For full audio and microphone compatibility, you can plug these headphones into your PC, PlayStation, or Xbox controller. The earpad's improved padding and soft fabric enable lengthy, comfortable gaming sessions, and the strong audio balance works well for both games and music. Currently, the console doesn’t support mic and game audio passing through a single TRRS jack for most games, despite having one on the top of the console. The microfiber-covered ear pads also give them a slightly more high-end feel than the HyperX Cloud Stinger or the Logitech G430.

The audio isn't fantastic, but these are for gamers rather than audiophiles, and it's something younger users won't care about as much. Wide padding under the headband matches the material, and ensures that the headset never feels too tight on the head.If Switch compatibility isn’t actually such a big deal, wired headsets like the Turtle Beach Recon 70, the Razer Kraken X and the Corsair HS60 Pro Surround all sound better and offer better isolation.

These headphones have middling peaks and dips performance, meaning they can't control the sound they want to achieve. The headband is the worst offender though, resting a significant amount of weight on the top of the head and eventually leaving me sore. It sits further away from your mouth than the previous generation's, but still offers a decent overall performance, so your voice sounds clear, even if you're talking in a moderately noisy environment like a busy office.The kick drum hits are palpable, almost reaching into subwoofer levels of ultra low frequency response. The Razer, on the other hand, have a downloadable virtual soundstage feature and are more stable and comfortable on the head.

However, both the piano notes and the finger snaps in the beginning have enough high frequency edge to let them retain presence against the bass, and provide some texture to the notes.

However, it’s not like the company doesn’t make anything worthwhile—The A20 (Gen 2) is a totally fine Xbox-centric gaming headset. The pads very gently hug the edges of my ear, and because the cups aren’t super deep or angled inside, my ears touch in there a little bit too. Our unit's weighted group delay falls below the audibility threshold, which results in tight bass and transparent treble reproduction. The setup process might not be so hot, but the Astro A10’s microphone is pretty standard for a gaming headset.

However, since they're closed-back headphones, their soundstage isn't as open or spacious as that produced by open-back headphones. If you need something to wear for a long time huddled over the controller of a Playstation 4 or Xbox One, or you want something for playing games undocked on your Nintendo Switch, this might be for you.

However, they're decently comfortable, and their wired-only design ensures that you don't have to worry about battery life during long days on the go. However, if you have an older Xbox One gamepad without the headphone port, you'll need either Astro's Mixmp M60 attachment or Microsoft's headset adapter.