Astro A20 Wireless Multiformat Gaming Headset Review

A Closer Look and Performance

The hub is nice and compact, so it’ll sit on your desktop or under your TV just fine. It’s got a small light on it for when it’s powered on, but otherwise, it’s unobtrusive.

Around the back, it’s as you would expect given the included cables, and there’s also a compatibility toggle for PC/PS4 mode.

The Headset

My first impressions of this headset are very promising. The headset isn’t heavy, but it does have a nice weight that gives it a premium quality vibe, and it feels really well balanced in your hand… and more importantly, on your head. Out of the box, it comes with some protective film to keep the shiny bits safe, but also a quick button guide sticker that you can remove.

Built-in Controls

As you can see, there are power controls, volume adjustment, and an EQ button. The volume wheel is neat though, as you can toggle its function between game and voice, allowing to you set the levels of each of them individually to suit your needs. Obviously, the master power button is handy too, as you don’t want the battery going flat between uses, although it will power off after a bit of inactivity too.

Fold-Up Microphone

The microphone is unfortunately hard-wired, and since I so rarely use one myself I do like to detach it and store it away in the drawer. This is one of the reasons I like the Astro A40. However, all is not lost and there are some perks here. For one, you cannot lose the darn thing this way. It also has an auto-mute function, just fold the microphone up and it’ll turn off, which is handy.

Long Boom is Long

The boom is a good size too, so you can easily bend it around and find that perfect speaking position without having to suffer it sticking to the side of your mouth like some cheaper headsets. The quality is OK, nothing innovative, but it has a decent dynamic range, and doesn’t pick up too much wind or background noise. I’d say it’s better than the A10 but not as good as the A40/50 microphones, but that’s hardly a surprise.

Size Adjustable

The headband design is interesting, it’s not as rigid a design as the A10, but borrows the A40 design of the easy sliding sidebars to adjust the fit. There’s a big range to it too, so it’ll easily fit younger gamers as well as adults. The cables pass through the headband internally, but it’s exposed on the sides, with a blue flat cable that looks pretty cool.

Adjustable Ear Cups

The drivers are mounted into a square-ish frame, with a small pivot about 1/3 from the top. This allows a little bit of wiggle room for the driver to provide a more comfortable fit around your ears. At the base of the driver, there’s a tiny bit of ventilation too, allowing for a semi-open driver sound. This means you can hear a little of your surroundings and gives the drivers a bit of a brighter sound overall.

The padding on the ear cups is super soft, and Astro have always had some of the most comfortable foam and fabric anyway, so it’s nice to see that tradition is upheld here. You can comfortably wear this headset all night without getting a sore head or sweaty ears, and that’s obviously a good thing.

Powerful Drivers

Astro is well known for their high-performance drivers, and the A20 Wireless don’t let the team down. They’re very powerful and pack plenty of punch to keep a big smile on your face. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing music, movies, or just gaming. They’re powerful and clear enough to enjoy whatever you throw at them. However, it gets way more involved from there. With the built-in EQ modes, you can boost the bass, treble, or everything with a single button press. The pre-installed presets are all fantastic; I found myself using all of them based on what I was doing.

Let’s Go Deeper

Don’t like the pre-installed profiles? The Command Center software allows you to change absolutely every aspect of the EQ. You can then save these settings to the headset profiles to use as you see fit. Push midranges up a little, scoop the higher end, and this headset really comes to life. Obviously, sound can be subjective, so play around with the EQ a bit for yourself. The headset handles extensive tinkering with the sound really well.