The Astro A50 is a wireless gaming headset of the premium class. It offers numerous features, such as the charging cradle.

Charging
The headset is not charged via a cable on the headset like most other wireless gaming headsets, but via a charging dock. The charging dock looks very high-quality, has a display that shows important information, such as the battery level, and is simultaneously a transmitter/receiver for the computer.

Sound/Software
The sound of the headset is super good, you can create an individual sound profile through different EQ profiles in the Astro Command Center. The software from Astro is very good, you have no bugs, and you have many adjustment options.

In Windows 10, you have two audio outputs, one for the chat and one for the game. This allows you to decide for yourself how loud you want to hear the game in relation to the Discord/Skype/Teamspeak.

The microphone sounds okay, but I would have expected more for the high price, because the microphone sounds very compressed. When you flip the microphone up, it is automatically muted.

Comfortable?
The headset fits snugly on the head and has very comfortable EarPads that still fit great even after hours of wear. The cushion on top is a bit too hard for me and can hurt a bit after a few hours. I also noticed that the headset is completely open and you can hear everything that happens outside. It is really as if you put Airpods Pro on the transparency mode.

Dolby Audio
Compared to 7.1 Surround sound or just regular surround sound, I can really say, that it’s awesome. It sounds like you’re in a Cineame. It’s easy to locate enemies in games. I tested Star Wars Battle Front 1 +2 and it’s game changing, it really is a step upwards compared to regular surround.

Comfort
The headset sits comfortably on the head, but you have very little to no noise isolation, because of the fabric pads.

To summarize, the Astro A50 is a good choice for people who value Dolby Audio, good sound and bug-free software, assuming you don’t have a low budget.

As a proper replacement for my Corsair Void Pro USB, I picked the SteelSeries Arctis 9. The Arctis 9 is a wireless headset that can either be connected to a PC or PS4/PS5 via 2.4Ghz.

Connection / Battery
The range over 2.4 Ghz is really great, I can move floors and still hear my sound from the PC, despite the fact that fat concrete walls are in between. The headset also comes with Bluetooth, so you can connect it to your phone and PC/PS4 at the same time. SteelSeries has equipped the Arctis9 with a battery life of 20 hours.

Sound / Microphone
Thanks to the DTS Surround sound, it is also really fun to play shooters with it. Compared to the Corsair Void Pro USB, the Arctis 9 has a bass-heavy sound. Compared to the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro, the Arctis 9 has a less clear sound. The microphone of the Arctis 9 is extendable and has a red LED that lights up when the microphone is muted.

Comfortable?
The pads are made of fabric and are very comfortable on the skin. Compared to the Astro A50s, the headset shields external noise better. You have to decide for yourself whether that is an advantage or disadvantage.

Software
When you set up the headset on Windows 10 for the first time, you will have two inputs, one called ” SteelSeries Arctis 9 chat” and one called “SteelSeries Arctis 9 Game”, which is used to adjust how loud the game is in relation to the music or Discord with the slider on the headset.

The software from SteelSeries called “SteelSeries Engine 3” is not very well optimized. I had to uninstall and reinstall the software several times to get the sidetone working and adjustable. The microphone sounds okay, but nothing spectacular. It’s not super clear, but it’s good enough for Discord, Skype, and a few video chats for school.

The SteelSeries Arctis 9 is a solid all-around headset if you’re looking for a 2.4 Ghz headset with decent sound. It was important for me not to have a detachable microphone, as I generally think that’s impractical.

UPDATE after 2 weeks of use:

The Arctis 9 has disappointed me a lot, SteelSeries has disappointed me a lot. I have massive software issues that make the headset unusable for me. The SoundProfile does not work, the headset sometimes just has no sound and you have to reinstall the software in order to use the headset again. I tested the headset on three different computers, all had the same problems. For me, the headset is a case for return. #SteelseriesIstrash

I bought my Bose QC 35ii last year. I wanted them for a flight from Frankfurt to New York. I have since been very satisfied with the quality of the Bose quietcomfort 35 ii.

Sound/Accessories
The sound is extremely clear to my ears and sounds just great. I bought the special edition in midnight blue, which looks really great- In addition, I bought a cable with microphone from Bose, so I can use the headphones on my PS4 with microphone. The cable is in my opinion with 30 € too expensive.

Usecases
The Bose QC 35ii is both to listen to music and to watch FIlme a super choice. For gaming, the headphones are not ideal, because they don’t have 7.1 surround sound and via Bluetooth the latency is just not optimal. For gaming, I would suggest the Astro A50.

Bose Connect App
The Bose Connect app is very clear and offers all the functions you need. Unlike normal Bluetooth headphones, the QC35ii uses the smartphone to manage the connections. You can be connected to 2 devices at the same time, which makes it much more convenient. You can also adjust the noise cancelling level in the app. I have the noise cancelling mostly on the maximum, but in my opinion, you have a bit more bass in neutral mode.

Comfortable?
The Bose QC 35ii feel very light on the head, but the pads on the ears are made of leather, which is not ideal for me, because you tend to sweat underneath. I think if the pads were made of fabric, the noise cancelling would suffer. In addition, I notice that if you wear the headphones for several hours at a time, the head open hurts a bit. The cushion could have been a bit thicker at this point.

Active noise cancelling
The Bose QC 35ii has a much louder background noise compared to the Bose 700, although both are really quiet. The Noicecancelling is incredible in the headphones, you really hear almost no external noise when you wear them. Compared to the AirPods Pro, this is really a step upwards.

I can highly recommend the Bose QC 35ii just for the current price, if you like overar headphones and you want crystal clear sound.