Bang Olufsen Beoplay Portal Vs Astro A50: Which Is Better?

Table of Contents

The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal is a stylish headset that produces excellent sound and is extremely comfortable to wear. It has active noise cancellation as well as a sleek design that allows you to wear it anywhere. However, given the connection issues we had with the Xbox version and the fact that you can’t use Bluetooth and Xbox audio at the same time, it’s difficult to justify the price.

The Astro A50 Wireless, on the other hand, has all the bells and whistles of a high-end gaming headset but skimps on the essentials like a good microphone and sturdy construction. You could get something that lasts a little longer for $300.

Bang Olufsen Beoplay Portal Vs Astro A50: Comparison Chart

Features	Bang Olufsen Beoplay Portal	Astro A50
Launching Year	2021	2022
Brand	Bang Olufsen	Astro
Model Name	Bang Olufsen Beoplay Portal	Astro A50
Connector Type	Bluetooth and AUX	Bluetooth and AUX
Available Colors	Black, Blue and Mist	Black
Average Battery Life	12 hours	11 hours
Charging Time	1 hour	1 hour
Compatibility	Smartphone, Tablet, PC, All Bluetooth Devices	Smartphone, Tablet, PC, All Bluetooth Devices
Bluetooth	Version 5.1	Version 5.0
Connection Distance Range (Bluetooth)	66 feet	10m
Driver	6mm	10mm
Online Price Ranges	Rs.35,399	Rs.18,990
Customer Ratings	4.2/5	4.6/5

ALSO READ: Boat Rockerz 550 Vs Boat Rockerz 560: Which To Buy?ab

Bang Olufsen Beoplay Portal Vs Astro A50: Detailed Analysis

Design

The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal’s expert design conceals the fact that they are gaming headphones at first glance, which is a major selling point. There are no flashy logos or accent colors, nor are there any large microphones. The Beoplay Portal, on the other hand, is unassuming but clearly high-quality. When you wear this, you will receive compliments.

The premium materials used in the Beoplay Portal’s construction—lambskin leather earcups, precisely machined aluminum, and composite polymer—are immediately noticeable. It’s easy to wear thanks to its ergonomic shape and light construction, and the large ‘L’ and ‘R’ printed on the inside let you know which earcup is which.

It’s pointless to sugarcoat it: I find the Astro Gaming A50 Wireless difficult to use. This is a high-end wireless gaming headset with plush velour earpads, a flexible design, a long battery life, and a slew of other features. To summarize, it appears to be excellent on paper. But that’s not how things work out

Audio Quality

Because Beoplay has a reputation for producing high-quality audio equipment, the Portal headset should come as no surprise. Our favorite music genres sounded just as good via Bluetooth as they did through the 3.5mm jack, and we were blown away by the clarity and energy of the headphones.

The soundstage isn’t as expansive when using the Beoplay Portal with Xbox One as it is with other headphones. We were able to improve the sound by adjusting the EQ and using Dolby Atmos (available on the Xbox model but not the PS5, where Sony’s ‘Tempest’ spatial audio tech takes over), but the speakers still don’t produce a sound as lively or engaging when playing games as they do when listening to music. We can’t recommend the equalization controls to competitive gamers because they allow you to zero in on specific sounds, such as footsteps.

The A50 Wireless, the wireless variant of the Astro Gaming A50, appears to be any other gaming headset. The headset adequately emphasizes the bass notes while not overemphasizing the high-frequency sounds. When Dolby Audio is enabled, the headset’s frequency response is slightly altered, further downplaying high-end sound and adding a little more than just surround sound. A malfunction should not result in the overpowering of one sound by another

This type of frequency response is ideal for electronic music and other styles that benefit from deep bass. However, due to the high-end de-emphasis, cymbals and certain vocals may be less audible. Because of the other noise, the higher notes of Vulfpeck’s It Gets Funkier’s piano part isn’t as crisp as the bass line.

MUST-READ: Boat Rockerz 550 Vs Boat Rockerz 600: Which Is Better?

Connectivity

To simulate a boom mic, the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal microphone employs clever beam-array technology. As a result, the microphone’s output is adequate but not quite up to broadcast standards. It makes your voice sound echoey as if you’re speaking in an empty room, but no one has ever complained about it in our Xbox party chats or phone calls. The Beoplay Portal for PS5 appears to have benefited from the extra time. We had no connectivity issues after spending a significant amount of time with our PS5 connected via a USB-C dongle. As previously stated, it can also wirelessly send USB-C audio to headphones via Bluetooth. We were able to listen to a podcast while completing quests in Fenyx: Immortals Rising thanks to the app’s convenient volume controls. When trying to receive a mobile notification while using this dual connection, we occasionally experienced interference, but it was never a problem.

Unfortunately, the wireless connectivity of the Beoplay Portal isn’t great, at least not in the Xbox-focused version. After a week of testing with an Xbox Series X, interference and random disconnects were discovered. There were times when everything worked perfectly, but we noticed that when we moved around or brought our hands closer to the headset, the problem worsened. Although Bluetooth performance has improved, some songs continue to skip.

The Astro Gaming A50 Wireless connects to the included base station and charging cradle via a USB cable, from which it can be used with your console or PC. The base station’s 2.4GHz RF signal to the headset eliminates lag, making it ideal for competitive gaming. The A50 Wireless range of up to 30 feet appears to be accurate; I’m able to stay connected to the hub even when I’m on the opposite side of my apartment, behind several closed doors.

Battery Life

Astro’s claim that the A50 Wireless can run for more than 15 hours on a single charge could not be verified. To save power, the headset goes into sleep mode after 30 minutes of inactivity (this “feature” cannot be turned off). As a result, we are unable to conduct our standard 16-hour battery test without first erecting our battery testing rig atop a fully operational washing machine. We could only estimate the battery life by poking the headset and looking at the percentage, but that was enough to get us to 16 hours of playback.

Bang Olufsen Beoplay Portal vs Astro A50: Quick Result

Particulars	Bang Olufsen Beoplay Portal	Astro A50	Which one is the best?
Battery Life	Good	Amazing	Any
Deep Bass	Great	Good	Both
ANC	ANC	ANC	Both
Sound Quality	Better	Best	Astro A50

Bang Olufsen Beoplay Portal Vs Astro A50: Final Verdict

In contrast to most gaming headsets, the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal performed admirably when we listened to the music of various genres. We believe audiophiles would enjoy them more than gamers because they don’t have the most exciting sound. In addition, in the Astro Gaming A50, the build quality is questionable, the microphone is weak and distorts deeper voices, and the base station is more of a hindrance than a help. It has intermittent connectivity issues, the headset can be difficult to position, and it appears to need a reset for no apparent reason. The audio features and comfort level of the headset are also strong points. The value, however, does not justify the $300 asking price.

NEXT READ: The Boat X Sunburn Rockerz 550 Review: Worth Buying?