Astro’s Mixamp 5.8: A review
                           
The system of Astro’s Mixamp 5.8 is aimed at making wired phones wireless without sacrificing on the quality of the sound.

The first look of the device along with the packaging does not fail to impress us. Gaming graphics makes the street-chic design of Astro aesthetic along with the graffiti which covers the box.

The box unfolds and reveals the Mixamp RX (receiver), two compartments that have all the starting accoutrement and Mixamp TX (transmitter).

The size of the TX base station is around four inches, which is about the size of Apple TV (2nd generation). The black topside is glossy and attracts fingerprints.

The onyx façade is broken up with the company logo, dolby headphones on/off and power. The back of the gadget has optical output and input ports, two USB ports, an auxiliary connection of 3.5 mm for a separately sold adaptor cable for PS3 chat, and a power plug.

The size of the RX unit measures four by two inches and is little larger than a beefy flip phone.

The black facelift is shiny and has a volume knob with a smaller dial that adjusts the audio / comm channels mixing and bass boost and power buttons.

The RX at the bezel and back is slathered with velvety soft and smooth touch plastic which also comes as belt clip attachment.

The RX also has mini USB port, an Xbox chat cable connection of 2.5 mm and a headphone jack of 3.5 mm.

The setting up of Astro’s Mixamp 5.8 is a piece of cake. All you have to do is hook up the TX to the audio source of your preference with the optical cable included in the package.

Once the power adaptor is plugged in, pop some batteries into the RX and you are all set. There are 3AAA batteries powering the receiver. However, a rechargeable power pack is also sold separately at a price of $20.

The 5.8 GHz technology keeps the audio absolutely crystal clear. The working of the system is pretty good with no major complaints.

The Bass Expander mode of the system helps in delivering Dolby Headphone surround sound audio by injecting a subtle subwoofer effect. In fact, with loud volumes, the bass tones become rounder.

Listeners get the illusion of 7.1 or 5.1 channels of stereo sound in headphones. The simulated surround sound gives richer audio and you also get more realistic imaging when you watch movies compared to other standard stereos.

The Astro’s Mixamp 5.8 is priced at $130 and you get to listen to high quality stereo surround sound without having wires stretched across everywhere, cluttering your room.