Astro gaming A38 $119.99 - Beta program pricing!

B0W and Arrow said:
How generous of Astro to offer a new product at $110 off. And by generous, I mean what a clever marketing technique.
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I'm not interested high-end headphones, but it doesn't seem as cynical as you make it out to be. Seems kinda cool, actually, if I was a guy who would spend $110 on headphones.

We're launching the Beta Program to give the ASTRO faithful early access to new products months ahead of their retail launch, at a price break that’s pretty hard to beat. All we ask for in return is your feedback. As such, we’ll be setting up an online feedback form that we hope you take the time to tell us what you think.

Please note, the key disclaimer to this program is that these are PRE-PRODUCTION UNITS – meaning they are 95% of the way towards the final shippable product, but there are still some elements that we're fine tuning. They work awesomely, we wouldn't sell them if they didn't, and to be honest you probably won’t even notice there's anything to fix. But that's the beauty of this program – we'll do what we can to incorporate your feedback into the final stage of development before launching at retail later this year. It's your chance to be part of the ASTRO Product Development process, and to get a screaming deal on an awesome new product ahead of everyone else.

 
B0W and Arrow said:
How generous of Astro to offer a new product at $110 off. And by generous, I mean what a clever marketing technique.
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TBH, Astro sound quality and build quality is top notch, so I wouldn't be surprised if these are actually worth $120, or even the $200. I just bought some A50s and these aren't made for console gaming anyways, so I'll pass.

 
I heard about this during CES coverage and seemed like a decent deal especially if it's like other Astros in quality and sound. I ordered one one of these when it became available and should be getting it Tuesday. Plan on using it for my iPad mini and Vita

 
jedolley said:
I heard about this during CES coverage and seemed like a decent deal especially if it's like other Astros in quality and sound. I ordered one one of these when it became available and should be getting it Tuesday. Plan on using it for my iPad mini and Vita
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I want these for my Vita but I wouldn't want to drop the money and then have a sound delay. I tried another set of bluetooth earbuds I ordered off amazon, paired with the Vita no problem but had a 3 second delay on audio.

 
xxxScorpion said:
I want these for my Vita but I wouldn't want to drop the money and then have a sound delay. I tried another set of bluetooth earbuds I ordered off amazon, paired with the Vita no problem but had a 3 second delay on audio.
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That's bad, but I can tell you that's not common for Bluetooth headsets and the Vita. I have already used two other Bluetooth headsets just fine (Logitech H800, and LG Tone 730). I don't expect there will be a problem with these either.

 
jedolley said:
That's bad, but I can tell you that's not common for Bluetooth headsets and the Vita. I have already used two other Bluetooth headsets just fine (Logitech H800, and LG Tone 730). I don't expect there will be a problem with these either.
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That makes me go hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I currently use the Pulse Elite headset though due to the craptastic design it's currently breaking/close to snapping so it won't last longer. I don't mind paying good money for a good headset as long as it works, just don't want to bite and then have that OP buyers remorse. I wonder what the return policy is on these.

Edit- Looking at those you posted the LG Tone 730 are the ones I had. (Going to verify through my Amazon order history) but while playing Gravity Rush it was way off.

Super Edit- Nevermind. I had the LG Tone HBS 700. Oii. Decisions decisions.

 
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Half the price seems like a good deal but I'm not sure if I should even bite.

Would these even work on the xbone or 360 or ps4 and ps3?
 
Anyone that gets these and has impressions, I think the thread would greatly appreciate your thoughts.  Very tempted by these, I am usually good for one silly headphone purchase a year.

 
Mine shipped today, should see them by early next week.  I purchased them because i travel a lot for work, and these headphones will pair up nicely with my ipad, ipod, and vita while offering the active noise cancelling solution I have been looking for in a bluetooth enabled head set.  I'll add my impressions after I have recieved them and had a chance to use them.  I'm a big fan of the A50s, although not audiophile sounding, they produce a good signature for gaming within a decent build.

 
mitchega said:
Mine shipped today, should see them by early next week. I purchased them because i travel a lot for work, and these headphones will pair up nicely with my ipad, ipod, and vita while offering the active noise cancelling solution I have been looking for in a bluetooth enabled head set. I'll add my impressions after I have recieved them and had a chance to use them. I'm a big fan of the A50s, although not audiophile sounding, they produce a good signature for gaming within a decent build.
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Please do tell about the Vita when you receive them. I need a good Vita/PC headset. It seems slightly odd to me that these appear to be on ear and not over ear, though....whatevs.

