The A10 has great Astro audio and style in a £50 package
- Manufacturer: Astro
- Model: A10
- Type: Wired Stereo Headset
- Price: £49.99 MSRP
- Supported Platforms: Any with analogue 3.5mm audio port
- Reviewed on: Windows PC, Xbox Series X
- Supplied by: Astro
Astro A10 Review
Astro has earned a solid reputation for making high-end gaming headsets, often found crowning the heads of elite gamers on stages around the world.
The new A10 represents the sweet spot between Astro quality and affordability. Priced at just £50, the A10 is the cheapest headset Astro makes and should be affordable for most people. Although some may assume the low cost means it is not up to par with the more expensive Astro headsets, I can confidently say that is not the case.
Design and Build
Design-wise, the A10 is an attractive package. It has lost some of the edgy Astro looks and landed with a softer, more rounded style; There are still remnants of Astro’s iconic style, but the A10 looks more in line with Logitech’s pop range, with an Astro touch.
The matte plastic finish complements the styling, making the A10 look almost soft touch. Depending on the colourway you choose (there are a fair few), the accent colour may change, but all feature a similar modern stripe decal. The decal is 100% Astro and I’m glad to see it, as I adore Astro’s designs – They lean into the edgy gamer aesthetic in a clean and modern way.
On either side of the headset are friction sliders, which are made of the same matte plastic, but there’s a slight change at the tips where you will find a nice gloss piece to split up the design. The sliders are marked along the outside so that you can accurately adjust both sides and not end up with a lopsided fit.
The cushions on the cups and headband are all fabric, which is a personal favourite of mine. It’s very reminiscent of the sportswear-like fabric on the Logitech G733, and they are extremely breathable and comfortable. The headband is great and did not cause me any discomfort, even after hours of use. The ear cups are decently deep and provide a surprisingly good amount of isolation, with not a single case of swamp ear (sweaty gamer ears from wearing a headset too long).
In terms of features, the A10 is very basic, as you would expect from a 3.5mm connection headset. You have a non-detachable mic with flip to mute (not my favourite feature, as I much prefer a mute toggle or button) and a removable 2-metre cable with a scroll-wheel inline volume control. The removable cable is much appreciated, as it makes the A10 easier to store and transport, and it is easily replaceable (you can buy official replacements straight from Astro’s website).
When it comes to durability, the A10 is a machine. Having seen the advertisements showing the A10 being twisted like a pretzel, I carefully attempted this myself. To my surprise, they took a good twisting and bending and popped right back to shape, with no loss of clamping force.
Now onto a slight negative for me – the cup size. This has been my only real disappointment. The cups are small, and at first glance I almost expected them to be an on-ear headset, but they are not, they are just small. This has affected the comfort, as I have to slip my ear between the inside of the cup cushion and the drivers. After a while, it’s easy to get used to and becomes far less noticeable, but it’s certainly an adjustment coming from the likes of the A40 and Elite Pro 2.
Sound Quality
Sound quality is nothing short of phenomenal for the affordable A10, given it is not a replacement for the A40 or A50 but a cheaper alternative.
The 40mm drivers provide a wide soundstage with crisp sharp highs and decently punchy lows. Although the A10 won’t be breaking any records for its bass and low end, that’s not what I look for in a headset; I want crisp and clean highs and mids, allowing me to appreciate the snap of bullets rushing past my head, hear the footsteps of the enemy lurking in the bushes, or even almost feel the crackle of a tuned engine.
Sound isolation does not seem to be a huge issue for the A10s as they surprisingly keep up almost punch for punch with my other headsets in that department. Over the past week, I have had my daughter stand next to me and talk mid-game and I have had to lift a cup off to hear her properly. They are not completely isolating, but they more than do the job.
I have enjoyed the A10 so much that it has actually remained in my setup and is now attached to my Mixamp TR Pro, boosting it even further with the same audio tunes I have used on my A40s for years.
Performance is great, but the A10 has a couple of shortcomings: At higher volumes, they do get a bit muddy, especially if loud bass is involved; I also noticed there were some inconsistencies in the frequency response, where some things would sound different from how they usually would, though I couldn’t pinpoint whether the cause was the game, Mixamp or at the headset end.
Microphone quality
No headset is complete without a microphone. After all, it’s half the reason to get a gaming headset. To no one’s surprise, Astro has not fallen short in this department. The microphone is stellar, producing clean, crisp and clear communication all the way. When I first switched to the A10, my teammates thought it was better than the mod kit mic on my A40s, and I haven’t had a single complaint. Judging by my audio monitoring, the mic is fantastic, and I don’t have a single bad word to say about it. I can confidently say it is the best mic I have found on such an affordable headset thus far.
Summary
The Astro A10 is easy to recommend for anyone looking for an affordable wired gaming headset. There is no question in my mind that the new A10 offers the best bang for your buck of any headset on the market. You are getting Astro audio quality, crystal clear communications, ridiculous durability and clean aesthetics, all in an affordable bundle. Moving forward, they will absolutely be my new go-to travel headset.
