40's or headphones in general? If so can you be more specific?

Thanks everyone!

[Doombear]

Sorry Arch, I wander around too much. Didn't come back in here.

Hmm, it is hard to explain really... and one thing I feel I sort of glossed over was the whole Mixamp 1.0 vs Mixamp 2.0. I am playing FFXIII on PS3, and I have to say... most of my gaming is done on 360. I really will have to check on my way home to see if lolBlockbuster rents FFXIII for 360. If so I will pick it up and compare sound. Actually... my understanding on the PS3 functionality that the new version MixAmp has is SOLELY for Chat. You have to buy THIS if you have the version i have. If you have the current version you just plug in via USB to the PS3 and it is is good. So it could very well be the sound in FFXIII out of the box...

Sorry... see? I wander in my own GD post. The sound is not bad, it just sounds like the soundstage is completely flat to me where other games have not been. Yes the stereo sound is working fine (ie: I can hear something on the left of my screen in my left ear...) but the different sounds are not popping to me.

A massive creature flies overhead in a CS and instead of feeling this sense of 'being pressed down upon' like I have in other games... it just feels very shallow.

On 360, when I am playing Bioshock 2, or even COD2, the sounds all sound very robust, very INDIVIDUAL from one another. When i heard the sound in the first CS in FFXIII I honestly thought I had something set wrong. Sadly there are ZERO options in game for FFXIII related to Audio, and while turning off the MixAmps Dolby Headphone setting (which i nearly always use) tends to separate the sounds a bit... I lose the surround more.

Hard to explain... and I really feel like i am fucking up the explanation here. It very well could be me... I have allergies right now =P

Overall, the sound isn't HORRIBLE, or even bad, it just seemed to me like the cutscenes could be MUCH better audio wise. It sounds like normal HDTV speakers to me just... meh.

[ArchDizzle]

Thanks for clearing that up, seems to be the results I am getting from XIII atm so it may very well be the game, Right now I can hear most things well enough but some of the sound effects do fall flat and the dialogue seems really low, however the music sounds great so go figure lol. Think I am going to go ahead and order these tonight.

[Doombear]

It is very likely... i have no issues at all with the crowd roars from FIFA10 or the CSs in WKC (but then... yeah).

Also here are the headphones I have been using for two years now. Love them, GREAT soundstage, open (which is great for me, and preferred to their closed counterparts.) Audio Technica ATH-AD700

These are about $160 less than I paid now. They have come down quite a bit in two years, but are well worth the $91. Read some reviews. Some people don't like the way they sit on the head or that there is no 'normal' headsize adjustment. I love them, and have had ZERO issues as far as gaming with them goes.

Here is a huge post that I was using for reference 2 years ago. At the time, it was a debate over the JVC Amp and the A40 Mixamp. I find it hilarious that about 6 months AFTER i bought my setup... i start seeing endorsement after endorsement for the AD700+Mixamp combo for gaming. I DONE GOOD!

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...c#post17772258

Incidentally that post that i link to IN that topic, is exactly what i did with my cans as far as mic goes. Bought the pieces and put it together, works GREAT. If that is something you would want to do I would be happy to tell you where I got the pieces.

EDIT: And here the AD700s are for $85. No first hand experience with this site, FYI.

[Ramor]

lol, the AD700s were my next to buy list before the A40, simply because they're cheaper than a lot of things but they seem to be pretty solid regardless of their age.

[Kazen]

I use my Sennheiser PC-350 on my PS3, I just use an Analog to USB converter so I can use it with my PS3. I love them, it makes all of my games sound amazing and its really noticeable in FPS games with footsteps, etc.

[Doombear]

lol, the AD700s were my next to buy list before the A40, simply because they're cheaper than a lot of things but they seem to be pretty solid regardless of their age.

Well worth the $80-90 price tag Ramor. I spent over 200 on mine and they have held up perfectly over the last 2 years. No issues whatsoever. Worth every penny.

Just not sure I could ever wear them outside the house... have to be some of the strangest looking things out there =P

[ArchDizzle]

So picked up the A40's and they are fucking beast, I love them. I tried them with a couple of Blu-Rays just to see how they sound even though I won't be using them for movies. Checked out GoW3 & Battlefield Bad Company 2 and the sound was top notch, turns out however XIII's audio is just pretty shitty. The music and sound effects sound great but the dialogue sounds very strained as if the speakers are distorted or blown, very shitty considering everything else I tried the dialogue is great.

[Doombear]

Grats Archeron! Happy you like them. I am not sure why FFXIII drops off so much compared to other games... but it certainly is unfortunate.