 
So, I have not invested any money in high-end audio before.  How would these compare to something like Beats wireless option?  Not saying Beats are the end-all-be-all, but they are usually touted for their quality.

 
aardvarkgod said:
So, I have not invested any money in high-end audio before. How would these compare to something like Beats wireless option? Not saying Beats are the end-all-be-all, but they are usually touted for their quality.
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Beats are the perfect example of good marketing not necessarily good performance. While beats are not going to sound bad to most, a true audiophile will tell you that they are of average signature with an heavy emphases on bass. With that being said, I suspect that the a38 will be somewhat on par with the beats. Build quality should be very very close.
 
If they support A2DP and I'd be surprised if they didn't, then they should work with anything that has Bluetooth, including the Vita.   That post linked above makes me think that it should work with anything that supports A2DP.

Since it also has a mic and the product page mentions that it works with smartphones, the headset should also support HSP and HFP for two-way audio.

 
Mine is out for delivery today and i'll test it with the Vita first. I really liked the A30s when I had them except that they weren't wireless, so I am really looking forward to these.

 
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So would you need a bluetooth adapter to connect these to PC or does it come with a USB bluetooth dongle or something rather? Would the mini-USB charging cable be used to connect it and use it as PC headphones?

 
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Sairou said:
So would you need a bluetooth adapter to connect these to PC or does it come with a USB bluetooth dongle or something rather? Would the mini-USB charging cable be used to connect it and use it as PC headphones?
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Just cracked open the box... Does not have a BT dongle, but my PC (actually Macbook) has bluetooth onboard so I'm ok there. Plugging in the headphones to my Mac's USB only charges it, it is not recognized as an audio device via USB.

The retail box is standard Astro awesome. I also like that they included a carrying case and the quality seems pretty good and protective (has a bad smell though). I expected the headset to be glossy white like the A30, but this headset had a rubbery matte feel and the white is not as bright as the A30. It's really comfortable, but IMO small. What I mean by that is I have an slightly above average sized head and I'm almost at the max adjustment. People with larger heads might have an issue. As for the buttons they kept it simple and well placed IMO. As for the sound, so far I tested it with a quick game on the Vita (KZ Mercenary) and there was no delay issue and it sounded really good. I also tested a few songs on iTunes and still sounded really good. So far my initial impression is that the headset is solid in build quality and audio (at least to me).

 
jedolley said:
Just cracked open the box... Does not have a BT dongle, but my PC (actually Macbook) has bluetooth onboard so I'm ok there. Plugging in the headphones to my Mac's USB only charges it, it is not recognized as an audio device via USB.

The retail box is standard Astro awesome. I also like that they included a carrying case and the quality seems pretty good and protective (has a bad smell though). I expected the headset to be glossy white like the A30, but this headset had a rubbery matte feel and the white is not as bright as the A30. It's really comfortable, but IMO small. What I mean by that is I have an slightly above average sized head and I'm almost at the max adjustment. People with larger heads might have an issue. As for the buttons they kept it simple and well placed IMO. As for the sound, so far I tested it with a quick game on the Vita (KZ Mercenary) and there was no delay issue and it sounded really good. I also tested a few songs on iTunes and still sounded really good. So far my initial impression is that the headset is solid in build quality and audio (at least to me).
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How was the bass? I assume noise escapes when wearing them due to being on ear and such as well. Wasnt too much pressure while wearing them?

 
xxxScorpion said:
How was the bass? I assume noise escapes when wearing them due to being on ear and such as well. Wasnt too much pressure while wearing them?
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I don't know if I am the best judge of bass since I don't listen to much music, and what I do listen to is not bass heavy, but it sounds good to me. As for the noise escape or isolation... For "on ear" headphones they actually do a good job of isolating sound. As soon as I put them on I can immediately notice the background noise in my house get quieter/muffled. As for noise escaping, I will have to ask my wife if she can hear anything bleeding out.

