Before the PS5 I was hesitating between this and the Pulse 3D from Sony. After looking and reading some reviews I finally settled on the Astro A20 Gen 2. I didn't want to spend too much money on it, but I didn't need an overpriced gaming headset either. Perhaps also useful if Coolblue indicates in the product description that it is a Gen 2, because I also had my doubts here.
I don't think the design of the new Gen 2 is bad, but also not wow. The colors do match the Playstation 5, but it looks a bit cheap with all that hard plastic. Despite the fact that the outside is a bit on the mediocre side, it feels robust itself.
One of the biggest reasons I chose this headset is because of the super soft (suede) fabric as earpads. My ears fall completely into the earpads and after 6 to 7 hours of playing it is still super comfortable. It also feels super light after wearing it for a long time. You forget for a moment that you have a headset on. You should also not wear the headset too tight, because the headband can irritate very slightly, nevertheless it is the most comfortable gaming headset I have ever worn.
Installing is easy. You plug the USB dongle into the PS5, a blue light appears, you press the power button of the headset and a connection is made immediately. The USB Dongle has a button and shows a green light to also switch to PC mode if you want to use it for the desktop or laptop.
The sound quality is not excellent, but very good, sharp and also quite loud. The high bass is present, but you can still hear the sharpness of, for example, reloading your weapon. You can also hear the different sounds such as footsteps, explosions and shots from different sides when you play a shooter (for example Cold War). However, it is not completely noise canceled at normal volume, you will still hear background noises outside the game audio. You can of course easily solve this by increasing the volume and I didn't expect that it would be completely noise canceled with this price range. The headset also has a volume control knob to control the sound level and an EQ knob with three different positions. It's just not clear what the EQ buttons stand for and you can't figure this out anywhere. I also hear a moderate difference between the three modes where, for example, slightly less bass is used and more treble. There will also be a firmware in the future where you can adjust the Equalizer yourself on the PC.
The microphone is sufficient as far as I know. In the party, the rest hear me well and clearly. The microphone is quite flexibly adjustable, when you hide the microphone upwards, it also immediately mutes the microphone.
The battery has a duration of 15 hours and as far as I know it also complies. You will receive a USB C cable to charge the headset. Furthermore, it has a large range for when you are further away from the console, tested it yourself and it is still possible to connect even 20 further away.
Furthermore, it perfectly meets the in-game functions of the console. The mute button on the console ensures that the microphone of your headset is muted without any problems. PS: This is apparently not the case with the Pulse 3D (in wireless mode), where you could only use the mute button of the Pulse 3D headset.
For this price it is a top headset. It lives up to expectations, although I could also go for a slightly more expensive one (for example the A50 or the Steel series Arctis 7). Highly recommended for those who are still looking for a new, not too expensive gaming headset for their PS4/PS5.
