Edifier G2 II Gaming Headset Review

Here’s my Edifier G2 II Gaming Headset Review. I’ve been looking forward to reviewing a gaming headset by Edifier ever since I reviewed the GM3SE over 6 months ago. That was different though, as the GM3SE is an ear style gaming headset.

This time I’m checking out the G2 II and it’s a proper over head headset, which is the type I prefer. I think the over head type headsets are far more comfortable than in ear, this makes them better for those long gaming sessions.

The Edifier G2 II is a 7.1 surround sound gaming headset that comes with a detachable microphone and a built in USB sound card. Not only that, it looks great too. It’s also pretty reasonably priced, meaning it’s more accessible for gamers who are on a tight budget.

The Edifier G2 II is the second iteration of this headset so let’s hope there are some improvements over the old one. I’m also interested to understand how it compares to my current go to headset the Genesis Radon 610. So, let’s get into the review and find out.

Edifier G2 II Gaming Headset Review

When I opened up the shipping bag the Edifier packaging was slightly damaged, but this did not impact the headset- it escaped undamaged.

The packaging looks great and one thing that really stands out is the silver, reflective Edifier logo. It looks brilliant against the black background and the high-res product image.

There is also a cool looking G2 II logo at the bottom in bright pink which contrasts with the darker colours superbly. They’ve used a cool looking matte silver for the other sides of the box, which makes the front image stand out.

Some gamers and tech enthusiasts like to keep and display their packaging and this is certainly one you could keep as it looks that good. The headphones are well protected inside the box. And, as they have a good amount of gloss black styling there is quite a bit of single use plastic used to protect it.

I’m not sure that using single use plastic can be helped in this scenario. The only thing I could think of is if they included a protective case, however this would have increased the production cost which would have probably been passed onto the end user.

They feel lightweight but strong so hopefully they’re going to be comfortable! They also look great, you can tell care and attention has been paid to getting the design just right. The gloss black styling matched with the matte black parts combine well.

Overall my first impressions are good, so let’s now move onto the most important part of a gaming headset, sound quality and gaming performance.

The Edifier G2 II don't just look good, they perform well too. — The Edifier G2 II don’t just look good, they perform well too.

Sound Quality

I dived straight in with a sound test. I already had a movie playing in my web browser, streaming via Plex. I wanted to hear how they handled movies and music tracks before I got into some gaming.

When watching The Next Three Days, the 7.1 surround sound came to life and it really felt as if the sound was moving around me, just like the real thing! I could hear cars moving from left to right and people walking by in the street.

I really hoped that this was a preview of what was to come when playing some games, the 7.1 could really help in scenarios like when you need to know where your enemies are coming from.

When listening to Billie Eilish’s latest album the G2’s felt slightly generic and although well balanced they offered minimal bass response. They felt a bit flat. Don’t get me wrong, they do have a decent sounding and punchy mid bass response. But they offer little in terms of any bass extension down to the lower end of the spectrum.

So, if you are considering these purely for music you should look elsewhere in the Edifier lineup. Now onto some gaming.

I’ve been playing Zombies in Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War recently. And I’ve figured out a technique that works well for me, I tend to walk backwards and shoot at the same time this technique allows you to keep moving away from the dangers of being hit by a zombie.

The only downside to this technique is you need to be able to hear where the Zombies are coming from. The good news is that the Edifier G2 II have impeccable sound detailing and built in virtual 7.1 surround sound. The 7.1 surround sound enabled me to become really accurate at understanding where an enemy is coming from, even when I couldn’t see it.

I’ve read previous articles that suggest that virtual or even hardware 7.1 does nothing to improve gaming performance. But for me, it really improved my overall awareness and identification of in game enemy positions.

With that said though, knowing audio is such a subjective thing, my results may not be the experience you have so I’d encourage you all to try a 7.1 gaming headset and an ordinary stereo variant.

I wanted to ensure I did a fair test, so I played a few rounds with the Sades A6 Gaming headset and then switched to the Edifier offering to compare the two. The G2 II’s are leagues above the Sades headset.