 
I really really want to splurge and buy these but I don't know if I'll use them enough to justify the price tag. I already have a pair of A50s I use for gaming and then I have the original Sony ps3 headset for my PC.

Decisions decisions...

 
xxxScorpion said:
How was the bass? I assume noise escapes when wearing them due to being on ear and such as well. Wasnt too much pressure while wearing them?
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The bass isn't bad on them, I listen to a lot of EDM music so bass is pretty important to me and I feel it's pretty good. Though my previous headphones were Skullcandy Hesh which were pretty cheap and the bass wasn't that great on those. I'm actually quite pleased with my purchase, I wouldn't honestly pay $230 for them (though I'm having trouble trying to connect them to my laptop which is why I bought them so that's why I say that)

I will say the noise cancelling is great and probably my favorite part of the the headphones.

 
I don't get how they wouldn't work with the ps3 and ps4 because if they're bluetooth enabled head set and u can use bluetooth headsets with the ps3 and ps4 system then you should be good
 
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starmask2k3 said:
I don't get how they wouldn't work with the ps3 and ps4 because if they're bluetooth enabled head set and u can use bluetooth headsets with the ps3 and ps4 system then you should be good
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I'm pretty sure they do, I haven't tried it yet but that's something I can try later tonight with them.

 
mossfan563 said:
Not sure if I wanna buy these. I'm already looking at pink A40's.

However, the beta program perks look pretty sweet.
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Do you plan on using your headphones for console gaming? If yes, better to stick with the A40s and don't forget the mixamp to get the most out of the A40s.

I got them in yesterday and tried them out for like an hour. They are not bad for the beta price. I most likely would not pay the full retail for these. I feel that the bass is pretty heavy on these, more so than the mids and highs. The Noise cancelling is alright, not truly noise canceling since you are still able to hear outside noise if it loud enough, but these can drown out regular speaking level.

I tried it on my vita, did not notice any lag between sound and gameplay when playing Lumines. Didn't even know that there were lag issues with blue tooth connected devices on the vita.

 
ZerotypeX said:
Do you plan on using your headphones for console gaming? If yes, better to stick with the A40s and don't forget the mixamp to get the most out of the A40s.

I got them in yesterday and tried them out for like an hour. They are not bad for the beta price. I most likely would not pay the full retail for these. I feel that the bass is pretty heavy on these, more so than the mids and highs. The Noise cancelling is alright, not truly noise canceling since you are still able to hear outside noise if it loud enough, but these can drown out regular speaking level.

I tried it on my vita, did not notice any lag between sound and gameplay when playing Lumines. Didn't even know that there were lag issues with blue tooth connected devices on the vita.
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I know that these headphones are not for consoles. Just wondering if I want to spend more money.

Might plan on using these A38's on my iPhone for music.

 
jedolley said:
Just cracked open the box... Does not have a BT dongle, but my PC (actually Macbook) has bluetooth onboard so I'm ok there. Plugging in the headphones to my Mac's USB only charges it, it is not recognized as an audio device via USB.

The retail box is standard Astro awesome. I also like that they included a carrying case and the quality seems pretty good and protective (has a bad smell though). I expected the headset to be glossy white like the A30, but this headset had a rubbery matte feel and the white is not as bright as the A30. It's really comfortable, but IMO small. What I mean by that is I have an slightly above average sized head and I'm almost at the max adjustment. People with larger heads might have an issue. As for the buttons they kept it simple and well placed IMO. As for the sound, so far I tested it with a quick game on the Vita (KZ Mercenary) and there was no delay issue and it sounded really good. I also tested a few songs on iTunes and still sounded really good. So far my initial impression is that the headset is solid in build quality and audio (at least to me).
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Thanks for the mini-review. I guess people with giant melon-sized heads like me will need to pass if they're on the smaller side.

 
If you buy this, as part of the beta program, you also get a 20% off discount on other items at the site. You can return these for "full store credit within 1 year of purchase," creating a round about way to get 20% off any other item you want from Astro Gaming, such as a mixamp.

If I remember right, discounts on Astro products are few and far between, making this a pretty good deal, IMO.
 
SteveGo said:
If you buy this, as part of the beta program, you also get a 20% off discount on other items at the site. You can return these for "full store credit within 1 year of purchase," creating a round about way to get 20% off any other item you want from Astro Gaming, such as a mixamp.

