So to say we were more than excited when they asked us to check out their latest offering, the A38 Bluetooth wireless headset, would be an understatement! But just because we love Astro Gaming, doesn’t mean they would get an automatic pass and we just vouch for them. I went in deep with this pair and for a complete week this was the only headphones I used everywhere. They say this is the pre-production model which is near final specs, so let’s see how they did!
Style
Right now the A38s come in White and Gray. I’m just going to say go with the Gray as they just look more bad ass in that color. The whole body is gray or white with the exception for the head cushion which is black. If you get the white ones, the speaker tags have this carbon fiber fill with yellow outline. For the gray, it has a move distinctive look with what I’ll call that Tron neon blue-ish outline. Both look amazing but my preference went towards the gray for this one.
While the outside of the A38 headset looks like the A30’s, when you get to the inside you’ll see a difference. Instead of having the same type of ear cups found on the A30s, the A38s changes it up and is more of a cushion instead of a cup. This cushion is of gray material on both the white and gray colors.
Overall the A38 has the look and almost the same feel of the A30s we know and love, but changes up just enough to make it distinctive from it so it can shine on its own. At first look, it catches the eye. I for one experience this when I went to a Superbowl Kick Off event and a few people were asking about my headphones!
Sound
Astro Gaming does quality sound in their headsets and the only pair of headphones I use when I play games at home. But how about all around. With the A38s, Astro Gaming wants you to be able to use this with your games, music, and more. Whether from a tablet, phone, gaming system, or other. So how did it stack up?
On first use, the sounds was quality was excellent. Sounds were crisp, bass was booming, and mid and highs were clear. I have no complaints about the quality of the Astro Gaming A38 headset. However the volume left me a little wanting for more. Not to say the volume was too low to be enjoyable, far from it; but I wish it was just a bit louder at the max volume. I mention as I though I completely love Astro Gaming, I want to be completely unbiased in my first thoughts of this product. And it should be noted Astro Gaming is aware of this and noted that the volume would be increased notably in the final version. Keep in mind this is a beta pre-production unit. Withstanding that, the sounds were very good and I can see using this with various kind of audio. Whether from gaming or just listening to music, the Astro Gaming A38’s would be versatile in handling it.
Experience
While the device could look great, be totally stylish and the sound can be good, it is the experience that will make or break a device. The Astro Gaming A38 Bluetooth headset in this regard is off to a great start. From the time you power it up, connecting a device to it is very easy with the on board NFC. Just tap your device (provided it has NFC as well) and you on your way to connecting to these headphones. I was up and ready to roll in a matters of a minute, so set up was a pleasure.
Once I was ready to go, listening time was very good. I mainly use headphones to listen to music while commuting to and from work. With this kind of use, I was able to get a week’s worth of battery out of it without needing to charge. Obviously if you intend to use them more during the day, your battery time will vary, but a solid week was kudos in my book. And that is just the time I used them. I’m sure I could have kept going. Now though the battery time is good, I would like to see a better way of knowing how much battery I have left. Sol Republic does a great thing with their Tracks Air headphones, where when you turn it on, it gives you an audio estimate of how much listening time you have left. Would love to see something like this with the A38 headset .
Beyond battery time, using the A38 is a pleasure. The cushions on them are very comfortable that extended use wasn’t an issue for me. My ears didn’t feel any discomfort on days where I might have listened almost all day. I also really like the Active Noise Cancellation on the speakers as well. Being able to mute the world around you and just have your music or game is always ideal and inclusion of this was appreciated! It isn’t all rosy, there were some things I saw that definitely need to be worked on. Astro Gaming has mentioned that these things are being worked on and should be better in the final version, but want to note them here.
While the noise cancellation is good, it can be a little better. For the most part it works, but there are times outside sound does bleed in, but this could be imparted due to the volume as well. So once those are corrected, we could be in the clear. Also the connection after day 3 wasn’t always on point. There was an increasing amount of time where as I listened to my music the sounds would start to cut out or stutter as the connection was having issues. This was the biggest pain point. I won’t be able to find myself using this as a primary pair of headphones until something like this is worked out. When I listen to my music, it has to just work flawlessly. Astro Gaming had mentioned this is being worked on and the connectivity will be improved, so I have hopes there. Again this is a beta model. Once some of these items are worked out, these should be a solid pair of Bluetooth headsets, one I definitely recommend.
Wrap Up
Overall my experience was good with just a few issues. I have much confidence in the final version and can’t wait to compare and see how they improve from this version here. If you want to be on to a pair of headphones before most are seen with them, and don’t mind a few hiccups; then I say the Astro Gaming A38’s are for you!