I have been playing GoW3 & Resonance of Fate lately both sound amazing.

[SwaggerlikeKillquick]

Recently moved my main PS3 & 360 to my bedroom to play since my gaming time is now primarily at night and the surround system in the living room was too loud and waking the kids up. I have a brand new 42" Samsung and a smaller but good quality surround for the bedroom but no wife is complaining the sound from me playing games is keeping her from sleeping, I like to have the volume loud the music/dialogue/ambience is very important to me when playing games wether it be too hear somebody coming BC:2 or Music from XIII.


So I am thinking about snagging this:
http://www.astrogaming.com/products/...-Audio-System/

The full kit, but I have virtually no experience with headphones and rarely use them. These seem to be getting great reviews. Things I like about these.

Great Sound quality
Not heavy & very comfortable, easy to get adjusted to.
Mixamp convience (Will be running optics straight from PS3 & 360 to Mixamp)
Ease of use
They look good



So my question is does anyone have any first hand experience with these and if so how are they? Are there other headphones that are comparable that might be cheaper or better suited for what I am needing? These will only be used for vidya gaming, although the sound quaility is very important, mic is a non factor as I have two 360 headsets and the Sony PS3 headset.

Any help is appreciated.

Some helpful links

Not to long of a post definitely a good read though always good to get educated on what your options are before you blow 300 dollars.

http://www.mlgpro.com/forum/showthread.php?t=293139

This one is a long fucking post tons of info on all headsets

http://www.mlgpro.com/forum/showthread.php?t=102915

[Lazytowner]

Thank you very much for those MLG threads, the only threads I ever searched for in their forum were for my A40's.


Astro may have made some improvements in their newest version of their A40 system, but I've had an unsatisfactory experience with my purchase for the past two years. I've replaced the headset three times, and this third and current replacement ended up inevitably suffering from the same problem as the previous two: left ear's sound constantly popping in and out. I also attempted to replace my mixamp after what I've come to understand is a bad ground in the equipment (causing an incredibly annoying buzzing sound), but Astro apparently gave me the cold shoulder, as I submitted several help tickets and tried to get the agent I was first working with to email me back. Not something I'd say is worth all of the money and hype, even though I did with extreme naivete at the time. -.-

So now, my left ear constantly loses sound, and I can't play any of my games at an extensive volume because of the ridiculous buzzing sound caused by the bad ground in the mixamp. I'm sticking to my speakers through my mixamp on low sound until I find a comfortable replacement for a headset, so I appreciate this MLG thread being posted.


Of course my experience might've been some extreme set of coincedences, but I don't feel like continuing with this brand to find that out. Just take this into account, whoever's thinking about picking up the A40 system.


(Yeah, low post count. I'm new. *wave*)

[SwaggerlikeKillquick]

Thank you very much for those MLG threads, the only threads I ever searched for in their forum were for my A40's.


Astro may have made some improvements in their newest version of their A40 system, but I've had an unsatisfactory experience with my purchase for the past two years. I've replaced the headset three times, and this third and current replacement ended up inevitably suffering from the same problem as the previous two: left ear's sound constantly popping in and out. I also attempted to replace my mixamp after what I've come to understand is a bad ground in the equipment (causing an incredibly annoying buzzing sound), but Astro apparently gave me the cold shoulder, as I submitted several help tickets and tried to get the agent I was first working with to email me back. Not something I'd say is worth all of the money and hype, even though I did with extreme naivete at the time. -.-

So now, my left ear constantly loses sound, and I can't play any of my games at an extensive volume because of the ridiculous buzzing sound caused by the bad ground in the mixamp. I'm sticking to my speakers through my mixamp on low sound until I find a comfortable replacement for a headset, so I appreciate this MLG thread being posted.


Of course my experience might've been some extreme set of coincedences, but I don't feel like continuing with this brand to find that out. Just take this into account, whoever's thinking about picking up the A40 system.


(Yeah, low post count. I'm new. *wave*)

*wave back*

Always good to have the facts from people who have compared different headsets then those who are fan boys cause they sunk there 200 dollars into a headset and don't know whats out there cause that will hurt you.

[Doombear]

I spent about 2 weeks reading as much as I could before I decided on the MixAmp + my Audio Technicas. Not a single regret.

I don't remember a whole lot of people having the buzzing issue when I bought mine but I do remember hearing a few more complaints on the subject a year later. It still seemed like a pretty small minority though.

Headset problems I can't comment on as I have never used theirs.