I briefly used a buddy’s Astro headset the other day. I really want one for myself now. I just want to know opinions before I spend that kind of money. From what I’ve read online, TurtleBeach are not close to Astro quality.
I don’t understand what the Mixamp is. I’ve been eyeing these: A40 Headset + MixAmp™ M80
the mixamp basically amplifies certain sound frequencies, such as foot steps and gun shots and also produces a virtual 7.1 dolby surround sound which helps with situational awareness.
It also allows you to connect your computer or ipod/phone to it to use for skype,calls,music, and whatever else. so you could be listening to the game, the music from your computer, and in a call with the headset with your phone.
Sure you can buy Astros, but Astros and Turtle Beach aren’t the only choices out there, and they certainly aren’t the best choices out there. They just happen to be the most popular brands in the console space, but that’s it.
Ideally, you’d do a lot of research before landing on a certain product, or else you’ll land on something which, frankly, you’ll probably be happier with than whatever you previously had, but which isn’t really that good of a good deal. Though, even research doesn’t necessarily save you because the internet is a bit of a minefield, especially when it comes to audio products, and your choice will largely depend on whose information you’re going to trust.
The thing to understand about audio products is that there are different markets. There’s the consumer market with its varied quality, though often overpriced heaphones. Then there’s the gaming market with its headsets which are also often of variable quality, and also often overpriced. Then there’s the professional market. And finally, there’s the audiophile market, which is just odd, to describe shortly. Now there’s various amounts of overlap between these markets from different brands, but the problem is that what’s popular in one market is something that’s completely niche in another market. If you’re quality conscious, you’d ideally want something from a brand that is in the professional market, because it’s the only one of these four where you don’t survive by snake oil and gimmicks.
Now, here’s where my suggestions come in. First, the HyperX Cloud. First of all, it’s compatible with Xbox One (though it requires the Xbox One stereo adapter). Secondly, it has all the usual features a gaming headset has; that is, headphones and a mic. Now, what makes these particular headphones worth your money is that they’ve been made in cooperation with a headset maker Qpad, and Qpad in their headphones uses technology from Beyerdynamic. Now Beyerdynamic is one of the great German manufacturers of professional audio gear, which means that you’re guaranteed to get a headset with great, accurate audio. It’s guaranteed to be better than any Astro headset, but at a significantly lower price.
A significantly pricier product that I might also recommend is Sennheiser GAME ONE. Again, you need the stereo adapter to connect these to your Xbox. These I recommend because Sennheiser is, again, a well known, reputable, German manufacturer of audio gear. Now, I have no idea how much better the audio quality of these is compared to the HyperX Cloud, but they are guaranteed to blow anything by Astro out of the water.
Finally, at still a still higher price is the Audio-Technica ATH-ADG1. Again, stereo adapter needed, reputable brand that makes gear for professional applications (though this time Japanese), and so on. And again, definitely better than anything from Astro, but I don’t know how the sound quality compares to my other suggestions. However, the mic on this headset is absolutely exceptional, if you’re the kind of guy who chats a lot, and cares about the experience of others.
There are more suggestions I could make, some of which are more unorthodox, but I leave it to these three for now.
Thanks for the recommendations, I’ll look into these other sets for sure.
You can also try the HyperX with the astro mixamp, You really can not go better with that mix amp as it provides the surround sound effect. Just have to make sure whatever headset you have has the ability to use it.
> 2535426958083869;5:
> You can also try the HyperX with the astro mixamp, You really can not go better with that mix amp as it provides the surround sound effect. Just have to make sure whatever headset you have has the ability to use it.
That’s true, and definitely recommended if surround is your thing. Thanks for pointing that out. And the MixAmp should be compatible with any headset or headphones because it uses standard 3.5mm plugs if I’m not mistaken.