Astro A20X Lightspeed Wireless

Introduction

Something about Logitech’s new Astro A20X Lightspeed Wireless headset feels strangely familiar.

When I took it out of the box, I squinted at it and looked back at the box, sure that something was amiss. 

It seems that for its latest entry into the Astro-branded headset series, Logitech has taken the guts and chassis of its solid G522 model and changed a few things around with regards to adding some more versatile wireless connectivity, different on-board controls and a slightly adjusted sound signature. I suppose if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

At £169.99/$179.99, it’s a little more expensive than the G522, with an upper mid-range price tag allowing it to compete with the likes of the versatile SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5X Wireless, and the stylish Sony Inzone H5.

I’ve been putting this Astro A20X Lightspeed Wireless through its paces for the last few weeks to see what’s what and if it’s one of the best gaming headsets you can buy.

Design and Features

• Lightweight, familiar chassis
• Clever wireless connectivity
• Upgraded battery life

In terms of look and feel, not much has changed from the G522 to this Astro model. It looks very similar, with a textured plastic finish that provides a durable feel, and is very slightly heavier at 298g – that’s around ten grams more. Nonetheless, the A20X Lightspeed Wireless still feels light on the head and in hand.

The chassis is composed of 27 percent PCR, or post-consumer-recycled materials, too, aiding its sustainability credentials, and its packaging is entirely plastic-free, with the headset coming wrapped in paper, and its accessories in small paper bags.

With this model, there have been some adjustments in colour, moving from purple to red fabric on the suspension-style headband and the L and R markers in the earcups. This gives off a meaner vibe than the G522, especially in black, although you can get this headset in white if you’d prefer.

Adjustment on the headband is quite minimal, with little swivel to the earcups and only two positions for the suspension-style headband. The A20X Lightspeed Wireless is still comfortable, with a pleasant clamping force, deep fabric earcups, and a lightweight fit, meaning extended wear isn’t too tiring.

The on-board controls are slightly different from the G522, with this Astro model adding a game and chat mix rocker switch to the right earcup with wonderfully tactile microswitches inside, plus a red button on the rear of the earcup for handling simultaneous 2.4GHz connections. The left side houses a USB-C port and volume wheel, plus buttons for mic mute, Bluetooth pairing and power.

Turning the A20X Lightspeed Wireless on reveals some pleasant RGB lighting, although in two-tone red and blue by default in the middle of the earcups. The RGB is addressable in software, and I’m a fan of the clean and bright look it adds to the headset.

The big upgrade for this headset over both its predecessor and the G522 is its wireless connectivity. In the box, it comes with a small PlaySync base station (similar to the base station found on the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless) that handles the 2.4GHz Lightspeed wireless connection. There are two USB-C ports on the base station, which can be connected to a games console and PC at the same time, for instance, and you can easily switch between the two with the red button on the right earcup. 

We’ve got support for Xbox Series, PS5 and Switch consoles, plus PC, which makes this immensely versatile, plus Bluetooth connectivity for mobile devices and tablets if you want convenience over performance. For reference, the G522 came with a USB-A receiver that only allowed for one connected device over 2.4GHz, and the original A20 didn’t even support Bluetooth.

As with SteelSeries’ recent releases, the Astro A20X Lightspeed Wireless has software support with both desktop and mobile offerings. Desktop support is with Logitech G Hub for means of configuring EQ settings, with game-specific presets, plus options for changing the RGB lighting and adding Blue Voice effects to the detachable microphone. 

With regards to the mobile app, Logitech G provides a downsized version of PC configuration with EQ and RGB lighting. It is more basic, but nonetheless convenient in a pinch.

The battery life of the Astro A20X Lightspeed Wireless is uprated against the G522, with Logitech claiming up to 90 hours without RGB lighting on and up to 40 hours with it on. This puts it ahead of SteelSeries’ option, although it is still way behind the 300 hours of the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless.

Audio and Microphone

• Bassier than the G522
• Solid soundstage and precision for FPS gaming
• Good microphone

Technically, the Astro A20X Lightspeed Wireless is listed as having the same 40mm Pro-G drivers as the G522. If this is the case, then that means it should have Logitech’s new ‘self-contained acoustic modules’ that are designed to isolate the 40mm drivers to eliminate distortion, increase endurance and the power of the headset’s bass.

In my experience, this Astro headset seems to have been tuned slightly differently to the G522, adding a little more in the way of low-end oomph. This helps along with the presence in my rotation of heavier rock tracks, such as Rush’s Workin’ Them Angels, plus with the immersion factor of explosions in some play-throughs of Counter-Strike 2 on PC and GTA Online on my Xbox.

The mid-range here is nicely accentuated, with solid vocals and instrumentation on more intimate tracks such as Mac McAnally’s All The Way Around. I did find the vocals a little pushed back into the mix here, although that’s easily changed with some EQ fiddling, as was the lack of treble.

Its soundstage is decently wide, and helped along with the dedicated FPS preset, accentuated details such as footsteps and gunfire with good placement. The stereo imaging and precision of this headset are great.

As for its microphone, Logitech is touting the same 48KHz/16-bit option as the pricier Astro A50 X, as it did with the G522. This results in some lovely capture, with crisp, clear and rich pickup that’s great for comms and even some casual content creation work. Of course, getting a separate microphone will yield stronger results, but this is still stronger than a lot of other gaming headsets that can sound more like you’re shouting into a tin can.

Should you buy it?

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