Is the Sennheiser HDB 630 worth the upgrade from the ASTRO Gaming A50 Gen 5?
Verdict
Meaningful upgrade
The Sennheiser HDB 630 scores 5.4 points above the ASTRO Gaming A50 Gen 5. That's a real improvement, though not the kind you'd notice on every track. The gains are concentrated in battery (7.1 to 9.7), sound (8.2 to 9.4) and value (7.4 to 8.4). You do give up ground on calls (9.2 to 8.5). On paper: battery life 24 h to 60 h, active noise cancelling and codecs SBC to SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive. Worth checking: wireless charging goes Yes to No. That costs $190 more, or about $35 per point of score - steep unless the specific gains above are ones you care about. Worth doing if you're replacing anyway; harder to justify as a pure upgrade if what you have still works.
What actually changes
Sub-scores both products have, on the same 0-10 scale. Bars extend right for a gain, left for a loss.
- Sound8.29.4
- Battery7.19.7
- Calls9.28.5
- Value7.48.4
Spec differences
Only where the two genuinely differ - everything they share is omitted.
| Spec | A50 Gen 5 | HDB 630 | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 24 h | 60 h | |
| Active noise cancelling | No | Yes | |
| Codecs | SBC | SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive | |
| Weight | 363 g | 311 g | |
| Full charge time | 180 min | 120 min | |
| Driver size | 40 mm | 42 mm | |
| Microphones | 1 | 4 | |
| Wireless charging | Yes | No | |
| Transparency mode | No | Yes | |
| Wear detection | No | Yes | |
| ANC type | none | adaptive | |
| Quick charge | 10 min → 2 h | 10 min → 7 h | |
| Controls | buttons | touch | |
| Driver | 40 mm dynamic | 42 mm dynamic | |
| Frequency response | 20 Hz - 20 kHz | 6 Hz - 40 kHz |
About this verdict
Direction matters here: this page answers "A50 Gen 5 to HDB 630". The other direction is a separate question with a different answer. Scores blend published review verdicts across over-ear and shift as new reviews land, so a marginal call today may not be one next quarter.