If I remember right, discounts on Astro products are few and far between, making this a pretty good deal, IMO.
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This alone just convinced me to buy a pair.

 
Those look cool and all but quick read of the specs...

without a way to output from my AVR to this device its really a no sale.  

I don't sit on the street and listen to music like the pictures.

I sit in my living room at night and game or listen to music with wireless headphones.

At 120$ they need to sell a 40$ device with optical in.  So you can plug any optical output in and it would be far more versatile headphones.   If it came with that right now i'd buy a pair at 120$ 

But it doesn't...

 

oregon said:
Those look cool and all but quick read of the specs...

without a way to output from my AVR to this device its really a no sale.

I don't sit on the street and listen to music like the pictures.

I sit in my living room at night and game or listen to music with wireless headphones.

At 120$ they need to sell a 40$ device with optical in. So you can plug any optical output in and it would be far more versatile headphones. If it came with that right now i'd buy a pair at 120$

But it doesn't...
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I think you are missing the point of this headset... Astro has done a good job of stating the purpose of this headset and for some reason some people are still expecting something else. This device is a Bluetooth headset designed for mobile gaming, voice, and audio and for $120 it's a decent deal considering similar headsets. At the post beta MSRP, this headset stops being an attractive option, but right now it's pretty good IMO.


SteveGo said:
If you buy this, as part of the beta program, you also get a 20% off discount on other items at the site. You can return these for "full store credit within 1 year of purchase," creating a round about way to get 20% off any other item you want from Astro Gaming, such as a mixamp.

If I remember right, discounts on Astro products are few and far between, making this a pretty good deal, IMO.
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Did not realize this, thanks!

yingfo said:
though I'm having trouble trying to connect them to my laptop which is why I bought them so that's why I say that
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I was able to connect them to my Macbook both in OSX and Windows (bootcamp) with no issue.

 
For people who have these, do they fit too snugly on the ears?  I had tried a pair of A30s in the past, but found the foam on the earpieces dug into my ear far too much to be comfortable, and I'm wondering how the earpieces feel on these with that flat surface foam--I guess--material on them.  Thanks for the help!

 
ScottyN said:
For people who have these, do they fit too snugly on the ears? I had tried a pair of A30s in the past, but found the foam on the earpieces dug into my ear far too much to be comfortable, and I'm wondering how the earpieces feel on these with that flat surface foam--I guess--material on them. Thanks for the help!
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I find the A38s very comfortable. I don't feel that much pressure on my ears and can wear them for hours. The material feels like a soft faux leather and very nice. I was initially worried that they would not breathe well, but that does not appear to be a problem.

 
These do work on PC and you can get virtual surround sound on them if you use Razer's virtual surround sound program. They don't work on PS4, it says no profile available, because PS4 does not support bluetooth headsets. They are really comfortable and I love the build quality of it.

Since these come with the beta program perks they are allowing you to trade them back for the full $120 (minus shipping I am guessing).

You also get a 20% off code, with the opportunity to buy other pre-release headset. Just a guess but this might mean you could get the 2014 A40's at a beta discount + trade in credit of $120 + 20% off.

Beta participates will also randomly be selected to get free headsets to test according to the blog posting.

  • The ability to purchase ASTRO Beta gear at major discounts
  • The opportunity to give online feedback on your Beta experience, helping create an even better final product
  • The option to trade in the your Beta product in exchange for what you paid in in-store credit for a future ASTRO purchase
  • A personal digital VIP ASTRO Gold card with unique ID good for 20% off at astrogaming.com, the ASTRO Beta Lab, and at live events such as PAX Prime & PAX East. (Up to $1000 in total purchases annually)
  • Downloadable digital content
  • Advanced access to future Beta releases
  • A VIP invite to the A38 Launch Party in San Francisco with the ASTRO Gaming crew
 
my question would be, what condition does the "exchange" need to be in within the 1 year. Do you need the original box, all cords etc. Wondering if wear and tear will factor in. Because honestly, if your in the market for astros, this seems like a no brainer.

Buy these, trade them in 1 year down the road for full money + 20% off some A50s?

Whats the downside?

 
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