At CES in January of this year Astro Gaming, a company that is well known for its gaming headsets, unveiled a new product aimed at those ever growing number of mobile tech users. The A38 was introduced as a wireless Bluetooth headset that you can use with your smart phone, tablet, notebooks, and even one or two handheld consoles. Astro was kind enough to send a preview unit our way and I’ve had the opportunity to use this headset over the past week or so. I have to say that after my time with it that I am very impressed.
Before I get into some “preview” impressions, I should let you know that should you want to get in on a preview of the A38 you can head over to Astro Gaming right HERE and purchase a beta headset for $119.00. You’ll get a VERY close to final product. Once the beta is over and the final retail version is released you’ll be able to trade in the beta headset for the final version (MSRP $249) and only have to pay the balance. You can also use the $119 in store credit for any future Astro purchase. Please note that the A38 beta program is slated to end in March 2014.
Usually when I travel or use my tablet or handheld gaming device I tend to use either my House of Marley On-Ear headphones or my Audio-Technica Noise Cancelling headphones. Both of these are corded headphones with the latter being the more expensive. Being able to “cut the cord” so to speak using the A38’s was a treat. It gave me more freedom than I had imagined. I did all my “testing” using the A38’s paired up with my Microsoft Surface, MacBook Pro, Windows 8 Phone, Galaxy Tab 2 and my PS Vita. I generally used Songza and iTunes for my music listening enjoyment given I had my own music on iTunes and the selection of mixes on Songza really suits me.
The first thing I noticed was how good the A38’s things looked. The preview unit we received for was gray with blue trim. They also come in a white with yellow trim. I liked the gray with blue as it seemed to match the keyboard of my Surface quite well. They look solid and the tags on the earcups are interchangeable like so many other Astro headphones.
If there is one thing that hit me during the time I have been using the A38’s it is that they sound great. When listening to music the bass levels on any techno, rap or electronica that I listened was tight and not muddy. Mids and highs seemed to make their way out of the speakers to compliment the boom that I heard. Switch it up to something a little lighter, like Sheryl Crow, and her guitar shines along with her vocals. Heck, hitting up some classic rock like The Who or The Beatles and the music was just as good with no instrument sounding out of place. As for the videogaming sound, the PS Vita sounded solid. I played a lot of Sonic All-Star Racing Transformed and from the music to the sound effects to the characters voices, all is well balanced and the headphones make for a far more immersive experience. In a nutshell I am finding that all the tunes and PS Vita gaming that I throw at it manage to sound excellent and that is what matters.
The noise cancelling feature used in the A38’s is pretty solid. It was evident from the get-go when I turned them on with no music or audio coming through the speakers and the ‘outside’ world was muted. Turn on music or any audio and you’ll find that you’ll forget most of what you may hear outside the speakers. If I have one complaint in this area it is the fact that you cannot turn the noise reduction on or off, like I can do with my Audio Technicas, but this is a small quibble to say the least.
Comfort isn’t a problem either. I am impressed in this area as I have a pretty big melon which some headsets don’t accommodate too well. With the A38’s there was no such problem, and it really hit me how comfy these headphones were as I was lying in bed the night before writing this preview listening to a “bedtime mix” of techno on Songza. I forgot I had my headphones on as I started to get immersed in the music and I almost fell asleep. The batteries inside the rechargable unit are said to last 20 hours for music or movie sound playback or 15 hours talk-time. I have yet to recharge them as I have used them for about an hour or so a day since receiving them, and they keep on ticking. I may be coming to the end though as it’s been a long time.
Feature wise I find the A38’s pretty simple and efficient to use.  All the buttons, sans one, are on the back of the ear cups. The left cup has the power on/off/ Bluetooth pair button along with a multi-function button that allows you to skip or go back on tracks as well as answer calls or pause music. On the bottom is the mic mute button for phone calls. The right cup has the volume up and down button as well as a mini-USB to allow for charging.
Is everything rosy during this beta? Well it seems so, but I did run into a couple of problems. When I first paired the headset to my Microsoft Surface and walked away (maybe 10 feet or so) I noted that the connection started to cut in and out when walking. This also happened when the headset was paired to my Galaxy Tab 2, but I was a bit further away. Heck, I started to jump up and down and noted the cutting in and out got worse. This was the only major issue. A smaller, but notable issue is that the volume didn’t get too insane, no matter if both the device and headset volume were at max.   Finally, I did make a phone call or two from my living room, and I could hear everything loud and clear, but the people on the other end said I sounded kind of muted.
Interestingly enough, an email was sent just prior to receiving the A38’s for review, and Astro Gaming states that it is working on improving the following areas of the headphones:
–  The Noise Cancelling Mic: The A38 mic will improve on two fronts – the noise-cancelling will do a better job of filtering out noise and the mic will be improved to provide better clarity
– Â Wireless Range: The A38 antenna is being improved and should net increased range.
–  Wireless Connectivity: The A38’s ability to maintain a solid connection at any distance will also be improved.
– Â Volume: The A38s volume will be increased notably.
So with this in mind, they are indeed listening to and working on complaints or concerns that have been noted by current users of the A38’s, and I find this fact pretty impressive given that these are some of the problems/issues that I experienced.
Even in beta state I find that the A38’s are already a great sounding headphone for anyone who uses their mobile devices while on the go (phone, music and/or gaming). What is even more astonishing is that the few issues or problems I had with them are already being addressed prior to their final release late summer/early fall.  Given my time with them in “beta” form, I am really looking forward to reviewing the tuned retail version once they are complete and released.
