Jo from Gamer Next Door, the Playboy Cyber Girl of the Year 2008 takes a couple minutes to talk about the her experiences with the A30s and it’s features.

Click here to check it out!

Enjoy kids,

- ASTRO stanimal

IGN – Astro A30 Gaming Headset Review – 9.7/10

“…in our opinion, every dollar spent is matched with high quality components, top-tier audio performance, and a level of unique style seldom seen in gaming headphones.”

MTV Multiplayer – Astro A30 Headset Impressions

“There’s no question that the A30′s are extremely well-designed (assuming you lack a huge head with equally huge glasses) and great sounding. There aren’t many high quality headset solutions out there designed with gamers in mind, so Astro is left standing mostly alone in this field, and does an admirable job.”

CNET Crave – Astro A30 gaming headphones: All-in-one solution for mobile gadget users

“We tried out a pair of A30 headphones for a good week and a half, and even without the MixAmp the audio quality was better than expected, and certainly good enough for use with an iPhone or other player.”

Complex – Gear of War: Astro A30 Headphones

“For what they deliver, though—top-tier gaming audio that’s versatile enough to work as amazing street and work headphones—it’s a small price to pay. Whether you’re in the market for gaming cans or just a new set of general-use ones, these are worth the price.”

G Style Magazine – Astro Gaming’s A30 Cross-Gaming Headset Review

“I should mention that audio quality on the Astro A30 is excellent. Audio is clear and crisp. There is just the right amount of treble without it being piercing and the bass is nice and deep.”

the macfeed – Review: Astro A30 Cross-Gaming Headset

“You will be amazed every time you put them on, and that is why we recommend the Astro A30 cross-gaming headset.”

Loud Mouthed Gamers – Astro Gaming A30 Audio System Review – 9/10

“Its sound is crystal clear, its lightweight, its price is reasonably cheap, but really? Its definitely worth the money spent.”

They just keep on pouring in… stay tuned for more reviews as they come in!

- ASTRO stanimal

When we reviewed the Astro A40 Audio System, we felt Astro Gaming set the bar pretty high for not only for the gaming audio accessory industry, but for themselves. Though not without its faults, the Astro A40 system proved to be an incredibly versatile and high-performance gaming audio solution. Despite praises from us and much of the gaming press, Astro has been working diligently to expand upon the A40 headset and this week unveiled the fruits of their labor — the Astro A30 headset.

One of the most common criticisms of the A40 was that it was bulky and came with an even heftier price tag of $199 for the headset alone and $249 for the complete MixAmp system. For the A30 headset, Astro has sought to trim sizable fat from both the price and the form factor, while adding a few new features to appeal to new audiences and target on-the-go consumers.

In terms of the design, Astro seems to have ditched the blocky, road-ready aesthetic of the A40 in favor of a sleeker, sexier frame that more closely resembles traditional headphones. While still incredibly unique, the A30′s design is far less noticeable when being worn or resting on the shoulders of the user. The A30′s framework is in many ways a unibody design; while the headband can be extended and earcups rotated inward for resting around a user’s neck, it is expertly constructed to feel like one solid piece.

In addition to the drastic size differential between the A40 and A30, the weight difference between the two headsets is staggering. While the A40s are comfortable, they are pretty weighty, the A30s, on the other hand, feel almost weightless. Part of this experience is due to the A30′s on-ear earcup shape, as opposed to the over-ear padding of the A40s. Unless you’ve got exceptionally large ears, the A30′s earcups should rest comfortably on the furthest edges of your ears, with no gaps for sound to get in or out. The earcups of the A30s are closed-back for further sound isolation.

But the Astro A30s aren’t all form; a few functional improvements have been made as well. The quick release cord, which extends only a few inches below the headset and can be connected to included cables of varying length and output, now incorporates a built-in microphone. The built-in microphone provides a nice alternative to those who’d rather not to deal with a full-on boom microphone. This is especially useful for using the A30s with the iPhone or other smartphones with all-in-one audio cables. Furthermore, the inline connector now features a play/pause button for iPod and other media player control. For smartphone use, this function can be used to answer or end calls.

The inline microphone seemed to pick up spoken dialogue fairly well, but with a natural level of distance between the user and the microphone, it’s not nearly as clear as the A30′s detachable boom microphone. The A30′s boom microphone, unlike the A40′s which popped into either the right or left earcup, is fixed on the left side. The connection port is seamlessly integrated into the frame of the headset. Unfortunately, the boom microphone is permanently in the extended position unless it is completely removed. It can, however, be bent to be less intrusive when not in use.

As for audio performance, Astro has tweaked the equalization of the A30s to be slightly bassier while maintaining strong mids and crisp highs for better performance in multimedia applications; however, we found the boost to be beneficial in gaming applications as well. In fact, we found ourselves favoring the A30s for their beefier tone, especially when playing audibly-rich shooters like Battlefield Bad Company 2. As we mentioned before, the headset can be purchased with the MixAmp system, which is the only way users can get full simulated surround processing and integrate with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Since the surround sound processing is taking place in the same product whether you purchase the A40 or A30 headset, our multi-channel audio experience was virtually identical. We were still able to locate sources of audio in a wide sound field, which is essential for gaming use.