With the Sades A6 the detailing isn’t as sharp and the 7.1 although decent, felt like I struggled to notice a zombies footsteps approaching before I was able to move out of the way or deal with it.

Microphone

The microphone has a really useful feature, it’s completely detachable. So this not only helps with aesthetics, it helps with those who are privacy conscious too.

It’s super simple to attach and remove. A simple twist as you insert the 3.5mm jack is all you need to do. It includes a wind shield too, which is a nice touch! Some headsets I’ve reviewed don’t come with them, so it’s nice to know that those small things that can ensure a good quality microphone have been considered and included.

I was quite surprised at how well the microphone records audio, it’s no match for a dedicated streamer microphone, but it captures your voice well enough and your team mates will have no trouble hearing you scream at them for not saving you from those pesky zombies.

Because the mic is omni-directional it does pickup keyboard noise and some background noise, so just be sure to tweak the gain in your audio settings. Or, you can download the Edifier app for windows.

Overall I’m really pleased with the sound quality. And, although it’ll be fine for both gaming and music, I feel that the tuning and lack of real bass depth make these headphones more geared predominantly towards gaming.

I couldn't find any fault at all with the build quality — I couldn’t find any fault at all with the build quality

Build Quality & Design

If you look at the picture above, it’s a close up of the stitching on the left ear cup, you can see how neat and expertly done it is. It gives you a sneak peak at just how good this thing is made.

It seems to me to be made entirely of fairly thin but strong plastic. The all plastic construction does feel robust, but I have a feeling if you put it at the bottom of your bag and dropped it or accidentally sat on it, you could damage it.

I wanted to see how much punishment it could take so I carried out my trusty twist test and the results were somewhat surprising. I was able to twist it almost completely without it breaking or deforming in any way.

The only thing I don’t like about the build quality is that the gloss black ear cups scratch quite easily. I tend to do a scratch test on the products I review. This time I ran a small pen knife (the kind you’d use to open a cardboard box) gently along the side of the ear cup. I didn’t apply a lot of pressure and to be honest, the photo looks worse than it is.

But, it’s just something to be mindful of. If you’re going to be rough with them, the headset won’t stay looking good for long. Which is a shame, as it does look superb.

The gloss black does scratch easily, so be careful.

On the outside of the earcups is a metal mesh which the RGB lighting is behind, the earcups themselves are well made and feel really nice to hold. I know that’s a strange comment to make, but hear me out. Some products look cheap and feel cheap too. This Edifier headset looks quite thin but it doesn’t feel cheap, it feels like a good quality and well made headset, which of course it is.

Gaming Comfort

The cushioned earcups are extremely comfortable, they’re quite pliable and will fit the shape of your ears easily. When you wear them you’ll notice there is quite a nice bit of pressure keeping the headset in place, which has the added benefit of adding a touch of passive noise cancelling in the form of a tight seal.

As they only weigh just 265 grams they are great for long gaming sessions too. I played Zombies and Cold War multiplayer for a good few hours and my ears felt as fresh as they did when I started the game.

In Line Control

The inline controls are also a good distance from the headset, sometimes it’s quite far down the cable, so it’s not easily accessible. That isn’t the case with these, I can mute the mic, turn up the volume or turn off / on the RGB with ease.

How Much & Where To Buy?

The Edifier G2 II Gaming Headset will cost you around £59.99 / $69.99. You can buy it from Amazon using the affiliate link. It’s a real bargain, so just click here to find out more information, or to buy it.

Edifier G2 II Gaming Headset Review Summary & Verdict

Score: 8/10

I’ve said this before on my reviews and this headset from Edifier proves my point again- you don’t need to spend a fortune on a gaming headset. This budget option from Edifier is perfectly capable of being your go-to gaming headset.

It’s brilliant clarity and superb virtual 7.1 surround sound have placed it firmly above my old favorite. It’ll be my new primary gaming headset and I may even use it for Skype calls thanks to it’s good quality detachable mic.

I’m impressed to say the least. The build quality isn’t perfect, but for less than £30 / $30 I don’t think you’ll find better. But, if you do let me know, I’d love to check it out.