HECATE's new G5BT Cat! A cute gaming headset with a feral edge, sporting detachable cat ears for a cool anime character look!

 HECATE's new G5BT Cat is the car ears version of Edifier's original G5BT headset. The cat ears can be detached from the headset, allowing you to use it just like the original G5BT headphones. The cat ears are made of siliconized rubber which is very soft to the touch but also very slippery. The G5BT cat ears integrate magnets to allow you to attach and detach the cat ears quickly and easily. The magnetic connection is strong, keeping the ears securely attached. 

 

Each cat ear weighs 26 grams, adding 52 grams to the 360 grams weight of the G5BT Cat headset, bringing the total weight up to 412 grams with the ears. There is a retractable boom arm, which is a good design because there no chance of losing or misplacing the boom arm like with a detachable boom arm microphone. The boom arm discreetly slides in and out of the earcup housing and it is flexible too, so you can bend it at different angles. The boom arm measures 10cm long.

The HECATE G5BT Cat earcups are rubberized with the same thick silicone-like finish as the ears and chrome plastic accent. The headband stem is thick and wide and integrates a plastic metal reinforced inner band for head adjustment. 

 

The G5BT Cat earcups have no standard tilting yoke design to tilt the ears. Instead, the earcups are fixed onto the headband via a pivoting joint that allows the earcups a bit of play up/down and left/right; however, the tilting range is very short.

 

Despite the lack of yokes, the front side of the HECATE G5BT Cat earcups are flat, allowing you to rest the headphones upright on a desk. The headband metal inner band has a clicky ratchet mechanism. The underside of the headband is well cushioned to minimize hot spot. 

 

The folding hinge is strong and made of stainless steel metal. It folds and unfolds smoothly and securely without creaking or rattling. The dimensions of the HECATE G5BT CAT earpads are 6cm in diameter (inner hole), 9.5cm outer pad diameter and 2cm depth to the driver. The driver is covered with a thin layer of fabric.

The button controls on the G5BT Cat earcups are very nice - made of rubber. They are raised with a tactile subtle click and easy to locate, thanks to the hump centre button. There is a total of 4 buttons, including a small mute button on the left earcup. The right earcup integrates one single button for controlling RGB lights and game/music mode switching. 

 

Onboard the earcups, there is also a small status led for battery and bluetooth connection. The status blinks blue when listening to bluetooth audio but isn't annoying or distracting, thanks to its location tucked away on the underside of the stem.

 

The physical buttons allow you to control power on/off, play/pause, skip track to next/previous, volume up/down, calls (answer/end/reject), voice assistant, RGB lights and listening mode (music mode or game mode). There is also an led indicator for battery and bluetooth led.

 The microphone performance is good - natural and clear sound and adequate amplification. The noise suppression filter (ENC) removes some background sounds better than others such as keyboard typing which comes through the microphone.

 

As far as sound, the 40mm dynamic drivers delivery very good volume output in both wired and bluetooth mode, as well as immersive, clear sound. Despite the lack of 7.1 sound, you get a virtual surround sound feeling, thanks to the passively isolating earcups.

 

 The Edifier HECATE G5BT Cat headphones come with several accessories, namely two unbranded cables - a 1 meter audio cable (weighs 16 grams) and 40cm charging cable. There is a snazzy hardshell carry case too, which looks and feels premium made of EVA hard padding. The egg shape makes the hard case super roomy and perfect for safely transporting and storing the HECATE G5BT Cat headphones.

 

The G5BT Cat hard case outer shell material and reverse coil teeth zipper are water resistant. The hard case features a hooking webbing loop and opens up suitcase-style via a single metal slider with rubber pulltab. Internally, the hard case is empty and lined with soft fabric material. There is no preformed insert inside the case, which is neat as this allows you to use the hard case to store other things. The G5BT Cat hard case weighs 132 grams. You can buy the Edifier HECATE G5BT Cat Ears from KB Audio.