Astro A40 Vs Elite Pro 2

As a Mixer streamer, having mix controllers is a must-have for feeding Xbox game sound into your headset alongside PC sound for mic recording and Discord chat. Thankfully, both Astro and Turtle Beach provide 7.1 surround headset bundles precisely for this purpose. If you lot don't need the mix controllers, they tin as well be purchased separately too, and they're both similarly priced, sporting many of the same features.

Whether or not y'all like the designs of these headsets will boil down to personal preference, but when it comes to the audio, build quality, and technical experience, there are some key differences betwixt the two that potential buyers should be enlightened of.

So here it is, our first headset boxing royale: Astro's A40 TR MixAmp combo vs. Turtle Beach's Elite Pro Tournament with its Tactical Audio Controller.

See our total Astro A40 TR review
See our full Turtle Embankment Elite Pro Tournament review

Spec showdown

Category	Astro A40 TR	Turtle Beach Elite Pro
Frequency Response	20 - 24,000 Hz	12 - 22,000 Hz
Microphone	Unidirectional with racket gate (detachable)	Omnidirectional (detachable)
Impedance	48 ohms	32 ohms
Speaker	40mm	50mm neodymium
Weight	360 grams	390 grams
Environs	Dolby Headphone vii.1	DTS Headphone:X 7.1
In the box	Headset, 3.5mm cable, optical cable, MixAmp controller, USB cable	Headset, three.5mm cables (x2), optical cable, TAC controller, USB cables (x2)
Cost	$250 (opens in new tab)	$300 (opens in new tab)

See Astro A40 TR at Amazon (opens in new tab)
Run into Turtle Beach Elite Pro at Amazon (opens in new tab)

Build quality, comfort, and pattern

Turtle Beach Elite Pro Tournament (Left) vs. Astro A40 TR (Right)

As far as design is concerned, it'll ultimately fall to personal preference, but the Astro A40 edges out the Aristocracy Pro for me for a couple of primal reasons. While I call back the Aristocracy Pros look a little less "gaudy" and "gamery," they're both adequately guilty of pandering to that almost toy-similar advent, catering to the idea that gamers want "edgy" designs (maybe they practise, only I certainly don't).

Both headsets are supremely comfortable, with generous amounts of memory foam, fabric-coated cups that are really pleasant.

The A40s win out though because the exterior plates can be removed and replaced with all sorts of custom designs of your own choosing. Additionally, the A40 comes in both white and black flavors, offer extra multifariousness. The Elite Pros are pure blackness with odd orange accents, that I'd scarcely associate with a headset, merely here we are.

When you're wearing them though, you're no longer thinking almost the outward appearance. Both headsets are supremely comfortable, with generous amounts of retention foam, cloth-coated cups that are actually pleasant on your skin. The A40 TRs tin be customized with thicker cushioning as well if you want a more isolating sound experience, to match that of the cavernous cup experience afforded by Turtle Beach.

The Turtle Beach Elite Pro tournament has an odd tension gauge at the top of the headset, which doesn't seem to practice annihilation. The cups themselves tin can pivot to fit any caput shape, and adapted up and down in relation to the headband. You lot tin besides remove the earcups and create a foam "channel" for glasses wearers, which is a nice touch on. There's very little to complain near on this front.

Astro's A40s are too very comfortable, but again, probably edge into the lead for the unproblematic fact that they are lighter. There'south less metal on this headset, which might impact its durability, still. The Astro A40s only experience a picayune more than balanced too in terms of weight distribution. Turtle Beach could have probably ditched its seemingly useless tension gauge to save a few grams in that location.

When it comes to durability, I practise experience more comfy with the build quality on the Turtle Embankment headset. While it is a little heavier, there's quite a bit of metal to compliment the overall design. Astro's A40 headset is attached to the speakers via a precarious-looking plastic squeeze, which does experience sturdy, but it's a little less reassuring than the metal connections found on Turtle Beach's attempt.

Ready-upwards experience

Turtle Beach Elite TAC (Image credit: Windows Cardinal)

Both headsets offer simple iii.5mm connections which get direct into your PC or Xbox'south audio jacks if y'all're not concerned about 7.1 surround or audio controllers. Turtle Beach'south Tactical Sound Controller offers a huge assortment of sound presets, complete with the company'southward "Super Human Hearing" which accentuates highs typically associated with footsteps and other enemy motility cues. In that location's a huge amount of configuration on Turtle Embankment'south TAC, allowing you to control the levels of mic monitoring for chat feedback, a system for removing background sound from your vocalization, in improver to all the regular sound controls.

The TAC also beats Astro'south MixAmp in another way, it's heavier, by a lot. Yous might wonder why you lot'd want an sound controller to be heavy, but this way, information technology's protected against cable tension, causing it to slide around. The MixAmp is very calorie-free, and as a result, information technology's harder to get it to sit still.

