Reddit reviews ASTRO Gaming - A50 Wireless Headset [2013 model]

Just wanted to give a big thanks to all the helpful people here who are so willing to share their knowledge, and to u/ZeosPantera for his handy guides.

This was the very first project I wanted to complete in our new house, and considering the delays due to missing/wrong pieces for the furniture, my reluctance to punch holes in the walls in our new place, and so on, it was a bit of a pain to take on. My main goals were to keep it simple, modern, and clean, and I think I managed it well enough.

It's a basic setup, and I know there are some taboo things people will point out (e.g. speakers too close to the corners/walls, non O2-free copper-clad wire, etc), but the important thing is that I'm happy with it. I don't plan on changing much for years to come (unless you guys end up pointing out something that ends up bothering the crap out of me). It looks and sounds great - even the wife loves it, despite her initial skepticism when I first told her my plan (probably the most important thing).

So many thanks to everyone in this subreddit for being awesome, and let me know what you guys think.

As requested, here are the components.

TV:

• 65" Vizio M652i-B2
  
  
• Sanus Systems LL11-B1 Mount
  
  
• Antec Bias Lighting for HDTV (for giggles)
  
  Audio:
  
  
• Marantz NR1403 AV Receiver
  
  
• Energy 5.1 Take Classic Speakers
  
  
• Astro A50's Surround Sound Wireless Gaming Headset (for the wee hours of the night)
  
  Media console:
  
  
• A modified combination of a 3-unit and a 1-unit Ikea Besta TV benches (as opposed to the regular frames which don't have cable management). A bit of an elaboration on this: I say this is modified because out of the box, if you want to mount them to the wall, they rely on drywall anchors (f that s). So I changed out the hanging brackets and drilled some new holes to accommodate the Ikea Akurum Suspension Rails that are normally used for kitchen cabinets -waaaaay more secure when you're actually going into the studs. Add some miscellaneous doors and drawers and you end up with what I built.
  
  Edit: Parts list and links added! And formatting.

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor | $219.99 @ SuperBiiz
CPU Cooler | Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler | $57.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard | Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | $127.99 @ Newegg
Memory | Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | $139.99 @ Amazon
Storage | Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $0.00 @ The Wife
Storage | 240GB Mercury Extreme® Pro 6G SSD | $159.99 @ Macsales
Storage | WD Blue 1TB Mobile Hard Disk Drive | $30.00 @ TAM Solutions
Video Card | EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti SC Black Edition | $718.00 @ Newegg
Case | NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case | $76.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply | OCZ ZT 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $54.99 @ Newegg
Monitor | Acer - Predator X34 34.0" 3440x1440 100Hz Monitor | $1,170.00 @ Amazon
Monitor | LG 29EA73-P 60Hz 29.0" Monitor | $319.18 @ The Liquidation Team
Case Fan | Corsair Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 39.9 CFM 120mm Fans | $27.99 @ Amazon
Keyboard | Vortex POK3R White LED Backlit Mechanical Keyboard (Red Cherry MX) | $129.00 @ MehcanicalKeyboards
Mouse | Logitech G602 Wireless Mouse | $64.99 @ Best Buy
Headset | Astro A50 Wireless Gaming Headset | $299.99 @ Best Buy
Speakers | Klipsch - ProMedia 2.1 120W 2.1ch Speakers | $150.00 @ Best Buy
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $3,747.07

Monitor Mounts- 10/10

What's your budget for a headset? The Logitech G930 is on a HUGE sale for the next 3 hours. I paid $160 for mine 3 years ago. I did finally replace it after 2 years due to diminishing battery life, but it was great for the years I used it. I bound one of the side buttons to ventrilo push to talk and would walk around the house talking to my guild (sometimes went outside and smoked a cigarette, the range is long). Seriously, at it's current price, I'd buy 2 if I were you and test both and put one back in the box until you destroy your first one. I used mine on average 12 hours a day for 2+ years before I managed to kill it.

