Astro A30 Wireless Gaming Headset Review

Introduction & Specification Details and Close-up

Although the Astro A30 is now a part of the wider Logitech range, it has a very different look, feel, and even function compared to Logitech's range of gaming audio solutions. The Astro brand has been around for quite some time, making its mark mostly in the console space - with high-end solutions for PlayStation and Xbox. But it has also been a part of Logitech G for a few years now, with Logitech acquiring the company back in 2017 for a tidy sum of 85 million in cash.

The new Logitech G Astro A30 is the latest wireless gaming headset from Astro, and it's certainly stylish - with Lightspeed 2.4 GHz wireless support for PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and even Bluetooth.

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It's with the latter that things become interesting on account of Bluetooth and mobile connectivity being central to any customization. You need the Logitech G app installed on either an Android or iOS device and paired via Bluetooth because it's only through this app that you can adjust the sound profile, mixer, and microphone settings. Even with the USB dongle connected to a Windows 10/11 PC, the Logitech G Hub software suite doesn't recognize the Astro A30. It confused me to the point of thinking the headset might be faulty on account of no native PC software support.

When you think about it for a moment, breaking from the norm makes sense, as a smartphone is essentially a second screen. So why not leverage that for customization and adjusting the audio? It's a different approach, and with the gaming headset market as crowded as it is, it makes the Astro A30 stand out from the pack.

Smartphone app aside, with a price point of USD 229.95 and AUD 399.95, the Astro A30 falls on the premium and high-end side of wireless gaming audio. And at the end of the day, you'd expect the audio quality to be up there alongside overall comfort. And yes, the Astro A30 does deliver great sound. Let's dig in.

Specifications & Close Up

• Product Type: Wireless Gaming Headset
• Interface: Lightspeed Wireless, Bluetooth, Wired 3.5mm
• Supported Platforms: PC, Mac, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Mobile
• Headphones Frequency Response: 20 - 20,000 Hz
• Headphones Speaker Impedance: 32 Ohm
• Microphone: Detachable Boom Mic and Built-in
• Surround: Windows Sonic (PC), Tempest 3D Audio (PlayStation), Other
• Wireless Range: 15 metres
• Battery Life (rechargeable): 27 hrs
• Cable: LIGHTSPEED USB receiver, USB-C charging cable, 3.5mm audio
• Weight: ~ 340 grams
• On-Ear Controls: Mute Slider, Volume Button, Bluetooth, Power
• In The Box: Astro A30 Wireless Headset, LIGHTSPEED USB-A transmitter, Removable Boom Microphone, 1.5 m 3.5mm Analog Cable, 1.5 m USB-C to USB-A charge cable, A30 Headset Case

Kosta's Test System Specifications

• Motherboard: MSI MAG X670E Carbon Wi-Fi
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition
• Cooler: Corsair iCUE H100i RGB PRO XT Liquid CPU Cooler
• RAM: 64GB (4x32GB) Corsair DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB DDR5 DRAM 5200MHz
• SSD: Kingston FURY Renegade PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD 2TB
• Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 850W
• Case: Thermaltake Core P3 Tempered Glass Snow
• OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro 64-bit

Logitech G Astro A30 Wireless Gaming Headset

	Today	Yesterday	7 days ago	30 days ago
	$229.00	$229.00	$229.99	$218.99	Buy
* Prices last scanned on 12/26/2022 at 6:51 pm CST - prices may not be accurate, click links above for the latest price. We may earn an affiliate commission.

Design & Software and Support

Design

The Astro A30 build quality is certainly sturdy, with hard plastic hinges, cups that feature leather-style memory foam cushions, and a stiff but flexible headband. The cups themselves carry the signature Astro rectangular shape with a very cool iridescent finish underneath transparent covers, which can be customized with your art if you so choose.

It has a premium feel befitting the price point but weighing in at 340 grams, it is a tad heavier than some wireless headsets in this price range, which could present fatigue problems for some, especially for those who game for many hours. The overall fit is a little tight, with noticeable head pressure at first, but mostly comfortable.

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Being versatile and supporting multiple platforms and devices is always great to see, in addition to a wireless headset that also makes room for wired 3.5mm connections. Not only do you get wireless support for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox with the Astro A30, but the 3.5mm wired functionality opens up the versatility to any device with an audio jack. But as with most headsets, the Xbox version isn't compatible with PlayStation on account of Xbox wireless being different from everything else. Even though the dongle switches between PC and Console mode, if you truly want compatibility across all systems, Astro sells individual dongles.

It's with the dual microphone setup and multiple devices connected (at the same time) that the Astro A30 begins to feel like its own thing. Not only in terms of being able to make changes via the Logitech G app but in the ability to have multiple inputs and sources without having to keep switching things around. You can, for example, be playing a game with audio from a podcast streaming over the headset at the same time. It's a cool feature.

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Though it must be said that the on-ear controls are a little small and cumbersome to deal with - especially the volume stick that you push to raise and lower the volume. It doubles as a button but pushing it doesn't mute or do anything out-of-the-box when connected to a PC. The mute slider is also tiny and takes a moment to find, even after days of usage, and, for a headset priced at USD 230, you'd kind of want usability to be seamless and on-ear functions to be easy to manage. As a bonus, the Astro A30 comes with a nice carry case, and you do get fun videogame sound effects when you adjust.

