RIG 700HD Wireless Gaming Headset Review – Plantronics, or I guess they are known as Poly now – have always been focusing on great sound in their products. The RIG 700HD is no different.
RIG 700HD is a wireless gaming headset what will work on PC, and it features an ultra-lightweight design that bring even more comfort to your head and ears while playing for hours.
It doesn’t have RGB lighting, 3D Audio, or hot-swappable batteries, but the RIG 700HD does its job well in games, whether you are playing on a PC or a Laptop.
Most brands would go for a more compact USB dongle for the wireless transmission, but RIG opted for a bigger hub with an optical port (an optical cable is also included). This enables separate audio channels so you can tweak between in-game and audio chat on Discord, for example. It does require you to have a sound card (or on-board audio) with an optical port.
The RIG 700HD has some similarities in design to the other RIG gaming headsets like the skeletal looks around the ear cups, step adjustments, modular construction, materials, etc (check out the RIG 500 PRO eSports Edition, RIG 800LX, and RIG 800.
The microphone is detachable but once you plug it in, there is no way to store it away or retract it (unless you detach it again). I’d prefer the microphone to be retractable since it doesn’t support 3.5mm connection anyway. Meaning, you’ll most likely be using your headset indoor and there is no need to detach the microphone.
There is also microphone monitoring so you can hear yourself when speaking and this is adjustable.
All controls, including game/chat volume control, are located on one side of the cups, easily accessible. Turning the volume on and off has a bit of delay, but nothing to be frowned about.
With just 241 grams of weight, this thing is ultra light, as they say it is. I couldn’t actually believe how light it was when I got the package. Holding it in my hand still had me in disbelief.
There’s this perception of flimsyness because of the weight, but I’ve never had any incidents with it so far. Plus, the headaset is soooo comfortable! It’s easy to somewhat forget that I’m actually wearing a headset after a while, even when taking a trip to the toilet and back.
The ear cups and headband are light and comfy too. Not fluffy comfy, but meshy-lightweight comfy, if you know what I mean.
To my surprise, RIG has switched from supporting Dolby Atmos to Windows Sonic surround (Windows default). Whether you like Dolby Atmos or Windows Sonic, it’s a matter of perception and taste, I guess. Most don’t even care or realise the difference. In fact, it’s easy to miss out changing your Windows volume settings to Windows Sonic. To enable Windows Sonic, right click on your volume control icon on the taskbar, and select Spatial Sound.
However, I still prefer using the in-built Overwatch‘s Dolby Atmos support and playing Overwatch with the RIG 700HD is fun. It sounds great and can easily receives many audio inputs from the game simultaneously without problems. Audio positioning is great when I test it as I can identify all sorts of different sounds coming from different directions.
I also test the headset while reviewing Borderlands 3 and enjoying all the atmosphere and non-stop gun blazing moments with the RIG 700HD.
The overall sound is really good and accurate, but not super rich and detailed as higher-end wireless gaming headsets that I’ve tried like the Mobius Audeze, but hey, they cost a lot more than the 700HD.
RIG 700HD only has around 12 hours of battery life (give and take) – which is why the headset is so light (i.e less battery = less weight). Still, it’s more than enough for a single gaming session for sure, and it gives you an audible warning when the battery is even at medium rather than leaving it to the last minute.
You can play as you charge the headaset away, but I wish the cable can be longer.
RIG 700HD Review Conclusion
RIG 700HD is a decent wireless gaming headset with 40mm speaker drivers, Windows Sonic Surround Sound support, 12 hours of battery life, and comes with super comfy, lightweight design.
There are things that I wish the RIG 700HD have like a longer charging cable, retractable microphone design, and maybe an indicator to see if the microphone is muted.
However, at AU$199, RIG 700HD offers an excellent quality of wireless gaming headset for the value, plus it can handle any types games, movies, or music. While the sound is not super rich and detailed, the headset has big sound and great audio positioning – which is very crucial in first person shooter games as well.
Disclosure: RIG 700HD review sample was supplied for reviewing but all opinions are mine and not paid
