Astro pleads for street cred with $150 A30 Cross-Gaming headset

Ah, Astro Gaming. It's been awhile, hasn't it? After going on a year-long hiatus from crafting new hardware, the company is hitting back with an all-new headset based around the same DNA found in its A40. Rather than cranking out yet another pair of mic-infused headphones that do users little good outside of the LAN party setting, the A30 Cross-Gaming actually boasts a street-style design that enables them to double as vanilla headphones. The boom mic is removable (though an in-line mic allows for communication in any situation), and you'll find interchangeable speaker tags if you're scouting a way to "be yourself." It's up for order today at $149.95, but if you're looking to pick up a Dolby-powered Astro MixAmp -- which is said to "seamlessly blend voice and game sounds" -- you'll be looking at a grand total of $229.95.

Astro A30 Cross-Gaming headset

[Hobsie Posted Mar 16th 2010 1:58PM]

You can take the mic off of a40's?

[andysexton Posted Mar 16th 2010 2:05PM]

@Hobsie You can, it's just this one leaves you with the in line mic.

I think.

[niZmo Posted Mar 16th 2010 2:06PM]

@Hobsie Yup

[CaptainPlanet Posted Mar 16th 2010 2:04PM]

I can't justify spending $230 on gaming headphones :/

[niZmo Posted Mar 16th 2010 2:09PM]

@CaptainPlanet Yea it is expensive, but the sound is amazing on them and they come with tons of adapters to hook them up to pretty much anything. Music on them is alright, it doesn't compare to boss but boss doesn't compare to astros for gaming.

[dibs oddjob Posted Mar 16th 2010 2:15PM]

@CaptainPlanet

Well imagine that you really love video games, but the only time you get to play them is when other people in your house are asleep. So you can play them, but you need headphones. Now you have money for the latest console/PC, HDTV, and games, but you have to use crummy stereo headphones that don't provide surround sound, a huge part of many modern games. Then you get your ass handed to you in MW2 because you don't know where the guy came from.

Add it up and it's easy to justify it if you have the money. Maybe not $230, but something more than the $20 headset from Target.

[kojo87 Posted Mar 16th 2010 2:30PM]

@CaptainPlanet my roommate dropped $250 on an Astro headset last fall. i ridiculed him endlessly for it but it they are pretty kickass. $250 worth of kickass? im not so sure. i like my Razer headset just as well and it was "only" $80.

[think before you react Posted Mar 16th 2010 3:17PM]

@niZmo
true. They also don't compare to Bose:)

[r00 Posted Mar 16th 2010 8:20PM]

@think before you react
BOSE='Buy Other Stereo Equipment'

[ashleythehottiest Posted Mar 16th 2010 2:06PM]

All i think about is a certain van when i hear Astro.

[anexanhume Posted Mar 16th 2010 2:27PM]

@ashleythehottiest

Yeah, I've had some good times in my Town & Country with Astro Glid...

Wait, what?

[Massive Poop Posted Mar 16th 2010 2:27PM]

That's sexy

but really if the sound quality is on par with other headphones o the same price then I'd be willing to spend the 230$

[Jimbojones Posted Mar 16th 2010 2:33PM]

is that bart station on 16th street?

[bolezhinkov Posted Mar 16th 2010 2:50PM]

I love being myself as dictated by changeable cover plates!!! I havent felt this personal since I bought a red cover plate for my late 90s nokia!!!

[kongmw Posted Mar 16th 2010 3:19PM]

i think im just not a serious enough gamer to be dropping even over $100 for a pair of gaming cans. maybe back in the days when Counter-Strike was popular, i'd consider getting some nice ones. but now that my laptop sucks at gaming, which forced me to play console games, i could use the money for some soundbars or whatnot.

[Tonezorz Posted Mar 16th 2010 3:26PM]

I love my A40's

I would have maybe picked these up instead as I already use my A40's for a ton of stuff besides gaming, but for gaming specifically they are amazing.

2nd best gaming-related purchase, only losing to my 1080p 23" LED monitor.

[davexgridline Posted Mar 16th 2010 3:31PM]

I'll stick with my Sennheiser 555's... again.

[goopyshrey Posted Mar 16th 2010 4:03PM]

As much as I lust for those headphones the sheer number of games I can get per a single headset for my 360 is 6:1. I think I can deal with my stereo + MS branded headset for 6 games.

[AceJay Posted Mar 17th 2010 4:02AM]

I got a review copy of these and I'll be honest - the sound quality was pretty abysmal. They look nice, but the sound is not anywhere near being worth $230. The MixAmp is nice though.

[bigsofty Posted Mar 17th 2010 9:43AM]

Too expensive, cheap good sounding headphones are now too easily readily available... no sale!