Who doesn’t love a good set of headphones while they’re gaming? We’ve tried quite a few headsets and sets of headphones over the years, and finding something that’s both comfortable and sounds good is pretty tricky, so the big question here is can one of Edifier’s more premium offerings fit the bill, or do we need to keep looking?
The Edifier ES850NB steps into the mid-price active noise cancellation headphone lane with a clear mission: deliver serious value without compromising on comfort or performance. On paper it looks impressive: you get 40 mm titanium-coated drivers, Hi-Res Audio and Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification, support for a range of audio codecs, and a hybrid ANC system that Edifier says knocks down ambient noise by up to 45 dB. Sounds impressive, but the proof of the pudding is in the… listening?
Opening the headphones presents you with a sturdy hard case with clear indents for the headphones to go back into, so there’s no guesswork when it comes to putting them away again. It’s a nice premium feel, and the soft materials used feel great when you eventually stop staring at them and get a hold of them. Plonking them on your head gives a very quick impression of one important factor: comfort is outstanding. The ES850NB are lightweight at around 265 g, with plush leather-like ear cushions and a soft, padded headband. You can comfortably wear them all day without feeling pinned or fatigued, and if you’re thinking “yeah but I bet they won’t last that long” you’d be miles off. Battery life is exceptional. Edifier quotes up to 92 hours with ANC off and around 53 hours when ANC is active. In real-world use, you’ll easily get a week’s worth of gaming or listening out of them before having to charge them up.
Just as important as all this though is the sound and performance, whereby the ES850NB strikes an impressively balanced tone. Mids and vocals are clear and forward, treble is crisp without being harsh, and bass is punchy yet never overwhelming. Skyrim struck a lovely balance between that gorgeous sweeping soundtrack, voices and combat; Gran Turismo 7 gave accurate feedback in terms of your own car and those around you, and while sneaking around at the business end of a Warzone match the ability to hear footsteps and nearby voices gave a huge advantage. The optional gaming mode also performs some bizarre wizardry and all but eliminates that annoying Bluetooth audio lag that you generally get in headphones, so if you’ve abandoned Bluetooth options before because of the huge annoyance of firing a shot in Warzone and hearing it half a second later, this could be a game changer. I don’t understand how it works, but it does, and does so very well indeed. You might still want the higher-quality options while listening to music, but where responsive sound is a must, it does a stellar job. The sound can also be tailored using the Edifier Connect app, which offers three preset modes along with a customizable four-band EQ. The app even lets you toggle ANC levels, manage multipoint pairing (allowing you to connect to two devices at once), adjust touch-to-chat sensitivity, and check battery levels, giving a level of control you rarely see at this price.
ANC performance punches above its weight and does a very good job of blocking out external sounds. It smooths out low-frequency hums like road noise effectively, and while in busier environments with voices and chatter some ambient sounds still get through, it’s going to do a lot of good work minimising those outside distractions. The other ANC settings allow you to control how much sound gets through, and there’s a full ambient option if you want to stay switched on to your surroundings, something that is especially useful if you’re going to be using them out and about late at night, or have people insisting on talking to you while you’re wearing them. Even when you’re fully noise cancelling there’s a great feature which means you won’t need to lift an earcup up every time you want to hear someone – the “touch to chat” feature is really clever: touch the right earcup and it’ll pause whatever you’re listening to and let in ambient sound using the built-in mic. It’s not instantaneous, you might need to give a quick “eh?” after the external sound fires up, but it only takes a second or so and it’s convenient enough for brief interactions.
The Edifier ES850NB delivers nearly everything you need from mid-range ANC headphones: excellent battery life, solid noise cancellation, balanced sound with app-based customization, and long-haul comfort. Extras like multipoint pairing, touch-to-chat, and a genuinely effective gaming mode that works beautifully on PS5 and PC give it an edge over rivals. If you want an affordable, everyday performer that handles music, calls, travel, and gaming without breaking the bank, these are an easy recommendation.