This is the Edifier Hecate GX05. Yep, this mini-space shuttle-looking device is a gaming earbuds, and its 2.4 GHz receiver promises 15ms ultra-low latency gaming, the lowest for any 2.4 GHz wireless gaming earbuds. Hi-Res Wireless Audio with Dual Wireless mode connection and more.
And it just dropped its price to only RM379 or USD81. So, is it the best time to buy a gaming earbuds?
Unboxing
The unboxing was a very pleasant and out-of-the-ordinary experience indeed, it comes with a black hard plastic box with the visuals of the earbuds printed on the paper in front.
Then at the back, there are some of the specs.
Sliding the paper cover reveals the Hecate text, and at the bottom side, the red clip of the Hecate logo is how you flip open the case, which immediately reveals the black accessory box at the top.
In there, there are two plastic plugs for the USB-C receiver, a leather case with a high-quality magnetic opening, a USB-A to USB-C adapter, two extra ear tips, a USB-A to USB-C cable, and the booklet with the Hecate stickers inside. And, of course, there’s the earbuds at the bottom.
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Build Quality
The main star of these earbuds is, of course, the case. It is made of zinc alloy, it is pretty hefty, and it has a super futuristic unique look. Right now, they only come with just one color. I do wish there will be more color options in the future, like maybe Dusty Gold, because imagine it’s like having a gadget straight out of Star Wars, looking like R2D2 and C-3PO!
And while there are a lot of references on how this looks, to me, it looks like a Power Ranger Morpher, you know, like Alien Ranger!
Now, all of the parts are locked, but if you flick it over clockwise, it opens to the side, and it has the most satisfying click and sound too. And yes, it’s like playing with a little metal fidget toy, but it only rotates clockwise, and I wish that it goes both ways, just like how I do… (just kidding!)
When you start rotating the rails, that’s when the RGB lights activate for the first time. On top, you’ll find a USB-C 2.4 GHz receiver in matte black. The earbuds are right below it, clearly marked left and right, and there’s a USB-C charging port at the bottom side of the case.
Then underneath, there is a physical button where just press it twice to turn the light on, and once more to change the color. And if you want to go into the pairing mode, just press and hold the button. But honestly, I would just recommend using the receiver instead of Bluetooth, and more on that later.
Now remember the USB plugs from the box? Well, if you’re playing mostly on PS5 and want to take these earbuds out, you can just use one of those plugs so there won’t be any gaping hole where the receiver was.
And before you ask, the second one is for whenever you decide to lose the first plug. Haha.
The earbuds themselves are lightweight plastic, around 4.9 grams with a matte finish. Now usually, I would go for the medium-size ear tips, which usually come inside the box. But this time around, I switched it to a smaller size for a deeper fit.
One thing to note is that they do not fit as snugly as something like the recently reviewed Neobud Pro 2, so keep that in mind.
Since this is more of a gaming earbuds, I do not plan to do a #SawanModeTest since nobody does that while gaming. And if you do, I think we need to talk.
Gaming Experience
Now, let’s dive into the earbud focusing on the 2.4 GHz receiver because that is one of the reasons why you would consider these earbuds, and trust me, they are very impressive.
The USB-C receiver that comes with the earphones connects to a variety of gaming devices. We are talking Nintendo Switch, PS5, or even your PC. And since the iPhone 15 series comes with USB-C now, you can plug in straight over there as you could always do with Android devices.
Like all types of media consumption, sound is half of the experience, and these are a great pair for your gaming needs because there’s almost no lag from the touch to the sound that enters your eardrums, and that is such a pleasure to use.
Sound positioning and sound stage are really good, not just the perceived distance from lengthwise but even height-wise, which really surprised me.
Now I’m not going to do some scientific tests using a microphone and checking all the latency and all, but you need to take my word for it as I started using this with PUBG Mobile, and yes, it’s been ages since I actually played this particular game.
And with the GX05 earphones, I scored a winner winner chicken dinner on my very first game after a really long gameplay. Not to say that I don’t have the skills, but I do give at least half of the credit for my gameplay with this earbud right here because the impact of the sound pumping through like the gunshot noises or even footsteps really feels immersive. And half an hour later, seven kills. Yeah, so proud!
Here’s a fun fact. You can even take phone calls while gaming where the earphones automatically switch to Bluetooth and handle a call seamlessly.
Now let’s talk about the Bluetooth aspects of these earphones because that is where you start to notice the difference that the 2.4 GHz receiver makes. Now, despite running on the latest Bluetooth 5.3, I find that to be a bit slower, and the clarity of sound definitely takes a hit.
The moment I notice this change, I switch back to the receiver, and it got me thinking, what if these earphones actually had a 5.0 GHz receiver in the future? That would be something, right? Oh, and a quick tip for anyone who’s planning to buy this, do not, and I mean DO NOT lose this receiver! You will definitely regret it if you do.
Music Experience
So these earbuds not only perform great when it comes to gaming, which is, of course, the main feature of these, but also when it comes to the music experience, thanks to their 10mm dynamic driver. Now when I tested them using the 2.4 GHz receiver, I noticed a huge improvement in sound clarity compared to Bluetooth. The sound was way much fuller and less tinny, and that was quite a noticeable difference.
Now the earbuds come with LHDC 5.0 HD decoding, which supports up to 96 kHz/24-bit audio. They even have Hi-Res Wireless certified even though these are gaming earbuds.
And what’s really impressive is how the sound really distinguishes between the different instruments. The layers of the vertical depth in the sound produced are surprisingly detailed.
These are not the bassiest earbuds out there, and that is to be expected because gamers do seem to emphasize the highs and mids to cut through the background noise. But overall, they do sound pretty well in all aspects of sound.
Now one thing I wish though is for a bit of a higher volume because I do find myself cranking up to the maximum volume to be fully immersive in my music experience. But I know not everyone is as deaf as me, so I’m willing to accept that.
Then as for music controls, they are pretty straightforward where you can just tap twice to pause or to resume a track, and long-press the right earbud is for the next track, and long-press to the left goes back or repeats the track.
App
Alright, let’s talk about the app situation on these earphones, or rather the lack of one because they do not have one, at least for now.
Currently, the Edifier Connect app does not support these earphones. Now this means there are no in-app settings to tweak, which is a bit of a letdown because customization through an app can really enhance our experience.
I talked about this and gave my in-depth review of the Edifier Connect app in my Neobud Pro 2 review where the app really played a big role. But I would love to know, do you actually prefer something that does not use an app and it’s just simple for you to just connect and that’s it?
Battery
Battery-wise, the earbuds are rated for 4.5 hours of use on a single charge and a total of 16 hours of battery life in Bluetooth mode.
From my experience, they almost live up to these claims as I got about 4 hours of use at maximum volume and close to 16 hours in total. But when it comes to the 2.4 GHz mode, Edifier claims about 4 hours of playtime, and that is pretty accurate in my test too.
Now, 4 hours of continuous play is quite reasonable because if it’s longer than that, I think you and I need to have a talk.
But if you ever find yourself low in battery, no worries because these earphones have fast charging capabilities. Just 5 minutes of charge can give you up to 30 minutes of playtime.
Conclusion
So, those are my thoughts on the Edifier Hecate GX05. It usually retails at RM509, which is about USD108. But right now, they’re selling at RM379, which is about USD81. And with that price, the specific audience that is targeting it really feels that the price is right, especially with the solid build quality, the very low latency that really benefits the gamer within.