Where the TAC fails miserably against the A40 MixAmp, is cabling. Rather than brand a separate headset specifically for Xbox, Turtle Embankment tried to cram PlayStation, Xbox, and PC compatibility into a single bundle. As a effect, you'll need an insane amount of cables, some of which might seem completely redundant a lot of the fourth dimension. In Astro'southward A40 TR fix, all you demand is the MixAmp, the headset, a 3.5mm cable to the headset, a USB cable to your PC or console for chat, and a SPDIF optical cable to your Xbox. If yous want to use the headset on your PC, you can ditch the SPDIF cable altogether and just go with USB.

Setting upwards the TAC controller beyond unlike platforms is a embrace to cover cable nightmare when compared to the MixAmp.

With the TAC and Aristocracy Pro, you'll need dissever cables to use the headset with different platforms. For PC, you'll demand a special separate USB cable just for the headset. If you desire to mix console audio for streaming, you'll need a divide 3.5mm split mic/audio cable, USB to your PC, and SPDIF to your Xbox. On Xbox, you'll need another different audio-just iii.5mm cable for the headset, a separate three.5mm cable only for your controller to actuate mic back up (why? I don't know), SPDIF for sound from your Xbox, and USB. For actress laughs, the TAC controller needs ii unlike types of USB cable for data and firmware updates ... only ridiculous.

Thankfully, both headsets have really great PC software and are easily updated firmware-wise. On a technical forepart, I've not had whatever driver or performance issues from either headset. The Turtle Embankment setup severely loses at the cabling game, yet, it beats the MixAmp for features and customizability. If you want a simpler solution hit upwardly the MixAmp, if you desire full control become with the TAC. Just really, it boils down to the audio experience.

Audio experience

Both headsets utilize 7.1 when combined with their respective audio controllers, Dolby on Astro, and DTS:X on the Turtle Beach headset. Ultimately, whether you prefer one of those solutions or fifty-fifty Dolby Atmos, is largely downwards to personal preference, but I've found that that the DTS:Ten environment provides me with better positional sensations than the other solutions offered.

Astro's headset features smaller drivers and amend frequency responses for the highs, only yous tin can accentuate them using Turtle Beach's sound controller if you cull to do and then. For bass tones, I notice the Elite Pro Tournament provides a richer feel overall, and it feels similar it has a wider sound stage, leading to a more often than not better sound experience. Even though the Astro A40 ready is far more convenient to deal with, I personally prefer the sound on the Aristocracy Pro. That'southward non to say the A40 TR is bad by any means, but the Elite Pro headset offers an extra punch at every frequency range and seems to suffer baloney less at college volumes.

You won't accept a poor feel with either headset, though.

Where microphones are concerned is a bit of a mixed purse. Because the Turtle Beach Aristocracy Pro inexplicably requires a 3.5mm cable to your controller to activate the microphone, using it while plugged in can create baloney for those listening. Additionally, the Elite Pro headset tin create an echo in some situations when used on Xbox One, whereas the Astro A40 tends to but work without additional configuration. Both headsets have in-line controls for volume and mic muting, simply the A40 also has a peachy trick where you lot tin angle the microphone upwards to mute. The unidirectional mic on the Astro A40, additionally, is better at isolating recording to your voice merely when compared to the basic omnidirectional mic that comes with the Elite Pro. You can buy a racket-gating microphone for the Elite Pro (opens in new tab) separately, merely that heaps on an additional $20 price.

Where the Elite Pro wins, however, is sound quality. Xbox Live compresses recording quality to reduce bandwidth, merely on PC, the Elite Pro'due south microphone is noticeably ameliorate at recording audio. Information technology's and so much improve, in fact, that I use information technology for making YouTube videos in lieu of a dedicated desktop microphone.

Concluding Thoughts

Both headsets have their plus points and negative points. The A40 TR MixAmp set up is far simpler, and requires far less piece of work and cables to transfer your experience between Xbox One and PC. The Aristocracy Pro is far more complex, offering more than features in a unmarried packet at the cost of usability. The A40 designs can be customized and have far more than options, while the Elite Pro tournament is a bit more what you run into is what you get, albeit with more sturdy materials.

On sound, I think the Elite Pro edges out its rival, merely only just. Both headsets provide a high-quality experience both in terms of audio and condolement.

Ultimately, if you want the most control over your audio mix experience, you'll want an Elite Pro Tournament with TAC controller from Turtle Beach. If you desire convenience over complication (and at a cheaper toll point), Astro A40 TR with MixAmp is the style to go.

Best Xbox I Headsets

See Astro A40 TR at Amazon (opens in new tab)
See Turtle Beach Elite Pro at Amazon (opens in new tab)

Jez Corden is a Senior Editor for Windows Central, focusing primarily on all things Xbox and gaming. Jez is known for breaking exclusive news and analysis every bit relates to the Microsoft ecosystem while being powered past caffeine. Follow on Twitter @JezCorden and heed to his Xbox 2 podcast, all about, you guessed it, Xbox!