It is important to note that Astro has revised the MixAmp hardware since we first reviewed the A40 Audio System to incorporate integrated USB connectivity with PCs and the PlayStation 3. Otherwise, users can still connect multiple devices via optical toslink cable, USB, stereo headphone jack, COAX, or RCA. Also, for those concerned about whether Astro’s customizable speaker tag system is still a key feature on the A30s, the answer is yes, however, they are of a different shape and size than those used on the A40s. You will be able to buy and create your own speaker tags, but existing pairs for the A40s will not work on the A30 headset.

At $149.99 for the headset by itself and $229.95 for the MixAmp bundle, the Astro A30 is by no means a cheap endeavor, but in our opinion, every dollar spent is matched with high quality components, top-tier audio performance, and a level of unique style seldom seen in gaming headphones.

IGN’s Ratings for Astro A30 Gaming Headset

Rating (out of 10) – Description

9.5 Build Quality – (A solid, unibody-like design that seems built to last.)

9.5 Audio Quality – (An impressive tonal range with a little extra bass, ideal for music, shooters, and action titles.)

9.0 Features – (The new built-in mic and media playback controls are perfect for gamers on the go.)

8.2 Ease of Use – (Like the A40 Audio System, it’s still a bit of a tricky setup.)

9.2 Value – (While still expensive, the A30 system is cheaper and, in many ways, preferrable to the A40s.)

10 Comfort – (The headset is practically weightless and the earcups breathe exceptionally well.)

9.7 OVERALL (out of 10)

PRICE: $150 ($230 bundled with mixamp)

COMPARE TO: Tritton AX 720, Turtle Beach Ear Force X41

WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING: Astro is already known for its hardware design (they’re the firm behind the Xbox 360 and Alienware rigs) and its headphones (the A40 is at the top of the heap for MLG gaming cans), but with this “cross-gaming” unit they take aim at the casual/commuter market. The result? +10 for headshot…

Gaming headphones are great, and really do make a difference in online multiplayer, but they suffer from a few problems: cord overload, aesthetic concerns (really, those joints are HUGE), and maybe most importantly Single Use Syndrome. Sure, they’re great for gaming, and maybe watching movies, but there’s not a chance those things are leaving your living room. And that’s what Astro’s looking to change with these. The A30s use an ingenious “QuickConnect” system that lets you swap out cords so that you can use them for console or handheld gaming (Xbox360 or PS3), or with iPhones and MP3 players.

By using Dolby Headphone sound instead of full 5.1 sound, they no longer need to cram four speakers into each earpiece, making for a much more streamlined profile: the A30 look more like Skullcandy or WESC phones than studio-quality engineer cans, and clock in at just about half the weight of the A40s (188g vs 324g) (plus actually look better than most regular headphones). Interestingly, the smaller on-ear fit, rather than an over-ear/circumaural one, means that sound leakage is all but obliterated; we’ve been around someone wearing these playing PS3 at deafening volumes without anything trickling out from their headphones.

The design legacy of Astro Studios comes into play as well. Just like the A40s, the A30s have magnetic plates that are swappable, and even fully customizable a la Nike iD. They’ve already done artist series with Upper Playground, but we have to admit we’re not even mad at the unadorned Space Invader-esque design.

But how does it sound? Surprisingly rich, to be honest. Despite the good things we’d heard about Dolby Headphone, we didn’t expect them to deliver a full gaming audio experience, but playing through Battlefield Bad Company 2 with the audio set to “War Tapes” was insane. At one point, we were running through an abandoned rebel camp and were able to track down an annoying radio that was behind us and to the left. They’re great for multiplayer, with individually adjustable game and voice volume meaning you can hear (and be heard) crystal clear, even over the ruckus of a tank. If you’re using them as subway headphones, the foam fit means that you can zone out without blasting your eardrums out (but if you want to, no one’ll know you’re doing it with a Hell Rell mixtape). As we write this, they’re plugged into a laptop for Itunesy goodness, and beat out our usual headphones for sound quality.

Are there downsides? A couple—they’re not quite perfect. Gaming with them requires Astro’s mixamp, which delivers great sound, and cuts down on the cord overload of the Trittons—but does so at the expense of running on battery power, which it sucks down like Divine Brown (word to outdated ’90s references). Four AAs that need to replaced every 8-10 hours or so means rechargeables are all but a must. And while they’re extremely comfortable, the on-ear fit means they can feel a bit snug after a couple of hours. (Of course, if you’re gaming for more than a couple of hours at a stretch, you should probably take breaks anyway, so who knows, maybe this is a public service.) For what they deliver, though—top-tier gaming audio that’s versatile enough to work as amazing street and work headphones—it’s a small price to pay. Whether you’re in the market for gaming cans or just a new set of general-use ones, these are worth the price.

Click here to read the full review!