So, this is my first foray into owning a wireless headset. Over the years I have had experience with several wireless headsets for work and gaming to varying degrees of success. Most of them required several concessions to live with – great sound but low battery life; great battery and mic, but uncomfortable; etc. The Rig 800HD’s have changed my view of wireless headsets into a more positive stance. I have been a user of the excellent HyperX Cloud series (Core and Alpha), so I wanted to make sure the Rig stacked up before they became my daily driver. I have spent a month with this headset before making this review because I wanted to make sure I didn’t gloss over anything during my initial first uses.
First Up – Build Quality
I have to say I was quite skeptical when I first picked these up. I am used to the all metal structure of the Cloud’s because I had a long history of plastic headset frames cracking. I was pleased to find that Plantronics created a solidly designed frame. The top band has a smooth, soft plastic feel to it. The inside of the top band has some gussets molded into it that provides some extra strength in the middle. The elastic suspension band can be removed, allowing you to really appreciate the flexibility and strength of the top band. Unlike other plastic structured headsets you may have experience with, the Rig’s also don’t creak when putting them on/taking them off. Creaky headsets just make me think they are going to break sooner. The earcup attachment points are just as sturdy, and they provide enough articulation to fit any head shape. I attached my earcups to the center notch, and that’s where they will stay. For those that might need to adjust the position frequently for whatever reason (hat, hairstyle, sharing with a big headed friend, etc), these attachment points feel robust enough to handle a multitude of adjustments. The mic boom is deceptively strong. It looks like it would be flimsy, but it is pretty securely attached. The mic rotation has enough resistance to maintain the position you put it in.
The only knock on build quality comes with the plastic for the ear cups. The plastic here feels cheaper on the sides – mostly because it immediately reminds me of the ridges on a drink bottle cap. Also, the edges around the bottom of the ear cup have a hard angle to them, and it feels like this should have been rounded over.
Second Up – Comfort
I have always had the thought that my Cloud’s nailed the headset comfort formula. Plush ear cups, lightweight, and wider padded headband to distribute the load on top of your head. The Rig’s nailed most of that formula, but still created an exceedingly comfortable headset. The earcups are super comfortable, and the fabric allows them to breath. You won’t sit there feeling like your ears are getting hot and sweaty (a problem that the Cloud’s and others with leather earcups have). The headset feels very light, and likely lighter than my Cloud’s. I wear these all day at work to listen to music, and I haven’t felt like I’m fatiguing my neck at all. The suspension band is really nice, but it had the drawback of being too narrow. The pad is wide enough, but the internal elastic band is only about ¼” wide. This creates a pressure line across your head over time. If that elastic band was ½” wide or wider, I wouldn’t even be bringing this up. The only saving grace is the headset is light enough that really don’t start feeling that pressure line until after a few hours. Overall I would give the comfort level a 9/10 – not perfect but definitely good.
Third Up – Sound (finally right?)
For me the EQ’s are kind of forgettable. I usually leave it on EQ 3 for music. EQ 2 does feel really overblown/boomy on bass and mids. Otherwise I have really hard time discerning between 3 and 4, but I may not have found the right source audio to hear the difference (4 is supposed to be more for vocals). 1 feels like a little less bass, and a little cleaner which is why I like it for gaming. A lot of this will come down to whatever you are listening to, and whatever levels you like best.
Overall the sound for these headsets should be compared to the $90-100 wired headsets. My Cloud’s are right in that price range, and I think these are on par in sound quality. I think the drivers provide pretty clear sound for music, and great depth. They have pretty good bass and the mids/highs are clear without anything sounding blown out or tinny. I don’t remember what song I was listening to, but I remember thinking I had never heard those particular background sounds in the 100 times I had listened to the song beforehand. So kudos to the Rig’s for being really clear on lower volume sounds. This has been especially useful playing my current game – Far Cry 5. I can hear every little sound, and it is fantastic. I can hear nearby enemies super clear, whereas before it was maybe a little muddled. Has it made me any better at the game – debatable, but I do enjoy it more. The included Atmos code is a nice add on (I also get to use it on my Atmos enabled receiver via my XBONE). The extra processing of the sound is superior, IMO, to the 7.1 dongle adapters for some headsets. They always sound just a little off to me, but the Atmos processing doesn’t feel…over processed. Is it as good as a true multi driver headset – no, but those headsets sit in a completely different price point that is out of reach for most people.
The mic sound is perfectly acceptable. I have really only used it for Skype calls, and other web applications at work. My mic sounds better than anyone else on the calls, so I am happy about that for sure. I have full confidence that my game chats (when they finally happen) will come through perfect.
Last Up - Other Areas/Features
This first one sort of falls in line with comfort, but these are things you will only deal with infrequently. The buttons on the backside of the ear cup are easy to adjust while wearing. I did need to look at them first to know what I was going to be messing with. The volume knob was easy to adjust – I wish it had hard stops for min/max but that is a personal preference. The game/chat volume mixer is super easy to use. You just need to remember which direction is which. The only thing that is weird is the EQ button on the bottom of the right earcup. Its location is fine, but I wish the notification sound was different. Right now it just makes 1, 2, or 3 ‘boops’ depending on which one you select. Again personal preference, but I would rather have the it be a spoken notification where the voice overlay says ‘One’ for EQ one.
Some reviewers have mentioned the voice overlay when first turning on the headset is far too loud/abrasive. I didn’t get the same impression. I thought it was a perfectly acceptable volume and prompt. I don’t understand the hate for this feature, but again I’m not them.
Battery life has been great. I think 24 hrs is lowballing the runtime of these headsets. It only takes me about 4 hours to charge them. I’m glad they kept the connector a micro-USB – I have 10 of these cables laying around, so I never worry about getting it charged. With this runtime you should never be caught with a dead headset.
The range on the wireless connection is great. I’m able to walk all around my house without losing connection. I can walk 40 ft down the hall at work, turn the corner into the kitchenette and get something out of the fridge without any issues.
I have never been a big fan of wireless headsets (mostly bluetooth ones), so I was skeptical of the sound quality I would get. I don’t feel like I am taking very much a sound quality hit with the Rig’s over my wired Cloud’s. Is wired sound quality better – yes. Is it awesome not having a cord, while being very close in quality – even more yes.
The earcups don’t provide a noise isolating experience as compared to my Cloud’s, which I both like and dislike. It helps when a coworker walks up to talk to me. I just mute my music and I can hear them. Unfortunately, if I am trying to play a game I have to turn the volume up if there is a lot of ambient noise. Overall, I would take the experience of the Rig over my Cloud’s because the Rig earcups don’t make my ears sweat.
Conclusion
I have been a user of Plantronics headsets over the last 10 years, and they were always my go to for gaming chat headsets. I was happy to see that Plantronics put forth another solid product. I have made these my daily driver at home, and at work. I will probably pick up another set, so I can just leave one at home and the other at work. If you are looking for a solid wireless headset that doesn’t break the bank, I think the Rig 800HD’s should be on your shortlist. They have great sound, excellent battery life, plenty of range, and are really comfortable. Good job Plantronics.