Hardware-wise, the sound defaults to an Astro-specific Immersion tuning that is mostly balanced but does add some crispness and presence to the mid-range. Creating a flat EQ profile (which doesn't come as standard in the Logitech G app) does showcase the well-balanced sound you get with the Astro A30, and the warm and rich bass frequencies make for an impressive distortion-free listening experience with great stereo width and detail. No matter if it's games, movies, or music.

Software and Support

Having all customization carried out via Bluetooth on an iOS or Android device is a different approach for sure, that much we've already covered. But the Logitech G app on mobile is, unfortunately, a little limited and prone to do random things. Like raising the volume to full inexplicably when you go out of range and then come back within range or not responding to button presses forcing an exit and reload.

Also, there's a noticeable lag when making changes, upwards of a couple of seconds to hear results with Google Pixel 6 Pro. And it's strange when you can make volume adjustments in Windows or the app, and there's no synchronization between the two.

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Compared to the well-designed and feature-packed Logitech G Hub on PC, the mobile Logitech G app for the Astro A30 sits on the simple and streamlined side of the software customization scale. Where it does impress is how it cleanly provides access to all Astro A30 design features. The microphone page lets you switch between the internal mic and the boom mic.

Here you'll also find settings for noise gates and sidetone, which store preferences for both microphones. The mixer page allows you to fine-tune game and voice chat levels, though it's here where the noticeable lag is the most noticeable.

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By default, the equalizer only features two settings that cannot be adjusted, Astro Immersive and Astro Footsteps. The latter emphasizes mid and high-end frequencies for competitive shooters, with the former presenting a more balanced and richly cinematic sound. As far as FPS sound profiles go, it's not that terrible sounding, with other frequency detail given some presence.

You can create your own presets, which is welcome, but the five-band equalizer here is basic and not at the level found in Logitech's dedicated PC app. Strangely, the Logitech G app does not feature any spatial audio options, as there's no in-built virtual surround.

For that, you'll need to fire up an external app on a PC (or use Windows Sonic) or make use of Sony's Tempest 3D Audio on PS5 or something like Dolby Atmos on Xbox Series X|S. Further adding to the disconnect between the app and settings.

Performance & Microphone

Performance

Great sound goes a long way, and the Astro A30 has a rich sound profile with deep bass that doesn't rattle, a detailed mid-range, and pronounced but not overly harsh highs. Testing the Xbox version, playing Overwatch 2 without surround still delivered excellent spatial and stereo separation with a clear distinction between music, sound effects, and voices. Thanks to booming and impressive bass, the tuning is aimed at gaming - and it delivers.

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Going over to PlayStation 5 (via 3.5mm connection), mainly to jump back into the very awesome God of War Ragnarok - a game that's nigh on impossible to put down once it grabs you - and the cinematic chops of the Astro A30 come through in spaces. Sony Santa Monica's audio work in the highly anticipated sequel is up there, and the A30 keeps pace every step of the way. From the bone-crunching action of using Kratos's Leviathan Axe to the dramatic exchanges between father and "Boy!".

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With its stylish design, inbuilt microphone, and Bluetooth, the Astro A30 is one of those rare gaming headsets you can wear out and about - and with the Logitech G app, listening to music or podcasts is a great option. The tuning and balance are gaming through and through, but the good news is that electronic music comes across as thick and chunky.

Even though that description doesn't make much sense, it's a compliment. The Astro A30s are more than capable of handling most styles and genres of music and can be used as regular wireless headphones.

Microphone

With two microphones on offer, an inline and the detachable boom mic, the results do vary quite a bit between the two. As expected, the inline microphone is the weaker option, presenting a tinny old-timey telephone vocal sound with not all that much depth. The boom mic fares a lot better and is generally impressive for a gaming headset.

That said, the high price does mean that even this is something of a letdown, as it isn't broadcast quality or at a level you'd consider great for streaming. Also, the lack of proper noise cancellation feels like a serious misstep with the inline microphone.

Final Thoughts

Great sound goes a long way, but not all the way. Leaving all customization to a smartphone app isn't a deal breaker or even the wrong move (official Logitech G Hub compatibility on PC would have been nice) but being inconsistent is. The app has issues, from lag to not registering commands or randomly turning things on or off. Granted, it works for the most part but having the same problems no matter the device does make it feel like an app problem. Having tiny on-ear controls that are difficult to sort out doesn't help; it only compounds the pain.

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Issues aside, when the Astro A30s are doing their thing - and you're playing in stereo or with surround help from the Dolby Atmos app - the results are impressive. There's a deep and rich sound at the core of the Astro A30, with warm bass and crisp detail throughout. Detailed enough that it only gets better with great spatial audio, with no real need to make in-depth changes to anything.

And the connectivity works without stutter or glitches; the wireless tech here is stable and consistent. At least from our testing. A solid headset with definite room for improvement, but when you factor in the high price, the Astro A30 disappoints more than anything else.