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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-24 · 8 min read · Independent comparison
• IO CREST GamesterGear PC PS4 — biggest strength: a full over-ear headset built around 57mm dynamic drivers, 32-ohm impedance and a 20Hz–20kHz range, with a boom mic that twist-locks on and off.
• IO CREST GamesterGear PC PS4 — biggest trade-off: it's a wired-only headset with no wireless mode and no published mic polar pattern, so it's a package deal rather than a modular one.
• Smays Replacement Mic — biggest strength: an omnidirectional boom mic with built-in noise cancellation, a TR two-conductor gold-plated plug and a removable foam windscreen, sized at 5.9 inches and built to bend and hold position.
• Smays Replacement Mic — biggest trade-off: it is a microphone only — no drivers, no ear cups, no headband — and it's aimed at Astro A40 / A40 TR compatibility, so it does nothing for a headset it doesn't fit.
• Who each pick is for: the IO CREST for someone who wants one headset for PC, console and mobile listening with a detachable mic for solo sessions; the Smays for an A40 or A40 TR owner whose boom mic has died, gone missing or started sounding muffled.
This is a wired, over-ear headset with a plastic (ABS thermoplastic) enclosure, and the headline spec is the driver: 57mm dynamic drivers at 32 ohms covering 20Hz to 20kHz. In practice, that combination is what gives a headset its sense of scale — a bigger driver moving more air tends to make gunfire, footsteps and explosions feel like they have weight instead of sounding thin. The 32-ohm impedance also means it doesn't need a dedicated amplifier to get loud, which matters if you're plugging straight into a controller, a laptop or a tablet.
The detachable mic is the feature I'd actually pay attention to here. It's a boom mic held on by a twist lock, so it comes off with a turn and goes back on the same way — no fiddling, no risk of stripping a friction-fit connector. That turns the headset into two products: a chat headset for team play, and a plain pair of over-ear headphones for music, single-player games or travel. It ships with a 3.5mm four-pole headset plug plus a 3.5mm audio splitter, so you can run it from a single combined jack or split mic and audio into separate ports on a desktop. Between the splitter and the detachable mic, this is clearly built with PC owners in mind first, with iPad, mobile, tablet and Mac use as a bonus.
Comfort-wise, the floating ear cups are designed to sit at the angle and shape of your ears rather than clamping flat, which is the kind of detail that only shows up after hour three of a session. The ABS thermoplastic shell is also pitched as durable — the spec sheet frames it as surviving backpack travel and desk drops, which is real-world relevant if the headset lives in a bag.
Smays Replacement Mic: Who It's For
The Smays Replacement Mic is a single-purpose part, and that's its whole appeal. It's a detachable boom microphone made for Astro A40 and A40 TR headsets, with an omnidirectional pickup, built-in noise cancellation and a rated sensitivity of 30dB with 2200-ohm impedance across a 20Hz–20kHz range. The connector is a TR two-conductor 3.5mm gold-plated plug, which is the specific interface that matters when you're buying a mic for a headset with a modular boom.
The practical details are the ones I'd focus on. The boom is 5.9 inches (15cm), flexible and bendable, and it's designed to hold whatever position you set rather than drooping back down mid-sentence — that's the difference between a mic you set once and a mic you fight with every session. The foam cover is removable and acts as a pop filter, which is exactly what you want if your plosives are thumping through voice chat. And because it's omnidirectional with noise cancellation, it picks up your voice from around the capsule rather than demanding you speak directly into the tip, which is more forgiving if you move your head while playing.
In the box you get one black 3.5mm microphone and one windscreen. That's it — and that's the point. There are no drivers, no ear cups, no headband, no cable beyond the mic itself. The hardware platform is listed as gaming console and Xbox 360, with a wired, corded-electric power source, so this is strictly a plug-in part.
Who should buy it: an Astro A40 or A40 TR owner whose original boom mic is lost, damaged, crackling or just sounding dull, and who wants a direct-swap replacement without replacing a headset that still works fine. Who should skip it: anyone without an A40 or A40 TR, and anyone hoping to convert a headset that doesn't already have a detachable boom mic into one. Compatibility is the entire game here.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for a complete audio setup out of the box → IO CREST GamesterGear PC PS4. It's a headset: 57mm drivers, over-ear cups, headband, cable, splitter and mic in one package.
• Best for detachable-mic flexibility → IO CREST GamesterGear PC PS4. The twist-lock boom comes off and goes back on, so the headset doubles as plain headphones.
• Best for noise handling on voice chat → Smays Replacement Mic. Omnidirectional pickup with built-in noise cancellation and a removable foam pop filter is a voice-first design.
• Best for big-driver stereo sound → IO CREST GamesterGear PC PS4. A 57mm dynamic driver at 32 ohms is the spec that shapes game audio and music.
• Best for PC connectivity options → IO CREST GamesterGear PC PS4. The four-pole 3.5mm plug plus included audio splitter covers both combined-jack and separate mic/headphone ports.
• Best for Astro A40 / A40 TR owners → Smays Replacement Mic. The TR two-conductor gold-plated plug and A40 compatibility are the whole reason to buy it.
• Best for travel and rough handling → IO CREST GamesterGear PC PS4. ABS thermoplastic construction is specified for backpack travel and desk drops; the Smays mic is a small part, not a ruggedized one.
• Best for a quick, low-commitment fix → Smays Replacement Mic. One small part, one connector, no setup decisions.
In my opinion, the right pick comes down to whether you're buying a system or a spare part, and nothing else. If you need a headset — for PC, console, tablet or Mac — I'd buy the IO CREST GamesterGear PC PS4, because the 57mm drivers, the twist-lock detachable boom and the included 3.5mm splitter make it useful in more situations than a bare mic ever could be. But if you already own an Astro A40 or A40 TR and the mic is the broken piece, buying a whole headset is wasted money: I'd take the Smays Replacement Mic, whose omnidirectional capsule, noise cancellation, bendable 5.9-inch boom and foam windscreen are precisely what that headset is missing. Decide which problem you actually have, then check the current price on Amazon before you commit.
are studio headphones better than gaming headsets
Not automatically — they solve different problems. Studio headphones are typically built for flat, neutral monitoring and usually have no microphone at all, while a gaming headset like the IO CREST GamesterGear PC PS4 pairs 57mm drivers with a detachable twist-lock boom mic, volume control and a 3.5mm four-pole plug plus splitter for chat. If you need voice chat out of the box, a headset is the more complete tool.
what headphones do pro gamers use
There's no single answer, but the pattern is wired, low-impedance gear that works straight from a controller or PC without an amp. The IO CREST GamesterGear PC PS4 fits that mold on paper: 32-ohm impedance, a 20Hz–20kHz range and 57mm dynamic drivers, with a detachable mic so players can strip it down for listening-only use. Competitive players also tend to value a mic they can remove or replace rather than one that's permanently attached.
do all headphones have mics
No. Plenty of over-ear headphones are listening-only, and even headsets blur the line — the IO CREST GamesterGear PC PS4 has a boom mic that twist-locks off, leaving you with plain headphones. The Smays Replacement Mic is the opposite case: it's a microphone with no drivers and no ear cups, sold as a part for Astro A40 and A40 TR headsets. Check the spec before assuming a mic is included.
can studio headphones be used for gaming
Yes, and many people do, but you lose the integrated chat side. A studio pair typically has no boom mic, so you'd need a separate desktop mic — which is a different job than what the Smays Replacement Mic does, since it's built specifically for Astro A40 and A40 TR headsets. If you want game audio plus voice chat in one wired package with a detachable mic, the IO CREST GamesterGear PC PS4 is the more direct fit.
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