I’ve been looking for a headset for some time now, mainly in preparation for the launch of Destiny to allow me and my fellow Wolfpack to communicate without the need for using the like of Facebook chat on our phones or Skype on our computers. Therefore, I decided to do a bit of research to see what was available on the market and when the Plantronics RIG popped up it started to intrigue me for two reasons. Firstly, I use a Plantronics SupraPlus HW251 headset for work and I’ve always been impressed with its quality; the sound seems much more clear than if I just picked up the handset and the clarity of the mic allows for clients to hear me first time instead of me having to repeat myself occasionally. The second reason is that it came with a mixer that would allow me to listen to music in the game or even to answer phone calls, mid game without me having to pause anything and putting my controller down to pick my phone up (I’m lazy I know).
I awoke one morning and headed downstairs to the glorious sight of a parcel waiting for me on the window ledge, just sitting there minding its own business unaware of the glorious times we’d have together in the near future. Opening the little plastic bag it was wrapped up in I pulled out this quality looking black and orange box that housed my brand new headset and mixer; before long I was tearing the box apart and it didn’t look so pretty anymore. One of the first things I noticed were the amount of wires in the box; now I know there would be more than one with a mixer involved but there did seem to be quite a lot. That’s when I realised that it came with two detachable mics, one boom mic for gaming and the other an inline mic for when you are on the go allowing you to listen to music on your phone and take incoming calls. This was a nice surprise to be honest because it shows just how multifunctional the RIG is from before even getting to the mixer.
After the initial confusion of ‘why so many wires’ I took out the headset and had a little look at it from every possible angle to take in its beauty; it really looked like a great piece of craftsmanship. The headband is covered in a nice looking padded material, although its looks are slightly deceiving and they could have done with a little more padding on the underside as it did feel a little hard at times, but that’s not to say it wasn’t comfortable because it was a good few hours before it caused any irritation. The ear pieces also come with a piece of the same fabric found on top of the headband, this really brings the design together and makes it feel as one whole piece of kit instead of lots of bits and bobs stuck together. As well as the small patch of material, though the RIG’s earpieces have a mixture of matt and glossy black casing that make the headset look very stylish so you won’t look like a plonker when walking down the street listening to tunes on your phone.
The real part of the design that pleases me though, is the ear pads; they come covered in a mesh fabric which not only goes well with the rest of the design but also adds to the comfort of the RIG. Usually you’ll find leather material around the ear pads with either a spongey filling or more lately memory foam to better suit the user by moulding to the shape of your head. However, I always find with the leather or the fake leather substitute that some manufacturers use, they begin to feel hot, start making your ears sweat and irritate you. Now this is probably also partly down to the gamer who uses them, I mean everyone is different, some people will fluctuate more heat wise causing them to sweat more, but it’s funny how this never happened once with me thanks to the mesh ear pads. They allow air to get in and help your skin to breath instead of trapping your ears in what can feel like an oven. In addition the ear pieces also rotate 90 degrees, which I thought was brilliant because it was like hanging a pair of portable speakers around my neck, allowing me to educate those around me about what good music really is.
Now one of the main selling points of this headset is going to be its mixer, I mean it’s the clear item that separates it from the competition as a lot don’t have anything like it. The design goes very much hand in hand with the headset with a mixture of glossy and matt black coating to bring that quality looking finish. There are a few different buttons here as well, which most of which are easily identifiable except for the volume and the mixers, however a little look at the booklet that comes with it and I soon worked that out. The outer casing acts as a control for volume twisting it left and right to turn the sound down and up. In the centre there is a switch to allow you to select your primary source of sound, whether it be to listen to the game or switch to your phone to take a call; both selections are indicated by either a blue or red light which really makes the mixer stand out. On the outside of the switch are two sliders which allow you to mix the two sounds together, turning up music on your mobile while in-game or by allowing you to speak on the phone whilst raising game sound so you can keep your ears open for the tip tap of enemy footsteps.
