Return of the king.
I’ve owned – and continued to use – the original Astro A40 gaming headset since its debut in 2008. I’ve tried many a competitor since then, and while some have impressed, none have tempted me to retire my original A40s.
We want to hear it.
Not until now, anyway. Astro’s latest revision of the A40 headset, the A40 TR with MixAmp Pro TR, does almost everything fantastically, and at a very reasonable $250 price point. In short, Astro has finally managed to top itself after previously taking a bit of a stumble on their last go-round in the form of the disappointing A40 for Xbox One.
The new A40 headset solves the audio woes that plagued its predecessor; audio is now crystal clear at all times, both through the Dolby Headphone-enabled cans and both ends of the built-in Xbox Live chat headset. Drops are a thing of the past, and the headset can even be used pseudo-wirelessly by plugging them into your console controller. The sound takes a bit of a hit when doing so, but not in the quality sense. The sound remains crystal clear, but the positional nuance is lost because, without processing through the MixAmp Pro TR, you’re not getting surround audio. Instead, you get a stereo sound, and there’s a definite, audible difference.
We want to hear it.
Thus, using the MixAmp Pro TR is the ideal way to go, and while it’s as rock-solid and plug-and-play as ever, the cable that runs from the headset to the receiver is shorter than it was on the old models, making this new A40 a bit trickier to use in a couch-gaming setup. Desk-manning gamers should have no complaints, however.
The MixAmp Pro TR is also the source of my only other complaint about this otherwise-stellar headset: for technical reasons, there are separate MixAmps for the PS4/PS3 and the Xbox One. Multi-console gamers can’t reasonably be expected to shell out another $130 for a second MixAmp (Astro sells them separately), so this is a notable issue.
The Astro A40 TR for Xbox One with the default, included headband pad and ear pads.
It’s all good news otherwise. The build quality remains high, with impressive presentation out of the package. Fit and comfort are, for me, second to none, with the default cloth-covered, cushioned headband and ear cups soft and pillowy even over multi-hour sessions. I also tested out the optional $60 Mod Kit accessory, which lets you switch out the headband pad and ear cups for thicker, faux-leather-covered versions that almost completely seal off sound in the room. These too proved perfectly cozy during extended sessions, though I wouldn’t enthusiastically recommend them unless you’re frequently gaming in loud spaces (i.e. a raucous dorm room). The Mod Kit’s microphone is a unidirectional one that ably keeps most noise besides your voice off of your chat channel.
Sound profiles (read: equalizer settings) can also be customized via PC software, though I was quite happy with the default configurations. And, as always, the A40s can be chained together in a LAN/tournament situation for ease of team communication.
A couple of unfortunate decisions – one Astro definitely had control over, and one they may not have – rain on the parade a bit, but at the end of the day, the Astro A40 TR with MixAmp Pro TR is the among the finest headsets the audiophiles at Astro have ever made. They ably simulate Dolby Surround sound in both games and movies while simultaneously providing chat audio that’s crystal-clear in both directions.
