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RIG 700 PRO HS
September 20, 2021
Original: $120 USD
March 2022: $89 USD
40mm (drivers)
241g
PN 100-1485-01
The RIG 700 PRO HS boasts has a comfortable and light design, and sports a low latency wireless connection with a 2.4GHz RF USB dongle. A lot of headsets offer all that, so how does the RIG set itself apart from other gaming headsets? It has a unique adjustment system whereby you remove each headphone from the band to reposition it.
Taking all of this into account, let’s see how the RIG 700 PRO HS stacks up.
Who is the RIG 700 PRO HS for?
- PC or PlayStation gamers who want a wireless headset with low latency will enjoy the 2.4GHz RF dongle this comes with, rather than using Bluetooth.
- Gamers who want to play for longer periods of time will find this headset very light and comfortable.
What’s it like to use the RIG 700 PRO HS?
This gaming headset comes with a detachable microphone, 2.4GHz RF dongle, and a USB charging cable. Connecting it is easy, all you need to do is plug in the dongle and hold down the power button on the headset until the light turns blue.
The RIG 700 PRO HS is really lightweight, which is great for long gaming sessions. It’s comfortable too—the tension is light enough that I can wear it with glasses without issue, though that comes with the caveat of having basically no isolation. Adjusting the headband is a bit jarring, since you have to pop the ear cups out of the headband to adjust the fit of the headset.
How do you control the RIG 700 PRO HS?
Controls sit on the left ear cup. The top dial is for mic volume, the middle button is the power button, and the bottom dial controls volume. Right under that is the microUSB port, and on the bottom of the ear cup is the microphone mute button. The dials provide enough resistance that you can’t accidentally slide the volume up while adjusting the headphones. The front of the left ear cup also has the port to plug in the microphone. The controls are really handy when you’re in the middle of a game.
See also: The best wireless gaming headsets
How is the RIG 700 PRO HS for gaming?
Gaming in this headset is pretty good. Everything from car alarms to gunshots to sirens sounds well balanced in Grand Theft Auto 5 on PC, and no sound feels like it overpowers the rest. Even while doing doughnuts in a parking lot and hitting the cars around me while I spin and drift, the balance between the screeching of the tires and the differently pitched sirens is notable. More bass-heavy sounds like the sound when I open the menu or impact with a police car are punchy and prominent, but not in an overbearing way.
Environmental sounds in games are clear and nothing gets in the way of my focus on the game.
I find that playing CS:GO and Splitgate also sounds great in these headphones, where footsteps and gunshots aren’t overwhelmingly boomy like they can be in more bass-heavy gaming headsets. Environmental sounds in both games are clear and nothing gets in the way of my focus on the games. Overall, this headset doesn’t bring the drama that more bass-heavy gaming headsets do, so this is a good gaming experience for people who don’t care for that sometimes overwhelming and intense bass-heavy sound.
This headset also advertises that it’s perfectly tuned for Sony 3D audio on PlayStation 5, but I wasn’t able to test that in time for this review. If you’d like to learn more about it, you can read all about it here.
Related: The best PlayStation 4 headsets
How long does the battery last on the RIG 700 PRO HS?
To test the battery, we subjected the RIG 700 PRO HS to constant music playback peaking at 75dB(SPL), and it lasted 16 hours, 55 minutes under these conditions. Nacon claims that this headset has a 12-hour battery life, and our test shows it exceeds this significantly. The headset charges through a microUSB cable, and it takes around 120 minutes to fully charge. Battery performance like this is alright, nowhere near the best on the market.
How well does the RIG 700 PRO HS block noise?
Isolation on this headset isn’t great. I can hear myself typing on a pretty quiet scissor-switch keyboard even while I listen to music, and I can hear household sounds like the oven beeping or a car passing by very easily. The ear cups don’t seal around my ear, and feel pretty loose. If you’re looking for a headset that will free you from environmental distractions, this isn’t it.
See also: How we score
How does the RIG 700 PRO HS sound?
This headset follows our consumer curve fairly closely, though there is a dip in output where the upper-bass meets the low-mid frequencies. This frequency response differs from most gaming headsets, which tend to over-emphasize bass frequencies. There’s also a slight emphasis in some areas of the treble range, which is apparent when listening to music.
Lows, mids, and highs
Music sounds great with these headphones. Listening to Midtown 120 Blues by DJ Sprinkles shows that they handle everything from sub-bass to high treble really well. The high-pitched percussion throughout the song sounds clear and is more prominent than other elements, and the lowest sub-bass throughout the song is present and enjoyable, never overwhelming. Treble is definitely the dominant frequency range here.
Thumbs by Lucy Dacus also sounds great on this headset, with Lucy Dacus’ voice coming through clearly while the ambient synthesizer sounds perfectly placed behind it. The deep, droning bass that appears around the two-minute mark sounds pleasant, but I wish it was a bit more prominent.
See also: How we test
Does the RIG 700 PRO HS have a good microphone?
The microphone for this headset isn’t bad, but it’s certainly not the best. It could benefit from a windscreen, as it picks up breath really easily. Voices come through clear enough, but there’s some audible digital noise, and sibilant sounds (S and F sounds) are a little louder than they need to be. Listen for yourself.
RIG 700 PRO HS microphone sample (Ideal):
RIG 700 PRO HS microphone sample (Office):
How does the microphone sound to you?
Should you buy the RIG 700 PRO HS?
For $120 USD, this headset offers a light and comfortable fit, and a good gaming experience, but it lacks good microphone performance and isolation, and it only offers a surround sound option for PlayStation 5. If you’re one of the many people who can’t get their hands on one or if you’re also a PC gamer, there are better headsets available.
What should you buy instead of the RIG 700 PRO HS?
If you want a great headset to enjoy on PC and PlayStation, the Razer BlackShark V2 uses a USB soundcard for PC and 3.5mm connection for consoles, and has a better microphone and sound quality. It also has the Razer Synapse software where you can adjust EQ unlike the RIG headset, and supports THX surround sound on PC through Synapse—plus, it’s $20 USD cheaper. There’s a wireless version with all the same features, too, but it’ll run you around $180 USD.
The Razer Barracuda X is also a good option at only $99 USD. Though its sound quality isn’t as good as the BlackShark V2 and it doesn’t support Synapse, its USB-C wireless dongle makes it a truly multi-platform headset.
For $156 USD, the HyperX Cloud Flight S also uses a 2.4GHz dongle and supports surround sound on PC additionally. The microphone is worse than the BlackShark V2, but still better than the RIG 700 PRO HS.
See also: The best gaming headsets
Frequently asked questions about the RIG 700 PRO HS
No, but the RIG 700 PRO HX does.
No, this headset only has support for Sony 3D audio on PlayStation 5, and does not have built in support for other surround sound systems on PC.