I previously took a look at the RIG 500E and I’ve had some extensive use of it, both at home and at a few conventions (most notably EVE Vegas). It’s now out in the wild, purchasable at a variety of retailers this holiday season, and is probably one of the coolest headsets I own. It’s time for our official review of it, the RIG500E is the complete RIG package and the one we’ll be discussing, but the RIG 500 and RIG 500HD include all of the same components. The primary difference is the RIG 500 includes the analog cable while the RIG 500HD includes the USB cable, whereas the RIG 500E includes both, along with a set of vented earcups.
The RIG 500E is a modular headset designed for LAN gaming, eSports competitions, and at-home gaming. The unique design allows on-the-fly exchange of the earcups and the cable, allowing you to carry them anywhere, from a friend’s house to the local cyber café, and be compatible with a wide variety of setups.
The package includes two sets of earcups, one isolated (sound dampening, also known as closed) and one vented (also known as open). You get a frame (that I’ve yet to figure out how to break without using a some kind of industrial material, and this is months of trying), a removable headband, the two earcups, and two cables, one USB and one analog. Additionally, you get drivers for surround sound audio support, which is critical for some gamers.
The biggest praise I can give these headsets is in the comfort department. I have a rather large noggin, so it’s one of the most satisfying headsets to strap around my head. The cloth cups are actually very comfy, and the fact that the frame is made of a heavy duty bendable plastic means that it fits snuggly to my head. Not too tight, not too loose, but just right. The adjustable nature of the earcups means I can give myself more or less space, depending on my head.
Of course, a headset is only as good as the cans, and in this case they function marvelously for a headset at this pricepoint. Separation between left and right is perfect and the isolating cups provide the depth and lack of exterior noise while the vented cups are super comfortable (I prefer a vented cup for anything, but the isolated cups are designed to be switched in during high-noise events like LAN parties).
While not the most perfect sound you’ll hear, they do have surround function. The surround function can muddle music a bit, which is why the drivers will allow you to turn it on and off on the cable switch. The surround works rather well for a headset, and gives you better positioning of where a noise is coming from.
Having been able to test a pair at EVE Vegas with the Samsung Gear VR, I can easily say they do work well for virtual reality and do provide a nice immersive experience. Strong bass for those who enjoy it is also present in the headset, this helps with the overall sound quality and improves the immersive experience.
Some of the things I don’t like is that it does come with a lot of parts and no carrying case or bag to put them in, which means that you’ll get to the big Ziplocs out or find some way to store the extra cable and cans. The microphone isn’t controllable on the cable and there are no audio controls present, so that’s sort of an odd spot for me at this price point.
In testing the headset, it preformed fine from a variety of titles, ranging from Dying Light to Fallout 4, Elite Dangerous and Gunjack, and all the way to World of Warcraft and The Elder Scrolls Online. I can say without a doubt that you do not need another pair of headphones other than these, they perform at or above standard for any game. You’ll hear every footstep, gun blast, and 50’s style music that any of the games will throw at you.
I’ve had a good three months of use out of them across the Playstation 4 and PC, and found that they function wonderfully, and the lightweight design really helps stop fatigue. While I do prefer some higher end headsets, you won’t do much better, if better at all, in the $50 to $150 price range these sit at, depending on configuration.
So on a scale between don’t buy it and buy it, I would say you’d have no issue engaging with these and purchasing them. The sound is great, and if you LAN a lot or attend any kind of tournaments where you bring your own headsets, then the ability to change on the fly will go a long ways in making your life even better. If you sit at home and don’t need to swap components out for travel, it’s still a solid headset, in any configuration you could find.
Highlights:
Pros
- Lightweight.
- Sturdy, hard to break.
- Reasonable cable length.
- Great sound quality, lots of bass, surround sound.
- Modular function provides options.
- Comfortable for long-term wear (not hot ears for me).
Cons
- No in-line volume / mic controls.
- No bag to store the modular parts.
The RIG500E is available at most tech outlets, or directly from Plantronics. MSRP is $149.99 for the full set.
As a disclaimer, we did receive a review copy, and held the review until we could get the surround sound drivers to test the full functionality of the headset.
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