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If you want a clean, no-fuss replacement cable that fixes a broken Astro headset and puts volume right at your fingertips, choose Mcbazel 2M; if you need a cable that also handles calls, mute and an inline microphone for headset-free chat, choose Tobysome A50. These are both 2-metre 3.5mm replacement cables aimed at Astro owners, but they solve two different problems. Here's how I'd decide between them.
• Mcbazel 2M — biggest strength: dead-simple plug-and-play replacement for Astro A10/A30/A40/A40TR with an inline volume wheel and nothing extra to configure.
• Mcbazel 2M — biggest trade-off: volume control only. There's no inline mute and no inline mic, so it can't stand in for your headset's microphone.
• Tobysome A50 — biggest strength: a full media-control cable — volume wheel, inline mic, mute button and a call pickup/hangup button, with an A/B switch that decides whether the headset mic or the inline mic is live.
• Tobysome A50 — biggest trade-off: more moving parts and a switch you have to understand, so it's fiddlier than a plain replacement lead.
• Who Mcbazel 2M is for: Astro A10/A30/A40/A40TR owners whose original cable died and who just want audio and volume back.
• Who Tobysome A50 is for: Astro owners who want one cable that also works as a phone/music lead with calls and mute.
The Mcbazel 2M is a straightforward proposition: a 2-metre (6.5 ft) 3.5mm-to-3.5mm replacement cable for Astro A10, A30, A40 and A40TR headsets, built around a single inline roller wheel that adjusts volume on the fly. That's it. You plug the 5-pole end into the headset and the 4-pole end into your device, and you're done — no adapters, no drivers, no menu diving. It's rated for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC and most smartphones, and the black round cable uses copper as its outer material.
The detail worth understanding is the connector layout. The 5-pole connection goes to the headset side and the 4-pole to the device side, which is what lets the headset's mic and audio keep working through a standard controller jack. In practice that means you can run it straight into a PS5 or Xbox controller's 3.5mm port and get game audio and chat without a MixAmp in the chain. The 2-metre length is the right call for couch gaming specifically because the cable plugs into the controller in your hands, not the console across the room — 6.5 feet reaches comfortably without pooling in your lap.
If your A40 cable finally gave out, or your A10 lead got chewed by a pet, this is the kind of part you buy to stop thinking about it. The one thing to accept going in: volume control only. There's no inline mute button, so muting means using the headset or the console. And it's explicitly not compatible with other headset models, so don't buy it hoping to run a non-Astro headset through it. Skip it if you need inline call handling or a mic built into the cable — that's not what this is. Store it loosely coiled rather than wrapped tight around the headset; tight wrapping is what kills these cables at the connector ends.
The Tobysome A50 is the more ambitious cable. It's also a 2-metre (about 6.6 ft) 3.5mm auxiliary cable, and it also fits the Astro family — A10, A20, A30, A40, A40TR and A50 — but it packs in a volume wheel, an inline microphone, a mute button and a call pickup/hangup button. Tobysome calls it a media controller cable, and that's the right mental model: it's designed to work as a phone and music lead as much as a gaming replacement.
The feature that actually matters here is the A/B switch. In the A position, the cable enables your A10/A40's own microphone. In the B position, it enables the inline mic built into the cable itself — and you need to be in B if you want the cable's buttons to control your phone. That's genuinely useful if you're using an A40 or A10 with a phone or music device on the go: you get volume, call control and a mic without touching the handset. It also connects Astro headsets to an Xbox One controller, a MixAmp, or a PC/Mac with a combined mic/headphone jack.
Tobysome builds this around what it describes as super core wire with gold-plated contacts for clean stereo transmission, and the cable carries 7 pins versus the Mcbazel's 4 — more conductors, which is part of how it supports the extra inline controls. The trade-off is complexity. You have to know which switch position you're in, and if you leave it in the wrong one, your headset mic won't be the one picking up your voice. It's also the cable I'd hand to someone who wants one lead that does gaming, calls and music, rather than someone who just wants their A40 to make sound again. If you want the shortest possible path from "my cable broke" to "I'm back in the game," this is more cable than you need.
• Simplest possible replacement → Mcbazel 2M. Plug in, adjust volume, done.
• Inline mute button → Tobysome A50. The Mcbazel has volume only, with no mute on the cable.
• Built-in microphone in the cable → Tobysome A50. Its inline mic is the whole point of the B switch position.
• Phone calls and music on the go → Tobysome A50. It has call pickup/hangup and works as a media cable.
• Astro A50 headset owners → Tobysome A50. It lists A50 compatibility; the Mcbazel does not.
• Astro A10/A30/A40/A40TR owners who just need audio back → Mcbazel 2M. It covers that range cleanly with no switch to think about.
• Least to configure → Mcbazel 2M. No A/B switch, no risk of having the mic routed to the wrong place.
• Both fit the same distance need. At 2 m (6.5 ft vs about 6.6 ft) they're effectively identical for controller-in-hand couch play.
In my opinion, most people searching for an Astro replacement cable should buy the Mcbazel 2M. It does the one job — restoring audio and giving you volume at your fingertips — with zero configuration, and if you own an A10, A30, A40 or A40TR, that's usually all you want. I'd pick the Tobysome A50 instead if you specifically need inline mute, inline mic, or phone call control, or if you own an Astro A50 (which the Mcbazel doesn't list). The extra buttons are worth the extra fiddliness only if you'll actually use them.
FAQ
No. It has an inline volume wheel only — the manufacturer states it's volume control only. For muting you'd use your headset or console controls. If a cable-mounted mute is non-negotiable, the Tobysome A50 has one.
The Tobysome A50 lists A50 compatibility. The Mcbazel 2M lists A10, A30, A40 and A40TR only, and explicitly notes it isn't compatible with other models. If you own an A50, go Tobysome.
I don't quote prices here — check the current price on Amazon using the button on this page. The Tobysome is the more feature-loaded cable, so weigh whether you'll use its mute, inline mic and call button before paying more for features you'll ignore.
The Tobysome is described as connecting Astro headsets to an Xbox One controller, a MixAmp, or a PC/Mac with a combined mic/headphone jack. The Mcbazel is aimed at direct controller and device connections on PS5, PS4, Xbox and PC.
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