Aside from the buttons already mentioned there are three more at the bottom of the mixer, one for muting the mic in the middle, one to the left, which answers calls and the third to the right which lets you select one of the three programmed EQ modes for the RIG. That’s right, there are three modes; Pure, Intense and Explosive (also known as Seismic) and each selection is indicated by a set number of bleeps to allow you to know which mode you have entered. The first of the three selections is the Pure mode; this as the name states tries to make the audio as pure as possible and therefore has minor audio corrections so you hear the game as God (or the developers) intended. Next is Intense mode, this is where things start to step up as it enhances the mid-range audio that allows you to more clearly define sounds such as footsteps and gun shots, helping you use your senses to hone in on the enemy’s position during multiplayer FPS games. The final mode, as the name suggests, is Explosive, called so due to the Seismic Bass that is activated enhancing those booming sounds such as explosions that just help make you feel you’re in the middle of a real Warzone.
Now the mixer sounds great in theory, but I did have a little trouble with it at times. The first issue I had was occasionally when listening to music and game audio at the same time, the music came across quite tinny and other times it sounded like someone was sticking a pillow over the singer’s mouth to muffle the sound. I tried fiddling with the EQ modes, but to no avail did the quality change so I began trying to use the mixer to change the level of audio from each source. It took a while, but I got there in the end and this is the downside to the mixer, it does take some time to master, but once you have it down to a tee it is great. I mean it isn’t always necessary to use the mixer; I only listen to music really when playing sports games where the commentary is dreadful like FIFA after they got rid of Andy Gray, so it wasn’t really needed when I was playing Crysis 3 on the PS3 or Diablo 3 with my buddy on the PS4. However, it is nice to know it is always there and it requires no effort to set up you just literally plug everything in according to the set-up instructions and you’re good to go.
As for the sound quality of the RIG, it is amazing; I’m used to their headsets in a business environment and it is nice to know that the same high quality is passed on to their gaming headsets. The sound when plugged directly into your chosen device comes off crystal clear thanks to the 40mm drivers that deliver the best quality possible and it only improves thanks to the three EQ modes available when plugged into the mixer. What’s more is that the sound in my opinion doesn’t get distorted or become muddy the higher the volume goes unlike some headsets I’ve had, it remains unblemished meaning you can listen to your music or in-game audio as loud as you like, and the RIG can get pretty loud. Plus thanks to the design they are great for blocking out most background noise like moaning parents or siblings, meaning you can clearly identify every little movement in your environment, making these perfect for multiplayer gaming where you need every edge you can get to take the advantage over your foes.
As for the two mic’s they were again being very impressive, and I expect nothing less having experienced how well Plantronics headsets work in a busy office environment. They easily connect and disconnect through a connection on the left ear cup which is neatly hidden away and both come with cables long enough to suit even the most awkward of gamers. The inline mic is obviously the one you would use on the go and helps turn the RIG into a normal set of headphones pretty much whilst giving you the flexibility of still being able to answer calls on your phone. The boom mic is designed for being used in-game and the quality is probably that little bit better due to the fact it is positioned closer to your mouth and is flexible to help you get it into the best position as opposed to just dangling down like the inline one. However, both don’t pick up almost any background noise unless maybe you’re front row at a concert, then you’d kind of struggle to block that out. But the clarity is brilliant, not once did I have to repeat myself due to me sounding muffled or the mic not picking up what I said, everyone I called could hear me perfectly and my buddies on the PS4 reported back that it sounded like I was inside their heads.
So what do I think overall? Well, this is a brilliant headset that delivers high quality at an affordable price, and the mixer only helps add to the value of it. The fact it is so versatile and can be used both on the move with your smartphone or tablet then in the home on your PC, PS3, PS4 or XBOX 360 is great. I also really like how twisting the ear cups is almost like having your own portable speakers around your neck, especially with the volume range of the RIG headset; I’m not sure if this was the intention of the design but it works for me. As for the sound quality and the clarity of the mic it is nothing below what I expected, having used Plantronics at work for some time I was highly optimistic about how good the headset would be and the RIG duly delivered. Yes, it could use a bit more padding on the underside of the headband and the mixer takes a little getting used to but once mastered, pausing games will be a thing of the past as you seamlessly jump between game audio and calls from your boss asking why you aren’t in the office today.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
