EKSA E5000 Pro – EKSA E5000 Pro

Over the past few months, I’ve had the opportunity to put EKSA’s lineup of peripherals in the ring. From earbuds to headphones, today I was lucky enough to get my hands on the latest headphones, the E5000 Pro, a system that packs a host of premium features at a reasonable price. If many of EKSA’s products are clearly tailored for cost-friendliness (not that that’s a bad thing), this device doesn’t feel that way, especially when it comes to audio profiles. But that’s not to say it’s a knockout, as it does have some features that are almost backwards. Let me explain what I mean.

First, it’s worth noting that the E5000 Pro has a fairly premium look and feel. It’s fairly bulky for its size, yet light, and very comfortable thanks to the leather earcups and headband. The build is sturdy, but it has some flexibility, which means it shouldn’t break easily. As for the actual design, it’s pretty understated, almost Razer-esque, as the earphones feature green accents, the stitching, the wires that connect the headband to the speakers, and the form of LED lighting on the outside of the earcups, which are themselves visible, but not Overwhelmingly obvious and distracting. In fact, aside from the extravagant plastic pattern on the outside of the earcups, you probably wouldn’t consider this a gaming product.

As for the actual audio the E5000 Pro delivers, it’s really impressive. The 50mm speakers offer a diverse and complex audio profile, which is definitely not what you would expect from a system that retails for around £50. This is further improved considering the headset also offers 7.1 surround sound, which is ideal for anyone looking to use the headset while playing shooters and other fast-paced games. Combine that with ENC technology, which helps reduce unwanted distractions from outside sounds, and you’ve got a listening experience that feels like a steal when you consider the price range this headset is in.

On the left earcup, there are even a few different controls that affect the audio. There’s a mic mute button, a volume slider, and even a way to turn the LED lighting on/off, which happens to have a second function that activates and deactivates the surround sound feature. Just about everything you’d want this headset to do can be done with the controls on the earcups.

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Now, with all these great features, you might be wondering how the E5000 Pro retails at such a reasonable price, and it boils down to the more “returning” features I mentioned earlier. That said, this is a purely wired device, which means you’ll need to be connected to a PC or game console/controller at all times to use this headset. That in itself means that the E5000 Pro doesn’t need a battery, or for that matter, any necessity for Bluetooth or wireless capabilities, which feels like a pretty big loss these days. It doesn’t make the E5000 Pro unusable, but anyone who likes to be able to wander around and not get bogged down by wires is likely to be put off by this design choice. Also, while the mic is detachable (which is a great feature), the quality of the mic isn’t particularly great and seems to be primarily designed for gaming chat lobbies.

However, what I will say about the wired design is that it does remove a lot of the confusion that often comes with having multiple wireless Bluetooth connected devices. If you want to go from playing a game on Xbox, to watching a stream on PC, and then playing your Switch on the train, all you need to do is unplug the device and plug it into the next platform, it’s that simple. Considering that EKSA provides you with a 3.5mm audio cable, a USB-C cable, and a USB-to-USB-C extender, none of the ports on this headset are safe.