Any Button Gaming

Whether you’re watching the latest Hollywood blockbuster, listening to your favourite artist’s newest album, or playing another round of your favourite AAA with the squad, headsets are really handy.

And, Lord knows, there are as many headsets to choose from as there are things to listen to/play/watch.

So, what makes a good headset? Well, the immersive sound quality provided through comfortable ear cups is a must. What about gaming? Well, a decent microphone would be handy. Oh, and it should look pretty cool as well.

Thankfully, if you’re in the market for a new gaming headset, I know just the one.

Please note, that this review was performed on a headset provided by the PR agency.

What Is It?

So, the Edifier Hecate G2 II gaming headset. What is it (beyond a mouthful)? It is, as you could surmise, a headset catered for gaming specifically.

As such, it’s remarkably comfortable. With extra-soft padding on the ear cups, I could comfortably wear the G2 II for hours without any issues. The ear cups, additionally, are rather wide as well. Which is actually a nice feature. I often find that, with the prolonged wearing of other headsets, I had to slip my ear out on one side to avoid feelings of discomfort.

In fact, the G2 II, at times, felt like I was wearing nothing at all. If it was not for the sound coming through the speakers, I wouldn’t have known the difference after a while.

Speaking of sound, the G2 II boasts impressive 50mm audio drivers and THX Spatial 7.1 surround sound system. With the right software installed (available via the Hecate Gaming website), you can customise the output to suit your needs. If you’re quite an avid audiophile, this may be a necessary move for you. However, I have not touched the drivers and continue to experience amazing sound quality.

Customisation Options? Okay

Whilst we’re on the subject of the software/drivers, I need to be honest with you. This reviewed headset is actually the second one I have been given. The first headset I received actually stopped working shortly after I used it for the first time. There was no real rhyme or reason as to why or how it happened. I plugged it in, turned my PC on, fired up YouTube and Steam, started watching a video, and – poof – it just…stopped.

I had managed to contact the PR company responsible for providing the headset, and, to be fair to them, they were incredibly helpful. However, the solutions they provided – and ones I found online – failed to provide a solution. It was the same on my Chromebook, my Xbox Series X, and even my partner’s Xbox One.

However, that was the first pair. Thankfully, I was provided with a secondary pair, which, *touch wood*, works perfectly.

“Two Months Later…”

Some two months later, I can in fact confirm that the G2 II works like a dream. I have tried it out on a variety of platforms – my Xbox, PC, and Chromebook specifically – and across many different applications – Discord, OBS, YouTube, Stadia, Steam, Epic Games, Google, et al. The sound quality is crisp, the immersion I get from the over-the-ear cups is outstanding, and the comfort is beyond compare.

In terms of looks/aesthetics, the G2 II doesn’t break the mould in any way. There are the earcups, the headband connecting the two cups – which can be extended or retracted to suit – and an attachable microphone.

There is a nice feature for anyone who is a big fan of RGB lighting (spoiler alert, I am not one of those people) – the exterior of the earcups has a mesh covering a series of RGB LEDs. It doesn’t bring anything to the table, and the lights will only cycle through a spectrum of colours (red, blue, yellow, green, purple, cyan, orange). There’s no pulse native to the headset, and it doesn’t do anything for you the wearer.

However, if you’re streaming, or looking at them, or in any position where somebody can see them, I suppose it could be a cool feature. Though, again, it isn’t something I am particularly enamoured with.

The Features

The cable provided – full clarity, this is a USB headset – is of a decent enough length. In fact, for me, it’s a little too long, but that’s merely based on my own personal set-up wherein I am, at most two feet away from my PC at any given time whilst using it. It’s definitely not a negative, just an observation. Obviously, being cable operated means no need to worry about the charge left on the headset. Which, in turn, means extended gaming/movie watching/streaming sessions. Can’t go wrong there, really.

Beyond those elements, the G2 II features a small control fob along the stretch of the cable coming out of the headset itself. This control allows you to turn your microphone on or off with a depressed button, and turn the RGB lights on or off with a separate slider.

I’m not sure why there are two completely different methods of turning things off and on with such a small piece of equipment, I mean, beyond the user not being able to confuse the two apparatuses, of course. I suppose that is the only answer. That or a textile issue – a button for one thing, a slider for another. Still, it works to do what it is supposed to do, so I can’t fault it for that.

Conclusion…

All-in-all, the G2 II headset is a great little bit of kit. It isn’t expensive, is comfortable, and comes in a couple of colour options. There are upgraded models you could go for – including one with kitty-cat ears (!!!) – but the G2 II is all you really need. Again, there are options to tweak your set-up as you see fit. However, if you’re looking for something that works straight out of the box/or doesn’t want to fiddle around with separate settings, this is a great choice.

Depending on your own set-up at home, I can wholeheartedly recommend the G2 II headset. With the aforementioned outstanding comfort and audio quality, plus dedicated software, it is an unheralded champion of premium headsets without the premium price tag.

I would also like to give a shout-out to Edifier’s PR agency that handled this for me. As you’ll have spotted, I had some issues with the first pair. However, the team was able to sort things out for me with amazing speed.

The Score

I would give the Edifier Hecate G2 II gaming headset a solid 8/10. The quality is excellent, the comfort provided is unmatched in this price range, and the plug-in-and-go set-up is really nice. Again, I’m not a fan of the RGB lighting – that isn’t to discriminate against those of you who are, of course – it simply doesn’t have an appeal to me.

And, one thing I did fail to mention is the microphone itself. The quality is excellent for speaking into. However, I often found that it would always get caught up on the wire and, depending on how I moved my head, either get too close or too far away from me. Not a massive issue, and perhaps more an issue with me than the headset, but a gripe all the same. I know the microphone can be detached, but it’s a little bit fiddly getting in and out of the socket all the time.

James Wright

ABG’s Senior Editor (News), YouTube content creator/streamer.