If you have more money to spend, get the Astro A50. Much higher quality than the G930, but you pay out the ass for it. I got the wired version, which is the Astro A40, and it's really an amazing headset, but I really, really wish I spent the extra on an A50, because once you go wireless, it's SO hard to go back.

Nope, lately it has been the Astro A40 or A50

edit: a50 link

http://www.amazon.com/ASTRO-Gaming-Wireless-Headset-Xbox-360/dp/B0091WIOJ2 is what I currently use. Surprisingly amazing sound. Deep bass and crisp highs, decent enough at cancelling noise. Wireless, and no static/interference. Amazing. Pricey though!

The wireless part is BIG for VR. Not having that extra wire is great.

yes! Astro A50

I just got a set of A50s the other day (had A40 wireless that pretty outdated). Absolute beasts. I'd recommend them to anyone. They are $300 new or $175 refurbished (normally $200 refurbished). Absolutely nothing wrong with the refurbs, I'd recommend them. You will need an official Chat adapter for voice chat though. If you don't use chat, they are 100% wireless (1 wire for chat).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0091WIOJ2/ref=dp_olp_used_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=used

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0091WIOJ2/ref=olp_page_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462552450&sort=sip&sr=8-4

rip off.

For comparison I have the Astro A50's. They are amazing and I can use them for PS3, XBOX and PC gaming.

[These](http://www.amazon.com/Pulse-Elite-Wireless-Stereo-Headset-63089006306200/dp/B0087OZ5FG/ref=sr_1_2?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1380792472&sr=1-2&keywords=mic
) are what I would call mid range, and have excellent reviews.

If you only want a ps3 bluetooth, something like [this](http://www.amazon.com/PS3-Bluetooth-Headset-Urban-PlayStation-3/dp/B005NYK7YC/ref=sr_1_2?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1380794572&sr=1-2&keywords=bluetooth
) would work and has decent reviews for a $25 earpiece.

Razer makes some solid products, but I definitely would not recommend a Razer headphone. I personally use a pair of Astro A50's and they are an amazing headset for their price range. They feature 7.1 Surround sound, which is great for a lot of FPS games, are extremely comfortable(don't be fooled by their huge size, you can wear these bad boys for hours without feeling them), and have amazing sound quality for a pair of gaming headsets. Seriously I own a pair of Denon music maniac headsets which cost me almost double the amount of my A50's, and the A50's can hold up to my Denon's when watching TV and movies. These bad boys might seem a little pricey but trust me you are getting more than your bang for your buck with the A50. Here's an amazon link.

http://www.amazon.com/ASTRO-Gaming-Wireless-Headset-Xbox-360/dp/B0091WIOJ2/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1415752371&sr=1-1&keywords=astro+a50

They also make a headset called the astro A40 which is exactly the same headset but wired, thus making it a little cheaper.

http://www.amazon.com/ASTRO-Gaming-Audio-System-Xbox-360/dp/B004N7HSGU/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1415752414&sr=1-1&keywords=astro+a40

These are honestly amazing headphones for their price range, and I cannot recommend them enough.

I also figured I would mention that I know you said you prefer a USB headset, but the sound quality on a USB headset won't be as good as say, a digital output or headphone jack. On any good gaming headset, the USB should be reserved specifically for your microphone but not for the headphone in my opinion.

I'm a huge fan of my Astro A50s. They're expensive, but zero regrets.

http://www.amazon.com/ASTRO-Gaming-Wireless-Headset-Xbox-360/dp/B0091WIOJ2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397664668&sr=8-1&keywords=astro+a50+pc

please dont get a wireless bluetooth headset, it will sound like trash and you'll have a bad experience. i promise. get a twenty to forty dollar turtle beach headset. its a great way to start and one day move up to these bad boys http://www.amazon.com/ASTRO-Gaming-A50-Wireless-Headset-Nintendo/dp/B0091WIOJ2