Other than just making high quality audio products for the enthusiasts, Edifier has its gaming headset specially tailored for the gamers as well, namely the G series gaming headsets.
For this review, we'll be having a closer look at the new Edifier G3 gaming headset that has been improved from the previous generation G3, special thanks to Edifier and Inter-Asia Technology Sdn Bhd for the provision of the review unit. With no further adieu, let's move on with the review and see what kind of audio quality we can expect from the newly revised G3 gaming headset.
(The Edifier G3 gaming headset is retailed at RM229)
For this review, we'll be having a closer look at the new Edifier G3 gaming headset that has been improved from the previous generation G3, special thanks to Edifier and Inter-Asia Technology Sdn Bhd for the provision of the review unit. With no further adieu, let's move on with the review and see what kind of audio quality we can expect from the newly revised G3 gaming headset.
(The Edifier G3 gaming headset is retailed at RM229)
Specifications
- Frequency Response: 20hz～20khz
- Impedance: 40ω
- Connector Type: Straight
- Sound Pressure Level: 94db
- Cable Length: 3.0m
- Weight: 0.35kg
- Cable Type: Single Sided
- Connector: 3.5mm
- Inline Control: Yes
- Driver Diameter: 40mm
Unboxing
Packaging wise, the Edifier G3 gaming headset ships in a stylish cherry-red packaging which is totally the opposite of traditional design you've seen on most of Edifier's headphones.
Just so you know, that's our usual headphone stand for headphone reviews. The only thing you'll get inside the box is the Edifier G3 gaming headset and its user's guide.
From that USB connector, it's pretty obvious the G3 will only work on devices that has a USB port. A Ferrite bead attached to its cable, meant to keep to suppress high frequency noise in electronic circuit so you can enjoy a cleaner audio instead of all the buzzing noise going around. It could be better if Edifier were to consider to have sleeved cable which gamers would really appreciate instead of going with the common silicon sleeve.
On the mid section of the cable, you'll find the controller for volume adjustments, microphone on/ off and gaming mode toggle.
The gaming mode on the G3 can be easily identified from the change of the LED color. On normal mode, you'll see both the volume controller and the meshes on both sides of the headset lights up it red. Going for gaming mode will change the LED color to blue.
The gaming mode on the G3 can be easily identified from the change of the LED color. On normal mode, you'll see both the volume controller and the meshes on both sides of the headset lights up it red. Going for gaming mode will change the LED color to blue.
Appearance wise, the G3 looks pretty neat for a gaming headset and it's not over exaggerated like some of the gaming headset out there, especially those that comes with a ridiculously overdone lighting/cracking effect accompanied by a blinding RGB LED effect.
Unlike most gaming headset that features a heavily padded headband to provide extra comfort for long hours gaming session, the G3 comes with a surprisingly thinner cushion. Of course, there are other factors to take count and thick cushion doesn't means a 100% guaranteed comfort.
From the sides, it's pretty hard to tell the difference between the current G3 and the previous generation G3 because the design itself are pretty much identical.
We're never a fan of the stiff, rotating microphone design since the previous G3. It's unclear that why Edifier retained this design - other than the cost factor? We have random gamers from a local cybercafe near to us to give the Edifier G3 a shot and none of them are digging into the design of the microphone.
The G3 comes with a pair of velour ear cups which supposed to provide a more open experience compared to a pleather ones. As the preference may vary by individual, we can't say that velour ear cups is superior than a pleather ones or the other way around.
User Experience
Although the frame itself is made of plastic, the G3 doesn't feels as flimsy and fragile as we thought it would be during the unboxing. We gave a few twisting and bending test to the frame itself and it still have that reasonable flexibility to it which prevents it from breaking apart.Thanks to its lightweight construction and the headband cushion that works surprisingly well, you can have the G3 resting nicely on your head for long hours without experiencing too much pressure on the top of your head. Our only complaint here would be the size of the ear cups. Edifier might want to consider to increase the size of the ear cups to cater for users with bigger ear size.
If you're one of those gamers who prefers using your own headset while gaming on other PC, the Edifier G3 is something worth looking into. Despite being a gaming headset that uses USB connector instead of the usual 3.5mm jack, the installation is as simple as plug-and-play without any additional drivers or software involved. The fade-in effect for the unmute is something worth highlighting, as it gives your ears the time to adapt to the slowly increasing volume instead of going full blast out of the sudden.
Gaming wise, the G3 works best on FPS games with the gaming mode enabled as the improvement in sound stage is way more significant compared to other genres. Overwatch, CS:GO and Battlefield are some of the FPS titles that we've tested with the G3 in case if you wonder. The microphone works just well for gaming with reasonable clarity, but the one directional rotation design is somewhat a turn off. Having a flexible microphone design is a better way as it allow gamers to adjust the placement of the microphone according to their preferences.
For movies and music, the G3 works just as well with music mode and the extra bass feature. Unless you're playing audio files with a reasonable quality, we advise that you keep the extra bass as it is. While the lows on the G3 isn't really superb on lower bit rate audio files, the G3 is capable to deliver a reasonable mids and highs that is constantly clear if you're playing high quality audio files i.e wav, flac, etc.
Of course, you can't use it on devices that doesn't support USB audio-out.
Conclusion
It's pretty obvious that its plasticky feel and design is definitely not something that will fascinates the enthusiasts who is into premium design with metal frame, pleathers and nicely sleeved cables. There's no deny that even some of the premium gaming headset out there comes with a plasticky construction, a nicely sleeved cable is something every gamer will appreciate.Unlike quite a number of these so-called budget gaming headset out there that looks pretty much the same and gives you mediocre performance that is not worth paying for, the audio quality which the Edifier G3 can deliver is pretty reasonable to serve as a headset for both gaming and other entertainment purposes. As the design of the G3 is more towards its mids and highs, you'll find the lows a bit lacking - good enough to handle game audio, but not enough to satisfy the bass heads.
Pros
- Decent sounding headphones, reasonable mids and highs
- Audio controller included
- Very nice fade-in effect for the unmute button
- Very fast detection on the USB port, literally plug-and-play
- Comfortable to wear even after long hours of usage
- The size of the ear cups can be bigger
- Non-flexible microphone
- Non-sleeved cables
- Somewhat lacking on the lows, not meant for the bass heads
