Astro.ID A40 TR headset review: Sweet sound in your style

Astro Gaming’s A40 headsets have become a pretty common sight in gaming audio headwear. Whether alone or with the added benefit of the MixAmp Pro, they offer a durable, comfortable, and solid audio experience, if not a little bit on the high side of price. However, if the colors and style of this headset weren’t to your liking on any of the previous A40 designs, Astro Gaming now offers a rather interesting system. Astro.ID allows you to colorize and customize an A40 TR headset to your liking. It’s a simple process and you get your own personalized version of an already pretty solid pair of headphones.

The process

Astro.ID is a pretty easy process to go through and play around with until you make a headset entirely to your liking. On the Astro.ID product page, there are two collections of colors and graphics (of which Collection 2 was just released) which you can use to customize your headset. You can choose options of color and/or graphic style for the headband frame, ear cups, top cushion band, detachable mic, cable, and inline mute cable. You can make each part of the headset the same color, choose all different colors, or go with a certain mix of your choosing. I made myself a sweet pair of purple and yellow A40s. I was also happy to see the product page features a rotatable 3D model so you can also see your headset from every angle.

Once you finalize an order, Astro Gaming offers a four to seven business day shipping schedule, although it could be longer if orders are backed up considering these are custom-made headsets. That said, I found my headset arrived in pretty timely fashion, about a week after order. What’s more, the Astro.ID A40s come with a fresh and clean hardshell nylon-covered travel case. The headset itself looked great, was easy to plug-and-play setup on my PC, and I’ve been using it happily since. I will say the top headband cushion feels alarmingly flimsy. It’s held to the headband frame by two tiny hinge clips and pretty shortly out of the box, I had one of the hinges coming loose pretty frequently. I had to resort to a drop of super glue and it was a quick fix, but it was a weirdly weak spot on an otherwise fun and durable design.

The performance and price

Astro Gaming has done a pretty impressive job establishing its A40 lineup and the Astro.ID A40 TRs are no exception. Out of the box, the A40s can be plugged into your PC or game controllers for use on consoleS like the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. On all of these, you can plug it in via a one audio cable connection. On PC you can plug into a headphone/mic splitter, which I’ve found generally produces better results in my audio and mix experience and does so here as well.

The audio quality on the Astro.ID A40 TRs out of the box is pretty good, providing exceptional quality surround sound out of 40mm drivers specifically built for gaming. The mic is good too, which has been a hit-or-miss spot on a lot of headsets for me. I’m a snob when it comes to sounding as clear as possible and the A40 TR’s detachable mic delivers my voice pretty clearly. The mic attaches firmly to the side of the headset and can be repositioned or removed with ease. It also picks up a little more background air and noise than I would like, though. Both audio output and input on the Astro.ID A40 TR are matters that can be customized further with the aid of the MixAmp Pro, with options for game vs voice, noise levels, and EQ settings. However, it’s also worth noting that’s a $100 upcharge on top of an already $200 headset if you don’t have the MixAmp Pro already.

Your sound, your way

Overall, the Astro.ID A40 TR headset has many of the same pros and cons that can be expected out of this line. The sound is solid quality, the mix picks up well, and they can both be customized if you’re willing to spend extra. The base package costs a pretty penny, but Astro.ID's new color customizations in addition to the A40 formula is a great idea that’s fun, stylish, and easy to use. I have a headset with my favorite colors and a fresh design on it, and it delivers comfortable sound throughout my day. If you’re looking for a good headset that's truly individualized to your tastes, the Astro.ID A40 TRs are a solid-quality way to go about it.

This review is based upon a sample product supplied by the manufacturer. The Astro.ID A40 TR headset is available now directly from the Astro Gaming website.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.