HECATE by Edifier G5000 review: A versatile sound system for your setup

Much like Creative, Yamaha, and Pioneer, Edifier is an audio brand that needs no introduction. The company has been around for ages, providing home and computer speaker systems since the nineties. Naturally, anyone looking to upgrade their PC's sound system will likely consider Edifier's offerings.

The HECATE by Edifier G5000 speakers sits at the very top of the company's product portfolio. These are top-of-the-line peripherals meant to be used for gaming, but they also come with cinematic and music modes. Clearly, Edifier was aiming for a jack-of-all-trades type of audio solution.

On paper, the Edifier G5000 computer speakers sound awesome. They've got plenty of input ports, Bluetooth connectivity, and RGB lighting to spice things up visually. It is, however, very hard to ignore the $500 price tag. How can you justify spending so much cash on these gigantic speakers? If you want to find out, that's exactly what this review is for. Here's what I have to say after using these big boys for three months.

Price and availability

The HECATE by Edifier G5000 Bluetooth speakers were released back in April 2021. You can grab a pair of these speakers from retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. They cost the same everywhere, so you need to have $500 in your pocket if you're looking to buy them.

The good bits

The HECATE by Edifier G5000 speakers feel super premium and have great build quality. The internal frames are wooden, whereas the side panels are made of aluminum. Everything has a solid feel, including the buttons, RGB lights, and ports. You get exactly what you pay for.

There are various sound and light modes, all of which can be accessed from one place. You can choose between gaming, music, and cinematic modes for audio and 11 different multi-colored and monochrome modes for the RGB lights. The volume controls and the button that controls the audio input mode are also situated in the same place, on top of the left-hand speaker. This is convenient and makes it easy to access everything.

If you want to connect the HECATE by Edifier G5000 computer speakers to an amplifier or a receiver, you don't need a DAC converter. There are plenty of ports on the back to help you, including a 3.5mm auxiliary input jack, a USB Type-B port, a TOSLINK (also known as optical) connector, and a coaxial port. As a bonus, Edifier includes power, optical, AUX, and USB Type-B cables in the box.

Each of the two speakers is equipped with a 3/4-inch titanium dome tweeter and a 4-inch mid-bass driver. The fearsome duo pushes out an 88W total peak power output and Hi-Res Audio with a digital sampling rate of up to 24bits/192kHz. If you want to learn more about Hi-Res Audio, you can read this excellent explainer by What Hi-Fi.

The 88W power output sounds loud and unapologetic. When the HECATE by Edifier G5000 speakers are at work, you feel the thundering bass in your bones. Listening to anything on these speakers is a ton of fun and a treat for the ears. The gaming experience is phenomenal, as is the cinematic and music sound quality. Whether it's the clopping of horse hooves in Red Dead Redemption or the roar of dragons in Skyrim, Edifier sets just the right soundstage and brings the virtual world of gaming to life.

The Edifier HECATE G5000 computer speakers will ruin your everyday soundbar or portable Bluetooth speaker for you. I was so impressed with the audio quality that I rewatched the entire The Lord of the Rings trilogy just to relive the experience. Thanks to Edifier, it felt incredible. There is a fantastic level of detail in the sound, and the tuning is sublime.

When you aren't gaming on your PC, you can always connect your favorite video game console to these speakers. The powerful HECATE by Edifier G5000 speakers are compatible with the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5. You can also use Bluetooth to connect virtually any device to them.

The best part is you don't need to connect any extra wires or cables. Once the power cord is plugged in, all you have to do is hook up both speakers to each other and use them with your PC by your preferred means of connectivity, be it via Bluetooth or USB. In terms of the audio quality and setup experience alone, these are easily some of the best computer speakers I have ever used.

The bad bits

Edifier's G5000 speaker units are two absolute units. These chunky lads are incredibly heavy and weigh a whopping 18 pounds. They are also massive, so minimalists won't be happy with their size. If you've got limited space, it will be hard to accommodate the HECATE by Edifier G5000 speakers along with your PC rig.

Considering how expensive these things are, you could get something much smaller and smarter for that amount of money. If you want to alter the bass and treble or change the audio balance, you will need to invest in an audio receiver as well, which makes matters worse. The one advantage here is that the G5000 speakers have the right ports on the back, so you don't need to get a digital-to-analog converter — commonly known as a DAC — for the receiver.

Competition

It is impossible to discuss PC speakers without mentioning, nay, starting the conversation with the mighty Razer Leviathan V2 Pro. The soundbar and subwoofer duo costs $400, a whole benjamin less than the pricey HECATE by Edifier G500 setup. Even though the Razer speaker does not have as many ports for connectivity, it is still superior to Edifier's offering.

Mid-range alternatives include the Creative Sound Blaster Katana V2, which also comes with a soundbar and a separate subwoofer unit. It costs less than $300 and delivers 250W of peak output power. Although getting the position right is tricky, you get decent-sounding audio and RGB lighting from Creative's speaker.

For less than half the price of the G500 speakers, you can also opt for the Bose Companion 2 (Series III) PC speakers. These budget-friendly computer speakers only cost $150, but they sound very good for the price. They don't come close to the Edifier HECATE G5000 in terms of audio quality, though that is to be expected, given the price range.

Should you buy it?

You should buy it if...

• You want a plug-and-play experience
• You'd like to have diverse connectivity ports
• You need a versatile setup that can be used with multiple devices
• You want Hi-Res Audio and fantastic sound quality

You shouldn't buy it if...

• Your budget is constrained
• You want to connect a subwoofer to your speakers
• You want something compact and lightweight

Edifier got so much right with the spectacular HECATE G5000 computer speakers. While the RGB and hard-to-miss size could be polarizing, the sound quality is superb. You won't regret spending so much on these speakers once you've heard what they are capable of. These speakers are punchy, dynamic, and well-balanced. They truly sound premium.

Of course, it's hard to justify the price tag when something like the Razer Leviathan V2 Pro exists. Recommending the Edifier G5000 PC speakers would have been a no-brainer if it weren't for Razer's stellar $400 sound system. There's no denying that you get more value for your money from the Leviathan V2 Pro and its fancy
Razer Chroma lighting.

If for whatever reason, you do not or cannot buy the Razer Leviathan V2 Pro, I would suggest the HECATE by Edifier G5000 for your PC's auditory needs. Unlike the Leviathan V2 Pro, the Edifier G5000 speakers have 3.5mm and optical ports. But other than that, they are second to Razer.